Monofilament Vs Braided Line

Well, we have returned from the annual fishing trip.  This was the first year at beautiful Lake Vermillion and, as has been well documented by Brian, we didn’t catch many fish. In fact, we caught almost as many colds as we did eatable fish.  The trip however was far from a loss, it was actually quite delightful and, from a fishing standpoint, very insightful.

So much so that I now find myself, only a day removed from frustration and disappointment, hunched over my computer with my rod and tackle box at my side gliding along the information super highway and learning everything I can about how to find, catch and eat the elusive Walleye.  Here then is the first of what I hope will be helpful tidbits of hard fought knowledge.

This year for the first time ever, at the behest of my godfather Kunk – a master fisherman and all around outdoorsman – I opted to leave behind the tried and true world of monofilament line
for the new, exciting and at times taxing land of braided line.  I have generally used anywhere from a 4 to 8 lb test when it comes to monofilament line and usually use Berkley Trilene.  With the braided line I went for Berkley Fireline at an 8 lb test.  This is where the differences start; an 8lb test of braided is significantly thinner in diameter than a 8 lb test of mono line thereby enabling the angler to put more line on his or her reel and making it easier to land a bigger fish.  In addition the braided line is also much stronger, something that can save money on tackle.  As a point of fact I lost no tackle on this trip while the two friends I was with, who were both fishing mono, were giving it away like the Gideon’s give away bibles and, believe me, we all caught more bottom than fish.  Braided also casts farther than mono does.  Based on my experience I was getting an average of probably about 20 yds more distance per cast.

Now that’s all grand but what are the downsides of braided line?  Well, for starters it requires that you put a mono backer on your reel, if you don’t the line, because it is more slippery, won’t be able to grab anything and will just spin around your reel.  Many people apparently also complain that it results in more lost fish and backlashes. Backlashes cause terrible knots and a knot, while always a mess, can turn into a nightmare with braided line. 

I did run across some articles that may be helpful when it come to dealing with issues of lost fish and backlashes, according to this gentlemen at least much of this can be avoided by properly understanding the proper rod and drag setting to use.   I didn’t have any issues with either of these complaints; then again, I wasn’t dealing with very many bites or fish so my opportunities to experience these problems were limited.

My number one complaint was with the difficulty braided line presented in knot tying.  With mono line, a basic improved clinch knot can handle almost every termination point and is very easy to learn and use. 

Unfortunately, due to the slipperiness of braided line, this knot doesn’t work well with it.  So I was required to learn a couple of new knots, the first one was the Uni Knot which I read was invented by the good people at Berkley to deal with the knot tying issues presented by braided line.

It works, in fact it’s simply an improved clinch knot with the line doubled up, but it’s a real pain to tie; especially if your in a boat in choppy water trying to run a trolling motor near rock hazards.  That alone can make a man rue the day he put it on his reel.  Now the Uni knot is really only necessary when tying two pieces of line together something that doesn’t have happen all that often if you use swivels and manage to keep from needing to re spool your line while on the water.    For tying to swivels, hooks or other tackle it is possible to use the much easier and less frustrating, the Palomar knot.

This knot really made a world of difference for me and is probably the thing that will keep me using braided line, at least most of the time. Ideally I think I’d like to hit the water with a rod strung up with braided and another with mono to use in different situations.  Apparently I’m not alone in this preference here’s a link to an article by a gentlemen with similar feelings about the pros and cons of braided Vs mono line.