primetime

The head is twisted and he is a newbie and was amazed how big the mouth was and put his fish in the mouth for the photo like I used to do when I was a kid. I am thinking the fish is old or spawned out maybe based on shape of it and some others I have caught recently, I think the head is bigger than what pic shows, and I wish I had the tail shot. He said neighbor has a shot from reg camera, but I have advised him to always put fish back really quick in ponds especially during this time of year, so he didnt want to get a tape measure and keep it out of the water. I just feel it looks long based on all the photos and I agree the coloration and look of fish is odd. I once caught a big Bass when I first moved to Florida that was 28", looked deformed with fatty deposits, and loose skin, so I knew the fish was on its last legs as it didn't fight any better than a 3lb fish. That fish is twisted in alot of ways. I hope to get a better photo, but I am glad he is not putting scales in the fishes mouth and bending jaws and killing big fish in small waters. I can't wait to see the color of the water, and to fish the weeds since he avoids them for the open water.

It was his 3rd time bass fishing. He put his fist in the mouth as he was surprise largemouth bass have such big mouths. Phone pics are hard to judge but since fish is twisted and missing the tail portion, impossible to tell, but I certain it is over 7 since they are quite common in phosphate ponds, and 21" fish are the norm in the 4-5lb range on average.....good catch for maybe his 2nd hour of bass fishing......I think it is big because cell phones lie, and it has that look and shape of a Large fish. He knows what a 4lb fish is and thinks it was 3x that size and believes it, so I am heading out on Friday to see if we can maybe get a few flipping in the part of the pond with heavy cover which he avoids and I may use one of the 12" shiners that are super abundant in the pond. Hope to have a pic of a 12lber but it will be in the water as I don't take them out of the water in ponds for fear of messing the fish up.

I have pics of Legit 7.5's that look like 10's but I am only asking since my friend just started fishing a month ago and he comes into the shop and he was been showing me pics of giant Shiners and legit 4-5lb fish. He would not know a 10lb fish if he saw one and is not claiming 30", I just know from taking tons of pics over the years of fish, that when taken on a phone fish often look small. I took a pic of an 11.7lb fish that was weighed in a tourney at Harris a few years back and it looks like a 4lber. I know the area he fishes and the local bait shop has pics of Bass up to 13lbs, and I was thinking that since we can't see the tail, and he has his fist in the fishes mouth (He was amazed largemouth have big mouths which I understand as a newbie) and he is holding it twisted as well which distorts the image which I agree. I am guessing the fish is in the 7-9lb range since most of the large Pond bass in Florida always fall in that range. However, I wish I had a tail to compare or different angles as he is not sure how big it was..... He said one of his neighbors took pics with a regular camera and not a small cell phone, so I am hoping to see that image. The good news is that I have drilled it into his head that when fishing ponds it is extremely important to take a few pics, but more importantly get the fish back in the water as quickly as possible, do not lay it on the grass, and do not put a scale in its mouth or damage his jaw. He said he didnt want to get a tape measure since I had sold him green colored worms since Bass are guarding Fry and spawning so he didnt want to waste any time keeping it out of the water. I can usually guess a weight in most photos if I have 2-3 angles by looking at fins, tail, head, and shape. I am not saying the fish is 30", I am saying it looks big for a cell phone shot compared to my 7-10's on my cell phone. I am not sure any of my fish are over 10 since I always use the Rapala formula and I know during the spawn it can varry more than .2 like usuall, and a 9.11 could be 10...I will be heading out that way to check the ponds out in that area since I know they all have monsters in them.

Happy Birthday and You now own an awesome Frog that will catch you lots of fish. Fishing Frogs is flat out fun since the explosions can and will happen at all different times during the retrieve. I have a tendancy to get excited and set the hook as soon as the water is boiling, but the advice given above about waiting until you feel the Bass on the end of your line before Setting the hook and reeling is spot on. Bass often smack a Frog with the intentions of stunning it and coming back around, or will crush it and then spin it around in their mouth since they prefer to take everything down the hatch head first. I like the KVD frogs for alot of reasons but most of all they can be fished in any part of any lake or pond since they are weedless and are also good in open water as well. Good luck, and have some fun. Frogs catch Big Fish so Hold on tight!!!!

I was hoping for some help.... A friend of mine who just started fishing a few months ago sent me this photo of a Bass he caught last week on a watermelonseed dinger in a pond by his house. I know the pic was taken with a regular phone and he doesn't know the Roland Martin Camera Tricks. He sent me some other photos of fish he called 5lbs, and they appeared to be in the 19-20" area so I was thinking 4lbs maybe 5, so he has a good idea. He said this fish was easy double but maybe more...... I always use the Rapala formula since I never take big fish out of the water, and I just measure girth and length plus lenght to fork. I am thinking this fish is close to 30" and I am basing that on the fact I take so many pics of 24-26" fish which are always in the 7-9 maybe some 10's. I plan on going out to catch this and others this week, as I am thinking these ponds obviouly have some monsters and a 19lb bass was caught in this area in the 70's. Thanks. I apppreciate the Help

I fish daily in Florida and lots of new water weekly, and they all have a few things in common for catching bass over 4lbs, and 5-7's are plentiful, but getting them in the boat is not easy of course. If you are not comfortable flippiing and punching in heavy cover with heavy line and a flpping stick, then try and fish that water with a frog, or better yet, go horizontal with a swimbait like the Ez swimmer or money minnow swimbaits in 5" size. Flip Beavers, brush hogs, culprit fat max ribbon tail worms, powerbait craws, trick worms, or any soft bait you have confidence in and chatterbaits are often good if the grass is not thick yet. Carolina rigs with black and blue 10-12" power worm is a big fish set up, and so is throwing larger 6" senkos, Sluggos, and swim jigs, bigger spinnerbaits. I would not change the way you fish for this tournament as you want to have confidence and I am confident if you do exactly what you are doing now, only use a larger bait, cast closer to the cover and also fish cranks and topwaters without fear of losing them. At the same time, if the bass are guarding fry in an area, you may want to go with a bluegill colored swimbait or baby bass pattern swimbait or jig, or throw a small watermelonseed fluke. If shad are small, but schooling, match size and throw lures and smaller baits. I used to be intimated by jig fishing when I moved to Florida, and I quickly learned that if you can't pull a few pigs from the slop once the sun is hot you will never catch big fish consitently......However, braid allows us to fish alot more horizontal presentations through grass.

I HAVE BEEN SEEING REALLY GOOD DEALS ON QUANTUM PT SERIES REELS, MOST NOTABLY THE KINETIC WHICH IS A NICE REEL FOR SURE AND NOW CAN BE HAD FOR UNDER $70, $50 IF YOU GET LUCKY AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO SITES WHERE PEOPLE BID. THE ENERGY IS A WORKHORSE, AND IF YOU CAN FIND ONE FOR A 100 IT WILL BE A SMOOTH LEARNING CURVE..LOTS OF CHOICES.... BUT DO NO BUY A REEL JUST BASED ON REVIEWS, PRICE, SPECS, OR WHAT ANYONE ELSE SUGGESTS. IF THE REEL DOES NOT FEEL GOOD IN YOUR HANDS, BALANCE ON YOUR ROD, OR YOU CAN'T PALM IT COMFORTABLY.....ALL IMPORTANT STUFF, AND IF YOU ARE A CRANKBAIT GUY, MAKESURE TO GET A LOWER GEAR RATIO, AND IF YOU FLIP, THEN CERTAIN MODELS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS. ONE SUGGESTION, USE MONO THE FIRST TIME YOU SPOOL IT UP FOR A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE AND GO WTIH 12-14LB TEST WHICH IS EASIEST TO HANDLE IMO. BRAID CAN BE TOUGH TO LEARN WITH, BUT IF YOU INSIST, SPEND MONEY ON AN 8 STRAND LIKE PP PLUS, SAMARAI, AND MAKE SURE DIAMETER IS AT LEAST 10LB AS MOST BRAIDS DIG....JUST SAY NO TO COATED SUPERLINES ON CASTING REELS.

This is the time of year when you can really make the most of a $100 reel since people are upgrading and deals are everywhere, and overstocks are going on clearance.... I would recommend finding an Okuma Citrix which is normally a $129 reel, great all purpose reel, and can be purchased new with a rebate from okuma for $50 at a few places. Also, Bass Pro Extreme, qualifier, Abu Orra Sx, I would consider the Daiwa Aird which will run about $65 and then save some money for Terminal tackle, line, and other necessities not fun to buy like weights, leader etc....

OK, Maybe this will help me condense all my tackle into one bag.... Topwater- Sebile Splasher, Yozuri Banana Boat Jr. Spooks, Torpedo, Top prop mr twister floating buzz blade , skitter pop,crazy crawler,Gunfish,devils horse cranks- Sebile Crankster, Spro Little John, Bandit Footloose, Clackin crank, DT 4-10, Norman Flat Broke, Cordell Grappler shad, shad rap, daiwa shad master Lipless- Rapala clackin rap, Reaction Strike lv 65, Red Eye Shad, Yo-zuri crystal Vibe 7/8 long/silent, xcal real gill,craw, one knocker, Super Spot Plastics- any craw, beaver, brush hog, flipping baits that float, charlies large craw, ribbon tail, big bite Warmouth, Sluggo, Ez Swimmer, Havoc line, all senkos brand doesnt matter, culprit fat max, 4-10" curly tail, Gambler Flappin shad, zoom swimming flukes and on and on Jig- Terminator, Booyah A jig, customs.....Booyah Real Gill Spinnerbaits, ......Rogue, xrap, and few hundred more, but favorite lure .....SEBILE FLATT SHAD SU 77 & WEEDLESS

I have been trying to grow a 12lb plus fish in a pond in my county that is about 2 acres, loaded with cover, has sandy flats, 2 underwater springs, great amount of the right weeds vs. timber, and average depth is 6', but a good 1/3 has some places near cool springs up to 14' deep and we plant structure and rock piles all over. Shiners get huge and up to 12", craws,eels, gizzard shad, bluegill, carp, creek chubs, fatheads......so much food, last years fry are now exactly 1 year old and are 14.5-15.5" and fat-2lbs....However, about a dozen people fish it, several have one lots of respected tournaments, and we all remove slots which are now any fish in 18-21" that is not young, Bottom line, artificials will get you the 2-6lbers with a 6 being a good catch because they won;t move for anything excet a giant shiner over 10", or huge eel......I have tried shiners of average size, nothing over 5, then tossed in 6 12" shiners about a lb....each one was smashed within a minute being in the water, same spot, and all fish were 7-10....Moral of story....It is hard to grow big fish first of all, and second, they get tougher to catch as they learn, and the bigger they get, the more food they need, and if you can't keep ratios just right, they will not get to be a record, plus in order to get a fish to hit your lure, then land it with all the cover needed is an accomplishment and it is impressive, exciting and takes as much skill as flipping a patch of weeds on any lake and getting that "right cast right time fish"....I remember when I lived in Ny the record was 11.9 from Long Island NY in a Lake not known for 5lb plus fish as that is huge on long Island, a 7 is very rare. The record was caught by a young child who went fishing with dad for first time on a fly rod, fished at boat ramp middle of day, was struggling casting with a popper when 4 feet from shore a fish almost 12lbs is caught.....Luck is involved, and should that count since it was just as random as getting hit by lighting or winning lottery....lake was Blydenburg Park and I remember as a Kid fishing it hard a few times and never doing better than 3lbs and lake had lots of fish that seemed stunted...tons of pressure.

Depending on Boat Traffic since it is not a HUGE lake(If heavier than normal, Bass will often Retreat to an area people are avoiding and will usually want slow small offerings like a 4" worm, 3" grub etc...,I would think in 10 feet of water, I am fishing shoreline cover if present with Plastics, I go 6" worm jus to get some fish, and if you go an hour and nothing on shoreline cover, find a lake point, countour change, moving water, offshore structure and cover water with a c-rig since 10 feet is almost a big flat, cast it a mile and if that is not working, throw a topwater lure with a prop since they are not relating to bottom, and will always look up and hit a devils horse, flat rap worked erratic, maybe swim it 4 feet deep, and also throw a flutter spoon to mimic color of natural forrage..Key is size of bait and speed imo...Better luck next time. Jigs were a good choice by the way and may be the way to go next time. If your swim jig had a rattle, maybe go silent next time, smaller, and drag it slow or burn on surface until you find them...... You can use any lure to cover 10 feet of water and I say work Bottom first so you can eliminate that early if not the ticket, but many times I find dragging the bottom or using any lure near bottom is the answer, if not, I know that they are obviously suspended and then its topwater time, rip a spoon or fish it a few feet down, or go swimbait 2 foot under.. Oh, and a Chatterbait in white or brown is a great lure anytime of year since it is a crankbait, jig, jerkbait, flutter spoon....I catch em burning it on surface, flipping, jigging, and you can't fish it wrong. Adjust vibration, size, color, and most important, bulk of trailer, I like thin when cold, 4" grub, regular trailer they come with is ok, but triple ripple grub is a good one to have in your box.

Spoons get lost in the mix for most guys and I think its because they read magazines, advertisements, and when you go to your sporting good stores, all spoons with the exception of panfish and the Silver Minnow are in the saltwater section, and they never have fancy packaging, or any decent selection. Alot of guys in Florida hate deep clear water, and really just hate deep water where they cant flip or pitch a worm, fish a trap, or another trending lure. I find I only fish with the Silver Minnow, Moss Boss, and weedless spoons these days myself, and even though they work awesome, nobody really wants to hear you tell them a silver weedless spoon with a 4" grub is going to have them catching a ton of fish, since it sounds boring, and spoons remind most of us why Saltwater can be so annoying with Mackeral etc..... I was hoping the Lake Fork flutter spoon would catch on even though it was way overpriced when you can get a Johnson sprite, or any version of a casting spoon/flutter spoon or I will be safe and call it an s curved spoon.... Spoons flat out work, and will catch any fish that swims, and if you have never tried using a Jigging spoon for deep water fish or used an Acme Castmaster to catch suspended or Bass chasing Bait, then you should get another box because you will need to get about 20-30 spoons to have a good set up, and here is the good news....They are super cheap and actually fun to fish since you can cover water super fast, fish them anyway you want and they will work, and a 1/2 oz sprite casting spoon will catch any fish that swims in any body of water in the world, and silver or gold is all you will ever have to decide after you have the mandatory chrome, and of course the Northland Series of Forrage Patterns, Luhr Jensen Krocodile spoons, lots of lengths and weights of quiver spoons, single and treble versions........... I guess my point is how is it people do not fish spoons, you can even get rattle spoons that are weedless, add a creature or finesse worm as a trailer, or better yet, you can use weedless spoons as a way to rig your senkos to add flash on the fall, get them through cover horizontal, or even use as the weight on a carolina rig.....I will be fishing spoons heavy the next few trips as I have negleted that box for my new more expensive and "Instant Cred" boxes.......Although I did throw the Moss Boss 2 weeks ago for the majority of the day while my buddy flipped to the fish I missed burning it over the pads, but I don't think spoons are the area to get into if you are an emerging tackle company. I have a hard time selling cheap spoons at flea markets to guys who chase mackeral and they seem annoyed to have such simple lures when they could be using Plugs, Topwaters, Jerkbaits etc.....We are all nuts when it comes to fishing I guess, I know I would never give a lizard a chance even when I see guys doing well on them. I just feel they will hit a worm much better or brush hog much better all times of year and rarely would pass it up so its splitting hairs, but Spoons are super complex and tough to learn how to fish for real....Sorry for the Ramble, I am guilty of carrying some 2 oz. Jigging spoons with me even when going to lakes that are only 10-12' deep, as I am hoping to just find some sand bottom in open water if I get lucky and find a dropoff with colder water.

mister twister curly tail worms, exude flukes, grubs, and they have a new craw bait that is actually really good, it has a sponge feel and releases air bubbles. I also like their color patterns and swimming a grub or on a darter jig is a great way to catch fish and a mr. twister grub is as good as any.....Sassy shads as well

I can never decide if I like any of them and I use the zoom horny toad hooks in 5/0 alot and I also use a kahle hook and will lip hook a swimbait with a loop knot and let it sway if not in thick stuff. I crimp a split shot on hook shank for weight.

I borrowed all modifications from others over the years, and the Owner of DOA used packing peanuts on a tv show on Okeecobee and he fished the Air head with packing peanuts to use it as a topwater/wake bait. he also slit the paddle tail for a buzzing action. I like to fish out of a kayak to access certain water, and I leave a carolina rig dragging under the yak when fishing at alll times. I have caught some monsters when fishing a shoreline with a jig and sometimes I am so focused on casting accuracy and flipping the bait quietly, I get startled when my drag starts peeling on the drifting c-rig behind me on bottom.

I miss alot of fish on Frogs no matter where I am fishing from, and I find that the River2 Sea Bully wa and the Monroe Phat Frog have helped me out since they are much softer or crush down easier so the hooks seem to penerate better. I always struggled with Booyah, Live Target and some others. I know often times Bass just stun the Frog and will come back, so waiting for the rod to load is key but hard to do fishing topwaters... I find if I miss a fish, even if I had the fish hooked for a little bit, I can usually get that fish to strike a small 4" finesse worm or little flipping craw worked slowly and usually if not the first cast, usually by 3rd or 4th. Usually you will find more than the fish you missed.

Square bill...Rapala cr cranks 3-5', Sebile Crankster, Bandit Lipless-XCalibur, Bill lewis, Rapala clackin crank, sebile flatt shad 77 suspending is great. suspending-Rogue,Pointer, Long A topwater- Spook, yo-zuri banana boat JR, Rebel T-10, Torpedo

I almost always use a 1/2 weight as I like the casting distance, steady feel of bottom, and because it seems to just be what I reach for, although I have some lighter Mojo weights I used a few times when fishing shallow flats in clear water and they seemed to work. I leave the beads and rattles at home, and I usually just add about 2' of Mono or Copoly in 12-20lb test, and I am usually fishing deeper water with weeds often thick so I am not worried about stealth. I almost always use a 8" Charlies Ribbon Tail worm or a Bass Assassin Sluggo or Trick worm rigged wacky and the charlies is considered a floater. If I want my bait to float off the bottom I use a Slip float or pill float pegged about 6" in front of my worm like you would do when fishing for walleye on an erie derie rig. I paint them different colors to match forrage and fry and it causes bigger worm like a zoom monster, Fatt Max Culprit, or good old Manns jelly worm to rise up a few inches which I think is key. I experiment with the c-rig alot and have some odd baits that work well and if a Finesse trick worm or wacky rig sluggo or Floating/buoyant worm is not working, I will switch over to a floating rattle trap with two single hooks and weed guards as It has an awesome action with its nose down and darting side to side 2' off the bottom. I use a larger 5/8 size, and also use a D.o.A airhead mullet soft bait which looks like a big bluegill, and I put packing peanuts or a cigar float in the belly (same with hollow bellies) and I get less hits with the bigger swimbaits, but better fish. My all time favorite Bait is a charlies floating large crawfish in Red Shad, or any bass assassin high floater creature bait, or ringed worm like a zipper, ring fry, or rage anaconda worms since ribs usually cause the bait to rise up off the bottom. We call the charlies craw a hover craw and its about 4" long, kind of realistic looking but flatter profile, and it is just a great bait for any soft bait rig...... From what I read, most people would not use anything but a zoom lizard, but I just never use a lizard for anything, and I use gamblers big ez or smaller swimbait or sassy shads to match panfish or shad size, or fry with a tiny sassy shad. You can cover alot of water with a c-rig, work it steady but fast, and with braid you can feel any areas you may want to fish again since you feel contour changes, weeds, muscles etc....and I don't use Tungsten, just old lead barrel weight that I color black with a marker before putting in the box. I color pill floats in chart/orange for panfish color as a float and teaser, green or lime for baby bass fry, and white or silver flash for shad...I also have some craw colors, and uv for dirty water. I use the walleye rig 90% of the time, and a charlies ribbon or craw will get a good float on for you and bite. If not red shad, then Motor Oil/chart or your confidence color as size and profile matter more imo. small worm hooks when possible, 1/0 if I can, 2/0 largest for better action, and you can use flukes, tubes, and my buddy uses the Sebile AT floating worm in white and that is a big complex looking worm or hybrid swmbait, but he does well with that worm, and it floats well. Hope that Helps, get creative and have fun...Modify rigs, drag a floating lure or prop lure as added flash and vibration helps. I sweep on sets, pull baits both ways to see what is working but I think I stay parrallel. I never used the c-rig until moving to Fl 7 years ago, and I forced myself to get confident using this rig since I saw how versatile and well it worked all year round, anywhere, and is great from back of the boat. I am not anti clicker, just think it sounds unnatural and if I wanted sound, I would put a rattle in the worm but rarely have done that. The Rattle trap on a c rig is a winner, and a floating trap is a great lure Freshwater guys overlook which is a mistake for sure

I usually by the less expensive lipless cranks and crankbaits in General with Rapala, Strike King, Bandit making up most of em and Pradco etc.. However, I would be lost without the Sebile Flatt Shad 77Suspending with glitter filled and flat sides without rattles. It stops head down on a dime, stays near surface, and is one of the best lures I have ever used period, and always have one tied on. Such a great design and action and can be fished anywhere....The sk version is killer as well. I like the Reaction Strike LV lipless cranks and they are only a few bucks right now and not 10

if using a 5" fluke, try to use a small hook like a 1/0 if it fits the fluke you use, and it should.....I find I get bit way more with smaller hooks than I would always use in the past which was 4/0+. I still flip with big ewg hooks, but flukes, I go slow, weightless, maybe nail weight, work it erratic, and switch co,lors to match forrage as well as size, and if the usuall colors are not working, always have something gaudy in chartruese, Pink, Or banana swirl for reaction strikes.....I like pearl, silver, GP, Watermelonseed and purples oftten dipped in chartruese and chart is often key......you can flip flukes, and fish em like a frog, great bait, just remember it is not a swimbait.....I used to make that miistake,it is a twitch bait even with a swimming tail in my world.

zoom and Venom

I am always changing reels to rods and never know how many I willl use, but I usually leave most at home and only bring 4 casting and 3 spinning. I also keep a cheap ultralight with me at all times in case I need to cheat and catch a Shiner real quick....Not sure why I am ashamed of using live bait, nothing is better than watching a Bass smash a Giant Shiner swimming on the surface.....Use a 9/0 circle and make sure you are not gut hooking since they have to stun those big shiners to reposition them head first, so you have to give alot of time since they release them for several seconds most of the time. I would feel bad if I still used a Kahle Hook because I would hate killing a big fish because I took extra time and killed a fish using a technique anyone can do......I don't officially count any fish I catch on a Shiner, otherwise I would tell bigger fish stories for sure.

I started using your hookset sweep technnique when you suggested it in order to fix my poor hook up ratio when fishing soft swimbaits with a ton of line out. I am buying everything you are selling as I noticed a difference several weeks ago when I used a different reel that was a burner 7/1 compared to a 5/1 I was using and I now like a faster reel for anything oher than Flipping or Pitching, and I just concentrate on slowing down so the bait is not riding on plane when working a hollow belly in heavy weeds since they like to miss it or bump it as it is...... Love the Gambler EZ swimbaits, Money Minnows, and all the nice looking soft swimbaits hitting the market. It is such a nice break from Flipping all day, and I get bored of cranking after a few minutes unless the fish are active. I can do alot more with a softbait here in Florida.

I find that Braid is great for Flipping and Frogging on casting gear, and I like to go 50-65lb simply for Diameter purposes as I find #30 braid to be too thin for casting gear and causes me issues. I also have a Flipping set up with 20lb Yo-zuri Hybrid that works great, and on my other casting rods for cranks, Jerkbaits, and shakey rigs etc, I use Mono from 10-17, and Hybrid from 10-20 with 10,15 my favorite all around line sizes for Hybrid. I rarely use leader and will color my line with sharpies to match water conditions and usually some green and brown will make my braid just fine without a leader, although I fish topwaters with straight Mono or copolymer since I get more hits and if not tossing a frog will often go to spinning tackle with 10-30 braid and only use Mono Leader for topwaters since it floats and I find that I can get away with heavy leader in the 20lb range and be fine. For Spinning, i still use some Hybrid in #4, #6, and #10, and rarely go over 20lb for braid, and I use mono, fluoro, copoly leaders and have had success with all. The key is to tie good knots, check for abrasions, and when in doubt, go with your gut as far as lb test based on worst case scenario.....If I am fishing a small Finesse worm on #6 test for more strikes, I also have to be aware that if I get a large fish, I am not stopping that fish from taking me into cover, so unless you are confident you have open water, I rarely feel good less than 10lb test...Hope that helps a bit..I guess I find use for all of it, just not fluoro main line as I don't see any benefit personally, but know that plenty love it and it works great for them. I will always try new products and really love the Daiwa Samurai Braid and 8 Strand Suffix 832 and power pro Plus braids...It is so smooth on casting gear I could never go back for flipping and pitching.