[Sammy Mickel]

Well the river fishing has been winding down so the lakes are on target now. What do you guys like for line when trolling? I'm thinking of dropping down to 8lb mono or maybe 10 braid to get a little better depth control. The only luck I had sunday was in the recovery of a rod that pulled out of the holder when I hit a snag. It was mostly operator error, lesson learned.

 

[sundrop]

Braid sinks well and I would think the lower diameter helps keep it down. Just my .02

 

[crappie89]

Braid doesn't stretch like mono does. This might affect hook ups because the hooks won't be able to "wiggle" if you use braid. Braid sometimes has a tendency of tearing hooks loose because of it's inability to stretch.

 

[sundrop]

Braid doesn't stretch like mono does. This might affect hook ups because the hooks won't be able to "wiggle" if you use braid. Braid sometimes has a tendency of tearing hooks loose because of it's inability to stretch.

I would definitely use a shock leader to help with this.... maybe even a few feets worth.

 

[backlash]

I have to admit to being a huge fan of braid. I fished with a striper guide back in the summer who trolls exculsively with Power Pro. Since then, I have that there is a growing interest in trolling with braid among Wahoo and King Fisherman as well as Striper fisherman. Braid definitely creates less drag in the water because of the smaller diameter. Also, braid will create less vibration (noise) in the water than Mono or wire trolling lines. Depth is still controlled mostly by lure weight, Lure design, and distance that the lure is run behind the boat. Most folks will add a length of flourocarbon between the lure and braid line. Mostly for the visibility factor rather than because of stretch. Does it make a difference? There's no way to know for sure , but it does increase my confidence in my set up. However, I still know people who tie their lures directly to braid and they catch plenty of fish.

 

[Topsail Angler]

I haven't used braid trolling for big game but I have used it for Spanish and bonito - it works well. I too use a fluorocarbon leader to reduce visibility. I use braid on about everything else and have full confidence in its ability to set the hook and hold. I also use braid on my sight casting gear for dolphin and mackerel with no issues.

 

[Dave B.]

Braid will allow lures to go deeper, but keep your drag(s) loose incase you snag somethin... will break a rod quick.

I'm strictly a mono guy... so I'm definately biased towards mono, especially for offshore trolling/fishing. For me, it's simply a safety issue.
Braid does have it's applications though...

My vote would be for mono, but if you want alot more action and to get your lures/baits deeper, I'd say braid (just keep them drags a little looser)

 

[ecugman]

I'm strictly braid on all my reels. When trolling in the kayak I've found I get better hook ups on my lighter action rods. I believe this is due to the stretch (or non-stretch) factor of the braid. The light action rod gives you the "give" you need. I picked up a couple of relatively cheap light action rod and reel combos to use just for kayak trolling.

Line memory irritates me to no end, I'll never go back to mono. Just make sure your rods aren't too stiff and you'll be OK.

 

[sundrop]

I love the "cheat" factor of braid as well. I have Ultralight reels spooled with 14lb braid because of the small diameter... Definately ups the "brag factor" when you can say you landed that 22" Red on a UL...LOL!!

 

[Druminator]

I hear of more and more people using braid for downriggers and trolling.

I use mono for inshore and braid for fishing docks and structure. If you're looking something like a shock leader I like Stren High Impact. It's a stretchy mono line that has a nice amount of give in it. I use 20lb test for my leaders. I tied about a 20 inch piece to a chair and tugged on it. It stretched about 5 inches. It doesn't hold it's memory either and is very limp.

 

[tcfisherman]

i Use Braid For Big Stripers And Big Reds. No Strech And No Problems With Break Offs.best Best For Trolling As Someone Else Said Make Sure You Have Your Drag Set Up Correct Or Yes You Will Lose You Rod........................chris

 

[Sammy Mickel]

Thanks for the info. Are you stuck with certian knots for braid or braid to mono? I'm interested how it does when you get a snag to. It wouldn't be to bad on a calm day but a little wind can make it hard to paddle and take up slack.

 

[Jeffonc]

I've used braid exclusively in lake trolling from the kayak this summer. 4-8lb diameter, 10-30lb test. I've only used leaders when fishing for stripers (unsuccessfully so far - maybe its the leaders!). Usually just braid to a snap, snap to a crankbait. Most of the water around here is discolored, so I don't feel too bad about the visibility of the braid or the snap. I would feel different in clearer lakes.

I do set the drag extra light when trolling, in case I do hang up. The only mishap I've had was a hangup with a low capacity casting reel - it spooled quickly and popped the backing knot before I even knew it was hung. Lost a spool of good braid and the crankbait. The audible drag on the spinning reels helps avoid this. The braid is strong enough not to pop and I've gotten everything else back.

I'm doing pretty long drops behind the boat - 50-75 yards trying to maximize depth on the crankbaits. The small diameter of braid should be helping me back there, plus leaving extra line on the spool in case I do hang up or hang into a drag puller.

For knots I like palomar for braid to metal (hook, snap, split ring, swivel), and a j-knot for braid to leader. They're the easiest for me to tie.

The negatives are the way it whips around in the wind. I get a little frustrated with it looping around rod tips when its slack, and its great at finding the trebles, but I think it pays for itself in the long run.

 

[backlash]

Albright knoot for Mono to braid. Palomar for the lure or hook directly to braid

 

[tcfisherman]

palomar knot for all........................chris

 

[Sammy Mickel]

Had a good morning trolling with 8lb test. Picked up 2 nice bass right off the bat then a brim of all things later. I'm starting to think another factor on blue bird days this time of year is to fish first light or falling light. We marked plenty of fish but very little activity.