Braid, Fluoro, or Mono

I use the crystal (white) so I can see it. I mostly fish jig heads with Yamamoto grubs. The white braid allows me to see the line sinking and most importantly allows me to see when the jig hits bottom. Most strikes are on fall or right when jig hits bottom. When I see the braid stop going down, I lift the rod up slightly to feel for ANY extra weight or resistance-- if I feel ANYTHING different, I set the hook.
 
PDiddy45 said:
Is this the line you liked: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Yard-D...ext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A200RT2GD87MLR&th=1&psc=1
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This is the stuff I use but it was the first braid I ever bought so I don't have a lot to compare with. It lasts so long that I haven't had an opportunity to try something else. I bought this originally for no other reason than it was cheap. It has held up well for me. I've never lost a fish due to the braid.

Reaction Tackle Braided Fishing Line - Pro Grade Power Performance for Saltwater or Freshwater Fish - Colored Fishing Line Braid for Extra Visibility https://a.co/d/dz3toY3
 
I like 10 pound mono for trolling, 10 pound braid for casting/jigging. I prefer 10-12 pound fluoro leader. Vertical jigging with spoons, and with larger lures, 15 pound leaders or More doesn’t make a difference in the lures action, but you break off way less fish, especially when the action is hot and heavy…
 
My two cents worth I have Braid , Fluoro and mono on my rods for fishing Powell.
Still prefer mono for top water lures it floats and sometimes when using braid on topwater baits it can tangle if you are reeling in without much resistance when working topwater lures like walking the dog. Fluorcarbon sinks that’s not good for topwater lures.
I fish straight Fluoro 5lb sunline for crappie super sensitive for light bites and hard to see, small jigs sink well since flouro sinks.
On braid I use Fluoro 10lb leader
Use a uni Knot, it’s easy once you get the hang of it. There is another I use but I can’t remember the name, it’s easy and strong. ***Update GT KNOT ***It is by far the smoothest strongest knot for connecting leader to braid that I have tried. You tube how to tie GT knot, there is an easier way to tie it as well under 30 seconds look at Andrew’s Knots GT knot in under 30 seconds really good knot!
If there is any color to the water I often tie directly to braid, I use a light green Sunline braid and it is pretty invisible . I have had many trips I catch them just as good as with Fluoro leader but lose far less gear in the rocks! Tried it once a few years back on
My wife’s rod because she was losing a lot of tackle, so I tied straight to the braid and she caught fish no problem didn’t lose a lure in 2 more days of fishing. I often tie right to braid now, no
Leader I have even trout fished with jigs in clear lakes and caught more than guys I was with that were using clear mono!
I still prefer trolling with straight fluorocarbon it seems like the lures run deeper and have better action.
Experimented last year at local lake Willard Bay for walleye and wipers we did much better with flour than braid same boat same lures?
So there is a place for various lines
But braid is a great set up for most fishing at lake Powell if you only have a single rod.
 
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As far as winding new braided line on your reel, Cabelas (and any fishing-oriented store, probably) will set up your reel properly with backing and no line twist for free. Last time I was in they even offered to re-spool my old line back to front, (instead of replacing with new line) so the old, dirty/worn end was swapped to the inside of the reel. Even braided line can get frizzy/weak spots on the rocks.
 
Good points, I like to use mono as a base under braid to help fill the spool and keep the braid from slipping. Mono is much cheaper than braid or Fluoro and it makes a solid smooth base, I usually only put enough braid on the spool for the longest casts I make with plenty of extra, but not the whole spool. I can usually fill two reels that way from one spool of braid, just make sure and use a good knot and heavy enough mono that if a fish were to get to the knot it is strong enough to hold. I also as mentioned earlier will reverse it after a lot of use. Occasionally I’ll remove a few feet if it appears worn out. Braided line lasts a long time. Fluorocarbon also holds up pretty well and I use it for many trips occasionally clipping a little off the end if it shows it needs it. With mono I check it very often clip some off when needed and retie lures often. I change it out much more frequently, often after just one or two trips to Powell. I’m lucky I have a commercial electric line winder in my garage so I can spool and re-spool whenever I need too.
 
KYKevin said:
Is that a spinning or baitcast reel? Some of my friends that use spinning reels, can cast a lot further then I can with my baitcaster. I don't like any lighter then 12 lb for Striper, but I'll use 8 lb some time for trout, when I throw a 1/ 16 oz with my baitcast. Its tough casting the light stuff with that b caster, but I don't use spinning. I have seen the Striper, when they wouldn't take a chovy on heavier line, but would hit it with 6 lb flouro, that I been usinh for Crappie.
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Spinning. I can’t look at a bait caster without it getting a tangled disaster… 😂
 
All my reels have 12-15 lbs braid with 8-10-12lbs flouro topshot. I use the FG knot for the union because I like how thin it is and the knot is barely noticeable going through the eyes. I usually do 12-15 yards topshot because I like to retie my hooks after several catches and/or snags. But it is a pain to tie with small diameter line, between my eyes and fat fingers it takes me a while. But I sure like my results. My two ultralights. 4-6 lbs test, I just spool with all flouro.
 
cfulton said:
For connecting braid and floro I use a double uni knot. Works great and is a very tight connection so no or little interference with the gudes or casting distance. Chuck
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Look at the simple version of the GT KNOT (not the saltwater version)
There are two ways to tie it both pretty easy, much easier than FG which is a great knot but much more difficult to tie
Simple GT You can do in under 30 seconds
You tube it I think it is Andrew’s knots? He shows the simpler version. (Don’t do the Australian salt water version)
It is smooth and tests at higher breaking strength than uni or most others by quite a bit.
Used FG saltwater fishing it’s great but I would tie ahead of time.
Now I use GT for attaching leader to braid, it’s a great knot to learn and use .
 
We primarily fish for bass at Powell and in general so I can’t speak to any tactics for stripers. We run 7’ medium to medium heavy rods for all our applications with 20-30lb straight braid depending on the rod. I like to put a flouro leader on my medium rod that I use for more finesse tactics but everything else is straight braid. Oddly enough though, I caught my two PB LMB (6.5lb) and SMB (3.8lb) the same day on straight 20lb braid (8lb mono equivalent) in ultra clear water in Face Canyon. My opinion, find what you like and works well for you and then adjust slightly based on the conditions as needed.
 
PDiddy45 said:
I haven't fished much at Lake Powell. I am taking a trip in a couple of weeks and looking to set up a new rod/reel. I am looking at a Pflueger President size 30 spinning reel combo at Scheels with either a 7' Medium light rod/moderate fast Fenwick Eagle Rod or a 7' Medium/Fast Fenwick Eagle Rod. What weight Rod is best for a Lake Powell set up? My Budget is around $80-$120 for a new set up and Scheels has it on sale for $99.

I have always fished mono line but have wanted to try braided. Would you recommend braided line with a fluoro leader? If so, what color and pound test of braided line and what test of flouro? how long should my leader be?
We are going to target Stripers and small/large mouth.
Thanks!
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I use 14-lb.-test Fireline Crystal with a 15 to 20-foot 8- lb.-test fluorocarbon leader for my finesse presentations. I've been using 6-6 light action Cabela's/Bass Pro Fish Eagle rods for drop shotting and 7-0 medium light Fish Eagles for weightless Senko presentations. For topwater fishing I have a 6-6 BPS Crankin' Stick baitcaster fishing straight 30-pound-test braid. I have another old Crankin' Stick in 7-0 with 10-lb. Fluorocarbon for crankbaits and a 7-0 medium heavy BPS Extreme also with the same fluorocarbon for jigging spoons.

That's my Lake Powell tackle arsenal. Except for topwaters I ALWAYS use fluorocarbon or a fluorocarbon leader. There are days when fluorocarbon is not necessary, but there are days it is. It certainly never hurts, and by using it I know I have eliminated any line visibility issued before leaving the launch ramp.

I use mid to lower priced rods and reels, but I never skimp on my line and hooks. That's where you spend your tackle money.

Ed Gerdemann
 
I have used 20lb Power Pro Braid with 10lb fluro and love that combination.Reaction Tackle is haveing a 15% off sale on their braid until the 2nd.Going to give them a try as my braid has been on my reels for at least 8 years.
 
There are so many good options that it can be difficult to choose. My line and rod/reel choice really depends on what lure I'm fishing. If I could only have one rod for Powell I would take a spinning reel with 7lb flourocarbon. If I could have a second rod, I would have a bait caster with 12lb fluorocarbon. Last time I visited Powell I believe I had 4 spinning rods with fluorocarbon, 3 spinning rods with braid, 5 bait casting rods with fluorocarbon, 2 bait casting rods with braid and 2 bait casting rods with mono.

For lighter lines I prefer straight fluorocarbon. I've used a lot of 4lb, 5lb, 6lb and 7lb flourocarbon at Powell. In many situations at Powell the lighter line is not needed but some days it really helps.

For trolling or casting crank baits I'll mostly use 10lb-20lb fluorocarbon.

Lighter braid (20lb) will also work well with a 7lb to 12lb flourocarbon leader. 20lb braid with 10lb fluorocarbon leader can be a great combo at Powell. I'll also use 40lb and 50lb braid with 15-20lb flourocarbon leader at Powell. Braid has much better sensitivity and strength/diameter ratio than fluorocarbon but sometimes the fish will get spooked from braided line. If the fish don't care, braid with no leader is my preferred option.

For days I'm catching a lot of fish, straight flourocarbon is often my preferred line because I'll have less downtime spent tying knots. I'm often retying my line 30+ times per day at Powell. If I'm using braid to fluorocarbon that could result in an extra 30+ minutes in retying line each day. The secret to not breaking fish off, is to check your line often and retie often. I would rather hook into a big fish with 4lb flourocarbon with a fresh knot and line I've checked than with 40lb braid and 20lb leader that I haven't checked or retied in a couple hours. Days I'm not catching as many fish I'll often prefer braid with a fluorocarbon leader.

Besides topwater lures, I don't use mono line as often anymore. I've used 8lb mono in the past at Lake Powell for everything and that isn't a bad choice for only one line at Powell.
 
CATD8RII said:
All my reels have 12-15 lbs braid with 8-10-12lbs flouro topshot. I use the FG knot for the union because I like how thin it is and the knot is barely noticeable going through the eyes. I usually do 12-15 yards topshot because I like to retie my hooks after several catches and/or snags. But it is a pain to tie with small diameter line, between my eyes and fat fingers it takes me a while. But I sure like my results. My two ultralights. 4-6 lbs test, I just spool with all flouro.
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The FG knot is the best knot I've found for braid to flourocarbon. It runs much smoother through the guides. The knot strength is also superior to other knots. I've used the double uni in the past a lot but it gets weak over time. I've broke off 12lb-20lb flourocarbon leaders at the double uni knot too many times that the extra effort in the FG knot is absolutely worth it for me. If you practice tying the FG, it gets much easier to tie. I'm guessing a the FG takes me 2 minutes to tie and I can tie a double uni in less than a minute. However, I would have to retie the double uni more than twice as often because it gets brittle with time.
 
PDiddy45 said:
I haven't fished much at Lake Powell. I am taking a trip in a couple of weeks and looking to set up a new rod/reel. I am looking at a Pflueger President size 30 spinning reel combo at Scheels with either a 7' Medium light rod/moderate fast Fenwick Eagle Rod or a 7' Medium/Fast Fenwick Eagle Rod. What weight Rod is best for a Lake Powell set up? My Budget is around $80-$120 for a new set up and Scheels has it on sale for $99.

I have always fished mono line but have wanted to try braided. Would you recommend braided line with a fluoro leader? If so, what color and pound test of braided line and what test of flouro? how long should my leader be?
We are going to target Stripers and small/large mouth.
Thanks!
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I’ll make an attempt at summarizing just about everything that has been posted so far. Everyone is correct because their rod and/or line setup is working for them and honestly (not that I wouldn’t be honest), I’ve used just about every line and/or combination mentioned, with the exception of some of the brands. In the end, your method of fishing, especially in the rocks, will dictate your success with the rod/reel and line setup. If you are not catching fish, while your buddy next to you is, you have to consider so much (line visibility, break offs, hook sets, bait and bait color, presentation, etc.).

So, what do I prefer? If I’m going to fishing Lake Powell for a week, I’m going to fish Suffix 832 low-viz green braid (15-20lb), with and without Seagur Tatsu (12 or 15lb) fluorocarbon, straight fluorocarbon (12-15lb). Suffix 832 braid low-viz green is great underwater. Tatsu is pricey, but I like how it doesn’t retain memory and I find that I don’t lose as much (hence less line loss).

Ultimately, choose both a braid and a fluorocarbon that your budget will allow and that is low viz. You can’t go wrong with any of the recommendations on here.

BTW - when will you be there? We arrive mid-lake (Last Chance) on Sunday the 28th.
 
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