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mono, why bother


fishorgolf

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Sitting here having a cocktail and decide to re-rig one of my rods for open water. Start taking out some line and it looks like a slinky. I just put this line on 5 months ago! I can pick up any one of my other rods that have had braid on them for 3 years and the line is smooth as silk. maybe a little worn but smooth as can be. Is there anytime a person would HAVE to have mono over braid that a fluorocarbon leader wouldn't work? Now that we have these great new lines is there really a time when mono is worth the trouble?

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There are a couple of reasons to use mono.

1. If you frequently change out your line, it's cheaper.

2. The stretch factor in mono varies from brand to brand, but any stretch factor aids you when your fighting a big fish on light line.

3. Of the 3 main types of lines (braid,fluorocarbon & mono) mono has the slowest sink rate, which makes it perform better when working topwater baits.

4. When someone is learning to use a bait-caster, mono is usually a better choice.

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I agree with all your points. but do you thing these points are that BIG of a factor that it is worth all the drawbacks with mono?

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I use mono for jigs with light wire hooks and crankbaits. I want some stretch with both of those baits. One, in my experiments with braid and light hooks, I managed to straighten several hooks on hookset with braid. Two, all fish have a nasty habit of ripping trebles free near the boat. Monos shock absorbtion gives you some wiggle room.

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I probably use mono (or copolymer lines) for 1/2 my fishing, maybe even more than that. In many cases mono and copolys outperform superlines and flourocarbons.

Things that I use mono for that I won't do with superlines:

- most jigging

- some live bait rigging

- slip bobbering

- open water trolling with boards

- fishing for panfish

- most of my ice fishing

Things I use super lines for:

- flatline trolling with crankbaits

- casting crankbaits

- all my muskie rods

- some live bait rigging

- small part of my ice fishing

Like someone said, there's a lot of great lines out there today. It's to your advantage to use them in the situations where they perform best, and to not limit yourself by using only one kind of line.

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honestly! I do agree there are many times when mono may be a better choice and many people use it for allot of things but my question still stands. Is it that much better and help you catch that many more fish that it is worth the drawback? Hey I use mono to all the time I am just starting to wonder why.

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I'm all mono, just can't get used to braid, to slippery to me, and when using the right mono you can have great results. I use mono mainly for catfishing the mighty Crow river, that's where I mostly go, and I do just fine. I put the line on in spring and didn't have to replace it all year, that while fishing carp and catfish about 90 times last year. So I'll stick with the mono.

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Mono is just another tool in my opinion. As previously mentioned, there are many aspects of fishing where mono is a "better" choice, just as superlines are a "better" choice in certain situations as well.

Sometimes it is worth the headache.

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fishorgolf...I think there was some great points on here and it really comes down to personal preferance. all lines have there pros and cons.

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Good stuff thus far....

I'll even change from a braid to mono on a crank set-up later in the season. Working cranks for bass in the summer I like the line cutting aspect of a braid but the consequence is the loss of stretch. Come Fall I'll go back to mono for the forgiveness factor.

From Ray Esboldt: "Two, all fish have a nasty habit of ripping trebles free near the boat." I couldn't agree more, I've lost some nice fish due to the braid lacking stretch and the result is a lost fish.

Mono definetely has it's situation specific place in my boat. I've even taken a braid off, wrapped it around a pop can, and put it back on later. All depends....

Chris

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Mono also has way better resistance to cutting and abrasion than braid.

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 Originally Posted By: cjac
I've even taken a braid off, wrapped it around a pop can, and put it back on later.

LOL. I have a pop bottle wrapped in 80lb Power Pro on my workbench right now grin.gif

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Nothing else to add as far as what the attributes of mono are.For the older folks in the crowd,what did we all use for line before braids even came into the fishing scene? We used mono.That is all that there was at the time,except for nylon lines.Mono never was problematic in any way for catching fish where I am concerned.Braids have their place, but so does mono.There is a reason why bulk spools of mono are available.

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 Originally Posted By: fishorgolf
Is it [mono] that much better and help you catch that many more fish that it is worth the drawback?

Without question my answer here is YES!!!! It's worth it!!!! And to turn it around, using superlines with their drawbacks and disadvantages is not worth it in many situations IMO. I honestly think I get more headaches from superlines than from monos.

Here's a tip for you "pop can guys" ;\) ......... and anyone else that's interested ......

I save the spools my superlines come on. When I want the superlines off my reels I run a hex-head bolt through the hole in the spool, tighten it down with a couple washers and a nut, put the bolt in an electric drill, and let 'er rip. It only takes seconds to strip the line off the reel and get it back on the spool for later use. Coming off a casting reel you can run the line through the guides on the rod before it goes back on the spool and won't get line twist ....... coming off a spinning reel you need to hold the drill beside the reel and loosen the drag so the line comes off the reel sideways without twisting (if you let it go over the front of the reel it will twist). I frequently swap out the lines on my trolling reels between mono, different diameters of superlines, or leadcore depending on what I'm doing and how many rods I need.

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River fishing and superlines don't mix very well. Current will blow light jigs around too much. You can't feel the bottom. Also, when (not if) you get snagged up, you want the line to break. Usually mono will break at the knot. With superlines, you end up cutting the line and loosing dozens of yards at a crack. It will then drift in the current, eventually finding it's way around your, or my, prop shaft, destroying the lower unit seals.

My 2 cents!

TC

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I couldn't agree more than what PerchJerker has said. He has stated it perfectly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE mono for some applications. I LOVE braided for other applications. Each type has their own drawbacks depending on the type of fishing you intend to do. I have both mono and braided to account for the various types of fishing/presentations I like to use. Each has their own drawbacks depending on the type of fishing techinique you employ.

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Mono comes into play for many big fish applications for the critter I chase.

Pike it takes the abraision and sinks slower. Shallow water such as Upper Red it makes a HUGE difference in bait presentations when we are working large baits in 8-12 inches of water. Not to mention it helps asorb the shock of boat side thrashing.

Sturgeon it is my go to line when I'm in the rocks. It fights better and the Rainy has some nasty sharp rocks at discharge points. The mono just does better although the big diameter does create some greif by catching more current.

Now I am a pro braid guy but mono definetly has its place.

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F or G .. the guys have all the points covered. one thing i would add is ; there is a big difference in monos also! i'm a trilene guy. line memory is a given, but can be a bigger issue with the XT compare to the XL. i load my reels late winter.( mostly cause i'm bore! grin.gif) but before i use them i will take them out some where are let all the line out to help relax it.( even on my street! small town not much traffic!) just something one has to live with to a certain degree with mono. del

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Guess I can't throw away the mono just yet. Couple of questions.

- can you not make up for some of the non stretch of braids when troling by using a longer more flexable (wrong word for this ) rod and non braid leader? All my trolling rods are 7'6" and longer with light action tips.

- also, do you not solve the problem of having to cut large lengths of braid off when you snag buy using a mono/fluro leader? When using braid I almost always use a swivel and then a leader for a multiple of reasons.

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Trolling or casting with braided lines for walleyes I like ML power rods --- as you said, the softer action helps compensate for the lack of stretch in the line. For muskies, pike and bass I use rods ranging from ML to MH.

It's not very often that I use a flouro leader on my superlines. I'll use a flouro leader for livebait rigging and some of my ice fishing. Almost never for casting or trolling cranks.

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Just to clarify for everyone, mono has less stretch than fluorocarbon but mono has much more elasticity which makes it better for keeping tension between you and the fish.

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All very interesting conversation. I have been playing around with different lines over the last couple of years. Here is what I have found. I will incorporate brand names, because as you all know it obviously is different from company to company. This is my opinion only and no scientific testing methods so take it with a grain of salt.

Fireline: you get what you expect for the most part. It is a superline that has no stretch and excelent feel. It is relatively durable. I have tried everything from 2# to 30#. I actually had some negatives with the 2# as it cut my fingers when I am fighting a fish or hung up. I also had a bad spool of 30# fireline that was snapping when I was casting muskie baits. Yes it was the line and not the knot. I don't think there is any advantage to Crystal in comparison to smoke or any other color.

PowerPro: I love it on my Muskie set ups, but I find it to be stiffer than the Fireline. Good or bad that is all the difference that I have found between Fireline to this point.

Trilene Mono XL: I have used this line for years and caught numerous trophies, including five 10+ lbs walleyes. It has a little memory but in general has always been my standard Mono. I have recently been noticing issues on my bobber set-up where the bobber stop has been wearing off the outside surface of the line, making it more seceptible for breaking. I have had similar issues with knot strength with Trilene.

Suffix Mono: I really liked the strength and durability. It had great feel and I have very little to complain about. I did find that one of the spools I bought was already twisted. I also had some minor issues with the line jumping off my reel...and yes it was applied to the reel correctly and was not overfilled.

Maxima Mono: I am so so on this line. It has similarities to Suffix, but is much stiffer in my opinion.

Vanish Floro: I like the difference in success I had when using it as a leader, but did not like how it acted when applied to a reel. I also had issues that after a few big fish or a long fight I was getting kinks that were messing up the action and was causing major issues down by my swivel and hook area. This may be operator error as I have not completely well versed in Florocarbon yet.

I still want to try Gamma Mono and Trilene Floro to see if I can find exactly what I like. The thing is that all these lines are quality lines and have +/-'s it depends on the application and obviously your personal preferences. If anyone has any insights on some of the other brand I would be interested in hearing.

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It would be cool to see a poll on favorite line. Even with the advent of superlines, which I use in some cases (like most of the posters here), I'm betting Triline XL would still blow away all other mono's. I know it's been my go to line all my life, and I've tried lots of others.

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 Originally Posted By: ocf1
Just to clarify for everyone, mono has less stretch than fluorocarbon

I think you have that backwards, dude.

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Nope ralph, fluoro will stretch, but it wont go back to its original length after being stretched which makes fluoro more important to change often. Mono has the elasticity to make it feel more stretchy.

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Ralph, I know you and I went through a rash of knot testing trying to come up with what is stronger a while back. I did notice that the floro leader would stretch out and stay that way. Almost turn white and stringy and the heavy mono would snap and go right back to its original form. I actauly forgot about that until it was just mentioned. Definetly something to think about.

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can't say as i've ever heard that about fluro. given that, seems to me a guy would want to change leaders (if useing fluro as leader material) after a tough fight/big fish, as the elasticity would be gone?

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Call me old fashoned, but I still use berkley Trilene XL green 4-8 lb. For my Walleye fishing on Mille Lacs.

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