Braid In Clear Water

[drew03cmc]

Do bass seem to care, in your opinion, if you are using braid tied direct in clear water? Do you see your catch rate go down at all? I am wondering since using a rod with braid on it in relatively clear water this weekend and being amazed at the sensitivity.

[Ham]

I tie direct with braid for frogs, Alabama rigs, and maybe pitching in dingy water.

I use a leader in all other situations to save the braid and to have a weak link if I need to break off.

[exiledguide]

My fishing buddy uses braid with a flouro leader when fiashing jigs and texas rigged worms. Seems to work for him

[Ham]

The ability to get easy hooksets from a great distance can not be overstated. But there is no perfect line, you have to go use it and figure out what works best for you.

[MOPanfisher]

I'm not a bass fisherman, but I had the same concerns for using it for crappie, walleye, and smallmouth. I now have no reels left with anything but braid. I absolutely love the extra "Thump" when a crappie hits on braid. Most of my braid is 6# but do have some with up to 10 or 12#

[Dutch]

6 of us did a test in cold water one time. A friend and I used braid and the other 4 used mono. We suffered a severe beatdown that day. Since then I use a leader in cold water and clear water. I have a love hate with the stuff, love it on spinnerbaits and A rigs but hate it on anything with treble hooks.

[Ham]

Mopanfisher, one of the things that troubles me with braid is a crappie jig pulling into a snag before you can stop it. With mono, I can feel the jig get snug, but baclk off before it gets hung up. With braid, once you feel the cover, it's hung up.

Less of a problem here, then were I moved from.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I use braid directly when fishing jerk baits in the fall. Braid gives you an indication of a strike because it flots and because of the sensitivity. I've caught a lot of bass reacting to a small tic in the line where it enters the water. I also use it for topwaters. My reason for that is besides floating, which gives good contact with the lure, I can generally wrestle a sammie out of a sycamore.

[Greasy B]

I switched to braid on my top water rod last summer for that very reason. First couple times I had a Sammy flying back at my face it scared the crap out of me. Back to mono, I'd just as soon loose one than piss away an hour performing surgery on myself.

[kirbydog]

I use a fluro or mono leader on braid-only exception is when I'm dragging jigs in deep water-I figure

the fish can't really tell at that depth.