Braid vs Mono for a baitcaster.

[XD351]

G’day Raiders,

I recently picked up a baitcaster outfit and would like to know of your experiences and recommendations in choosing a line - really  after some advice from someone who has some real experience in using both on a baitcaster outfit . The last baitcaster I used was before braid was a thing so I have only used mono - is there a benefit to using braid ( other than the feel you gain with braid ) and does this benefit outweigh the negatives - if there are any . I had a search on here but couldn’t find anything relevant and YouTube is mostly clickbait for line brands or people sponsored by them . 

[slowjigger]

What type of fishing will you be doing? Most of my baitcasters have braid on them - mainly for the sensitivity you mentioned. There are some disadvantages. Backlashes will be hard to unpick, it's probably easier for fish to see, knots are more complicated, less abrasion resistance. 

Edited Saturday at 06:17 AM by slowjigger

[big Neil]

G'day XD. You would be aware of the ways the line exits a spin reel and a baitcast reel as being very different.

If we consider a low-profile baitcast outfit being used to cast lures accurately over short distances, braid is ideal for this purpose. It has a much smaller cross sectional profile and that is ideal for such a purpose. The small spool and direct exit path of the line is ideal for braid.

 

On the other hand if you are talking about an overhead type reel being used to load hundreds of metres of line for bottom bashing, then the line type is more an individual preference.

I have had lots of experience with low profile baitcast rods and reels. As stated, if I want accurate casting over short distances, it has to be braid. I do have a low profile baitcast outfit set up with mono but I only use it for bait fishing (where accurate casting is not critically important). I use 40 lb braid and it casts very easily from the low profile set up. Mono wouldn't.

I always use a mono shock leader to the lure. Braid to mono knot is an FG.

bn         

[dirvin21]

I prefer braid on all reels, 

I have used mono on baitcasters in the past but I find once you seriously backlash mono it's pretty much over

[PaddyT]

On small baitcasters its fine and the sensitivty of braid vs mono far outweighs the backlash issue. However a really limp braid is the way to go rather than a product that is stiff. One thing that i find is a very short leader stops a lot of problems with backlash etc -even slimline knots like the FG going through the typically smaller guides on a baitcast rod will cause little stoppages in the line going out-just have the leader outside the guides when casting. I have a very "educated" thumb (from way to many years of throwing lures off the rocks with an overhead) so practice and a smoooth casting action really helps.

[XD351]

On 10/19/2024 at 4:49 PM, slowjigger said:

What type of fishing will you be doing? Most of my baitcasters have braid on them - mainly for the sensitivity you mentioned. There are some disadvantages. Backlashes will be hard to unpick, it's probably easier for fish to see, knots are more complicated, less abrasion resistance. 

Mostly lure chucking, might do I bit of trolling here and there . not looking forward to the inevitable backlash 🤣🤣

Thanks slowjigger!
 

[XD351]

On 10/19/2024 at 4:55 PM, big Neil said:

G'day XD. You would be aware of the ways the line exits a spin reel and a baitcast reel as being very different.

If we consider a low-profile baitcast outfit being used to cast lures accurately over short distances, braid is ideal for this purpose. It has a much smaller cross sectional profile and that is ideal for such a purpose. The small spool and direct exit path of the line is ideal for braid.

 

On the other hand if you are talking about an overhead type reel being used to load hundreds of metres of line for bottom bashing, then the line type is more an individual preference.

I have had lots of experience with low profile baitcast rods and reels. As stated, if I want accurate casting over short distances, it has to be braid. I do have a low profile baitcast outfit set up with mono but I only use it for bait fishing (where accurate casting is not critically important). I use 40 lb braid and it casts very easily from the low profile set up. Mono wouldn't.

I always use a mono shock leader to the lure. Braid to mono knot is an FG.

bn         

G’day BN, thanks for the comprehensive reply !

I will be using the baitcaster outfit to cast lures from my  for natives so it is the accuracy I need rather than distance. 
Are you using 40lb because of the breaking strain or was it because you wanted thicker line on your reel ?

[XD351]

On 10/20/2024 at 11:07 AM, dirvin21 said:

I prefer braid on all reels, 

I have used mono on baitcasters in the past but I find once you seriously backlash mono it's pretty much over

Yep definitely had my share of those ! I have had to use an x-acto knife to cut the backlash out and re spool the line 🤣🤣🤣

Thanks Dirvin !

Edited yesterday at 04:14 AM by XD351

[XD351]

On 10/20/2024 at 2:11 PM, PaddyT said:

On small baitcasters its fine and the sensitivty of braid vs mono far outweighs the backlash issue. However a really limp braid is the way to go rather than a product that is stiff. One thing that i find is a very short leader stops a lot of problems with backlash etc -even slimline knots like the FG going through the typically smaller guides on a baitcast rod will cause little stoppages in the line going out-just have the leader outside the guides when casting. I have a very "educated" thumb (from way to many years of throwing lures off the rocks with an overhead) so practice and a smoooth casting action really helps.

Ahh yes - high speed spinning off the rocks , I will never forget the whirring of the spool ,the crunch of the backlash , the snap of the line followed by a string of expletives as I watched my lure disappear over the horizon 🤣🤣🤣

I hadn’t considered the leader knot ! 
so the limp braid is less likely to backlash? 
 

Thanks for the great reply PaddyT! 

[slowjigger]

1 hour ago, XD351 said:

Yep definitely had my share of those ! I have had to use an x-acto knife to cut the backlash out and re spool the line 🤣🤣🤣

Thanks Dirvin !

Not sure about that. I have found backlashes usually able to be unpicked with mono - however significant one with braid are impossible and have to be cut out. 

[PaddyT]

2 hours ago, XD351 said:

Ahh yes - high speed spinning off the rocks , I will never forget the whirring of the spool ,the crunch of the backlash , the snap of the line followed by a string of expletives as I watched my lure disappear over the horizon 🤣🤣🤣

I hadn’t considered the leader knot ! 
so the limp braid is less likely to backlash? 
 

Thanks for the great reply PaddyT! 

Cheers XD-i dont think it backlashes anymore or less-but its a lot easier to unpick- and yes there was nothing quite like a crack off especially when a decent tuna school was busting up right in front of the ledge.

[XD351]

8 hours ago, slowjigger said:

Not sure about that. I have found backlashes usually able to be unpicked with mono - however significant one with braid are impossible and have to be cut out. 

It was using too light a line that made it worse , my first baitcaster ( shimano bantam) and I didn’t know that 8lb mono wasn’t the best choice of line . It was a quick talk to Rod Harrison at a tackle show that got me sorted - he was doing some casting tutorials and I noticed that on his reel was line somewhere in the 30lb range and I asked him why so heavy? “Because it’s easier to fix a birds nest with heavier line and it doesn’t affect the casting distance greatly”  so off came the 8lb and on went some 20lb line I had stashed away. Still got backlashes but they were never as bad and usually fixable with the heavier lines. 

[big Neil]

11 hours ago, XD351 said:

G’day BN, thanks for the comprehensive reply !

I will be using the baitcaster outfit to cast lures from my  for natives so it is the accuracy I need rather than distance. 
Are you using 40lb because of the breaking strain or was it because you wanted thicker line on your reel ?

I use 40lb braid and leader because I target Murray Cod in very snag-ridden water. I have to stop the fish from getting me snagged up. The braid is essential in getting the cast exactly where it needs to be. I use fairly large spinnerbaits and hardbody lures. I generally use X8 braid as it seems to have a good cross-sectional profile. I very seldom get birds nests because I set the reel for each different lure being used.

I have other low-profile baitcast outfits rigged with 10lb braid and leader for targeting Bass. Same thing..... accurate casts into snags with smaller lures and spinnerbaits.

I hope this info is helpful.

bn

Edited 23 hours ago by big Neil
more info

[XD351]

Yes all very helpful BN- thank you ! 

[slowjigger]

6 hours ago, XD351 said:

It was using too light a line that made it worse , my first baitcaster ( shimano bantam) and I didn’t know that 8lb mono wasn’t the best choice of line . It was a quick talk to Rod Harrison at a tackle show that got me sorted - he was doing some casting tutorials and I noticed that on his reel was line somewhere in the 30lb range and I asked him why so heavy? “Because it’s easier to fix a birds nest with heavier line and it doesn’t affect the casting distance greatly”  so off came the 8lb and on went some 20lb line I had stashed away. Still got backlashes but they were never as bad and usually fixable with the heavier lines. 

Braid is even finer for breaking strain - that and the lack of stiffness/ memory makes backlashes much worse.

They tend to occur with distance casting - shouldn't be much of a problem with what Nig Neil will be doing. 

 

Edited 18 hours ago by slowjigger

[JonD]

Almost all my reels have braid, including bait casters. However I recently bought mono to load up a couple of rsmall bait caster eels for snapper fishing in deeper water as Ive been assured it makes a big difference.

[big Neil]

1 hour ago, JonD said:

Almost all my reels have braid, including bait casters. However I recently bought mono to load up a couple of rsmall bait caster eels for snapper fishing in deeper water as Ive been assured it makes a big difference.

Hi Jon. This post has tweaked my interest. I could see the possible visibility factor being worthy of consideration, but can't see many other advantages of using mono on a low profile baitcast reel. What breaking strain mono are we talking about...20-30 lb? How much can fit on a small baitcast reel?

I wish to assure you that I respect you as an excellent angler. My questions are about me learning something rather than discounting the validity of your statement.

Cheers, bn

[slowjigger]

4 hours ago, big Neil said:

Hi Jon. This post has tweaked my interest. I could see the possible visibility factor being worthy of consideration, but can't see many other advantages of using mono on a low profile baitcast reel. What breaking strain mono are we talking about...20-30 lb? How much can fit on a small baitcast reel?

I wish to assure you that I respect you as an excellent angler. My questions are about me learning something rather than discounting the validity of your statement.

Cheers, bn

I saw a video once of a top tournament US bass angler. He uses mono (flurocarbon) rather than braid because of the visibility factor as well as the ease of re rigging (simpler knots). I think he might have mentioned abrasion resistance as well.  Remember he does this for a living. 

[big Neil]

4 hours ago, slowjigger said:

I saw a video once of a top tournament US bass angler. He uses mono (flurocarbon) rather than braid because of the visibility factor as well as the ease of re rigging (simpler knots). I think he might have mentioned abrasion resistance as well.  Remember he does this for a living. 

Hi slowjigger. Lots of fishing techniques done differently in the USA. I can't really comment on his thinking, no doubt it is beneficial to what he does. Another point to remember is that pre braid there were no options apart from Mono or Fluorocarbon line.

That said most anglers would do what I do...backing, braid, short leader, lure. Works for lots of different fish in Australia.

Cheers, bn