Why does my mono outperform?

Ok for years and years I have always used braid on the river for Sturgeon. My theory was smaller diameter cuts the current better, better cast ability, better bite detection and better hook sets in the days I was using Kahle hooks. Now a couple years ago I came across an older reel spooled up with 40lb Berkely big cat mono, ya know the neon green stuff. I figure ah what the heck toss it on a rod and keep it in the boat for a spare. Now last year on one of my first trips I had to pull it out and it caught the majority of the fish that day. So the next trip I used it side by side with my braided rigs and it caught more fish that day also. I started putting it into the rotation, same weights, leaders, hooks even down to the same exact swivels and I will even change spots with the braided rigs yet it will out catch the braids every single time. Now I don’t mean it catches one or two more fish a day but 80% of the strikes and fish caught come from the rig using the neon green heavy duty mono…why?

I have been trying to figure out why this is and I have come onto a few theories but I want to hear some ideas from the guys that spend all season on rivers fishing cats and sturgeon. Has to be a reason why that rig does so much better and the only difference is the line.

Either way I just ordered four spools of the stuff.

Are you using the same Mono for the leaders? Maybe there’s something about the visibility of the stuff or the way it holds the bait in the current.

If not, it sure sounds mysterious to me. On the other hand, I think I might order a spool of that mono before the Sturgeon Excurtsion. I need all the help I can get

Rootski

OK Jonny the way I look at braids is they make more noise in the water. Mono is much more precisely round where braid cannot compare to the smoothness of the surface of mono, even the fused braids are much rougher. This roughness even tough it is a smaller diameter creates noise. As a matter of fact I have been contemplating changing the braid to mono on the rods that I use to pull harnesses.

very interesting discussion…about half of my combos have braid so I’ll be able to compare myself this season…

Shawn

So you are saying 8 out of ten of your fish are coming on that rod??? Seems a bit high to me,but if that is the case I’m gonna get me some of that!!!Did you try a mono leader on your braid to see if that is the only difference?

This might be a little crazy, but on Winnebago, don’t they use weitd things to draw them in for spearing like toilet seats? Maybe being a curious fish the line actually gets them going when they see it. The water would probably have to be pretty clear. I don’t know. Either that or the mono catching the water moves the bait more making it visible and spreading the scent more.

I’ve heard 56twister post about braid making noise before and I sort of dismissed it, but your answer is probably the best one so far. Time to rethink. Too bad we can only use one line, otherwise I’d be comparing bot throughout the year. Now I have to wait until the fall sturgeon season. I too have a mono reel as back up collecting dust. Might be time to dust it off!

Shine a uv blacklight on the mono it glows like a florescent tube.

Johnny, you want the answer to your dilema well here it is: The braid tends to “Float” in the water differently than mono I’ve had the same problem fishing late fall for Smallmouth bass they tend to ignore the “braid” so this past fall I used mono strictly and caught 5 times as many fish with a live bait rig!! Take it for what it’s worth..

Just a guess but does the mono float better and the braids sink more?

i run two cat rods on the river, one with 65lb powerpro and 1 with 40lb neon green mono.

i ALWAYS get more runs on the mono rod, and i just figured it was murphy’s law, since i have the power-pro on my better rod and reel, and i get to mess with a cheap reel on the mono setup.

just my observation. i’ve never looked into it more then that, but maybe there is something to it.

All of my leaders are the same 14” braided.

My theory is:

The small diameter braided line cuts the water and does not “bow” out in the current. Basically it forms a straight and tight line to the sinker, leader and hook. This tightness makes it so we can detect strikes better but I also feel it helps the fish detect us also. Maybe when a sturgeon picks up the bait and feels something out of the ordinary it drops or dumps the bait immediately.

Now with the monster thick 40lb mono I believe a bow or arch is formed by the current drag on the thicker line along with a bit of stretch and forgiveness that is a mono quality…the fish don’t feel anything out of the ordinary and consume the bait. This arch or bow in the water also causes a time delay from the moment of the strike or pick-up to the time the rod tip twitches allowing the fish to take line before we even have a clue of the strike. A few things that pointed to this scenario are the fact all the mono rod fish are hooked deeper and the mono never misses along with the fact the braided lines increase in hook up on those bad days when the boat is swinging no matter what you do…see the pattern? When the boat swings your rig gets messed up and slack is created in the braided rig allowing for a softer pick up by the fish. Basically I feel both braided and mono get the same amounts of strikes but the mono has a much higher hook up ratio due to the factors listed.

In still water, I’ve caught fish with braid just fine, but put on a 6oz an a big bait. Tight line it in a lot of current where it is windy. It often hums. It is high pitched. If you have hearing damage you won’t hear it. I keep my poles up high maybe that exposes more line and makes it worse. I’ve never gotten a nibble when it does that.

I am also liking the noise theory….hmmmmmm. Come to think of it I started using mono on my pike trolling rigs to help with shock load/ better hook ups and I wonder if that played a part in more succes?

I also know if my downrigger cables start to sing when I am running swimbaits for pike it is game over.

They make noise too? That’s way cool that you noticed that. It might even happen more with one kind of braid than another or only happen when it is wet or dry.

It also can’t happen much if you don’t use weight. Or maybe it would change the pitch but also be quieter. I think it would be a hard one to nail down.

Quote:

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They make noise too?

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Like a siren going off in the back of the boat.