Land based- Braid vs Monofilament

[Dylbaa 174]

After peoples thoughts on braid vs monofilament for surf fishing with baits, currently using mono, got no complaints but considering giving braid a go, because I love the sensitivity it has. cheers

[Dylbaa 174]

The reason I write this is because I've noticed many of the new reels are built to hold braid, not so much mono anymore, and that's probably they way its going to keep heading in future

[newtontoney 57]

depends what areas you fish, braid will cut very easily if rubbed up against rock or structure (you get around this by using a leader, but there is still risk involved if fishing around structure) you need to use a leader when surf/braid fishing as you also risk pulling the hooks running straight braid. I personally use straight mono when fishing around structure and braid with leader for normal surf beaches. Cheers .

[Dylbaa 174]

Thanks for the reply mate, it will be around salt creek/ Goolwa beach mainly so pretty open water! how long do you make your leader?

[ausea 4]

What Tone has said it's correct.Few more things to consider,braid floats and mono sinks.The thing i did was back fill it with braid and topped it with 130-150m mono.The only reason i run the mono is when weed gets caught up on braid it can create a mess with tangles,and i no longer spend 30+mins undoing it.

[Lofty 27]

Braid all the way. I spend a huge amount of time fishing the surf beaches around salt creek every year targeting mullies. There is no way I would be using mono. As long as you use good graphnel sinkers to keep your line straight in the water then you should not be getting any tangles and besides as soon as your line slackens you should be checking it anyway. For me braid increases hook ups and gives you those extra few meters casting. When it's windy you can still keep your line straight, unlike mono which will have a big bend in the line and then cause the sinker to pull. Just make sure you use the right braid, i use 50lb berkley power pro and it is fantastic in the surf. cheers

[Knackers 696]

Lofty is right. If you constantly watch your line for slack in weedy conditions then braid is the go. However, I obviously do not have the same concentration ability as he does. Except in all but the non weedy conditions I use mono. Always take a couple of rods and reels so no issue. Braid is far superior with some wind on leader for shock absorption when there is no weed. The wind on leader is essential as well when the fish is in the wash almost at your feet. Need some stretch then.And all braids aren't equal in the surf. One popular brand is not stiff enough and birds nests even casting a spinning reel (it catches on itself and drags a heap of line beneath it and next to it off the reel in a huge bunch at the same time). I've settled on tufline xp for landbased. I think that there are a heap of others though.

[Dylbaa 174]

OK thanks guys, will definently give the braid a go! running 50lb, thanks again

[ShimsMan 1]

Braid is a good idea for surf, but using less than 20lb rating can cause some serious tangles.20-30lb braid with a good mono leader long enough to wrap around your reel a half dozen or more turns does nicely, make sure you have 10lbs for each ounce of cast weight (including bait!) and you shouldn't have any problems whatsoever.Using a heavy leader, you can even get away with using 15lb or so braid; the lower diameter stuff will get buffeted less by the wind and waves so you'll need less tension to keep your grapnel set and have more sensitivity for bites.As for backing it onto the reel, I just tie the braid on with a regular arbor knot and electrical tape it down, no mono backing and it works fine, clean the reel body with turps first to get a good bond and it'll stay put well. Had the idea of cutting a thin strip of bike inner tube and epoxying that to the reel for grip, but have yet to try that...All this said, I use Platypus Lo-Stretch for my shore based work! Best of luck Dylbaa