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Monofilament line for sea trout

6K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  NannyC 
#1 ·
I fish for speckled trout a ton and am constantly changing my mind on what the best line to use is. I have kind of come to the conclusion that mono is the way to go, especially with mirrodines or aNY other lure with trebles... what are some of your opinions on the matter?
 
#6 ·
Lures such as mirrolures call for a medium light moderate action rod. That will prevent you from pulling hooks.
Really? I'm still learning on what rods are best for what. I have a medium fast action rod. I was hooking anything that went after my 17MRs with 10# braid to 20# floro. Then again I really didn't have to "set" the hook, they were there with the retrieve.
 
#7 ·
I do like braid for jigs, but for hardbaits mono wins. I fish an ultralight rod with 8-10 lb mono throwing 17mrs a lot and almost never lose a fish. I also upgrade the hooks on them and pause when a fish strikes instead of setting the hook. That seems to give them both trebles more times than not. It does take some getting used to after fishing braid for years, but it comes off of the spool way smoother when casting, it's almost invisible, it's cheap, and most importantly I feel more confident that I am not going to lose that 30in fish if she ever strikes
 
#9 ·
If mono works & you have confidence using it, stick with mono.
Having confidence in your tackle is half the battle....

If you ask any of the locals that catch Big Gator Trout & win every tournament they enter you will only see braid on their reels.
What's your personal best ? ........ICM
 
#10 ·
I live in the Northern Outer Banks area and fish almost everyday. Sometimes surf, sometimes sound. In general, it seems like you guys south of us get much larger trout than us. A few massive fish have been caught here earlier this summer though. I have not caught any giants. I lost a couple last fall in the surf that felt massive... Everybody up here uses braided line as well.
 
#12 ·
I am really interested in this thread. I, too, find 10-15 pound braid the absolute best for fishing with jig heads. The abrasion resistance, casting distance, and sensitivity is just tremendous. But it is not always the answer for me when fishing hard baits and spinners. It is so limp that I get frequent tangles in the d-rings and swivels. Yes I use a 15-20 inch 12 or 15 pound mono or fluoro leader—but that sets me up for a different problem that only you old guys with arthritic hands and fingers—and aged eyes—can appreciate.

Tying good knots has become a real challenge, and when joining braid to leader sometimes I will have to tie a uni or surgeon or blood knot 3 times before I get it right. Really frustrating when the bite is on and I am hurrying to get my bait back in the water. (so by the way, anyone have a recommendation for the easiest knot to tie for old guys?).

So the solution—for me—has been to fish hard baits (almost always a MirrorLure or Rapala), spinner baits and beetle spin type baits with mono, and jigs with braid. That means I am carrying at least 4 pre-rigged rods. One of those braided rods is going to be a popping cork set up, with a small black swivel joining the leader and the braid. That many rods is no problem on the boat, bit it does get pretty crowded when fishing from the yak. Thoughts or ideas?
 
#13 ·
I just bring one or two rods in my yak. Lately, since the mullet are so thick, I have a Carolina rigged rod for live bait that I pitch out and another one with a mirrodine xl on it. I'm coverify the whole water column like this and i usually catch fish. I bring a spook jr with me too to fish when I think the condition's are right. I've got 16lb mono on the live bait rod and 12lb mono on the plug rod. Mh and med rods lately... been catching really nice slot/over slot reds and a few trout... maybe just bring one rod and one lure that you are confident in or that works for other people and think of it as a challenge. Sometimes less is more, especially in a kayak IMO
 
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