Trolling with Braid vs. Mono

[Salisbury]

Hi,

Is there any advantage to trolling with braid vs. mono? Obviously braid is beneficial when jigging, but I was just thinking about trolling...

Thanks!!

Vince

[ronaultmtd]

There are pros and cons with both lines- braid is pound for pound, thinner and as such has less resistance meaning your lures can run deeper with the exact same amount of line off your reel....braid has almost no stretch so you can feel everything if you have a good carbon rod- by the same token mono has stretch and sometimes that saves the day with paper thin mouthed fish like speckled trout...mono is normally clear so that can be an advantage in clear waters...just depends on your goals and type of trolling- mono is much less expensive than braid, but braid lasts longer and is less affected by sunlight weakening the line...braid requires good knot skills as it can slip under pressure unless you tie the right knots...

[yakscientist]

I think most people on this site fish with braid and a 3-5ft leader of fluorocarbon or monofilament, that way you get the small diameter and large strength of braid, and the low visibility of the mono or fluoro at the lure end, where it matters most. I was lenient about fishing with a (typically) weaker leader of fluoro but I landed a 30 pound, maybe more, king salmon last year with 40 lb braid and only a 12lb leader. I wasn't trolling for it though, but I did fight it for about 10 minutes until it was ready to be pulled into the net, river running-salmon are incredibly strong. But usually I troll with 20-25lb braid and a 12 lb leader on my smaller rods, and 40 lb braid and 20-25 lb leader on my larger ones.

[Romo]

King salmon from the kayak? Not to hijack but I'd like to hear that story! See great lakes guys do it on youtube and I kicked around the idea of trying it on Ontario this fall.

Back to the topic- all braid all the time! Trolling, jigging, casting, whatever! It outperforms mono in every situation except around rocks/concrete. Tie on a flouro leader with a uni to uni and you get the best of both worlds. Its a big help in getting big lures like Xrap mag 30s down when trolling from a kayak. I will be picking up some new Maxcuatro this fall to test on New England tunoids.

[Salisbury]

Thanks for the thought on the thinner braided line is less resistant in the water allowing your lures to travel deeper. I never thought of that.

[yakscientist]

IMG_20151014_155200_336.jpg

King salmon from the kayak? Not to hijack but I'd like to hear that story! See great lakes guys do it on youtube and I kicked around the idea of trying it on Ontario this fall.

Back to the topic- all braid all the time! Trolling, jigging, casting, whatever! It outperforms mono in every situation except around rocks/concrete. Tie on a flouro leader with a uni to uni and you get the best of both worlds. Its a big help in getting big lures like Xrap mag 30s down when trolling from a kayak. I will be picking up some new Maxcuatro this fall to test on New England tunoids.

Ah I should've been more clear, I was fishing from shore, on Lake Ontario in NY when I caught that. Just wanted to make a case for 12 lb fluoro leaders being more than up to the task, strength wise. But yeah if you're looking for king salmon fishing that won't break the bank travel-wise, go to Oswego NY. Look up Larry's Salmon Shop, if it's still there, might've been sold, but there's a hydroelectric dam right behind it, and everyone fishes the big catwalk along it with skein (sp?) which is just dyed salmon egg sacs. I walked into the shop, said I didn't feel like messing with that nasty stuff, and bought a recommended $8 lure, thought they were just pulling my leg with the recommendation, and boy was I wrong. Broke off the first salmon trying to be a hero and pull it in fast, the second one was literally a hookup on the first cast at the top of the catwalk near the spill way area (and I made sure not to lose. If anyone's curious, they can message me, and I can give them more details on recommended river charters, tackle, and all that. This was October of last year btw. There might be stretches of the river that are slow enough for kayaks, but where I was, that was not the case. We should do a meet and greet there, maybe contact the guide I know to take us to a slower moving spot, and see what we can catch. Pipe dreams probably. Care to share any more details on NE tuna fishing this fall? Do you need company?