I don't want to get into the argument of braid vs mono in this post. That is a old one. We all use what we feel comfortable using. To each his own I say. I don't like braid or flouro and thats beside the point. Now to the point. I think some line stretch in some applications can be a good thing. In close quarters flipping in my opinion line stretch can afford you some insurance of not tearing the lip of a bass and pulling the hook out. Another application is when I am smallie fishing with 6 or 8 pound test, or even for big green bass with light line, some stretch can be a plus. Long casting or deep water fishing is another story. I want less stretch for a good hook set. It seems using stretchy line has become a sin over the last few years. I feel it has has its place in fishing. Everyone says you cannot feel the bite with stretchy line, I beg to differ. How much stretch can there be when you are not really applying any pressure while hopping a jig or a tube? I don't have any problems translating what is going on with the other end of my line using a stretchy line. What say you my friends?

I'm with you. I use Trilene XL on all my reels. I've never had any problems detecting a strike. I've tried other lines, but I always find myself going back to my mono.

Falcon

almost always w/ treble hook lures.personally, i dont want any stretch if im flippin,pitchin,wormin,jiginin.

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS---YO-ZURI ULTRA SOFT.

Just having some fun RW.

I have gone to more florocarbon and yes Ultra Soft so that would make me lean toward the low stretch crowd for my more finesse styles --although-- when sight fishing there is nothing spooled up other than an inexpensive green mono which of course has stretching tendencies. I am not sure why the mono works so well for sight fishing but a guide on Lake Fork turned me on to the technique and it made all the difference for me. My 11year old daughter caught a 7+ lbr on the 3rd cast sight fishing with green mono (with stretch.) It is my guess that the small amount of stretch helps as the adreneline is pumping and it is easy to see the lure disappear in the bass' mouth and do the Bill Dance hookset so the stretch helps me.

8-)

I like a little stretch all the time it helps with the rod shock. I use copolymer line because it has a little give. I also use high modulus rods & need some stretch to prevent the rod from breaking on hook set. I have found the Yo-Zuri Ultra Soft works great for this.

The Ultra Soft has some stretch, but I don't really know the stats. For me, it seems just about right! :

I've rocked with Yo-Zuri on everything from crankbaits to flippin texas rigged creatures....it has the right amount of stretch, IMO.  

I agree that a little stretch is a good thing. The two i have found so far that seem perfect are Gamma and Yo-Zuri. There are only a couple applications that I use braid.

Another thing that I don't think anybody has mentioned is stretch helps absorb a surge at the boat that seems like most big fish tend to do.

The whole idea of line stretch is a non-issue for me. i use mono, flouro and braid, for different applications. The stretch factor does not enter into my decision on which line to use for a given application.

I wanted super strong line for my muskie rigs. I also wanted good casting performance. That means brute strength and small diameter. That's a no-brainer. Braid is the answer. Visibility is not an issue; I'm gonna use a Tygerwire leader anyway. I have 50lb PowerPro on one rig and 50lb Spiderwire on the other. Have yet to decide which one I like best.

For topwaters and shallow crankbaits I want something harder to see, with some bouyancy. Braid doesn't fit the bill, it floats, but it is highly visible. Flouro is hard to see, but it doesn't float, it sinks. So, I use mono for top waters and shallow cranks. I also use medium running cranks on this rig when I want them to run a little higher in the water. Trilene XL is my choice. It is the easiest handling, best casting line I've found. I've tried others, and keep coming back to XL. Nothing at all to do with line stretch.

For crankbaits and jerkbaits I want something very hard to see, I want casting distance, and I want the baits to get as deep as possible. That means flouro or a copolymer line. I've been using Vanish. Had some problems with it a couple of years ago, and quit using it. Started again last year and had no problems. It handles and casts much better than the older version. I've had no problems with knots since I learned how to tie a knot in flouro line. Think S-L-O-W when you cinch it down, and your knot problems will go away. I've also been experiment with different lines for these applications. I've tried two different versions of Silver Thread, and found both to be good lines. I have spools of Sufix, YoZuri Hybrid US and Gamma to try this year.I suspect, at this time, that I'll end up with flouro for jerbaits, and one of the copolymers for most crankbaits. Time will tell. Again, nothing to do with line stretch.

For plastics and jigs, I want line that is difficult for the fish to see, is easy for me to see, ( I'm color-blind. and that's an issue with some lines), has good sensitivity, good abrasion resistance, and won't float. Again that means flouro, Transition to be exact. This is really some pretty good line, now. It used to be terrible. The newer formulation is very good. My decision in this application was based on abrasion resistance and sensitivity, but mainly on visibility. Stretch did not enter into the equation.

I don't think there is one line that will be perfect for every application. At least, not yet. We choose all of our other tackle for specific applications, it just makes sense to do the same with line.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Cheers,

GK