Braid or mono

[anthony byrne]

Hi lads
What's the difference between braid and mono. The most obvious thing to me is the thickness. Is it better for casting etc. I normally fish a 15 lb line if I was buying braid would I buy the same or maybe go for a 20 or 30 lb braid.
Cheers lads

[saving private brian]

take my advice,,,,stick with your mono,,,dont care what they say about braid

[dfella25]

The main difference would have to be bite detection as braid has no stretch like mono has. Especially along the east coast where most fishing can be a few hours of small fish, until of course the big one comes along and you can go home The other advantage is that you can feel the fish much better. I've had large smooth hounds on braid and it's much better fun then just hauling them like a winch. 20lb braid will be fine for most fishing and just use a leader as normal for casting. Some people like tapered leaders as the knot will be much smaller and neater but IMO they are way to long. For in close fishing I would just use 40lb line as a leader and about 2 meters in length.

The only disadvantage is that it can knot itself on casting especially in very windy conditions. To avoid this always leave a few millimetres of a gap on the spool when you put the braid on. You don't need to fill the spool like you do with mono. I've only ever had it happen a couple of times so it's not a major issue. It will cast fine then. It's about €20 for 100 yard spool of braid but if you look after it it lasts much longer then mono that will weather and stretch quicker. I always run the spool under the tap after use and leave dry on the sink.

A bass or two and you'll never look back.

[anthony byrne]

Great info thanks. I'll Defo give it a go.

[hugo]

Agree with all Dfella25 says, once you've gone over to braid you'll never look back. Braid diameter has got very thin for BS over the past few years so you can afford to go up to 30lb BS or even 40 and still be lighter than your old mono. On clean to mixed ground I even use 80lb braid as a shockleader, lighter and a much smaller knot than with mono leaders.

[stevecrow74]

I much prefer braid for spinning and boat fishing, excellent bite detection and feel of the fish, but i still prefer mono for beach casting, just my personal choice I suppose.

[The Austrian]

I much prefer braid for spinning and boat fishing, excellent bite detection and feel of the fish, but i still prefer mono for beach casting, just my personal choice I suppose.

+0.8
Agree, well almost, except for the normally applied shark fishing techniques from an anchored boat. Why? Simply because mono is less prone to get tangled up with all the sea birds which are attracted by the floating bits of the rubby dubby. Mono sinks. Most braids float on the surface and create the aforementioned problem.

[anthony byrne]

I'll Defo give the braid ago for awhile see how I find it. I was thinking it would be better for spinning .guess I'll have to learn a few new knots . Thanks lads

[MAC]

I much prefer braid for spinning and boat fishing, excellent bite detection and feel of the fish, but i still prefer mono for beach casting, just my personal choice I suppose.

+0.8
Agree, well almost, except for the normally applied shark fishing techniques from an anchored boat. Why? Simply because mono is less prone to get tangled up with all the sea birds which are attracted by the floating bits of the rubby dubby. Mono sinks. Most braids float on the surface and create the aforementioned problem.

On my own boat where there would be 3 rods out Max I have no problems fishing braid and always do. However after fishing a charter with the lads lads last year for sharks I will now always fish a topshot of 40lb mono over my braid to avoid tangles in a boat pitching and rolling in a heavy chop. We had no hassles on the day, but had a close call or two, so the heavy mono would make it easier.

[paul mason]

Their is one thing to consider while using braid for distance fishing, you would be forgiven for thinking that because of the lower diameter of the braid, distance would be better "but not necessarily so"!!!!. some braids are much rougher and cause a lot of fricton while peeling over the lip of a spool and this off-sets the benefits of the lower diameter. Mono is much better for distance fishing IMHO and I now only use braid for close to medium range work.
These are my findings over 7 years using Power Pro braid.

[Tommy B]

Their is one thing to consider while using braid for distance fishing, you would be forgiven for thinking that because of the lower diameter of the braid, distance would be better "but not necessarily so"!!!!. some braids are much rougher and cause a lot of fricton while peeling over the lip of a spool and this off-sets the benefits of the lower diameter. Mono is much better for distance fishing IMHO and I now only use braid for close to medium range work.
These are my findings over 7 years using Power Pro braid.

Maybe try a different braid then Paul. There is no way I would get the same distance with mono as I do braid. I use fireline whiplash and it flies of the reel. What type of mono do you use?
Tommy