This what I am using:

bladed jig and Frog- Braid

Topwater,Tubes,Paddletail,Shakey Head-FC

Most of my spinning is Braid /FC leader

Straight braid on everything for me except flurocarbon for Texas rigs/jigs and deep cranks 

I carry three rods usually. A 7’ MH caster spooled with 15 - 20 # mono , a 7’ M spinner spooled with 10# mono , and a 7’ ML spinner spooled with 6# mono. I don’t really do bait specific lines . It’s all gotta be versatile and mono is the happy medium for me. 

Spinning- YGK Soul braid and 6 lb Gamma Edge leader for everything

 

Pitching, Worming, Jigs:  15 lb fluoro

Topwater:  15 lb Big Game

Chatters and spinnerbaits: 15 lb fluoro (braid/leader?)

Jerks and medium cranks:  10-12 lb fluoro

 

I have been experimenting with using a braid/leader setup for more casting applications.  I had a good outing with a braid/leader setup recently for chatters so that might be a change I make.  Going to keep experimenting with that setup for pitching as well.  

Fluro to braid on spinning. Straight fluro or braid on casting depending on the lure.

1. Jigs - Braid w/mono leader and fluorocarbon for crystal clear waters.
2. Chatterbaits - Mono.
3. Crankbaits - Fluorocarbon.
4. Topwater - Mono.

 

I use Sufix Siege mono on my two main rigs. 12 pound on my baitcasting rig with 200 size curado and 6 pound on my spinning rig with a 1000 size shimano nasci. 

A lot of Yo Zuri hybrid, straight fluoro for jerkbaits and jigs, braid for frogs/heavy swimjigs, braid to leader on all the spinning rods.

Braid for topwater and punchin. Fluoro for everything else. 

56 minutes ago, Texas Flood said:

Braid for topwater and punchin. Fluoro for everything else. 

And here I thought I was the only one

 

 

 

Mike

52 minutes ago, Mike L said:

And here I thought I was the only one

 

 

 

Mike

My man! I don’t like using leaders and I’m not even a big fan of braid to be honest. 

22 minutes ago, Texas Flood said:

My man! I don’t like using leaders and I’m not even a big fan of braid to be honest. 

As I’ve said many times, braid to me is a specialty line. 
 

Top, frog and only for the heaviest of cover punching. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

On 2/28/2025 at 1:46 PM, GardenStateFishin said:

What do you guys prefer and why? Straight fluro or braid to fluro leader for:

 

- Jigs

- Chatterbaits

- Cranks

- Topwater

 

1 hour ago, Texas Flood said:

Braid for topwater and punchin. Fluoro for everything else. 

 

1 hour ago, Mike L said:

And here I thought I was the only one

 

 

47 minutes ago, Texas Flood said:

My man! I don’t like using leaders and I’m not even a big fan of braid to be honest. 

 

21 minutes ago, Mike L said:

As I’ve said many times, braid to me is a specialty line. 
 

Top, frog and only for the heaviest of cover punching. 
 

OP - fluoro, fluoro, fluoro, mono…

 

Looks like there are actually 3 of us 😎

 

Braid doesn’t belong on a baitcaster except for when it does 😉 

Long before Flourcarbon, Copolymore, Monofilament all we had was braided lines. 

 

I've fished braided Cotton, Dacron, Micron, Suture Material (Silk), Micro Dyneema®, Kevlar, & Spectra.

 

In the early 60s I was a desk hand on a Charter Fishing Boat in the Gulf of America. Once back in Port my job was to dry all the line on a couple dozen reels. 

Using flouro more and more but anything on top Big Game mono

On 2/28/2025 at 1:59 PM, Mike L said:

Straight flouro for everything including pitching/punching in light to moderate cover.
To me braid is a specialty line used only on top (30#) Frogs (50#) and pitching/punching in the heaviest of cover (65# or 80#)

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

Took the words right out of my mouth. Only difference is I even still use 25lb tatsu fluoro for moderate/heavy cover. 
 

I also have one rod with mono on it for light top waters and the occasional jerk bait.

8 hours ago, Team9nine said:

 

 

 

 

OP - fluoro, fluoro, fluoro, mono…

 

Looks like there are actually 3 of us 😎

 

Braid doesn’t belong on a baitcaster except for when it does 😉 

My man! x2

4 minutes ago, woolleyfooley said:

Took the words right out of my mouth. Only difference is I even still use 25lb tatsu fluoro for moderate/heavy cover. 
 

 

For those conditions sometimes I’ll use 20# Shooter
For me Tatsu is a little over qualified for strictly flipping/pitching. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

Big Game for everything but flipping/punching or frogging.That gets braid.

On 3/7/2025 at 7:18 PM, crypt said:

Big Game for everything but flipping/punching or frogging.That gets braid.

Big Game is my favorite Mono. But I like something a bit less stiff for some lures like Crankbaits. For those I like Stren or Contra Mono.

For what the op listed…

 

Jigs - straight braid flipping cover or in stained water.  Straight fluoro in clear water, especially for dragging finesse jigs for smallmouth on Lake Ontario.

 

Chatterbaits - 12-14# copoly

 

Cranks - 10-12# copoly for square bills and medium cranks, 14# fluoro for deep crankin’

 

Topwater - 12# Big Game mono on a dedicated popper, whopper plopper, spook rod.  But will throw the same on my medium crankbait setup with 12# copoly.

 

All my spinning gear is braid to 8-10# fluoro leader for everything. Dropshot, ned, tubes, shaky head, and small keitechs on a ball head or underspin.

 

The oddballs are when I’m throwing a bubba shot setup on a baitcaster with braid to a 12# fluoro leader, or for Carolina Rig which is braid to 12# Big Game mono.

On 2/28/2025 at 1:46 PM, GardenStateFishin said:

What do you guys prefer and why? Straight fluro or braid to fluro leader for:

 

 

- Jigs

- Chatterbaits

- Cranks

- Topwater

Jigs- Tripolymer 15#

Chatterbaits-Straight Braid 40#

Small Lipless Cranks-Tripolymer 15#-Spinning gear

Cranks-Braid/FC 

Topwater- Flouro 15#

I have both baitcasting and spinning setups depening on the size of the lures I am using. 

Edited March 18, 20251 yr by ike8120
Updated my OP