10 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

I’ve caught a bunch of big fish on 4-6# mono (mostly trout, salmon, and carp). Just realize the limitations on your setups. Even in open water you’re going to struggle to get a good hookset on a medium rod, 6# mono, and a whopper plopper with #2 hooks. There is just a little too much give to set that thicker hook well.  

This has always been my exact worry. And what I noticed last season. 15 pound big game I had to pay attention for the bites but I could drive a jig home or T rig. A whopper plopper whatever. But when I dropped to 12 pound big game I just didn’t have the hook set ability I felt. Maybe it was me 

Y'all are better anglers than I if you don't occasionally get a wind knot or let the bail close prematurely and snap off that Megabass 110 when using 4 or 6lb PE lines.  I've settled on 8 - 10lb mainline with med. power, med. fast action rods and I bump that up to 12lb on med. heavy rods.

23 minutes ago, Joedodge said:

This has always been my exact worry. And what I noticed last season. 15 pound big game I had to pay attention for the bites but I could drive a jig home or T rig. A whopper plopper whatever. But when I dropped to 12 pound big game I just didn’t have the hook set ability I felt. Maybe it was me 

dropping down from 20 to 15 to 10 lb range lines (and yes it varies by maker and type) you’ll see a notable difference at each step for a given line. 20lb big game just doesn’t stretch on bass. 10 has a good bit. As you go down there comes a point when you have to lighten up your hook wires and/or go with a little stiffer rod.

 

when I fished steelhead a ton we threw 4 and 6 lb XL.  A 9’ light power steelhead rod with 6lb xl on a 4k sized reel with a 1/2 or 3/4 oz spoon (kastmaster, ko wobbler, etc) will cast a mile (in reality, about 100 yards) but if you try to set the hook that far you’d struggle.  50 yards with that setup and good sharp hooks are you were okay. Very extreme example but the point is the same. If you have too much stretch and not enough rod then adjust the wire appropriately. 

I like Co-poly & FC lines. I’m well versed on its difficulties, but around here ,line takes a beating and you’ll need to change rather often. No worries, I have a lifetime of practice😉

A couple things, in all my years on here I’ve never once heard a complaint about mono lifespan in brackish or saltwater. Mono should be changed about every 2-3 days depending on how much water/sunlight it’s endured. It simply changes and dramatically.. mono does absorb water/chemicals etc. and the intense UVA & UVB Rays from sunlight will weaken it very quickly. One advantage of braid is the way it slices thru deep water, again a saltwater advantage (Gulf of America deep) but still an advantage of the line type. I can see a use for it for deep water spoon fishing on TVA lakes.. I found threadline tied knots easier than a proper 2 pound mono.. go figure. 
I safely assume braid (coated) lives much longer in saltwater exposure and endures UV damage better. Chemical damage just isn’t limited to saltwater either our freshwater is rather affected by chemical pollution also. 

I ultimately chose FC w a FC coated mono as the best line for my water and structure type. Fully prepared to change line as needed.(also a good time to oil spool bearings if you haven’t already) My son was a big proponent of braid & nowadays has removed it & went back to a softer fluorocarbon line.. different strokes, different folks. Enjoy either line type. 
 

BTW, In 1971, my cane pole was rigged with Dacron and mono (yep a mono leader line) and back then I much preferred Dacron. 🙂

22 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Yes, visibility.

 

I also like the feel of mono. As much as I like and appreciate braid, it's a little limp for my tastes. Fluoro is too stiff. Mono is just right. 

 

I also trust light mono. As I shared in my opening post, I've landed heavy fish on light mono.

 

 

Of course, but as I wrote above, it's too stiff for my tastes. 

I went the mono route for awhile for invisibility and line manageability - on a spinning rod.
 

But the advantages of fluorocarbon in finesse applications led me to a medium-light BFS rod and a main line of 6-7 lb Sniper. No line twist and no more tying leader knots that are a pain and can ultimately fail, especially with lighter line. I also prefer the density and uniform sink rate of fluorocarbon, and believe it to be slightly less visible than mono.

 

BFS isn’t just a novelty, for me it became a preferred tool. 

2 hours ago, F14A-B said:

BTW, In 1971, my cane pole was rigged with Dacron and mono (yep a mono leader line) and back then I much preferred Dacron. 🙂

Young squirt!  My cane pole in 1953 was straight mono.  At 5 years old, I never heard of Dacron or leaders.  

This is the kind of thread that Tom (WRB 1.0 and 2.0) would jump on. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

 

Tom was the reason I know that mono has superior knot strength. 

6 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

I'm thinking of using 6 lb. test with hard jerkbaits. I don't use Whopper Ploppers much anymore. My local bass have learned to avoid them. 

One thing to keep in mind, the jerkbait will go deeper on lighter line. 

I fish similar waters here in NH, and use (copoly actually) mono until the weeds really come up in June then the braid comes out. 

44 minutes ago, PourMyOwn said:

One thing to keep in mind, the jerkbait will go deeper on lighter line. 

 

Good. I envisioned casting the jerkbaits into the deep water near the shallow areas.

8 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

I'm thinking of using 6 lb. test with hard jerkbaits. I don't use Whopper Ploppers much anymore. My local bass have learned to avoid them. 

Yeah, because YOU CAUGHT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!! 😂 Give 6# Yozuri Hybrid a try. It's good stuff, and inexpensive. I like it better than any straight mono or fluoro I've tried.

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

Yeah, because YOU CAUGHT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!! 😂 Give 6# Yozuri Hybrid a try. It's good stuff, and inexpensive. I like it better than any straight mono or fluoro I've tried.

 

Ha! Actually, they still hit Whopper Ploppers, but not like they once did and I don't want to burn the lure out completely, so I only use them here and there. Thanks for the Yozuri tip! I'll still be in the straight braid brigade anytime I'm near weeds, which will be the majority of the time.

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

Yeah, because YOU CAUGHT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!! 😂 Give 6# Yozuri Hybrid a try. It's good stuff, and inexpensive. I like it better than any straight mono or fluoro I've tried.

I used 6 pound Yo-Zuri hybrid late in the season and found I really liked it after a bit of break in time. I also used Suffix Advance Monofilament which is also a copolymer in 10 pound and I really like that as well.

9 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

Tatsu is Really low memory, but stiff and springs off the spool.  

ExThread is more limp with the same low memory.  

Cool, thanks! What about sensitivity? I know it’s hard to quantify but I love the slack line sensitivity of tatsu for bottom contact baits. 

On 1/2/2026 at 12:17 PM, Swamp Girl said:

When I fished for smallmouth in northwestern Ontario, Lake Michigan, and Lake Superior, I used 6 lb. test. It was plenty strong enough to land hundreds of smallmouth and the occasional 20-lb. pike or king salmon. I switched to 30 lb. braid and 12-pound mono when I started fishing weedy water, but I know where the weeds grow in the two primary ponds I fish and so I'm going to keep a spinning reel with 6-pound test in my canoe or kayak in 2026 to achieve longer casts and have a line that's harder for the bass to see. Of course, near weeds, I'll use heavier line. 

I accidentally caught my PB Muskie (52") this fall on Lake St. Claire using a light moderate action casting rod (Megabass Rapid Viper) on 10# J-Floro.  I just took my time.. the fish continued to overpower my gear but I have a good drag ('16 Metanium) and a good buddy with the landing net.  I've tried them all from mono, to copoly, to floro, to 4 strand braid, 8 strand braid, sinking braid.. Go with what you like and gives you confidence.  We all used Mono for years and it was fine.  Braid needs a leader in gin clear water (usually) floro is expensive and isn't as limp as mono, even the pricey stuff.  This forum is populated with tackle nerds who love to geek out on the best for this and the best for that.  I'm the same when I comes to the way I fish but i'm also aware of going back to fundamentals that work time and time again.  I'd say for your smallmouth, get a bulk spool of 6lb big game. Sure its stretchy but its tough, cheap, and just works.  I've always found its better to have super sharp hooks than some uber expensive line... Have fun!

1 hour ago, Patrick Oliver said:

Have fun!

 

^This^ is my goal: Fish happy!

I caught my first double digit largemouth on 6 lbs mono, and a fair number of other of nice fish. OTOH, I have had my heart crushed and run over on 4 lbs mono. More than once. I just can't get myself to even think of trying it again.

 

I did recently pick up some 5 lbs Daiwa J-Fluoro and spooled up one of my BFS rigs, but I haven't had a chance to have my feelings hurt. . . . I mean fish with it yet.

@Big Hands I haven't tried 5 but I have been running 6lb j fluoro on my primary BFS rig all year and it has been really impressive. Abrasion resistance crushed 6lb invizx and I have pulled some chunky BFS bass out of heavy grass/slop and it held.

Going with #6 fluorocarbon for weightless senko and wacky rig on a medium light rod. 

 

Probably some Invisx, but maybe Tatsu if it's worth the extra? 

 

Excited for spring. 

17 hours ago, Big Hands said:

I caught my first double digit largemouth on 6 lbs mono, and a fair number of other of nice fish. OTOH, I have had my heart crushed and run over on 4 lbs mono. More than once. I just can't get myself to even think of trying it again.

 

I did recently pick up some 5 lbs Daiwa J-Fluoro and spooled up one of my BFS rigs, but I haven't had a chance to have my feelings hurt. . . . I mean fish with it yet.

A big girl brutalized me while using 8lb Daiwa Hidden fluoro on one of my BFS rigs. I'm staying at 8 lb. I keep telling myself that it had to be a big cat, but I never saw it. It hit, I swung, it ran straight out under my boat pulling drag about 12 - 15 yards of drag and got on some timber.

8 hours ago, Peacedivision said:

@Big Hands I haven't tried 5 but I have been running 6lb j fluoro on my primary BFS rig all year and it has been really impressive. Abrasion resistance crushed 6lb invizx and I have pulled some chunky BFS bass out of heavy grass/slop and it held.

Seems like I should also order some 6# J-Fluoro for my ML rod to go with the 10# on Medium rods.

Greetings All,

 

Fantastic information being shared. A good discussion on the topic. Thank You to each of you for sharing. 

@Swamp Girlthe thinner mono does bring a number of advantages. You've already experienced the casting advantage. Very helpful for a lower profile presentation, you don't have to get too close and risk a startle response. 

 

That rationale is one of the many reasons why I use the thinner lines. In my case I've settle on bulk lower cost 4 pound mono for my main use. Yeah, I simply catch more using the thinner lines. 

 

Like you I reserve heavier gear when there are additional challenges. Fortunately when being on the water, a yak in my case, the ability to move about minimizes the snag hazard. Often a simple angle change brings an angler advantage. Besides I'm usually dragged about to some degree with all fish engaged 'on-line'. 

@bulldog1935Your advanced line recommendations are sound and I may eventually get to where I can take advantage of it for my BFS endeavors.

 

I'm almost there. I've gone through the summer and now into winter without blowing up a spool and hacking tangled line. I may have paid a sufficient line tuition to educate my arm and thumb into proper casting. For now I appear to be on more solid operations tossing those 2 ~3 grams using the 4 pound mono on a stock BFS reel (low cost version). 

 

I mainly want to establish a good level of BFS operation before I explore / invest in better options. I continue to harvest information you and others publish and develop that understanding of why it is better. 

 

I recently got in a lot of casting and catching practice. I was using the last of my Holiday leave the other day at a local lake where I was blissfully taunting stocked trout using the BFS rigs. During my catch and release efforts, I heard a diesel truck approach. "Oh could it be the stocking truck?' Yay!  It was and they deposited a load of trout. 

There was instantly a bunch of playful trout to compel me to really improve on my casting and catching technique with that target rich environment. 

 

Bringing it back on theme, I've caught fish with all different line sizes. There is really compelling supporting evidence that I catch more on thinner line. While I'm good with six pound mono, four is better for my angling environment. When I do use thicker line it is the six pound mono. Mainly to preserve the casting ability. Our area has heavy angling pressure at all the public waters. So the advantage of stealth using long casts is helpful to improve your catching. 

 

I have discovered modulating line tension when 'on-line' with a fish allows me some level guiding the fish. In many cases when the fish is going in a less desirable direction, lowering the tension can alter the fish's azimuth heading. Not.a guarantee but it is frequently successful. Learning this supported my continued use of 4 pound mono in more conditions. 

 

I don't have as much concern using thinner line when dealing with bigger fish though gained experience. I'm also just recreational angling so a loss fish is simply a lost fish, not a monetary loss. I do what I can to prevent long distance releases from happening. 

 

I also don't have compounding factors as heavy dense structure or strong currents. My angling is more opportunistic and multi-species. 

 

Have a great time with that light line rig(s). I am continuing the fish taunting with my light line rigs. 

 

Cheering each of you on to angling success for the new year with good health too!

13 hours ago, Peacedivision said:

@Big Hands I haven't tried 5 but I have been running 6lb j fluoro on my primary BFS rig all year and it has been really impressive. Abrasion resistance crushed 6lb invizx and I have pulled some chunky BFS bass out of heavy grass/slop and it held.

I keep 5/6/7/8/10# Jfloro on hand. Best i've ever used