Braid in weeds. Floro in rocky/open areas. Mono in woody areas. I am really not a fan of braid, but it cuts through weeds much better than either floro or mono. I like floro in in the rocky/open areas because it is harder for the fish to see. I use mono in woody areas because it has more stretch which I find makes it easier to "snap" to get unsnagged from tree branches and stumps.

On 11/13/2022 at 10:01 AM, clemsondds said:

Could you share when you choose which specific technique? Thanks 

Not who you asked but thought I’d add.  This is for my casting rigs. 
 

I bought 1500 yd spools of 50lb and 30lb power pro slick on sale. Heavy jig // swim bait reels get 50lb, M-MH+ get 30lb. I have 100yd spools of maxima green 10,15,20lb, 16lb and 25lb fc leader, and 11lb Amarillo. I also have some tieable steel leader. This lasts multiple seasons for me. 
 

Ice out, all rods are rigged with leader. My water is 12+ feet visibility March-May. I also drag and bounce the bottom frequently in the cold water, and it seems the zebra mussels are omnipresent, wether they’re alive or shell beds. 16lb shock leader and 15lb maxima are my mainstays. Floro for jig and worm rods, mono for the movers. 20&25 are for my swim bait setups. 10&11 are for my M to light MH.  Basically rod moving the bait, floro; reel moving the bait, co poly. 
 

The cold water also puts me in front of a lot of pike. I’m starting to use the steel leader more frequently. Certain jerk-baits and cranks for sure and starting to add some bigger swimmers and blade baits. 
 

As the weeds come up, the zebra mussels seem to be less dense and I start to not replace my leader and go straight braid brigade. This usually lasts till late October when the pike get shallow and aggressive again. Although pre-post spawn seems to have an uptick with me putting jigs in front of pike.  I don’t like jigs on steel leader and straight braid gets bit clean by the toothy critters. So I switch to 20lb maxima, which seems to shred less on their teeth though this isn’t foolproof. Still searching for an optimal solution. But middle of summer, full weeds, water in the 60’s or warmer, jig rod is straight braid. Cuts right through the slop. 

basically I like braid for the price, the no stretch base, and ease of use. I like leader mainly for abrasion resistance but also like it’s slight give/stretch.  When the water is super clear I also get a small confidence boost with it being clear. I choose mostly based on float or sink since both types of line I use are pretty good at abrasion resistance. 

I usually use 10-15’ of leader tied on with a fg knot or modified Alberto.  I tie mostly sdj knots to my lures. If I’m straight braid, I loop through the eye a 2nd time to help bite and prevent slippage. 
 

I’ve been braid to leader for awhile and I’ve gotten used to how all my setups feel in terms of power and sensitivity with braid. If I go straight mono everything feels a little duller and slower. I’m happy so far mixing and matching leaders and I rarely fish complete slack line presentations. I’m mostly in the controlled slack camp and do some line watching. 
 

 

apologies for the word vomit. 
 

scott