The return of mono?

So the last few years it seems it was all braid all the time. At least for the most part. I made the switch and really only keep 1 mono rod strung up. Seems like every show, pro, etc was using braided line for just about every presentation they were doing.

I DVR a variety of fishing shows. IDO, Anglers edge, Babe Winkelman, next bite, and Jason Mitchell. Last year I remember watching a Jason Mitchell episode where he was on the goose flats (leech lake) with Al Maas and they were jigging for walleyes. They were using Mono and both mentioned they would not use any other line for this application. I thought that was a bit odd mostly because it still felt at that time that everyone said you are missing fish if you are not using braid.

Fast forward to October last year and my buddy who is using mono and hates jigging totally kills me jigging on goose flats. Coincidence I think but who knows.

However now it seems this year I have seen Al linder, Jason Mitchel, Babe Winkelman, and TNB guys using mono. Al linder even mentioned in a recent episode how mono was the way to go (I think he was using a jigging rap). Maybe I am just being more observant but it seems to me that mono is being used more and more.

I know mono never truly went away but I don’t think anyone would argue that there was a good chunk of time where everyone was switching to and using braid for virtually everything. I am getting a complex about what I should be doing with my line. I go to sleep at night and dream of Suffix 832 and Berkley sensation locked in a fight to the death.

Maybe I’m overthinking it? Or maybe I was wrong to switch to braid for virtually everything I do? Or maybe I have reached the next level of fisherman, where I no longer worry about just getting out but now worry about if I am doing it right? Or maybe I need to go sit in the boat and make motor noises? I dunno what do you think?

I only use braid on my trolling rods and wing damn rods. I guess the main reason I use mono on almost everything else is familiarity and the ability to bite it off and retie easily.

suzuki wrote:

I only use braid on my trolling rods and wing damn rods. I guess the main reason I use mono on almost everything else is familiarity and the ability to bite it off and retie easily.

I can tie a palomar knot in my sleep it seems with braid. 1/2 my trolling rods are braid and 1/2 are mono. I use mono with my slip bobber rig and also on one of my backup rods.

I’ve been watching my fair share of episodes as well, especially the past week being bed ridden with influenza, and I’m not seeing this switch back to mono.

Everything is Stradics and braid. I’m sure for good reasons, but its hard for me to take Sensation off my M and ML XFs. Perfect combos IMO. Although 4# CXX is on the todo list this year

Personally, been trying to get away from the finesse presentations. If you need expensive line, with expensive rods to feel a bite, its of my opinion to change up lures until you find what they are smacking.

nhamm wrote:

I’ve been watching my fair share of episodes as well, especially the past week being bed ridden with influenza, and I’m not seeing this switch back to mono.

Everything is Stradics and braid. I’m sure for good reasons, but its hard for me to take Sensation off my M and ML XFs. Perfect combos IMO. Although 4# CXX is on the todo list this year

Personally, been trying to get away from the finesse presentations. If you need expensive line, with expensive rods to feel a bite, its of my opinion to change up lures until you find what they are smacking.

Jason Mitchell has been using mono, I think just about all the babe winkelman episodes are mono, and the Linder episode I referenced.

So far I have not seen an IDO episode where they are using mono or make it a point to point this out.

Here is one of the Jason Mitchell episodes I mentioned.

Al linder

Babe Winkelman

I’m not posting this to show you up nhamm but rather to prove to myself that I am not crazy.

Jonesy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>suzuki wrote:</div>
I only use braid on my trolling rods and wing damn rods. I guess the main reason I use mono on almost everything else is familiarity and the ability to bite it off and retie easily.

I can tie a palomar knot in my sleep it seems with braid. 1/2 my trolling rods are braid and 1/2 are mono. I use mono with my slip bobber rig and also on one of my backup rods.

Seems like palomar wastes a lot of material. Maybe not. I do like the floating characteristics of regular mono too.

I base on presentation. I jig rap with hard line and floro leader. Jig with hard line floro in recent years but was always mono before and it worked. Lindy rig mono usually and bobber mono only. Also depend on water clarity for me too. I have not notice better catch rates on one vs other. I have felt I have pulled hooks on braid due to no stretch. Set hook hard for using mono for many years. Line stretch isn’t always bad. Saves mistakes. Pitching jigs river mono only for me. Whatever you are comfortable with. Either for me really. Just started fishing hardline more last year in jigging.

Related to the topic, I was once curious of the differences between mono and flouro to try to figure out which was best for the particular presentations I constantly have rigged-up and on-deck. Here’s a summary of the research, which you might find interesting/helpful in making your line decisions.

-FC stretches as much or more than monofilament, with stretch factors over 35% cited in the literature vs. 25% for mono.

-Unlike mono which is elastic and returns to it’s original length like a rubber band, FC behaves like plastic under load and elongates permanently.

-Elongation from stretching weakens FC and deforms the round shape.

-Mono stretches easier than FC; likely the reason folks think it has less stretch than mono.

-Mono has a larger diameter than similar break strength FC, slowing the fall of lures, while also limiting the maximum depth certain lures will run.

-Mono absorbs water, reducing strength, while FC does not.

-As a material, FC is more dense than mono providing better telegraphing properties and sensitivity or ‘feel’.

-The greater density of FC means the line will sink vs. mono, which is neutrally buoyant and will float.

-Mono is more flexible than FC, which provides limpness that improves manageability and handling.

-FC is impervious to UV rays, whereas mono is weakened over time by UV.

-Due to the material composition, FC is weakened by bending far more than mono, providing up to 77% knot strength vs. 97% knot strength for mono.

-The invisibility of FC is not much greater than mono and tests are inconclusive as to whether there is an appreciable benefit.

-The formulation of each FC manufacturer is different, affecting all of the various aspects above.

I’ve noticed the trend also…. but I really never stopped using mono because it fit certain things I always did. I base my line choices on the application: basing it on diameter, color and water clarity.

If I’m pitching jigs on the river I’m using hi vis mono… blades power pro.

Trolling – super line.

Clear water, like on Mille Lacs where I live now, I’m using mono most of the time now for finesse – Lindy/jig. Pulling spinners I’m braid with fluorocarbon snells.

Slip bobber I’m still using super line but tying on about a 3 ft section of fluorocarbon on the business end. Then I’m not messing with the kinking on the mono moving the stop.

Most reels anymore come with 2 spools so I’m spooling 1 with mono & 1 with a braid. That way if I feel I need to change it only takes a couple minutes.

I dont get it. Have seen some good sticks go broad and then go back. Maybe they like the challange. Broad for this guy.

We do have to remember all these shows have sponsors. They want to see their products high-lighted…. and these shows provide that service.

Quite frankly, I’m really glad they do, because many times they show me something i wouldn’t have figured out or thought of.

That being said, I think for a long time on these shows we were seeing super lines highlighted a lot. I think it’s nice to see the balance because in some applications…. no question; mono will out fish super line and vice versa!

Jonesy wrote:

Maybe I’m overthinking it? Or maybe I was wrong to switch to braid for virtually everything I do? Or maybe I have reached the next level of fisherman,

My thoughts on these three questions.

Yes
Yes
Maybe, as long as you take the approach that no matter how many times you fish, you are always open to learning something new every time you go.

My favorite setup for pitching jigs is 10 lb mono and a 3/8 oz jig. Always has been since I bought 10 lb line by accident.

Every line has its benefits and its disadvantages. You need to be able to identify subtle differences in equipment and presentation and be able to attribute your success or lack there of to these differences.

Each line has its time. I just watched the Jason M video last week. One reason he wanted mono was for the stretch, with the stretch he said his jig didn’t have the jerky instant movement of braid. When I am jigging I will try both lines. Sometimes the lack of feel and stretch allow a walleye to inhale the jig completely without us feeling each other. I think that fishing one type of line is like using one type of lure.

I switched all my jigging rods to braid a few years back and thought it was great but then noticed a decline in hooking percentages and number of bites have switched back to mono on my lake rods and most of the river rods. Still have a couple rigged with braid for vertical jigging in current.

All my river trolling/casting rods have braid. Mostly because I loose a lot less lures with it.

Just like everything else (iPhones, email, computers etc) I lag behind a few years. Let the others get the bugs out. I’ve had more fish come unbuttoned in 10 hours of braid fishing than in ten years of mono fishing. It’s probably me, but there you go. I’m a mono guy unless I’m trolling big cranks in deep water.

Done a lot of testing of various lines and have come to the conclusion that one of two applications are worth using:

•Braid with a 4 foot fluorocarbon leader when you want very little stretch and greatest invisibility.
•Yo-Zuri hybrid co-polymer when you want something with just a touch of stretch (but less than traditional fluorocarbon), low viz, won’t soak up water and excellent abrasion resistance.

After testing many lines out in head to head comparisons, I don’t think there is any need for a main line of fluorocarbon. Line manufacturers (and hence the pros and fishing show hosts that are sponsored by them) are biased and just trying to sell more fluorocarbon line (which is more expensive and profitable). Fluorocarbon is the stretchiest line on the planet, fractures easily, poor knot strength, etc.

fishdale wrote:

I switched all my jigging rods to braid a few years back and thought it was great but then noticed a decline in hooking percentages and number of bites have switched back to mono on my lake rods and most of the river rods. Still have a couple rigged with braid for vertical jigging in current.

All my river trolling/casting rods have braid. Mostly because I loose a lot less lures with it.

Actually I’ve wondered that also with myself. I got a nice 6-7 pound northern this year on the Chippewa flowage. I set the hook the first time and fought him a bit. He got off and I don’t think I ever got a hook on him. About ten minutes kate he struck again and I waited what felt like a long time and set the hook. Set it right in Hai mouth. I also feel like I have lost a few smaller fish because of a faster hook set on my part.

It’s interesting so many use mono on the river. All I have used in pool 4 is braid.

Um mono never went away for me. I have to slip bobber rig, so I will always have that. I also prefer mono if I’m keeping a spoon retrieve with more lift. Mono will cast further than fluorocarbon lines, but super lines will cast even further.

I think I have 50% rigged with super lines, 25% monolines, and 25% fluorocarbon lines.

I fell in love with flouro at one time and put it on all my reels. The one mistake, which will probably be obvious to most, is I put it on my ultralight panfish rod. I fish a bobber on that pole 90% of the time. The sinking leads to slack and even worse, from shore it sinks and gets into the weeds and junk.

My hook up rate has suffered. Thanks for the post, as it has reminded me to switch the line out.

For the mono users who pitch jigs on the Mississippi River, do you tend to use 6# or 8# test?

KwickStick wrote:

For the mono users who pitch jigs on the Mississippi River, do you tend to use 6# or 8# test?

8# for me. High vis suffix. Helps see the line. Amazing how many fish you get watching the line.

I use both for different reasons.
Braid – All of my jigging rods have braid, All of my crank casting rods have braid

Mono – All of my trolling rods have 10lb xt (or 12lb big game), I have pitching rods with mono (baits fall slower, I’ve always caught more fish pitching with mono, except for blades of course), I always have 2 rods with mono for dragging jigs, especially at night (mono lets me get the jig farther from the boat, again, mono has outfished braid pretty much every time we’ve compared them in this situation).

I love having both options, I couldn’t limit myself to just one. If I had to choose just one though, it’d probably be braid for the feel, but fortunately, I don’t have to choose.

IMO it’s very much a personal preference. I fish mono about 90% of the time, GAMMA 4lb Hi Vis Gold or Ultra Clear for jigging/pitching/rigging, 12lb Sensation for trolling and either 2lb GAMMA or 4lb Trilene XL for pannies. For me, it’s knowing how my equipment is going to act and respond under any conditions, one less thing to think about – KISS. That and I’m cheap.

When did the Lindner’s switch to St. Croix rods?

Guess I got tired of watching all their shows from Canada, and their push on products makes me want to throw up. I get why they do what they do, just haven’t watched it in some time.

My guess is some of what we’re seeing on the shows is sponsors, legitimate reasons, and lessons learned.

Sponsors – self explanatory

Legitimate reasons – ex. Linder and jigging raps. I’ve heard them explain that the stretch of mono is needed for a quality hook set. They tried braid and had a poor hook up percentage

Lessons learned – Personally I had braid issues on my pike baitcaster setup and went back to mono. Fishing partner had the same issues and made the same switch back. Maybe the pros are learning similar lessons??

Lessons Learned the other way – Same fishing partner and I started using Suffix 832 on our jigging setups and love it. The move to braid worked here.

patk wrote:

Legitimate reasons – ex. Linder and jigging raps. I’ve heard them explain that the stretch of mono is needed for a quality hook set. They tried braid and had a poor hook up percentage

Its not hook set, its retention. Stretch of mono will allow those small hooks on such raps to keep in the fish. Guys who run braid will just back off a few clicks on their drag and have similar results ive heard. Just for clarity