Flipping with Flourocarbon, Hybrid or Braid?

Over the last 4 weeks I had the chance to fish with a few touring pro’s at which time I studied everything they did down to the smallest detail. It is amazing how many similarities there are between the guys. Some things just work better than others and these guys pick up on that.

There is, however, one thing I have yet to find consistent among many of the top anglers… This is the type of line they use to flip with. I know there are touring pro’s (guys who pay their bills with tournament winnings) that flip mono (Big Game), or flourcarbon, or co-polymers (hybrids), or braid all for the same application. It all depends on the guy. It doesn’t matter the type of cover or water clarity either. I’ve seen guys who will flip braid to an 8 ft deep laydown in gin clear water… .

What gives? What line type do you guys prefer to flip for heavy vegetation cover?

I’ll play devil’s advocate and question why you use a certain line, then I’ll tell you what I use…

Nort- I have noticed this “inconsistency” as well- If you are talking vegetation I almost always use either braid or fluorocarbon. I think the braid cuts through the weeds better but if there is other stuff mixed in I personally think the braid frays some on bark/wood/rock/etc. I think if its mats or thick weeds alone braid is the way to go (for me). One thing I dont like about braid is that it floats and if there is current I think sometimes the line gets pulled with current and I lose touch with my jig(tube, worm, etc). Just my 2 cents.

Nice job in Ft madison- I kept forgetting to try to get a phone number for you to hook up for dinner or something- are you coming down for BFL clinton??

Thanks. I will be down for the Clinton BFL in 12 days.

So, do you take a black marker to the last few feet of your line when flipping braid in clear water? Do you think you’d get more bites if you flipped flourocarbon in clear water regardless of the cover type?

Here is what I am getting at… Would it be better to flip flourocarbon in clear water (thick cover) and get more bites but lose a few fish, or flip braid and get less bites but have a higher landing percentage?

I agree with the Baron.

I use braid. I do not color the line but I know some pros that do with black, brown and even green. Some even go to the extent to use all three colors for the camo look.
I have seen and heard by some that flipping is a reaction bite for the most part, by dropping a lure on top of a bass IF that is true than I really do not think that it would matter much about line choice.
I would like to hear your thoughts on what type of bite it is.

Ron

I have 2 flippin’ rods each one spooled differently. One has P-Line Flouroclear and the other has the Suffix brand braid. I rig the braid with 3/8-1/2oz weight and a large plastic like a 10″ Power Worm or oversize tube. With that kind of weight & profile, I’m usually looking for more of a sinking reaction bite. Something where line isn’t going to be an issue. I want that fish tuned into the bait not the line.

When I fish the P-Line I’m usually fishing a lot slower with not as big plastic. 1/8-1/4oz works great for me. I can rely on that P-Line to disappear in the water so a slower presentation isn’t hampered by the line showing.

That’s what works for me.

So;

You guys are saying that when a bass is 1″ (one inch) away from a jig/pig. The nose of the fish is 1″ away from that bait, it can cross it’s eyes that hard and actually focus in on the line?

Serious.

Yea on finesse fishing open water for walleyes or trout, I can see this being a factor to a slight degree, the ever so slightest though.

But when you pitch a jig to a fish. Let’s say a bedded fish for example. And that fish comes up to it to “sniff it out”, and it is 1″ away, debating to eat or not, you are concerned that the fish is going to look at the line and say:

“OPPS!!!!!! I see a line, it ain’t real food!!!”

I am an all around mono flipper. If I flipped more clear water I would MAYBE consider flouro. I had a bad experience with flouro in the MN state tourney a fews years back and it cost me the win. Could have been a bad spool or whatever, who knows. So mono for me 95% of the time when it comes to flipping.

ok;
But “WHY?”

Why mono?
What is the advantage?

Absolutely Gary. Since you brought up bed fishing I will use that as an example. If a fish on a bed is continually fished for (and caught) the fish will condition itself with the experience of being caught and make adjustments to have the same thing not happen again. The fish learn. I truely believe line size is extremely important when it comes to bed fishing.

Same goes with flipping in clear water, just not nearly to the same degree. If you happen to flip into a pocket and hit one on the head, well I agree that it could be a hot dog with treble hooks and the fish will still eat it. But if you flip into a pocket and yo-yo the bait for a few seconds, you are now trying to coax the fish into biting and visual appearance is everything…IMO.

Now if we’re talking smallmouth, well I believe you can catch them off their bed using gummy worms .

Mainly I feel it is the lesser of all evils. I feel its the overall best line for me.(for FLIPPING) When I have an hour I will go into detail.

Quote:

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Now if we’re talking smallmouth, well I believe you can catch them off their bed using gummy worms .

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I knew that I never should have told you about my secret Mille Lacs bait.

Ron

Thanks for the response Nort.

Eron, I’m truly interested in your response, because I’ve gone to about 80% braid over mono, except for specific appliecations. Flipping isn’t one of them.

But Nort;
If you are yo-yo’ng a jig, in weeds, on a bed or pocket………that line is going to blend into the back ground, meaning that the background is weeds.

Do you feel/think that a fish can focus in on that line and separate it from the background?

Another question: Does gin clear water at 10 feet still enough “visual” for a fish to see the line?

Here is why I’m objective to this subject of “clear line” or going more stealth. The reason being is that tip-up fishing for pike with suckers and braid line, and steel strand leaders, I generally catch big bass. If you ever watched a pike or bass eat a sucker below a tipup on camera, it is very, very educating. It is a finesse tactic where the bass will study the sucker for some time, prior to eating. That bass is looking at that wire leader, the big snap and swivel in gin clear, still water, yet it eats and eats ALOT!

all of my reels except for 3 are all stealth braid. 30#. I have 3 lines that are 20# mono for jigs, but I am more affraid to toss a jig with mono than with braid. I don’t have my experience in this area of bass fishing, I wish I could weigh in my 2 cents worth here, but I am trying to learn a few things here. for me, I would ahve to lean towards braid, but then agian, mono hasn’t produced me no bites yet neither. so when flipping, I am 0 for about 200 tries.

shane

Gary, I am a huge fan of braid in another application or two but not flipping. I will go into more detail when I feel like writing more.
Gary, You comment about ice fishing with braid and catching a big bass or more kind of backs up Nort’s point. Its when pressure is applied they get finicky. You also stated you were using live bait and thats a whole nother’ story.
This is such a deep subject. This can be turned 100 different ways.

You can tell most of these guys are fishing the river…and not Lake Geneva

I mostly fish tonka and other lakes, but just not sure on which line would work better for what applications. I am trying to learn, I like reading posts like this, it makes me go and look at what I have on my reels and change around my way of thinking and looking at lakes. thanks for all of the great topics.

shane

I like Mono for flippin. 20-25# Sufix or Silver Thread Excaliber. I also flip with braid in some situations. I feel it is easier to get a fish out of hard cover with mono over braid, IMO. I fish P-Line Flouro on everthing else except top water baits. The knot and line strength is awesome. I tried Vanish and broke the knots everytime I tied it. Threw it away. Also Co or Hybrid line works well. Tough and very abrasive resistant.

I normally fish the river so Flouro over mono is by choice. Tungsten weights and Flouro get alot better sensitivity on sand or rubble bottoms.

I agree 100% Goose. I mainly flip some sort of Flouro or Hybrid line. Very rarely do I flip braid. I like the “shock” effect I get with non-braid lines. Sure, I have flipped with braid and love it when I set the hook and my rod stops, but I about get sick when I set with braid and 1 second later the fish pops loose…

Exactly! That’s why I make sure to adjust my drag so I don’t rip a giant hole their face.

On a side. My Flippin’ bite down here has dried up. Most of the fish I’m getting are on topwater or cranks. I’m not too sad about the change in the bite. The topwater action is HOT. LM & SM Bass.

Anything but braid for me. I like Braid for slop fishing, that’s about it. Flipping, at 10-20 feet away, I don’t need the no stretch braid gives. I’ve been using Seaguar flouro this year and as long as I tie good knots, it works great.

So what is the definition of a good knot for flouro Moss? I have been using a Palomar and have been pretty happy with it, but if there is a better flouro knot out there I’m open to suggestions. Also, anyone out there using Sun flouro? I’ve heard good things about it but have not yet tried it.
SC

Polamor!!

Actually, the Palomar, Trilene, San diego and other knots all can work well. What I have found though is they have to be tied carefully with good technique, with no sharp overlaps that bind. These bindings in the knot can snap it. That can happen with mono too, but flouro seem much less forgiving to me. One other thing I’ve found is that knots that have double loops on the connection (ie Trilene) are better that those with a single loop connection (inproved clinch, etc.)

At least that’s my experience.