After years of fishing mostly with spinning rods for smallmouth, I couldn’t disagree more. Braid ti fluoro offers multiple advantages over straightfluoro. First-superior line management. Even the most carefully managed fluoro becomes unwieldy on a spinning rod over the course of a day. Second, much more sensitivity. Third, better strike detection with fluorescent braid. Fourth, much more cost effective. Fifth, I can cast farther without sacrificing line strength. I suspect those and other reasons are why smallmouth stars like Brandon Palaniuk, Taku Ito, etc. use braid to fluoro.
I agree on all points. Yet, I recall Taku using straight 6lb test fluoro back in 2020 Elite Series at St Clair. My point is that some pros are not blindly using braid to fluoro. It depends on conditions of the field.
Mogippa- totally agree. The conditions definitely matter. For some things like tubes, I won’t use braid because I don’t want to move the tube too much, especially in cold water.
I tried both. I prefer braid to fluoro. A spool of braid lasts me an entire season. Hell some reels have two or three year old braid on them. A spool of fluoro lasts me forever. I can run my reels much more loose, because braid is much easier to cast. With fluoro I need to tighten down my spool tension, with braid I just leave it completely off. There is a difference in sensitivity. The only downside is because I don't like my knot being on my reel, I tie a lot of leaders, but that's about it. However people want to fish is up to them, but braid to fluoro makes more economic sense to me, and gives me more advantages then disadvantages.
Lol 3 year old line that’s no good line bud so your sensitivity is not helping you and that’s false anytime you run two different lines less sensitive braid has no memory no stretch so you loose sensitivity only way max sensitivity with line is run just that one type of line at the right lbs time change that line if three years old just saying line goes bad all it and after that long it’s bad so your sensitivity is not accurate
@@beyondfshn2844 lol cool story bud. Braid lasts forever, it has no memory. It's not going to start backlashing after a few months like fluoro. The only issue is either fading or fraying. You trim the frayed parts when you tie your leader, and braid isn't milk, it doesn't just "go bad". As for sensitivity, braid to leader provides better sensitivity then straight fluro. A six foot leader doesn't stretch nearly as much as having 30 yards of it casted out. I don't care what you say, I've tried both, and know the difference. My sensitivity is much better then running straight fluoro, and this setup works for me. If you want to run straight fluoro, have at it.
@@twiggsherman3641 and to each is there own but listen to what you say yes braid has no memory no play or give there for less sensitivity there’s more to it then opinion though
@@beyondfshn2844 slack braid will have no sensitivity. If there's no slack, braid will give better sensitivity. Adding a fluoro leader helps add sensitivity to the braid when you're slacklining, because of gravity. If you're using a wacky worm, your slack line still has pressure on it from hanging down in the water as it sinks, so movement on the fluoro will translate through the braid, better then just having braid by itself. However if you just toss a bait out there and let it lay on the bottom, with no pressure on the line at all, straight fluoro will be better then straight braid. Opinion is which one you prefer, facts are what I just laid out.
I like the high vis braid(yellow) with the use of spinning tackle as my finger is not on the line to detect a bite, therefore I can see the line move. For me most bites come on entry and fall of the Ned Rig. You are correct it is more affordable, every little bit help if you have multiple rods which we all do.
there are some very real advantages to braid-fluoro. I have spent time with both. -you get more sensitivity -better hook penetration, especially when fishing deep. -braid lasts a long time and it extends the life of a fluoro spool -its very versatile. If you need to switch between 8, 10, 12 pound line, you can do it no problem and you don't need to carry extra spools. This is my system and I feel that it is pretty optimized. If anybody has any suggestions to further optimize it, feel free to reply. I tie a blood knot with 8 loops on each side, cinch it down, and give it a few pops to make sure it wont break. It's a skinny knot, it goes through the guides easily. I like to use a 15 foot leader, which in my experience has always been longer than the visibility distance. If you're fishing shallow, you can use neon to see your bites and have the braid be totally out of the water. I like to use dark green braid when fishing deep if I have it on hand, or when fishing a fluke or floating worm.
I've been fishing for 45 years And i never used a leader in my life. I only use Braid all the time and never had a problem. I've cought so many fish in my life time and will never change what works.
Would love to see you and Matt Allen from tactical bassin sit down and have a conversation about this. He's a big advocate of running braid to leader, people trust his advice because he's almost always catching big bass in their videos, and so much of the things discussed on the tactical bassin videos have worked well for me
Matt HATES braid to floro. Be stresses this over and over again. Tim uses it on his finesse setup. They have videos where they say they've tried certain types of FC for leader material but as a general rule...matt hates it. Braid to mono🤙
Don't always agree with everything you say on you videos but they do spark a lot of conversation. Also one of the biggest problems in the country today is, if you don't see things my way then you are wrong. No room for different opinions are points of view and no respect for someone with a differing point of view. Keep up the videos and wither I agree or disagree with you, I'll still listen to your ideas and know that its your opinion and respect that.
I’m a kayak guy and prefer braid to fluorocarbon on my spinning setups, here’s why: 1. More versatile, I can switch up leader lb test or just cut the leader off and use the braid for poppers/small top water. It allows me to carry 1 medium light spinning rod and 1 medium spinning rod to cover all my finesse applications. 2. Longer casts 3. Cheaper 4. Easier hook sets, I reel set on everything, I don’t Jack em
Yep. I didn’t put the ease of changing leader poundage in my comment but your 100% correct. I think randy doesn’t understand you can have a 50 ft leader if you want.
As far as it being cheaper I put a mono backing on my reels about half the spool then I put my fluorocarbon on after that so I get 2 reels out of 200 or so yards of fluorocarbon. Cause basically a spool is like $20+ of the invizx.
I'm one to agree with you. Around 4 years ago I converted around 75 percent of my gear to braid and leader. After 4 years of experiencing the pros and cons of braid to leader. Most of my biggest fish above 7 pounds were caught on straight mono or flurocarbon. I love the greater sensitivity of braid to fluro in the right situations. A lot of my rods have small to micro guides which I hate having the knot going through. To make a long story short. Everyone has to experience the pros and cons for them selves. Just part of the learning process. And for many, that learning process takes longer unless someone like yourself points it out to them. Keep up the great videos Randy.
I haven’t had much luck spooling fluoro on my spinning reel. Even dragging behind boat and reeling in wet I still had loops falling off the spool. I prefer yellow braid to fluoro mainly for visibility and sensitivity. I use an Alberto knot for the braid to fluoro and a Palomar knot for fluoro to hook. I can retie the entire rig fairly quickly but I practiced to get the speed up. I’ve used it from floating worms to shaky heads. I do check my Alberto knot regularly and retie it when I think it’s weak or frayed. I only use this on spinning rods. My baitcasters are full fluoro. Just my preference. I enjoy you videos.
On my finesse setup I utilize braid backing to a fluoro mainline/leader that is about 2-3 cast lengths. Leaves me enough fluorocarbon to retie a bunch before i need to add more fluoro and I save big $$$ in the long run. If you fill the spool with straight fluoro and get bad line twist you’ll lose twice as much line as someone who uses braid backing.
Randy does raise some excellent points - seems to me the best approach is to be aware of all the pros and cons of any particular setup and factor those in when making the decision of what setup to use based on the specific conditions/application at the time.
The only thing I like braid to fluorocarbon for is the brightly colored lines can act like a strike indicator for baits like weightless worms, flukes, etc
I actually feel braid to floro outweighs floro only. Like you stated above, I love being able to see the strike indicator when using weightless worms around docs. The other is further casting. And lastly is sensitivity. now I will agree with Randy on one point for sure… Straight Floro no doubt will get you more bites, but if your leader is long enough, I don’t know how many more bites that is. :-)
Love your vids - they have either taught me something new or solidified how I fish now. On this topic though, I part ways for sure. In my 60’s - fishing hard for many years now (shore, boat, kayak, drift boat - fresh and salt - all forms - hand fished as a kid - all rods - all types of fishing - fly/bass/surf/spey/trolling salt and fresh, on and on - I use mono and fluoro for a few applications and of course fly line as well (all types - river and lake - flaoting/sinking etc). But for much of my fishing for several years now, I run braid to fluoro for most of my fishing (spinning/baitcast/surfcast and trolling). I wish I had done it 20 years ago! I catch more fish - I have less hassles with line memory etc and my bait is in the water more often and for longer - I use a uni to uni knot mostly and have not had problems - for salt an FG knot - braid to fluro is also cheaper in the long run, but that is just bonus - it catches more fish because I have my line in the water more and for longer - I re-tie less and lose no more fish than the many years I did without it. As for no stretch? I use spinning reels with good drag and set it correctly for my target fish - baitcasters not much of a need for drag (powerfishing). I am not a young guy and I am all in with braid to fluoro.
“I don’t know if Gary Yamamoto has ever lost a bass in his life.” There’s pretty much the ultimate fishing compliment. I hate hearing the knot go through the guides as well. I cringe virtually every time. Much respect for your opinions on everything.
The reason I'm going to run braid to flouro this season is only because of line management. I spool flouro correctly, but I still get line twist, and it doesn't come off the spool well. I'm interested to see if the sensitivity is better as well.
All of my spinning rods are braid to monofilament. You can cast far and the braid lasts 1-2 seasons, sometimes more. I like the braid because even on far casts I get a good hookset and the mono is good for being a shock absorber and stretches a little if the fish dives by the kayak. It also helps keep them hooked even if my drag isn't set right. I can be versatile with this setup and just cut the leader and use the braid for topwater. Allows me to bring less spinning rods on the kayak and more bait casters. Also, far less wind knots.
Braid to flouro saves so much money. The only down side is learning to tie the knot, which is easy (fg knot or my preferred blood knot). You can spool 50% braid on your reel (jerkbaits) 80% (spinner baits and chatterbaits) or 95% (flipping). You can make it to where no braid comes out when you cast just like straight flouro. The downside to straight flouro is memory and having to change the line more often. Not to mention high vis braid help detecting bites. Braid to flouro is far superior once you have the basics down, especially for someone trying to save money.
Just a quick question, saving money meaning using more fluoro than braid? Does cost of fluoro less than the the cost of braid? I am curious how long of fluoro do other fishermen commonly use? I do have problem of the tight knot hitting the guides and causing wind knots often (double uni). Some people said shorter leader line helps. Would love to know your opinion?
Totally disagree. Never had a failure with the Alberto knot as the fluoro to braid connection. Hate the inevitable line twist from a day of fishing straight fluoro. I use a 12-15 foot leader which is plenty to last a trip or two. I also have over 50 years fishing experience. I started using fluoro to braid about 5 years ago. I'll never go back. As I've gotten older being able to see the his-vis braid is a plus. Come on Randy, maybe its time you gave it another try. This time with an open mind.
@@adamlebeck9482 the guy has fished more than the 3 of you combined..thats why he cashes cheques and you sit at home and watch his videos that make him money
@@kcroyal5249 there's more than one way to skin a cat. I just think flouro is a pain in the ass and never noticed any benefit from using it as a mainline. Also I watch while I'm at work. So you have to pay me to watch it lol. If I wanna learn I watch tacticalbassin.
You offer a lot of opinions without backing it up with anything factual. I'm old, old school and have always used mono or braided, no leader. I , by and large, am a jig or worm fisherman. I plan on using braid to mono this season for the first time. I think the added sensitivity over just mono or just floro could be a huge bonus. Do you feel the same about braid to mono. Keep up the good work. I have gotten some great ideas from you. I don't always gave to agree with your technics.
Ive been experimenting with the different lines for quite some time now and i would say the most important factor in getting bites is fishing where the fish are. Your line means nothing without fish being present. Tight lines!
I’ve tried both and I’ve caught fish both ways. 2 things to remember if you are gonna go straight fluoro. First put a decent amount of mono backing on. The backing will dig into the spool so you don’t have to worry about your line slipping and it will save you a ton of money because you won’t be wasting that expensive fluoro. 2nd thing is use light line, I only use 8lb or smaller on a spinning set up. With 8lb fluoro I can cast a mile and have no problems with memory or line twist. In fact I let my 7 year old daughter use my finesse set up a lot and she has no problem handling the fluoro. That being said if I you put 12-15 lb straight fluoro on a spinning setup it would be a nightmare for any angler. You will definitely be going for a trip down memory lane.
I Switched to braid and fluoro leaders from straight mono about 9-10 years ago, and doubt I’m going back. The sensitivity and cast distance I get with braid can’t be matched, at least for my fishing, and a well tied FG knot has never failed me. I have experienced break offs with fluoro, but again, tie your knots correctly and that can be minimized. Fluorocarbon also gives me the abrasion resistance I need in some situations, besides the low visibility. I run straight braid for heavy flipping, pitching, and frogs. As far as shortening leaders due to reties, I live with it because the pros out weigh the cons for me. It’s a matter of preference. If I was in the boat with Randy, he might convince me otherwise, but in my experience braid and fluoro is still the way to go.
*This was my first time using Braided line and I was happy with the product **enjoyable.fishing** recommend it's held up well and I have no complaints. Would buy again.*
Comments are very interesting on this. I think it is interesting the delineation of braid to fluoro leader versus braid backing to fluoro. I think what Randy is describing is the braid to leader, not the backing situation... but I can't speak for him. With the leader setup, I see the same arguments and both sides as Randy lays out. It does seem that maybe casting distance, lack or stretch, ease of swapping to straight braid or lighter leader, lack of line twist all would be good reasoning for certain fishers... all depends on the particular person. I'd like to add in though the cost factor and the sensitivity of braid. If I get more bites with straight fluoro, but I can't tell I am getting them... then it does me no good. In part adding braid to fluoro leader may make up some sensitivity in a cheaper combo that many of us recreational fishers must use.
I would love the opportunity to debate you on this. I have a couple reasons why it's beneficial. 1. 15- 20 foot longer cast 2. I save an incredible amount of money on line not wasting half my spool of flouro. I respect what you're saying but I believe you are conflating two situations(backing vs. leader). I don't ever hit the knot or even come close to the knot that connects the braid to the floro. If you do you have too much braid and you need to remove some. You are thinking that people are talking about using fluoro as a leader on their braid. That's something different than some are talking about. Like you, I have used this technic for a decade and it's tried and true. I have saved hundreds on not wasting floro/mono. Your confusing leader with backing. Ther is a difference. I've paid for every lure that I own and every foot of line that I've ran on my reel. That's the experience I'm bringing to the table. You don't have to fish tourneys to be experienced.
That was my question I'm not an expert by any means but is it really a leader if your main line never leaves the spool. I would call that backing and I think it's a totally different conversation. Just my opinion I don't know.
I only agree with the last sentence because it is so true. But I would say I can buy two spools of Bass Pro Shops 10 lb clear blue mono and have new line every week. I can get the distance because I downsize and have extremely efficient equipment. I can still match bite to bite and land fish to fish because I know what I’m doing. I’ve been doing it for forty years and I know the capability of my line and most importantly the rod and still do it cheaper than braid. I do love a little stretch and believe it or not…I want everything to slip just a bit. The line and even my reel is set so it slips. Then I can jack the shit out of them and most of the time they swallow it. It’s funny how so many people live by pros words with doing the homework themselves.
Dear Mr. Blaukat, due to a huge respect to you I have given it a try. I spooled 8 lbs Seaguar InvizX on my light spinning (2500 Shimano Vanford reel) and I have tried to go fishing some garfish and cods yesterday. It was windy and the reason I had to cast my maximums to reach the ridge that goes to the depth, I was really pushing on it... Caught some fish, but just after retying my lures after catching up 3 major bird nests. Spooled it right direction and even put the line in the water while spooling and spooled it holding a bit tight through the wet cloth. I have never had any problems like that with braid. Braid sits much better on the spool. It feels like it is easier to cast with a braid, because it doesn't give that sense if insecurity and fear to break it like a stretchy 8 lbs fluoro. Messed up 30 meters of line and I am getting back where it all started - braid, swivel or ring and leader. Kind regards! P.S. Being non pro angler I don't really care about few bites more, but just like everybody I am trying to keep it my budget and pain in the ass friendly!))
I listened to your previous video on this topic and considered your points, but I concluded that I like the extra casting distance with braid to mono on spinning gear (tied with double uni). The only reason I prefer to have that advantage is because I don't have a boat. Reading some of the other comments, I also agree that I've noticed it's quite nice to spool the braid once and it lasts forever (so long as you keep inspecting it for any fraying), and using a hi-viz line color is nice to be able to keep track of where your lure is. I understand that such a setup may cost me some bites from bass, but bass are not my target every time. Using straight fluoro is something I haven't tried yet - partly due to the cost of fluoro vs other line types, and partly because I didn't want to learn a new set of knots just for fluoro (maybe I'm ill-informed, but I had heard/read from a few sources that the standard set of knots used with mono don't always work as well with fluoro). Having said all that, I'm not married to my current habits and I'd be willing to experiment with straight fluoro.
For cost, it is cheaper for me to go braid fluorocarbon for many reasons. I can use the leftover spools from the re-spooling of reels. I don't mind retying leaders because I need the practice anyways. Many years ago, I did straight fluorocarbon on a spinning reel and it was a mess; a waste of expensive fluorocarbon.
Bank fisherman, switched to braid to fluoro last year. Love it. extra distance is great, no twists, generally easy to retie on the shore, mastered the double uni. Plus, with limited ability to carry a bunch of setups I can put a multipurpose 15-20 lb braid on, but switch up the leader to 8-10-12-15 lbs etc. Just my opinion.
your absolutely right, i was fishing when i was a teenager in the 90’s, i paused for 20 plus years of fishing. At my 40’s, one of my friends asked me, if i wanted to go fishing, so i did, now keep in mind, i’m a 90’s fishing guy, never tried the leader with a fluocarbon leader line and bla, bla, bla, and i catch more fish than my friend and he is using the modern new set up’s. one wise man told one day: if it’s stupid and it works, then, it aint stupid
Go Randy! Loved this video! I dont use braid to fluorocarbon for the same reasons. I'm straight fluorocarbon, straight braid, or straight mono (topwater). That knot is an extra risk i dont want and couldn't stand it going through the guides. With straight braid, I color the first couple feet black with a sharpie.
Love your channel, but I think this is your preference.. and that’s fine. 5 of my top 10 biggest bass have come on braid to fluro. The key for me was to practice the knots a ton so I can retie quickly. Braid last much longer on my spinning reels, it doesn’t tangle as often, and I can see the bite better. I do still have one rod rigged straight fluro for fishing finesse baits deep. The braid will slow the fall down too much at times.
When I really started bass fishing I was using straight braid because I was fishing from the bank. Once I got a boat I tried using Fluoro but it feels like fishing with a rubber-band. I use braid on all my rods. Fluoro leader on most.
I love braid to fluorocarbon leader. I’ve had more big bass break off on straight fluorocarbon . Learned my lesson on straight fluro. Got to swap out that line twice a year. Where as straight braid is longer lasting and which I love for frog fishing . Braid to leader is a money saver especially on expensive braid and fluorocarbon line. I utilize both starlight fluro and braid to leader for different situations on both spinning and baitcasting gear.
100 % agree. I'm old 54 grew up on mono and then fluorocarbon came out. Learned how to fish from my dad in NJ fishing the beaches and jetties. never had braid. If you know how to spool it never get a wind knot. Yes maybe once a month or so if I'm fishing a lot I put an egg sinker on with a swivel and drag it behind me in my boat get any twist out. Now i do use braid for frogs and flipping heavy cover.
I do it purely as a money saving measure. I don’t really fish tournaments, so I’m not as worried about losing fish. However, I completely agree with Randy’s assessment.
I agree with you on this. I’ve never experienced any significant advantages to a flouro leader. Plus, being an advocate of braid, I find the strength of the braid helps me in a lot of snag situations and definitely is a plus for a solid hook set. I tend to whip my casts so I have lost a few nice lures just on the cast when my double uni contacts a guide and the 12 lb flouro snaps sending my brand new lures bye-bye. Embarrassing and probably my fault but that was the last straw. I just find it easier and less stressful not having to worry about extra knots and losing lures. It’s one or the other but no more leaders.
Rule #1 is use 20+ feet of leader to get shock absorbency. A long leader puts a negligible amount of pressure on any knot you choose. A short leader is asking for problems. Setting the drag before and after hookset is crucial. Choosing larger diameter braid helps distribute pressure on the knot. I like the versatility of switching line/leader types. I seldom have any issues. If you get a knot or abrasion 40 yards into your straight Fluoro spool, the whole spool is now trashed. That is less likely to happen with braid. To each his own! Whatever you feel confident with is the right choice.
I see exactly what your talking about. One straight line type is one of the best ways to go. But I still prefer braid to flouro. Given the fact I’m a bank angler and don’t like to carry more that two or three rods. I don’t want to be limited to topwater or only jigs and moving baits. Yes braid doesn’t have any stretch. In my opinion it’s better to use a softer rod for braid to flourocarbon to give it a bit of flex. I will also say that people think the only good knot is the FG knot. I think the double uni because it’s simple amd it’s almost just as strong. It also allows me tie a new leader on more frequently. The only true weakness a leader is that the knot becomes your weakness.
I agree with all the disadvantages you talk about regarding braid to fluorocarbon. I fish tournaments with my son and we often fish tubes for smallies. He fishes straight fluoro and I fish braid to fluoro. We do about the same! I used to used straight fluoro but switched (before it was even something I saw the pros doing) for several reasons. The main reason is that my aging eyes can see it. My son is younger than me (Duh!) and he can see the fluoro. I can also feel what's going on better. Finally, I am a guide and I spend a lot less time untangling my clients' lines when they are using braid to fluoro (and yes, I know how to put line on a spinning reel, I've been doing it for more than 50 years). Love your channel!
I agree 100% Randy & I’m just a weekend warrior. Hardly an amateur!! 😂 I will say this though. Taking a black sharpie or permanent black marker & simply blacking out about 10 ft of braid from your hook is legit!!!! The legend Roland Martin has a video about doing that to your braid so you know it’s legit!!! Good stuff!!!!
Why do you need to make your braid black? Don't tell me that now since it is black, the fish can't see it.... Have you ever caught a bass on a black worm??? Bass can see the color black. Some use a green magic marker on their braid....Bass are caught all the time on watermelon and green pumpkin color worms all the time.
@@ejzabojnik834 you only looked at the color and took every other variable out of the equation. It does work to color the line because of the thinner diameter( than a worm). Now, that is only for visibility and water clarity matters. Another thing is that braid can make a sound in the water. I mean its up to everyone's preference.
Totally agree! Never had trust in leaders. I do use braid as a backer and it makes a difference I believe. My knot never comes off the spool. Thoughts?
great idea, ott defoe uses that exact same technique and so do I. Seems to be the best of both world’s because none of randys gripes with braid to fluoro apply to braid backing.
Interesting subject. I keep a straight fluoro rod and the rest braid to fluoro, I’m not a tournament fisherman so losing an occasional fish to knot failure doesn’t cost me money and the braid to fluoro set up saves me a lot of money. I did almost give up on it, til I finally found a knot set up that when I break off, it is the fluoro to lure knot that breaks not the braid to fluoro knot
I have found exactly this. If I use Uni to uni for the braid to leader and then use the uni knot at the lure when it snag and pull for a break it’s breaking at the lure connection 95% of the time. In fact I often just tie on a new lure. Even then the next snag almost always breaks at the lure connection. How hard I have to pull to break off also boosts my confidence that I won’t break off while playing a fish. A cheaper way to build confidence is to try your know combo at home. Break off in the back yard and you learn with out the cost of a lost lure. Uni to Uni and Uniknot are a great system.
It gives me way longer casts and up here in the Great Lakes gives me more bites with water visibility of 30’+. The extra 20’ I get is huge with spooky fish. Never had a knot or break off problem. Saves a ton of money also. With dirty water i understand braid is fine. With gin water in my opinion you either need straight FC or braid and a leader. Way cheaper to use a leader. My braid usually lasts 3 -4 years. I usually use a 10-12’ leader. If fish are hitting an Arig in water that has 20+ visibility then i am not too worried about my FG knot coming through the water. This is what i have noticed here around the Great Lakes. I think it really depends on the situation and water visibility I understand the fewer knots you have the better but I have never had that problem. It all comes down to confidence
I'm in Michigan and agree with all you stated. I've been using the fluoro/ braid with a double uniknot for the past 5 yrs and have not broke off a knot once.
You definitely bring up some pretty good points but I find that my braid to fluro is way more sensitive. I can notice a huge difference. Not to mention it saves me hundreds of dollars a year. I just maid the switch 2 years ago and it was hard for me to learn the knots but now I got it wired. I remember when I was a kid flouro wasn’t even around. I would re spool every other time if every time I fished.
I agree straight floro or mono is better in some cases. But overall braid to floro is much cheaper in the long run and like you said cast better. I don’t think they will notice the braid unless you are in crystal clear water.
I was a student of Guido Hibdon and he was finesse fishing way before there was braid. His thought process on finesse fishing is if you don’t get bit you can’t put them on the boat and he fished with 8 to 10 pound mono in places where most folks were pitching and flipping with the heaviest line they could find. He made this work by getting the fish hooked and then just keep light pressure on the fish until it swam out of the cover. I’ve done this several times during my stretch as a bass fisherman/tournament fisherman using 8 pound Bass Pro Shops Excel monofilament. I’ve spent countless hours on Texas’ legendary Lake Fork fishing this style and have never broken a fish off there or anywhere else.
Love your videos but I disagree, I finally started fishing braid to flouro for lighter techniques and I love it. Casts better, more sensitive. Stronger
I use leaders mostly for the cost effectiveness, I can use the same braid for 2 or 3 years just tying on new 20 to 30 foot leaders. Obviously your situation is different than mine so, it's a bit apple's to oranges but, it works pretty good for me.
I use braid to fluorocarbon and have for years now but do appreciate the point. When I take a nube fishing with me I set them up with straight mono. Great honest video
I just like being able to see my hi via line easily. I make fewer mistakes and helps a lot in strike detection on the initial fall. Even in fluoro I use Berkeley Vanish Transition or colored fluoro.
I love braid to fluoro. I’m on a old town PDL kayak so it helps significantly. It hard to set a hook with fluoro on a yak but not impossible. But what works for someone situation might not work you. We are all different and that’s okay.
This technique has really helped me. The bowl of water trick is so simple yet HIGHLY effective. Nothing more frustrating when that braid-fluro knot breaks and you have to tie a new one on the water. You can be a pro at knot tying but it still wastes time.
Man, I'm so happy i found your channel. You have removed a lot of stress this time of year on line selection and respooling reels getting ready for the fishing season here in Wisconsin, Thanks for the useful information
I don't use braid for a hard/fast hookset but more for control on my topwater on long casts. I use braid to short flouro/mono on topwater (or just straight braid) with a very high speed reel because it makes a big difference in feel and speed to get out the slack, I get a ton of hits right after the splash or on the first few cranks as we all do, having a fast reel/less give in the line works great for that. I've also noticed that using just straight braid seems to get me less bites on top, so I usually add the flouro/mono leader and I see an uptick in bites/hits. I also use straight mono or flouro a lot around the 8-12lb range on my finesse setups (worms/rigs/jigs) and spinning rigs. I agree with Randy on some of the presentations/hooksets, you don't really want that direct instant connection, you actually want a little give and delay after you see the line run. Each to their own I suppose but I agree with Randy for the most part, but I have my niche situations where I like braid. I've caught enough bass in my life, I always feel bad for the fish that have the dislocated jawbone from the idiot hooksetter who thinks they need to yank the 2lb fish to the moon once they feel the nibble. I'll take fewer fish in the boat and preserve the ones that are there :).
I just recently set my rod up like this for the first time.... kinda wish I hadn't now but I'll find out. I appreciate your advice,no matter if I think it's right or not it's still appreciated
I definitely agree with what Randy is saying if you're primarily or only a bass fisherman. I have two bass setups that are species and technique specific for bass fishing. Those two are straight fluorocarbon. I'm 100% in agreement there. However, the rest of my rods are used for multiple species, techniques and conditions in both fresh and saltwater. Braid to fluorocarbon allows me to fine tune for anything. I don't have the cash to buy or time maintain a couple dozen different setups. Just for one example... I can take my Penn Battle II 4000 spinning reel, Star Stellar Lite fast taper med/light rod, 30lb Suffix braid then tune it with 8lb, 12lb, 20lb or 30lb Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and catch pretty much anything that swims salt or freshwater. I can also use pretty much any lure and do pretty much any technique with amazing results, even down to live bait. I can take that setup with one tackle box and travel the whole country burning almost every species up. For another example...On big fishing trips with the family, I can pass my rods out and fine tune the whole family to what we're doing with braid to fluorocarbon as well. All I'd be doing is changing line all of the time if I went full fluorocarbon.
I use braid to leader because it's more efficient for me. I can't carry 10 spinning outfits in my boat so I put braid on all my spinning reels. Black braid mind you and around 15 to 20 feet of leader. I use to run full mono tried running straight flouro and I use to have a dedicated braid spinning outfit. Braid gives me the versatility to change line sizes while only carry a couple of spinning rods with me. That's the main reason I use it. It just makes more sense to me. I do understand your points Randy but let's face it running straight flouro on a spinning reel is expensive and once you spool a certain line size you are stuck with that particular line unless you carry a whole slew of spinning reels with different line sizes. I use as small as 6lb test all the way up to 20 and my braid is always 15lb test. I fish for peacock and largemouth bass in the same lake so I have to change leaders depending on what species I am targeting at that moment.
Randy, I appreciate your opinion and most valid. However, having tried both ways myself on all applications and all presentations, my conclusions are as follows. Spinning rods I always use braid to fluorocarbon. 1. Float & Fly the fish never see the braid and the leader is at a specific depth. 2. Drop shot Shaky head ; I use more leader than the depth of the water, fish never see the braid. When it gets hung up the knots back on the reel. 3. Though any knot I’ve tried braid to fluorocarbon is weaker, I’ve never lost a fish from breaking the knot. Reel setting is much more efficient braid to carbon. 4. Like others have said, the braid last forever compared to mono or carbon! Saving $$$ 5. Fishing a Senko it’s nice to be able to see the braid as the bait is slowly sinking. Bait casters; 1. Jig no braid! 2. Top waters depends on water clarity? I’d rather throw a whopper on braid to mono for distance. 3. A-Rigs & big Swim-baits straight carbon. Only to prevent the occasional snap off you get with braid. And I agree in clearer water even with a longer leader, you’re pulling the braid over the fish your trying to catch. Love your videos I’ve learned a lot!!Thanks!!
I think it depends on the technique used, your rods, and how the individual fishes their bait. Personal anecdotes: - 1. NEVER had my connection knot break (Alberto) - 2. I use low-vis green braid, long leader. never got more or less bites with straight flouro. - 3. It does make a difference (to me) on my hooksets Ithink it varies person to person 🤷🏻♂️
I don't want to argue. just share this: I use flouro leaders on my spinning rods. have learned to prefer it. less handling issues. better 'feel'. have done the work. know what I have confidence in... and I've NEVER YET (15+ years now) had a knot fail me. and only once/.twice on the 'pull test' after being tied.
Randy, I appreciate your stance and firm opinion on this matter. The correct answer is that braid to leter, straight floro or mono all need to be tools used in angling. Also fishing has a lot of personal preference. Rods, reels, baits, knots etc. My personal preference is braid to leter. I could careless if I hear my knot through my guides. I don’t tie the FG knot. I tie double blood knot, it’s money. I also fish straight floro as well. Just depends my application. Keep up the great content and thanks again.
I’ve wondered this exact thing and could never really find a good answer for it. One thing I have learned, is that my drop shot bite went to dang near zero when I switched to a braid to fluorocarbon setup. Thanks Randy!
Well Bro... you've made a believer out of me. I've spent so much time wading through ALL the info, pros & cons etc. I've had a couple setups this year straight Fluoro. Hundreds of Largies & Smallies later, I'm just loving it! And no more stress or inconvenience of messing w/a Leader. Thank You!
All those extra bites you get from those finicky, line shy bass will make up for all the ones you won't detect with that stretch in your line. All kidding aside, the increased sensitivity alone is reason enough for me to use braid. Paired with a sensitive rod it's amazing what you can feel. I'm not exaggerating when I say that when dragging a small jig or ned rig I don't even worry about keeping the line taut to feel bites. I actually keep a slack bow in my line from rod tip down to the water and I still feel the slightest bite as well as seeing the line jump. I feel the fish but it doesn't feel me. Love ya Randy, I don't care what kind of line you choose to use.
Randy, continue doing what you do best. I will do what I can afford. I need the distance fishing from the bank, especially now that the fish have moved off shore into their deeper winter waters. Braid to fluorocarbon works for me since I only earn a $224 biweekly paycheck.
I have just started using braid to fluorocarbon for the first time this year. I am 60 years old. I could care less who does what. I have never had an easier time or got in more fish than I have this year. I will never go back to straight mono or fluorocarbon. That has been my experience. Now I do fish the Tennessee River most of the time so it is not very clear. I love not worrying about breaking off and all year never had a knot fail. I will never go back. If I am in one of the highland lakes I will use straight mono because of the water clarity but for Watts Bar and Chick, I stay with Braid and Fluorocarbon.
10 pound braid, 6-8 pound fluoro leaders. Never had the Alberto knot break on a freshwater fish. Cats, musky, carp... I can tie the knot in my sleep and it goes through the guides. It's all I use on spinning setups and I will never go back. I'm not sucked into any hype. I tried it and loved it. Hands down the best option.
i have rods with straight fluoro and braid to fluoro. i lose less fish on the braid to fluoro because i get a deeper hook set. they just rarely get off. Straight fluoro i lose more fish. backlashes are far easier to fix on braid and doesnt damage the line anywhere near as bad as fluoro. Its a great idea. Might not work for you but, works for me. You have a LOT of tips that are absolutely great tips that work. braid to fluoro is better for me. it casts farther, its more forgiving, it set the hook better. just mind you drag. FG knot with a tad of superglue on it. it doesnt go anywhere.
Thank you Randy! I absolutely agree! I have seriously tried the braid to fluro for a couple seasons and am switching all my rigs back to single line. You are 100% right on the hesitation to re-tie and the time required. I think it's funny that anglers state they run braid backing to save money. Most of the folks I see either on RUclips or at the ramp have a half dozen $400+ rod reel combos on a $40K boat behind a $50K truck.
I have used braid to fluorocarbon for years and never have had the issues Randy speaks of..I am not a pro fisherman but I tend to spool my bait casters with about 60-70 percent braid and then I'll spool about 30-40 yards of Fluorocarbon or regular mono. I don't have issues with the fish seeing any transition from the different lines. I do agree with Randy if using braid to short leaders of fluorocarbon.
I have not fished in years but when I did back in Texas I was using Dacron Braid while no one else was for the simple reasons of streach and sesitivity that was in the 1980's and 1990's.Now I can't say I was landing any more fish but my casts seemed longer and breakage of line was no worse than mono. Now I do not recall if I used a mono leader on my bass fishing or not but I loved fishing small creeks with a fly rod and 6lb. leaders were my standard of flylines. So you see this is all new to me and all these new Braids with smaller diameter is new to me. Bass were not that abundant and bluegills, waqr mouths, sunfish were what normallt caught and buy the tens every day.
I hated braided line for years. I couldn't find a happy medium to save my life. 4 years ago I tried Power Pro braided line. Thought it was cheap enough to give a serious try. After the first year, I love it!!! Now when it comes to a leader, that's where it goes crazy. See braided line floats. So I like to use it on topwater. Frogs, poppers and chuggers. So far no complaints at all. Now it's a must to use a leader when fishing on the bottom and I don't like the stretch you get with monofilament. On topwater I tie directly to the bait. Modified FG knot to the leader and fluorocarbon to hook I use a custom knot. Most of my breakoffs are at the hook knot. Every now and then I'll break off at the leader if my drag is too tight. I fish from the bank most days now so I need to be able to reach the long distance casts. For me it's not getting sucked in,.... it's an issue of being able to perform the technique I need to get the results with the budget I have. Fluorocarbon line is expensive and braid is too but I fish lighter lines so it's what I decided to do.
I agree a lot of stuff fisherman think they need is overblown, maybe some compensation? You don’t need a 8ft broomstick with 80 pound braid to flip that jig into the rotten stumps.
I agree the extra knot is a weak link in the chain and it is not necessary. I like straight mono or braid when I am out. I have tried the braid to mono and it is ok but the extra knot I just don't trust. I have had bad luck with fluorocarbon line coming off the spool in a rat's nest on a spinning reel, I tried another brand and just put it on a baitcaster, learned how to spool it and it worked well for me. For my spinning rods I like straight mono like 8lb line works good for me for my weekend angler adventures but I plan on trying what you have recommended this year, it is just too cold out for fishing and things are frozen over at the moment. Your video is great and I love the hat and as always thank you!! :)
I completely agree with you Randy. Out here in the west coast you need to fish fluorocarbon or you don't get bit. I haven't used this method nor will I ever. The only time I would fish with braid, if I'm pitching or flipping in heavy cover. They have fluorocarbon to fish in heavy cover.
Randy I agree with you 100%, but I personally prefer braid to flouro/mono, not because of trending pressure, but it’s a preference to save money. Let me explain: I’ll spool braided line on my reels and leave the reel there, whenever I go fishing I’ll connect roughly 2-3 yards of flouro/mono for that particular trip of that day. When I’m done fishing I’ll cut the leader off and then leave the spool just with the braid on it, next time I go fishing I just add the leader instead of re-spooling new lines. Because braided line have a longer lives span and they (braided line) don’t get brittle and break down like flouro/mono. But that’s just my way of fishing and again I totally agree with what you saying, plus I only fish for fun and no money on the line so it doesn’t bother me if I lose the fish or not
I have extensively tested all kinds of knots, braids, fluorocarbon leaders, high quality thin mono.......I used every superline and Fins Windtamer Braid, if that’s what you do on casting setup. and Sling Braid for spinning........fins pink windtamer never loses its color, in a light or heavy wind it whips through the air and extends casts immensely. I used a sunline leader when I use one and a sunline flouro for a mainline as well. Their 7lb shooter is thinner, stronger and clear on an finesse setup. Fish how you want. If you don’t catch a dang thing then listen to someone who does,
I'm old school, I use straight 17# mono for everything. At the end of the day I will make more cast and catch more fish that my fishing partner that fishes out of the front of the boat. He used braid. He has more trouble with that braid, untangling, getting knots in it, getting hooks through the line, getting line stuck in the split ring. It's good entertainment to watch.
Agreed. I fish with a buddy. Fish straight floro on his drop shot. The rest of us are fishing the braid to floro. He consistently out fishes us almost every time. BTW we fish ultra clear water. He's done this over the last 3 years. I've switched. I'm now catching more fish.
I have no issues with the braid to fluorocarbon or using straight line, I can see points on both sides of the argument... I myself use braid to fluorocarbon because of the financial aspect of it.. I never could understand why people would get bent out of shape over what someone else wants to use, that's the cool thing about fishing is that you can do what you want with it
Some great comments below. No venom here. I'm a braid to short (~6') fluorocarbon leader user. Some things that make this so debatable come to mind. 1) Anglers often LOVE to tie knots. Just look at the proliferation of knot videos. Some leader usage results from, well, you have to have a leader to be able to tie a junction knot. But, as Randy says, adding knots adds risks and detracts from # of casts per day on the water; 2) People love to speculate on whether fish care about seeing line, or not, and fluoro's invisibility. And, yet look at the wire on a spinnerbait and many others! Go figure; 3) Sensitivity issue: it is real; 4) Line float vs. sink aspects. And, several other issues. Me? I generally agree with Randy but I absolutely hate straight fluoro on a reel even knowing how to spool it on correctly. Gotta say that I see some who don't have my issues. Are they often pros with fluoro sponsers providing free line to them so they can yank it all off and put fresh line on for each tournament? I really don't know. No issues, not for me, with fishing straight mono when it is called for. So, braid to leader, straight braid, straight mono . . . but, straight fluoro, though, is way down my list. Slightly above a root canal. Kudos to anyone who can pull it off.
Using only braid works in murky water. In some lakes the water is so clear that the fish can see the braid. Finesse fishing using fluorocarbon is important especially when there's a snag the fluorocarbon or mono for a drop shot you can use a much lighter weight mono after the hook to save the hook and the bait by sacrificing only that section with the drop shot sinker weight. Using only 8 to 15 lb. braid can be difficult to work with because it's diameter is too small and having an intentional break off can be very difficult to accomplish.
What about straight through braid? If you don't need to abrasion resistance because you're not fishing structure then why not go something half the diameter?
Randy I got a question off the subject of line , but do you see a big difference in using a 6’6” rod instead of a 7’ or bigger rod thanks for you input
I switched from straight line to a combo with a knot and I have used several before settling on an FG knot. If I get in a pinch with the leader being too short, I just go with straight braid and may have to take a marker and blacken the line if high viz. My confidence in this is high and the results speak for themselves. Plus, I get the added savings by not using all fluorocarbon line. On baitcasters, I go with straight braid or fluorocarbon with a backing on the reel.
After years of fishing mostly with spinning rods for smallmouth, I couldn’t disagree more. Braid ti fluoro offers multiple advantages over straightfluoro. First-superior line management. Even the most carefully managed fluoro becomes unwieldy on a spinning rod over the course of a day. Second, much more sensitivity. Third, better strike detection with fluorescent braid. Fourth, much more cost effective. Fifth, I can cast farther without sacrificing line strength. I suspect those and other reasons are why smallmouth stars like Brandon Palaniuk, Taku Ito, etc. use braid to fluoro.
I am with you. I deleted my post before sending. It read much as yours
Plus 1
If braid to leader wasn't effective it wouldn't be recommended in wide array of techniques from ul fishing to GT fishing...
I agree on all points. Yet, I recall Taku using straight 6lb test fluoro back in 2020 Elite Series at St Clair. My point is that some pros are not blindly using braid to fluoro. It depends on conditions of the field.
Mogippa- totally agree. The conditions definitely matter. For some things like tubes, I won’t use braid because I don’t want to move the tube too much, especially in cold water.
I tried both. I prefer braid to fluoro. A spool of braid lasts me an entire season. Hell some reels have two or three year old braid on them. A spool of fluoro lasts me forever. I can run my reels much more loose, because braid is much easier to cast. With fluoro I need to tighten down my spool tension, with braid I just leave it completely off. There is a difference in sensitivity. The only downside is because I don't like my knot being on my reel, I tie a lot of leaders, but that's about it. However people want to fish is up to them, but braid to fluoro makes more economic sense to me, and gives me more advantages then disadvantages.
Lol 3 year old line that’s no good line bud so your sensitivity is not helping you and that’s false anytime you run two different lines less sensitive braid has no memory no stretch so you loose sensitivity only way max sensitivity with line is run just that one type of line at the right lbs time change that line if three years old just saying line goes bad all it and after that long it’s bad so your sensitivity is not accurate
@@beyondfshn2844 lol cool story bud. Braid lasts forever, it has no memory. It's not going to start backlashing after a few months like fluoro. The only issue is either fading or fraying. You trim the frayed parts when you tie your leader, and braid isn't milk, it doesn't just "go bad". As for sensitivity, braid to leader provides better sensitivity then straight fluro. A six foot leader doesn't stretch nearly as much as having 30 yards of it casted out. I don't care what you say, I've tried both, and know the difference. My sensitivity is much better then running straight fluoro, and this setup works for me. If you want to run straight fluoro, have at it.
@@twiggsherman3641 and to each is there own but listen to what you say yes braid has no memory no play or give there for less sensitivity there’s more to it then opinion though
@@twiggsherman3641 logic wins again
@@beyondfshn2844 slack braid will have no sensitivity. If there's no slack, braid will give better sensitivity. Adding a fluoro leader helps add sensitivity to the braid when you're slacklining, because of gravity. If you're using a wacky worm, your slack line still has pressure on it from hanging down in the water as it sinks, so movement on the fluoro will translate through the braid, better then just having braid by itself. However if you just toss a bait out there and let it lay on the bottom, with no pressure on the line at all, straight fluoro will be better then straight braid. Opinion is which one you prefer, facts are what I just laid out.
If Seagar would like to sponsor me, I'd use strait fluorocarbon for the convenience. But braid to anything leader will always be more affordable.
100% agree on this. I changed over to to flourocarbon on all of my setups except my crank and jerkbait setups.
And if Megabass wants to sponsor me, I'll use 6 lb line with a 110! LOL
I'm a straight line guy. I use Pline floroclear no braid for me.
@@robertbrost7777 20 of everything, please. A couple dozen P5 destroyers will work for a year 😉
I like the high vis braid(yellow) with the use of spinning tackle as my finger is not on the line to detect a bite, therefore I can see the line move.
For me most bites come on entry and fall of the Ned Rig.
You are correct it is more affordable, every little bit help if you have multiple rods which we all do.
there are some very real advantages to braid-fluoro. I have spent time with both.
-you get more sensitivity
-better hook penetration, especially when fishing deep.
-braid lasts a long time and it extends the life of a fluoro spool
-its very versatile. If you need to switch between 8, 10, 12 pound line, you can do it no problem and you don't need to carry extra spools.
This is my system and I feel that it is pretty optimized. If anybody has any suggestions to further optimize it, feel free to reply.
I tie a blood knot with 8 loops on each side, cinch it down, and give it a few pops to make sure it wont break. It's a skinny knot, it goes through the guides easily. I like to use a 15 foot leader, which in my experience has always been longer than the visibility distance.
If you're fishing shallow, you can use neon to see your bites and have the braid be totally out of the water. I like to use dark green braid when fishing deep if I have it on hand, or when fishing a fluke or floating worm.
The advantage of using different leader line strengths and preventing the need of having additional spools is a very good point indeed.
I've been fishing for 45 years
And i never used a leader in my life. I only use Braid all the time and never had a problem. I've cought so many fish in my life time and will never change what works.
Agree totale hundred procent...And yes i almost fishing for 50 years now 👍👍❤❤
@@Chryddan6603 Let's teach these guys how to fish! Thanks Buddy!
What color line?
@Krazyabe I've used dark green, light Blue, orange and red and all worked.
Would love to see you and Matt Allen from tactical bassin sit down and have a conversation about this. He's a big advocate of running braid to leader, people trust his advice because he's almost always catching big bass in their videos, and so much of the things discussed on the tactical bassin videos have worked well for me
Matt HATES braid to floro. Be stresses this over and over again. Tim uses it on his finesse setup. They have videos where they say they've tried certain types of FC for leader material but as a general rule...matt hates it. Braid to mono🤙
@@jtotherog "Braid to mono🤙"
@@solaydbak ill send a link
@@solaydbak ruclips.net/video/gU1CAvfXHmU/видео.html around the 10:20 mark he talks about leader materials. 🍻
@@jtotherog link !!!!
Don't always agree with everything you say on you videos but they do spark a lot of conversation. Also one of the biggest problems in the country today is, if you don't see things my way then you are wrong. No room for different opinions are points of view and no respect for someone with a differing point of view. Keep up the videos and wither I agree or disagree with you, I'll still listen to your ideas and know that its your opinion and respect that.
I’m a kayak guy and prefer braid to fluorocarbon on my spinning setups, here’s why:
1. More versatile, I can switch up leader lb test or just cut the leader off and use the braid for poppers/small top water. It allows me to carry 1 medium light spinning rod and 1 medium spinning rod to cover all my finesse applications.
2. Longer casts
3. Cheaper
4. Easier hook sets, I reel set on everything, I don’t Jack em
Yep. I didn’t put the ease of changing leader poundage in my comment but your 100% correct. I think randy doesn’t understand you can have a 50 ft leader if you want.
Also,zero line twist.I hate that
Sometimes in a yak too on a big fish you'll hit em and your boat moves further than the fish 😆
Same
As far as it being cheaper I put a mono backing on my reels about half the spool then I put my fluorocarbon on after that so I get 2 reels out of 200 or so yards of fluorocarbon. Cause basically a spool is like $20+ of the invizx.
I'm one to agree with you. Around 4 years ago I converted around 75 percent of my gear to braid and leader. After 4 years of experiencing the pros and cons of braid to leader. Most of my biggest fish above 7 pounds were caught on straight mono or flurocarbon. I love the greater sensitivity of braid to fluro in the right situations. A lot of my rods have small to micro guides which I hate having the knot going through. To make a long story short. Everyone has to experience the pros and cons for them selves. Just part of the learning process. And for many, that learning process takes longer unless someone like yourself points it out to them. Keep up the great videos Randy.
i did the same.....2 years of seagur smackdown to invizx and now i am back to straight invizx and i am much happier
I haven’t had much luck spooling fluoro on my spinning reel. Even dragging behind boat and reeling in wet I still had loops falling off the spool. I prefer yellow braid to fluoro mainly for visibility and sensitivity. I use an Alberto knot for the braid to fluoro and a Palomar knot for fluoro to hook. I can retie the entire rig fairly quickly but I practiced to get the speed up. I’ve used it from floating worms to shaky heads. I do check my Alberto knot regularly and retie it when I think it’s weak or frayed. I only use this on spinning rods. My baitcasters are full fluoro. Just my preference. I enjoy you videos.
I agree with you the Alberto has been a fantastic knot for me. Much better than the famed FG
On my finesse setup I utilize braid backing to a fluoro mainline/leader that is about 2-3 cast lengths.
Leaves me enough fluorocarbon to retie a bunch before i need to add more fluoro and I save big $$$ in the long run.
If you fill the spool with straight fluoro and get bad line twist you’ll lose twice as much line as someone who uses braid backing.
Randy does raise some excellent points - seems to me the best approach is to be aware of all the pros and cons of any particular setup and factor those in when making the decision of what setup to use based on the specific conditions/application at the time.
The only thing I like braid to fluorocarbon for is the brightly colored lines can act like a strike indicator for baits like weightless worms, flukes, etc
I actually feel braid to floro outweighs floro only. Like you stated above, I love being able to see the strike indicator when using weightless worms around docs. The other is further casting. And lastly is sensitivity. now I will agree with Randy on one point for sure… Straight Floro no doubt will get you more bites, but if your leader is long enough, I don’t know how many more bites that is. :-)
I was thinking about that myself, I sometimes use 12 to 18 foot leaders. Can the bass sense that?
Love your vids - they have either taught me something new or solidified how I fish now. On this topic though, I part ways for sure. In my 60’s - fishing hard for many years now (shore, boat, kayak, drift boat - fresh and salt - all forms - hand fished as a kid - all rods - all types of fishing - fly/bass/surf/spey/trolling salt and fresh, on and on - I use mono and fluoro for a few applications and of course fly line as well (all types - river and lake - flaoting/sinking etc). But for much of my fishing for several years now, I run braid to fluoro for most of my fishing (spinning/baitcast/surfcast and trolling). I wish I had done it 20 years ago! I catch more fish - I have less hassles with line memory etc and my bait is in the water more often and for longer - I use a uni to uni knot mostly and have not had problems - for salt an FG knot - braid to fluro is also cheaper in the long run, but that is just bonus - it catches more fish because I have my line in the water more and for longer - I re-tie less and lose no more fish than the many years I did without it. As for no stretch? I use spinning reels with good drag and set it correctly for my target fish - baitcasters not much of a need for drag (powerfishing). I am not a young guy and I am all in with braid to fluoro.
“I don’t know if Gary Yamamoto has ever lost a bass in his life.” There’s pretty much the ultimate fishing compliment. I hate hearing the knot go through the guides as well. I cringe virtually every time. Much respect for your opinions on everything.
I agree. It's also cheaper to just use one particular fishing line and no weak links. I love your wisdom and insight. Thank you
The reason I'm going to run braid to flouro this season is only because of line management. I spool flouro correctly, but I still get line twist, and it doesn't come off the spool well. I'm interested to see if the sensitivity is better as well.
All of my spinning rods are braid to monofilament. You can cast far and the braid lasts 1-2 seasons, sometimes more. I like the braid because even on far casts I get a good hookset and the mono is good for being a shock absorber and stretches a little if the fish dives by the kayak. It also helps keep them hooked even if my drag isn't set right. I can be versatile with this setup and just cut the leader and use the braid for topwater. Allows me to bring less spinning rods on the kayak and more bait casters. Also, far less wind knots.
braid to mono? this man is a SAVAGE.
I use braid to mono as well, I don't see enough advantages to flourocarbon to justify the extra money and mono is miles more durable.
Timothy mono floats, flouro sinks
@@ww3photographywhen the lure sinks so does the mono believe it or not
@@JewportMenthols if your running a crank or jerkbait it won't dive nearly as deep
Braid to flouro saves so much money. The only down side is learning to tie the knot, which is easy (fg knot or my preferred blood knot). You can spool 50% braid on your reel (jerkbaits) 80% (spinner baits and chatterbaits) or 95% (flipping). You can make it to where no braid comes out when you cast just like straight flouro. The downside to straight flouro is memory and having to change the line more often. Not to mention high vis braid help detecting bites. Braid to flouro is far superior once you have the basics down, especially for someone trying to save money.
The money savings alone is worth it, but I don’t use it for any moving baits. Love it for jigs, t rigs etc.
When I fish my moving baits I don’t have braid coming out. So I am essentially fishing straight flouro.
Just a quick question, saving money meaning using more fluoro than braid? Does cost of fluoro less than the the cost of braid? I am curious how long of fluoro do other fishermen commonly use? I do have problem of the tight knot hitting the guides and causing wind knots often (double uni). Some people said shorter leader line helps. Would love to know your opinion?
Get rid of the leader and just fish the braid. I guarantee you you’ll catch more fish!
Hmmmm. I am guessing your flouro sponsor will love this video!
I’ll start running straight fluoro when Seaguar starts sending me the bulk spool for no charge 😂😂
I wouldn’t do it then because it simply isn’t as good as braid to flouro leader
Totally disagree. Never had a failure with the Alberto knot as the fluoro to braid connection. Hate the inevitable line twist from a day of fishing straight fluoro. I use a 12-15 foot leader which is plenty to last a trip or two. I also have over 50 years fishing experience. I started using fluoro to braid about 5 years ago. I'll never go back. As I've gotten older being able to see the his-vis braid is a plus. Come on Randy, maybe its time you gave it another try. This time with an open mind.
Man Randy be wild sometimes. If that was the case then we wouldn’t see 100+ pounds of smallmouth on spinning rods with braid to fluro.
I think he just puts out things I disagree 100 percent so I'll watch and say he's wrong.
@@adamlebeck9482 the guy has fished more than the 3 of you combined..thats why he cashes cheques and you sit at home and watch his videos that make him money
My home River is typically crystal clear and I've noticed no decrease in hookups switching from flour to mono
@@kcroyal5249 there's more than one way to skin a cat. I just think flouro is a pain in the ass and never noticed any benefit from using it as a mainline. Also I watch while I'm at work. So you have to pay me to watch it lol. If I wanna learn I watch tacticalbassin.
You offer a lot of opinions without backing it up with anything factual. I'm old, old school and have always used mono or braided, no leader. I , by and large, am a jig or worm fisherman. I plan on using braid to mono this season for the first time. I think the added sensitivity over just mono or just floro could be a huge bonus. Do you feel the same about braid to mono.
Keep up the good work. I have gotten some great ideas from you. I don't always gave to agree with your technics.
Ive been experimenting with the different lines for quite some time now and i would say the most important factor in getting bites is fishing where the fish are. Your line means nothing without fish being present. Tight lines!
I’ve tried both and I’ve caught fish both ways. 2 things to remember if you are gonna go straight fluoro. First put a decent amount of mono backing on. The backing will dig into the spool so you don’t have to worry about your line slipping and it will save you a ton of money because you won’t be wasting that expensive fluoro. 2nd thing is use light line, I only use 8lb or smaller on a spinning set up. With 8lb fluoro I can cast a mile and have no problems with memory or line twist. In fact I let my 7 year old daughter use my finesse set up a lot and she has no problem handling the fluoro. That being said if I you put 12-15 lb straight fluoro on a spinning setup it would be a nightmare for any angler. You will definitely be going for a trip down memory lane.
I Switched to braid and fluoro leaders from straight mono about 9-10 years ago, and doubt I’m going back.
The sensitivity and cast distance I get with braid can’t be matched, at least for my fishing, and a well tied FG knot has never failed me. I have experienced break offs with fluoro, but again, tie your knots correctly and that can be minimized.
Fluorocarbon also gives me the abrasion resistance I need in some situations, besides the low visibility.
I run straight braid for heavy flipping, pitching, and frogs.
As far as shortening leaders due to reties, I live with it because the pros out weigh the cons for me.
It’s a matter of preference. If I was in the boat with Randy, he might convince me otherwise, but in my experience braid and fluoro is still the way to go.
*This was my first time using Braided line and I was happy with the product **enjoyable.fishing** recommend it's held up well and I have no complaints. Would buy again.*
For fishing from the boat: I totally agree. But Fishing from the bank… when you need distance braid to leader is mandatory
Skip to 3:55 for him to finally start explaining why
Comments are very interesting on this. I think it is interesting the delineation of braid to fluoro leader versus braid backing to fluoro. I think what Randy is describing is the braid to leader, not the backing situation... but I can't speak for him.
With the leader setup, I see the same arguments and both sides as Randy lays out. It does seem that maybe casting distance, lack or stretch, ease of swapping to straight braid or lighter leader, lack of line twist all would be good reasoning for certain fishers... all depends on the particular person. I'd like to add in though the cost factor and the sensitivity of braid. If I get more bites with straight fluoro, but I can't tell I am getting them... then it does me no good. In part adding braid to fluoro leader may make up some sensitivity in a cheaper combo that many of us recreational fishers must use.
I would love the opportunity to debate you on this. I have a couple reasons why it's beneficial.
1. 15- 20 foot longer cast
2. I save an incredible amount of money on line not wasting half my spool of flouro.
I respect what you're saying but I believe you are conflating two situations(backing vs. leader). I don't ever hit the knot or even come close to the knot that connects the braid to the floro. If you do you have too much braid and you need to remove some.
You are thinking that people are talking about using fluoro as a leader on their braid. That's something different than some are talking about.
Like you, I have used this technic for a decade and it's tried and true. I have saved hundreds on not wasting floro/mono. Your confusing leader with backing. Ther is a difference. I've paid for every lure that I own and every foot of line that I've ran on my reel. That's the experience I'm bringing to the table. You don't have to fish tourneys to be experienced.
Yep. So much money saved every season. Will never have straight flouro on any reel except maybe deep crank but when when I could spool 50% braid?
That was my question I'm not an expert by any means but is it really a leader if your main line never leaves the spool. I would call that backing and I think it's a totally different conversation. Just my opinion I don't know.
@@mikeylikesit1831 - Yeah, but that backing will last forever tho, which makes it even more cost effective.
I only agree with the last sentence because it is so true. But I would say I can buy two spools of Bass Pro Shops 10 lb clear blue mono and have new line every week. I can get the distance because I downsize and have extremely efficient equipment. I can still match bite to bite and land fish to fish because I know what I’m doing. I’ve been doing it for forty years and I know the capability of my line and most importantly the rod and still do it cheaper than braid. I do love a little stretch and believe it or not…I want everything to slip just a bit. The line and even my reel is set so it slips. Then I can jack the shit out of them and most of the time they swallow it. It’s funny how so many people live by pros words with doing the homework themselves.
So true, fishing is becoming more expensive every year these days
Dear Mr. Blaukat, due to a huge respect to you I have given it a try. I spooled 8 lbs Seaguar InvizX on my light spinning (2500 Shimano Vanford reel) and I have tried to go fishing some garfish and cods yesterday. It was windy and the reason I had to cast my maximums to reach the ridge that goes to the depth, I was really pushing on it... Caught some fish, but just after retying my lures after catching up 3 major bird nests. Spooled it right direction and even put the line in the water while spooling and spooled it holding a bit tight through the wet cloth. I have never had any problems like that with braid. Braid sits much better on the spool. It feels like it is easier to cast with a braid, because it doesn't give that sense if insecurity and fear to break it like a stretchy 8 lbs fluoro. Messed up 30 meters of line and I am getting back where it all started - braid, swivel or ring and leader. Kind regards! P.S. Being non pro angler I don't really care about few bites more, but just like everybody I am trying to keep it my budget and pain in the ass friendly!))
Braid to Fluro is the best set up there is
I listened to your previous video on this topic and considered your points, but I concluded that I like the extra casting distance with braid to mono on spinning gear (tied with double uni). The only reason I prefer to have that advantage is because I don't have a boat. Reading some of the other comments, I also agree that I've noticed it's quite nice to spool the braid once and it lasts forever (so long as you keep inspecting it for any fraying), and using a hi-viz line color is nice to be able to keep track of where your lure is. I understand that such a setup may cost me some bites from bass, but bass are not my target every time.
Using straight fluoro is something I haven't tried yet - partly due to the cost of fluoro vs other line types, and partly because I didn't want to learn a new set of knots just for fluoro (maybe I'm ill-informed, but I had heard/read from a few sources that the standard set of knots used with mono don't always work as well with fluoro). Having said all that, I'm not married to my current habits and I'd be willing to experiment with straight fluoro.
For cost, it is cheaper for me to go braid fluorocarbon for many reasons. I can use the leftover spools from the re-spooling of reels. I don't mind retying leaders because I need the practice anyways.
Many years ago, I did straight fluorocarbon on a spinning reel and it was a mess; a waste of expensive fluorocarbon.
Bank fisherman, switched to braid to fluoro last year. Love it. extra distance is great, no twists, generally easy to retie on the shore, mastered the double uni. Plus, with limited ability to carry a bunch of setups I can put a multipurpose 15-20 lb braid on, but switch up the leader to 8-10-12-15 lbs etc. Just my opinion.
your absolutely right, i was fishing when i was a teenager in the 90’s, i paused for 20 plus years of fishing. At my 40’s, one of my friends asked me, if i wanted to go fishing, so i did, now keep in mind, i’m a 90’s fishing guy, never tried the leader with a fluocarbon leader line and bla, bla, bla, and i catch more fish than my friend and he is using the modern new set up’s.
one wise man told one day: if it’s stupid and it works, then, it aint stupid
Go Randy! Loved this video! I dont use braid to fluorocarbon for the same reasons. I'm straight fluorocarbon, straight braid, or straight mono (topwater). That knot is an extra risk i dont want and couldn't stand it going through the guides. With straight braid, I color the first couple feet black with a sharpie.
Love your channel, but I think this is your preference.. and that’s fine. 5 of my top 10 biggest bass have come on braid to fluro. The key for me was to practice the knots a ton so I can retie quickly. Braid last much longer on my spinning reels, it doesn’t tangle as often, and I can see the bite better. I do still have one rod rigged straight fluro for fishing finesse baits deep. The braid will slow the fall down too much at times.
When I really started bass fishing I was using straight braid because I was fishing from the bank. Once I got a boat I tried using Fluoro but it feels like fishing with a rubber-band. I use braid on all my rods. Fluoro leader on most.
I love braid to fluorocarbon leader. I’ve had more big bass break off on straight fluorocarbon . Learned my lesson on straight fluro. Got to swap out that line twice a year. Where as straight braid is longer lasting and which I love for frog fishing . Braid to leader is a money saver especially on expensive braid and fluorocarbon line. I utilize both starlight fluro and braid to leader for different situations on both spinning and baitcasting gear.
Exactly. Huge money saver. And you can just spool 50% to have straight flouro if you want.
same here hate fluorocarbon but it is a necessary evil also so I use it as a leader only-- love braid (a but the wind knots at the tip)
100 % agree. I'm old 54 grew up on mono and then fluorocarbon came out. Learned how to fish from my dad in NJ fishing the beaches and jetties. never had braid. If you know how to spool it never get a wind knot. Yes maybe once a month or so if I'm fishing a lot I put an egg sinker on with a swivel and drag it behind me in my boat get any twist out. Now i do use braid for frogs and flipping heavy cover.
I do it purely as a money saving measure. I don’t really fish tournaments, so I’m not as worried about losing fish. However, I completely agree with Randy’s assessment.
He didn't argue against the real uses of leaders tho.
I agree with you on this. I’ve never experienced any significant advantages to a flouro leader. Plus, being an advocate of braid, I find the strength of the braid helps me in a lot of snag situations and definitely is a plus for a solid hook set. I tend to whip my casts so I have lost a few nice lures just on the cast when my double uni contacts a guide and the 12 lb flouro snaps sending my brand new lures bye-bye. Embarrassing and probably my fault but that was the last straw. I just find it easier and less stressful not having to worry about extra knots and losing lures. It’s one or the other but no more leaders.
Rule #1 is use 20+ feet of leader to get shock absorbency. A long leader puts a negligible amount of pressure on any knot you choose. A short leader is asking for problems. Setting the drag before and after hookset is crucial. Choosing larger diameter braid helps distribute pressure on the knot. I like the versatility of switching line/leader types. I seldom have any issues. If you get a knot or abrasion 40 yards into your straight Fluoro spool, the whole spool is now trashed. That is less likely to happen with braid. To each his own! Whatever you feel confident with is the right choice.
I see exactly what your talking about. One straight line type is one of the best ways to go. But I still prefer braid to flouro. Given the fact I’m a bank angler and don’t like to carry more that two or three rods. I don’t want to be limited to topwater or only jigs and moving baits. Yes braid doesn’t have any stretch. In my opinion it’s better to use a softer rod for braid to flourocarbon to give it a bit of flex. I will also say that people think the only good knot is the FG knot. I think the double uni because it’s simple amd it’s almost just as strong. It also allows me tie a new leader on more frequently. The only true weakness a leader is that the knot becomes your weakness.
Amen in the uni to uni.
I agree with all the disadvantages you talk about regarding braid to fluorocarbon. I fish tournaments with my son and we often fish tubes for smallies. He fishes straight fluoro and I fish braid to fluoro. We do about the same! I used to used straight fluoro but switched (before it was even something I saw the pros doing) for several reasons. The main reason is that my aging eyes can see it. My son is younger than me (Duh!) and he can see the fluoro. I can also feel what's going on better. Finally, I am a guide and I spend a lot less time untangling my clients' lines when they are using braid to fluoro (and yes, I know how to put line on a spinning reel, I've been doing it for more than 50 years). Love your channel!
I agree 100% Randy & I’m just a weekend warrior. Hardly an amateur!! 😂 I will say this though. Taking a black sharpie or permanent black marker & simply blacking out about 10 ft of braid from your hook is legit!!!! The legend Roland Martin has a video about doing that to your braid so you know it’s legit!!! Good stuff!!!!
Why do you need to make your braid black? Don't tell me that now since it is black, the fish can't see it.... Have you ever caught a bass on a black worm??? Bass can see the color black. Some use a green magic marker on their braid....Bass are caught all the time on watermelon and green pumpkin color worms all the time.
@@ejzabojnik834 you only looked at the color and took every other variable out of the equation. It does work to color the line because of the thinner diameter( than a worm). Now, that is only for visibility and water clarity matters. Another thing is that braid can make a sound in the water. I mean its up to everyone's preference.
Totally agree! Never had trust in leaders. I do use braid as a backer and it makes a difference I believe. My knot never comes off the spool. Thoughts?
great idea, ott defoe uses that exact same technique and so do I. Seems to be the best of both world’s because none of randys gripes with braid to fluoro apply to braid backing.
Interesting subject. I keep a straight fluoro rod and the rest braid to fluoro, I’m not a tournament fisherman so losing an occasional fish to knot failure doesn’t cost me money and the braid to fluoro set up saves me a lot of money. I did almost give up on it, til I finally found a knot set up that when I break off, it is the fluoro to lure knot that breaks not the braid to fluoro knot
Could you elaborate on that knot set? That sounds really useful
Are you intentionally using a knot on your lure that you know is inferior? Not sure I follow you.
I have found exactly this. If I use Uni to uni for the braid to leader and then use the uni knot at the lure when it snag and pull for a break it’s breaking at the lure connection 95% of the time. In fact I often just tie on a new lure. Even then the next snag almost always breaks at the lure connection. How hard I have to pull to break off also boosts my confidence that I won’t break off while playing a fish. A cheaper way to build confidence is to try your know combo at home. Break off in the back yard and you learn with out the cost of a lost lure. Uni to Uni and Uniknot are a great system.
@@briannordberg3184 - ok, follow you now I think.
It gives me way longer casts and up here in the Great Lakes gives me more bites with water visibility of 30’+. The extra 20’ I get is huge with spooky fish. Never had a knot or break off problem. Saves a ton of money also. With dirty water i understand braid is fine. With gin water in my opinion you either need straight FC or braid and a leader. Way cheaper to use a leader. My braid usually lasts 3 -4 years. I usually use a 10-12’ leader. If fish are hitting an Arig in water that has 20+ visibility then i am not too worried about my FG knot coming through the water.
This is what i have noticed here around the Great Lakes. I think it really depends on the situation and water visibility
I understand the fewer knots you have the better but I have never had that problem. It all comes down to confidence
I'm in Michigan and agree with all you stated. I've been using the fluoro/ braid with a double uniknot for the past 5 yrs and have not broke off a knot once.
You definitely bring up some pretty good points but I find that my braid to fluro is way more sensitive. I can notice a huge difference. Not to mention it saves me hundreds of dollars a year. I just maid the switch 2 years ago and it was hard for me to learn the knots but now I got it wired. I remember when I was a kid flouro wasn’t even around. I would re spool every other time if every time I fished.
I agree straight floro or mono is better in some cases. But overall braid to floro is much cheaper in the long run and like you said cast better. I don’t think they will notice the braid unless you are in crystal clear water.
I was a student of Guido Hibdon and he was finesse fishing way before there was braid. His thought process on finesse fishing is if you don’t get bit you can’t put them on the boat and he fished with 8 to 10 pound mono in places where most folks were pitching and flipping with the heaviest line they could find. He made this work by getting the fish hooked and then just keep light pressure on the fish until it swam out of the cover. I’ve done this several times during my stretch as a bass fisherman/tournament fisherman using 8 pound Bass Pro Shops Excel monofilament. I’ve spent countless hours on Texas’ legendary Lake Fork fishing this style and have never broken a fish off there or anywhere else.
Love your videos but I disagree, I finally started fishing braid to flouro for lighter techniques and I love it. Casts better, more sensitive. Stronger
I use leaders mostly for the cost effectiveness, I can use the same braid for 2 or 3 years just tying on new 20 to 30 foot leaders. Obviously your situation is different than mine so, it's a bit apple's to oranges but, it works pretty good for me.
I use braid to fluorocarbon and have for years now but do appreciate the point. When I take a nube fishing with me I set them up with straight mono. Great honest video
I just like being able to see my hi via line easily. I make fewer mistakes and helps a lot in strike detection on the initial fall. Even in fluoro I use Berkeley Vanish Transition or colored fluoro.
I love braid to fluoro. I’m on a old town PDL kayak so it helps significantly. It hard to set a hook with fluoro on a yak but not impossible. But what works for someone situation might not work you. We are all different and that’s okay.
This technique has really helped me. The bowl of water trick is so simple yet HIGHLY effective. Nothing more frustrating when that braid-fluro knot breaks and you have to tie a new one on the water. You can be a pro at knot tying but it still wastes time.
Man, I'm so happy i found your channel. You have removed a lot of stress this time of year on line selection and respooling reels getting ready for the fishing season here in Wisconsin, Thanks for the useful information
Great to hear!
Thanks I appreciate the willingness to provide thoughtful information that doesnt just follow convention.
I don't use braid for a hard/fast hookset but more for control on my topwater on long casts. I use braid to short flouro/mono on topwater (or just straight braid) with a very high speed reel because it makes a big difference in feel and speed to get out the slack, I get a ton of hits right after the splash or on the first few cranks as we all do, having a fast reel/less give in the line works great for that. I've also noticed that using just straight braid seems to get me less bites on top, so I usually add the flouro/mono leader and I see an uptick in bites/hits. I also use straight mono or flouro a lot around the 8-12lb range on my finesse setups (worms/rigs/jigs) and spinning rigs. I agree with Randy on some of the presentations/hooksets, you don't really want that direct instant connection, you actually want a little give and delay after you see the line run. Each to their own I suppose but I agree with Randy for the most part, but I have my niche situations where I like braid. I've caught enough bass in my life, I always feel bad for the fish that have the dislocated jawbone from the idiot hooksetter who thinks they need to yank the 2lb fish to the moon once they feel the nibble. I'll take fewer fish in the boat and preserve the ones that are there :).
I just recently set my rod up like this for the first time.... kinda wish I hadn't now but I'll find out. I appreciate your advice,no matter if I think it's right or not it's still appreciated
I definitely agree with what Randy is saying if you're primarily or only a bass fisherman. I have two bass setups that are species and technique specific for bass fishing. Those two are straight fluorocarbon. I'm 100% in agreement there. However, the rest of my rods are used for multiple species, techniques and conditions in both fresh and saltwater. Braid to fluorocarbon allows me to fine tune for anything. I don't have the cash to buy or time maintain a couple dozen different setups. Just for one example... I can take my Penn Battle II 4000 spinning reel, Star Stellar Lite fast taper med/light rod, 30lb Suffix braid then tune it with 8lb, 12lb, 20lb or 30lb Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and catch pretty much anything that swims salt or freshwater. I can also use pretty much any lure and do pretty much any technique with amazing results, even down to live bait. I can take that setup with one tackle box and travel the whole country burning almost every species up. For another example...On big fishing trips with the family, I can pass my rods out and fine tune the whole family to what we're doing with braid to fluorocarbon as well. All I'd be doing is changing line all of the time if I went full fluorocarbon.
Hi-Vis yellow braid makes it so this old man can see his line.
I use braid to leader because it's more efficient for me. I can't carry 10 spinning outfits in my boat so I put braid on all my spinning reels. Black braid mind you and around 15 to 20 feet of leader. I use to run full mono tried running straight flouro and I use to have a dedicated braid spinning outfit. Braid gives me the versatility to change line sizes while only carry a couple of spinning rods with me. That's the main reason I use it. It just makes more sense to me. I do understand your points Randy but let's face it running straight flouro on a spinning reel is expensive and once you spool a certain line size you are stuck with that particular line unless you carry a whole slew of spinning reels with different line sizes. I use as small as 6lb test all the way up to 20 and my braid is always 15lb test. I fish for peacock and largemouth bass in the same lake so I have to change leaders depending on what species I am targeting at that moment.
Randy,
I appreciate your opinion and most valid. However, having tried both ways myself on all applications and all presentations, my conclusions are as follows.
Spinning rods I always use braid to fluorocarbon.
1. Float & Fly the fish never see the braid and the leader is at a specific depth.
2. Drop shot Shaky head ; I use more leader than the depth of the water, fish never see the braid. When it gets hung up the knots back on the reel.
3. Though any knot I’ve tried braid to fluorocarbon is weaker, I’ve never lost a fish from breaking the knot. Reel setting is much more efficient braid to carbon.
4. Like others have said, the braid last forever compared to mono or carbon!
Saving $$$
5. Fishing a Senko it’s nice to be able to see the braid as the bait is slowly sinking.
Bait casters; 1. Jig no braid!
2. Top waters depends on water clarity? I’d rather throw a whopper on braid to mono for distance.
3. A-Rigs & big Swim-baits straight carbon. Only to prevent the occasional snap off you get with braid. And I agree in clearer water even with a longer leader, you’re pulling the braid over the fish your trying to catch.
Love your videos I’ve learned a lot!!Thanks!!
I think it depends on the technique used, your rods, and how the individual fishes their bait.
Personal anecdotes:
- 1. NEVER had my connection knot break (Alberto)
- 2. I use low-vis green braid, long leader.
never got more or less bites with straight flouro.
- 3. It does make a difference (to me) on my hooksets
Ithink it varies person to person 🤷🏻♂️
I don't want to argue. just share this: I use flouro leaders on my spinning rods. have learned to prefer it. less handling issues. better 'feel'. have done the work. know what I have confidence in... and I've NEVER YET (15+ years now) had a knot fail me. and only once/.twice on the 'pull test' after being tied.
it varies on water clarity.
Randy, I appreciate your stance and firm opinion on this matter. The correct answer is that braid to leter, straight floro or mono all need to be tools used in angling. Also fishing has a lot of personal preference. Rods, reels, baits, knots etc. My personal preference is braid to leter. I could careless if I hear my knot through my guides. I don’t tie the FG knot. I tie double blood knot, it’s money. I also fish straight floro as well. Just depends my application. Keep up the great content and thanks again.
I’ve wondered this exact thing and could never really find a good answer for it. One thing I have learned, is that my drop shot bite went to dang near zero when I switched to a braid to fluorocarbon setup. Thanks Randy!
Well Bro... you've made a believer out of me. I've spent so much time wading through ALL the info, pros & cons etc. I've had a couple setups this year straight Fluoro. Hundreds of Largies & Smallies later, I'm just loving it! And no more stress or inconvenience of messing w/a Leader. Thank You!
I've caught my biggest bass 9.3 pounds and 7.12 pound largemouth on straight braid on a glass rod
All those extra bites you get from those finicky, line shy bass will make up for all the ones you won't detect with that stretch in your line.
All kidding aside, the increased sensitivity alone is reason enough for me to use braid. Paired with a sensitive rod it's amazing what you can feel. I'm not exaggerating when I say that when dragging a small jig or ned rig I don't even worry about keeping the line taut to feel bites. I actually keep a slack bow in my line from rod tip down to the water and I still feel the slightest bite as well as seeing the line jump. I feel the fish but it doesn't feel me.
Love ya Randy, I don't care what kind of line you choose to use.
Randy, continue doing what you do best. I will do what I can afford. I need the distance fishing from the bank, especially now that the fish have moved off shore into their deeper winter waters. Braid to fluorocarbon works for me since I only earn a $224 biweekly paycheck.
I have just started using braid to fluorocarbon for the first time this year. I am 60 years old. I could care less who does what. I have never had an easier time or got in more fish than I have this year. I will never go back to straight mono or fluorocarbon. That has been my experience. Now I do fish the Tennessee River most of the time so it is not very clear. I love not worrying about breaking off and all year never had a knot fail. I will never go back. If I am in one of the highland lakes I will use straight mono because of the water clarity but for Watts Bar and Chick, I stay with Braid and Fluorocarbon.
Okay, I hear you loud and clear, when do you use straight braid?
10 pound braid, 6-8 pound fluoro leaders. Never had the Alberto knot break on a freshwater fish. Cats, musky, carp... I can tie the knot in my sleep and it goes through the guides. It's all I use on spinning setups and I will never go back. I'm not sucked into any hype. I tried it and loved it. Hands down the best option.
i have rods with straight fluoro and braid to fluoro. i lose less fish on the braid to fluoro because i get a deeper hook set. they just rarely get off. Straight fluoro i lose more fish. backlashes are far easier to fix on braid and doesnt damage the line anywhere near as bad as fluoro. Its a great idea. Might not work for you but, works for me. You have a LOT of tips that are absolutely great tips that work. braid to fluoro is better for me. it casts farther, its more forgiving, it set the hook better. just mind you drag. FG knot with a tad of superglue on it. it doesnt go anywhere.
Thank you Randy! I absolutely agree!
I have seriously tried the braid to fluro for a couple seasons and am switching all my rigs back to single line. You are 100% right on the hesitation to re-tie and the time required. I think it's funny that anglers state they run braid backing to save money. Most of the folks I see either on RUclips or at the ramp have a half dozen $400+ rod reel combos on a $40K boat behind a $50K truck.
less money spent on fluoro more money you can spend on tackle
I have used braid to fluorocarbon for years and never have had the issues Randy speaks of..I am not a pro fisherman but I tend to spool my bait casters with about 60-70 percent braid and then I'll spool about 30-40 yards of Fluorocarbon or regular mono. I don't have issues with the fish seeing any transition from the different lines. I do agree with Randy if using braid to short leaders of fluorocarbon.
I have not fished in years but when I did back in Texas I was using Dacron Braid while no one else was for the simple reasons of streach and sesitivity that was in the 1980's and 1990's.Now I can't say I was landing any more fish but my casts seemed longer and breakage of line was no worse than mono. Now I do not recall if I used a mono leader on my bass fishing or not but I loved fishing small creeks with a fly rod and 6lb. leaders were my standard of flylines. So you see this is all new to me and all these new Braids with smaller diameter is new to me. Bass were not that abundant and bluegills, waqr mouths, sunfish were what normallt caught and buy the tens every day.
I hated braided line for years. I couldn't find a happy medium to save my life. 4 years ago I tried Power Pro braided line. Thought it was cheap enough to give a serious try. After the first year, I love it!!! Now when it comes to a leader, that's where it goes crazy. See braided line floats. So I like to use it on topwater. Frogs, poppers and chuggers. So far no complaints at all. Now it's a must to use a leader when fishing on the bottom and I don't like the stretch you get with monofilament. On topwater I tie directly to the bait. Modified FG knot to the leader and fluorocarbon to hook I use a custom knot. Most of my breakoffs are at the hook knot. Every now and then I'll break off at the leader if my drag is too tight. I fish from the bank most days now so I need to be able to reach the long distance casts. For me it's not getting sucked in,.... it's an issue of being able to perform the technique I need to get the results with the budget I have. Fluorocarbon line is expensive and braid is too but I fish lighter lines so it's what I decided to do.
Bingo! That’s exactly what I told my brother after switching all reels to the braid. I used it for a month or two, and then switched back to flouro.
If you recommend a single line what type is your recommendation fluorocarbon? Mono ? Braid ? And why ? Also what lb test recommend?
I agree a lot of stuff fisherman think they need is overblown, maybe some compensation? You don’t need a 8ft broomstick with 80 pound braid to flip that jig into the rotten stumps.
I agree the extra knot is a weak link in the chain and it is not necessary. I like straight mono or braid when I am out. I have tried the braid to mono and it is ok but the extra knot I just don't trust. I have had bad luck with fluorocarbon line coming off the spool in a rat's nest on a spinning reel, I tried another brand and just put it on a baitcaster, learned how to spool it and it worked well for me. For my spinning rods I like straight mono like 8lb line works good for me for my weekend angler adventures but I plan on trying what you have recommended this year, it is just too cold out for fishing and things are frozen over at the moment. Your video is great and I love the hat and as always thank you!! :)
I completely agree with you Randy. Out here in the west coast you need to fish fluorocarbon or you don't get bit. I haven't used this method nor will I ever. The only time I would fish with braid, if I'm pitching or flipping in heavy cover. They have fluorocarbon to fish in heavy cover.
Randy I agree with you 100%, but I personally prefer braid to flouro/mono, not because of trending pressure, but it’s a preference to save money. Let me explain: I’ll spool braided line on my reels and leave the reel there, whenever I go fishing I’ll connect roughly 2-3 yards of flouro/mono for that particular trip of that day. When I’m done fishing I’ll cut the leader off and then leave the spool just with the braid on it, next time I go fishing I just add the leader instead of re-spooling new lines. Because braided line have a longer lives span and they (braided line) don’t get brittle and break down like flouro/mono. But that’s just my way of fishing and again I totally agree with what you saying, plus I only fish for fun and no money on the line so it doesn’t bother me if I lose the fish or not
I need to see bright line. What is your opinion on going with a flourescent mono with a clear flouro leader??
I have extensively tested all kinds of knots, braids, fluorocarbon leaders, high quality thin mono.......I used every superline and Fins Windtamer Braid, if that’s what you do on casting setup. and Sling Braid for spinning........fins pink windtamer never loses its color, in a light or heavy wind it whips through the air and extends casts immensely. I used a sunline leader when I use one and a sunline flouro for a mainline as well. Their 7lb shooter is thinner, stronger and clear on an finesse setup. Fish how you want. If you don’t catch a dang thing then listen to someone who does,
I'm old school, I use straight 17# mono for everything. At the end of the day I will make more cast and catch more fish that my fishing partner that fishes out of the front of the boat. He used braid. He has more trouble with that braid, untangling, getting knots in it, getting hooks through the line, getting line stuck in the split ring. It's good entertainment to watch.
Agreed. I fish with a buddy. Fish straight floro on his drop shot. The rest of us are fishing the braid to floro. He consistently out fishes us almost every time. BTW we fish ultra clear water. He's done this over the last 3 years.
I've switched. I'm now catching more fish.
I have no issues with the braid to fluorocarbon or using straight line, I can see points on both sides of the argument... I myself use braid to fluorocarbon because of the financial aspect of it.. I never could understand why people would get bent out of shape over what someone else wants to use, that's the cool thing about fishing is that you can do what you want with it
Some great comments below. No venom here. I'm a braid to short (~6') fluorocarbon leader user. Some things that make this so debatable come to mind. 1) Anglers often LOVE to tie knots. Just look at the proliferation of knot videos. Some leader usage results from, well, you have to have a leader to be able to tie a junction knot. But, as Randy says, adding knots adds risks and detracts from # of casts per day on the water; 2) People love to speculate on whether fish care about seeing line, or not, and fluoro's invisibility. And, yet look at the wire on a spinnerbait and many others! Go figure; 3) Sensitivity issue: it is real; 4) Line float vs. sink aspects. And, several other issues. Me? I generally agree with Randy but I absolutely hate straight fluoro on a reel even knowing how to spool it on correctly. Gotta say that I see some who don't have my issues. Are they often pros with fluoro sponsers providing free line to them so they can yank it all off and put fresh line on for each tournament? I really don't know. No issues, not for me, with fishing straight mono when it is called for. So, braid to leader, straight braid, straight mono . . . but, straight fluoro, though, is way down my list. Slightly above a root canal. Kudos to anyone who can pull it off.
Using only braid works in murky water. In some lakes the water is so clear that the fish can see the braid. Finesse fishing using fluorocarbon is important especially when there's a snag the fluorocarbon or mono for a drop shot you can use a much lighter weight mono after the hook to save the hook and the bait by sacrificing only that section with the drop shot sinker weight.
Using only 8 to 15 lb. braid can be difficult to work with because it's diameter is too small and having an intentional break off can be very difficult to accomplish.
Can you do a video showing how you put straight fluorocarbon on a spinning reel without it twisting?
What about straight through braid? If you don't need to abrasion resistance because you're not fishing structure then why not go something half the diameter?
Randy I got a question off the subject of line , but do you see a big difference in using a 6’6” rod instead of a 7’ or bigger rod thanks for you input
I agree ..just another link that could break,and you're right if line goes on counterclockwise it must come off the the spool of line counterclockwise
I switched from straight line to a combo with a knot and I have used several before settling on an FG knot. If I get in a pinch with the leader being too short, I just go with straight braid and may have to take a marker and blacken the line if high viz. My confidence in this is high and the results speak for themselves. Plus, I get the added savings by not using all fluorocarbon line. On baitcasters, I go with straight braid or fluorocarbon with a backing on the reel.