Should i use braided line or mono

Some, typically veteran anglers, swear by their tried and tested monofilament fishing lines, mainly because they have been using them for as long as they have been fishing. Conversely, a large number of anglers who prefer fishing with braided line cite the various unrivaled advantages it can provide over mono line as will be discussed here.

Then you have others who see the merits of both and use each type of line depending on the kind of fishing they are doing. One of the biggest attractions to monofilament lines is the fact they are much easier to tie and cut. That means beginners can learn the basics of knot tying with a mono fishing line and find it will serve them well, making tying tackle and line knots that bit simpler.

Monos also provide better knot reliability than braids because they are more likely to stretch than break on a sudden, heavy hit and are especially preferred for that reason when live-bait fishing, trolling and kite fishing.

Speaking of knots, we have all created unwanted knots in the course of our fishing lives. Here, too, monofilament has an advantage, as working out a knot is not usually a much of a headache. The same cannot be said for braided lines, however. This can be attributed to their thinness as well as the woven fiber materials from which they are made, requiring all manner of specialized knots to be learned, which can obviously be rather time-consuming.

Another consideration: if you are going to fish with braid, make sure you also use a good fluorocarbon leader , for maximum stealth, especially when fishing for species that are skittish. Fluorocarbons also make it safer when handling the end of your line than with braid, which can easily slice your fingers. But, perhaps, the greatest advantages of braids are their strength, thinner diameter, and line sensitivity.

Simply put, braid allows you to pack more high-strength line onto your fishing reel , provides more distance for casting than mono out on the boat, flats or surf, and lets you feel those bites better. In addition, braided line tends to offer better durability with the exception of abrasion around rocks and other sharp structure when compared to monofilament, resulting in a line that lasts much longer.

While we could write a book on performance fishing lines, the bottom line is that they have differences — characteristics that make them more applicable to certain situations. Hopefully the information shared here will help you better understand those differences, so that you can make the right choice for a given application, regardless of whose brand you buy.

Follow Bernie Schultz on Facebook or through his website. This photo shows the resulting concentric loops of line created by Sufix's G2 Precision Winding Process — which assures the smoothest possible transfer of line to your fishing reel. A big part of that preparation involves balancing equipment and making sure the right action rod is paired to the correct size and ratio reel.

Skip to main content. Fishing lines: Mono, fluoro or braid? Mono first Mono short for monofilament is a single strand of line made from one or more than one type of nylon. Fluoro next Like monofilament, fluorocarbon is polymer based but with a nearly identical refractive index to water. Finally braid Originally spun from natural materials like silk, cotton and linen, braided fishing lines have been around forever.

Page views. Tackle systems: A balance of power A big part of that preparation involves balancing equipment and making sure the right action rod is paired to the correct size and ratio reel.

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