I fish mainly shallow very weedy ponds less than 6’ deep. Is it wise to just fish straight braid Vs mono or fluoro? I lost a good fish the other day due to leader failure when the fish buried me in grass

Forget the leaders. #STRAIGHTBRAIDBRIGADE!!! It won't cost you bites and you won't have to worry about breaking off fish.

For this case, straight braid all the way. 

Unpressured and very weedy or tannic water - straight braid is the ticket. Just make sure your drag is set accordingly 

Straight braid. I like 30lb for most casting applications.

2 hours ago, Striper9 said:

I fish mainly shallow very weedy ponds less than 6’ deep.

30lb for the weeds and 50lb for the pads. No problem. Go straight 15lb Big Game mono for topwater treble baits where you can avoid getting ran into the pads,

Braid is a good answer, but in those conditions I opt for fluorocarbon first then go from there if warranted. 
 

I never use mono

 

 

 

 

Mike

Heck I'm straight braid on everything moving, go for it.

I never use leaders.  Straight braid only.

Straight braid 

Straight braid is best, but if you have zebra mussels that cling to weeds en masse, it's been better for me to add a leader back in for the abrasion resistance. 

 

scott

19 minutes ago, softwateronly said:

Straight braid is best, but if you have zebra mussels that cling to weeds en masse, it's been better for me to add a leader back in for the abrasion resistance. 

 

scott

This is very true up here. Got a bunch of pros dealing with it on Cayuga this week. I was perplexed the first time I came across it. It doesn't sound like the OP has this issue, but a good tip. Took me a minute to figure out what was going on - during a TX on Cayuga no less lol. 

2 minutes ago, J Francho said:

This is very true up here. Got a bunch of pros dealing with it on Cayuga this week. I was perplexed the first time I came across it. It doesn't sound like the OP has this issue, but a good tip. Took me a minute to figure out what was going on - during a TX on Cayuga no less lol. 

 

You feel nothing while fishing too, the only way to know is to feel your lines and visually inspect it frequently.  It just has to become habit or heartbreak.

 

scott

Can’t hurt to try it. Decide for yourself. 
 

 

31 minutes ago, J Francho said:

This is very true up here. Got a bunch of pros dealing with it on Cayuga this week. I was perplexed the first time I came across it. It doesn't sound like the OP has this issue, but a good tip. Took me a minute to figure out what was going on - during a TX on Cayuga no less lol. 

I discovered what happens to braid when it encounters zebra mussels on Cayuga also. I wasn't paying attention and lost a couple of fish due to the braid failing. I was completely perplexed at first. 

 

Straight braid is the way to go. Fish are not line shy. Smaller lines let lures act more natural. I've tried mono and fluorocarbon and on bad days I've never caught more fish than I did with braid.if you fish with mussels you have to check the braid. Thicker braid would be helpful.

Straight braid. I’ve never used leaders. Fluorocarbon leaders just overcomplicate things imo. I’m either using straight braid or straight fluoro 99% of time; hardly ever use mono anymore. I even use 10-15 lb straight braid for my open water finesse presentations like shakey heads or pseudo Ned rigs (you just gotta use a spinning rod with a soft tip).

Straight braid. If I use it, It’s in the River Never seem to see a difference 

On 6/10/2023 at 9:37 AM, softwateronly said:

Straight braid is best, but if you have zebra mussels that cling to weeds en masse, it's been better for me to add a leader back in for the abrasion resistance. 

 

scott

A few lakes here have them and you cannot use straight braid on a bottom contact presentation amongst those sharp zebes.

 

We also have toothy predators that’ll slice through braid quite easily as well.

 

I don’t think the OP has either of these problems to deal with.

When I'm using braid, it's straight braid.  When I'm using Fluoro, it's straight fluoro.  

I love to fish braid on my baitcasters, usually 30lb - 40lb for most applications and 50lb-60lb for weedy conditions. For years I fished straight braid with good results. Stained water or clear water, it didn't matter. But since I moved to Georgia in both my home lake and the other lakes I fish I have not caught as much as I used to catch.

 

So for the past month I have been fishing braid with an 8-12 foot flouro leader, wither 10lbs or 15lbs and my catch rate has gone up. My hypothesis is that because of the fishing pressure in these lakes that some fish might be line shy. In the past I never gave the line shy theory much credence, but anecdotal evidence this past month makes me think there might be something to it.

23 hours ago, Glenn said:

When I'm using braid, it's straight braid.  When I'm using Fluoro, it's straight fluoro.  

You mean you don’t like piddling around with knots and leaders all day???

 

the way I see it, all that retying is less time for fishing 

4 hours ago, Koz said:

I love to fish braid on my baitcasters, usually 30lb - 40lb for most applications and 50lb-60lb for weedy conditions. For years I fished straight braid with good results. Stained water or clear water, it didn't matter. But since I moved to Georgia in both my home lake and the other lakes I fish I have not caught as much as I used to catch.

 

So for the past month I have been fishing braid with an 8-12 foot flouro leader, wither 10lbs or 15lbs and my catch rate has gone up. My hypothesis is that because of the fishing pressure in these lakes that some fish might be line shy. In the past I never gave the line shy theory much credence, but anecdotal evidence this past month makes me think there might be something to it.

Some of it is the lakes I’m sure, weren’t your previous lagoons private? I’m thinking it’s more about clarity, although I’ve never seen oconee water. I know hartwell was clear when I went 

On 6/10/2023 at 12:34 PM, wdp said:

Straight braid. I’ve never used leaders. Fluorocarbon leaders just overcomplicate things imo. I’m either using straight braid or straight fluoro 99% of time; hardly ever use mono anymore. I even use 10-15 lb straight braid for my open water finesse presentations like shakey heads or pseudo Ned rigs (you just gotta use a spinning rod with a soft tip).

This is more and more my approach. Used to use a LOT of braid-to-fluoro and after a few trips where I forgot my leader box and fished straight braid and straight fluoro I noticed no difference in catch rate regardless of what line I use. But I fish weedy ponds with pretty murky water like the OP. In Michigan or other clear water fisheries, I can see straight braid being a problem. 

I fish mostly low-pressured private lakes, so I run straight 40# braid on my baitcasting MH/F t-rig setup, but I run #10 Yozuri hybrid on my baitcasting light lure m/f setup that I throw topwater on, and the occasional wacky rigged worm. Those are the main two rods I carry with me. If I carry a third, it's a spinning rod with 15# braid. My braid of choice is Powerpro in Green Moss and it's pretty hard to see in the grassy water where I fish.