Braid or Fluorocarbon??????????

[fisch1]

What do you guys prefer for summer fishing?   I was looking at changing to either Fireline or Vanish.  Has anyone had better luck with Fireline Crystal?  Any thoughts about either of the 2 lines?  Thanks for your help!

[David G]

Use both.  Fireline as your main and vanish for a leader.

[C P]

Fluorocarbo sucks @$$ in my opinion I payed like $10 for a spool of 6lb last summer for trout fishin and I broke off so many time that it wasnt even funny. Stick to the fireline I love that stuff but the crystal is more white than clear.

[hauler]

The fireline is the best line out IMO....or at least its the best line I have used. The crystal is not supposed to be "clear" but rather transparent. Meaning it allows the light to pass through it helping it become harder to see by the fish.

I recently caught a 32 in carp on my 2 # fireline. I love the stuff.

[Adam Bomb]

What type of application are you using it for? There are allot of lines out there and some work for some applications better than others.

I use mono, braid and fluorocarbon on my trolling and casting gear, just different ones for different reasons....Mono is a good choice for all your needs. It works pretty good in most situations....it can make your bait fall slower, diver shallower and also has some stretch. But, when you want to get deep, verticle jig or need allot of abrasion resistance, braid is a better option. These are just a few things to consider when choosing a line.

So, before you select a line, determine what your going to use it for and go from there. And i certainly wouldnt spend the big money and spool up totally with fluorocarbon. If you need to add an element of stealth get a small spool of fluoro and tie on a leader with a back to back Uni knot.....Mono is the best all around line and has proven itself over the years.

[jjmoser]

I only use flourocarbon for leaders only.  I use mostly fireline crystal.  I spool up with mono if I have a new baitcasting real, dont matter how many times I pitch it once I get a new real or dusting the winter rust off an old one i get a birds nest.  Braid is real hard to master on a baitcasting real too, so you cant go wrong with a good mono line on those types of set ups expecially if you are casting a lot of top water cranks and burning them accross the lake. 

[carbidemanfishing]

I love fireline but i have seen some fish in clear water shy away from it.If you are fishing live bait or a lure that doesnt move much i would go with fleurocarbon leader or line.If you are fishing fast moving lures i would go with fireline.

[spartaman12]

yeah it also depends on what you are fishing for- if you are going for like bluegills or something- it doest really matter cuz their stupid neways and will eat anything so go with the fireline so u can horse em all the way to the freezer.... but if your going for something like trout, flouro is a must.... and its practically invisible underwater so u can even bump the poundage up if your going for steelhead to like 6 or 8#

[Mr.Vexilar]

yeah it also depends on what you are fishing for- if you are going for like bluegills or something- it doest really matter cuz their stupid neways and will eat anything

 
THats about as far from the truth as you can get!!  Gills can be very finicky and light line/ invisible line can be VERY important, i think more so for ice fishing than open fishin, but i dont open water fish em much.

As for line, i run flourocarbon on most all of my bass rods.  LOVE IT!! Use 20 pd braided line on the flippin sticks, like that also.

[thefinlessbrown2]

with spring salmon season coming up i was just at wally world checking out lines florocarbons in particular and as far as they go the vanish was definately the strongest as far as knots go and i also gave it the tooth test while in the store so if you get a spool that looks like somone flossed with it you got the heads up lol . as far as braids go i have concluded that i don't care for them!! visibility factor as well as twisting with live bait and weak when it gets nicked

[spartaman12]

 
THats about as far from the truth as you can get!!  Gills can be very finicky and light line/ invisible line can be VERY important, i think more so for ice fishing than open fishin, but i dont open water fish em much.

As for line, i run flourocarbon on most all of my bass rods.  LOVE IT!! Use 20 pd braided line on the flippin sticks, like that also.

yeah im talkin during the summer.... gills dont care at all in the summer( i fish a lot of private lakes tho)

[fisch1]

Thanks for everyones input.  I guess I should have been more specific on my application.  I was going to use it on a baitcaster for Walleye on Lake Erie.  Also would use it on inland lakes for Bass.  I pretty much only use baitcasters, I have a couple ultralights for messin around, but my Energy PT is my go to reel.  So basically what would your favorite all around line be on a baitcaster. 

[Mr.Vexilar]

I can only speek for the bass myself, what kind of lures will you be throwing?? Mono is good on a baitcaster, but flouro IMO is just as good.  If you're gonna be fishin heavy cover with i would use 20# braided, its tuff, it will cut the lilly pads if need be and those stems and TUFF.

[Adam Bomb]

By the sounds of it your going to be drifting or jigging on Erie primarily and casting for bass occassionally. I may be wrong.

If your primary use is going to be for drifting and jigging, i would use a braid. My personal favorite is Power Pro. Its a great braided line. Power Pro is really thin for the pound test. For example, 8# PP is equivilent to 1# mono. If your primary use is drifting and jigging, then i would go with 15# Power Pro. Itll handle anything you get into on the great lakes, while keeping the line diameter down(4# mono equivilant) allowing you to get deeper easier. In addition its no stretch properties will allow you to feel bites much easier.

But, if you plan to cast more for bass, you may want to go with a higher pound braid. The bigger line diameter is easier to manage while casting. For that you may want to go with something in the 40# realm, as it gives you a little more diameter with mono equivilents of 10#.

Or, you may want to find something in-between that sorta fits both niches. In that case something in the 20#-30# category with its 6#-8# mono diameters respectively may meet your needs best.

As far as fishing this line, i would tie on a length of fluorocarbon whether the water is clean or dirty. If its clean itll give you that element of stealth. If its dirty, you really dont need the stealth, but it still provides something very important....stretch or shock absorbance. A little stretch is good because itll help keep you from pulling hooks out of lightly hooked fish.

And if you decide you dont want to use a braid, ive had great luck with several of the Berkley monofilaments. I use thier XL, XT and Big Game lines. I think 10 or 12# mono would be a happy medium for your applications.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

[slabgill]

FLUORO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[topher7694]

Seaguar Carbon Pro...in my opinion it's the best out there.... it's on all of my reels..caught a 26 lb salmon last fall on 8# with no problems at all

[basskiller46]

BRAID BRAID BRAID!!!!!   SPIDERWIRE STEALTH OR POWER PRO dO NOT GET ORIGINAL SPIDER WIRE IT WILL POOF AND BE HARD TO CAST

[topher7694]

What about Spiderwire invisi-braid??  Anyone with any input??

[ChillerThriller]

grab some 15 or 20 pound powerpro, get some 14 pound vanish as a leader and catch fish. its all i use, teh fluoro lasted me 3 years changing leader material every 2 weeks. the PP is a good diameter for knots to hold and the FC is invisivle to the fish. it works so i dont change. you will feel more stuff with braid especially trolling plugs. before the rod just bends when your trolling. with braid the vibrations of the hook vibrate the rod tip! when your hook fouls you can tell because the tip stops shaking. its very handy because then you dont troll around with a hook that wont catch fish

[fisch1]

How long of a leader do you use?

[ChillerThriller]

usually anywhere from 6 to 10 feet, sometimes shorter if i change hooks alot and sometimes longer in the spring when the water is really clear but i like about a 7 or 8 foot leader

[shibes24]

i use a lot of braided line during the summer because I fish in the river and I love the braided line because it doesn't break when I hook into a log, tire or whatever else is at the bottom of the river.  However, I have never tried adding a flourocarbon leader to the end of my braid.  do people use the leader when casting say for smallmouth or mainly when trolling or both?  also has anyone ever had a problem with a knot slipping and losing a lure and or a fish?  just curious as to how easy it is to successfully tie the knot to connect the braid to the flourocarbon. 

[hauler]

i use a lot of braided line during the summer because I fish in the river and I love the braided line because it doesn't break when I hook into a log, tire or whatever else is at the bottom of the river.  However, I have never tried adding a flourocarbon leader to the end of my braid.  do people use the leader when casting say for smallmouth or mainly when trolling or both?  also has anyone ever had a problem with a knot slipping and losing a lure and or a fish?  just curious as to how easy it is to successfully tie the knot to connect the braid to the flourocarbon. 

[ChillerThriller]

i use a leader for all types of fishing. if im using 44 pound fluoro and thin brain i use a albright knot or usually just a blood knot. the leader makes your braid less visible so it works really good. just trim the tags close so it goes thru the guides good

[mud_n_fun]

I  am in love with power pro. If the 50lb. wasn't so small in diameter I would use it on my tip-ups too.  IT'S LONG CASTING TOO.

[ChillerThriller]

just use 65 or 80 pound then. i got 80 on a few tip ups. its scary stuff any thiner for big fish