Braid vs mono which line is better and when should you choose one over the other ?
For some anglers monofilament is the only fishing line that has ever existed, they will never spool anything else onto their reels.
But, eventually mono just won't cut it.
Braid however also has it's die hard fans that use it for almost everything.
Braid compared to monofilament fishing line is roughly half the diameter of the equivalent breaking strain of mono.
This means you can load a spool with roughly twice the amount of braid as you can monofilament.
Where braid really starts to shine is when you are fishing in heavy weed cover and need a line that has low stretch properties.
It is the best choice when fishing frog lures in and around heavy weed beds or lilies.
When spinning with light tackle mono is usually the better option however the best braided fishing line for spinning reels can outperform mono if you are on a size 4000 reel or bigger.
Braid is usually preferable of larger baitcaster reels from a size 300 and up.
Braid vs Mono Comparison
Braid vs Monofilament - braid is low stretch, has a thin diameter and slices through weeds, mono on the other hand is almost see through, has a natural stretch and is easy to cast especially at lower line weights.
Each of them have their place and if you fall into the trap of preferring mono or braided fishing line all of the time then you really need to take a step back and have a look at when each one is the best choice.
With spinning reels I always try and buy a spare spool, one for mono and one for braided line.
On a baitcaster however, I generally have one reel dedicated to a heavier braid and one to a lighter mono.
When comparing mono and braid you need to look at what properties each one excels with and also know where each one falls down.
Monofilament
Mono is the all time tried and tested fishing line for anglers the world over.
It is easy to tie a knot with is abrasion resistant and has an in built stretch that can act as a great shock absorber when you need it.
It also floats and is almost completely invisible, which makes it great for casting small spinners in clear water conditions.
If you are trolling with large lures for lake trout or any other large species of fish then you need a bit of stretch in your line.
If you are to use braid in this scenario it's lack of stretch could very well rip the hook straight out of the mouth of a fish.
With the inbuilt stretch of mono their is less of a chance of doing this.
Mono is also quite tough and it can handle a lot more abuse than braided fishing line.
Fluorocarbon shares a lot of the same attributes as mono except it has a lower stretch so when comparing monofilament vs fluorocarbon fishing line keep this in mind especially if you are using it as a leader for braid.
Braid
The biggest selling points of braid are that it is extremely low stretch, has a very thin diameter when compared to the equivalent breaking strain of mono and slices through weeds with ease.
Braid is the go to line choice of a lot of bass fishermen that are using single hook lures in and around heavy weed beds.
They will generally use a fluorocarbon leader though as the biggest disadvantage of braid is that it is so visible.
The only time I would recommend braid straight to your lure is if you are using a frog lure over heavy cover.
Most frog rods will have a heavy power rating and will need a braid of at least 50 lbs which is required to drag big bass out of cover.
Braid also makes a really great line for jigging with because it has little or no stretch.
When jigging you want a fishing line that can transmit as much feedback through the line and into the rod tip allowing you to feel what is happening at the hook.
Although braid is excellent at slicing through weeds it can get suffer when run along sharp or abrasive underwater structures and you may start to notice some loose fibers sticking out of the side of the line.
If you start to see some wear and tear on your braid then it is time to cut that length off.
If you are routinely seeing a lot of wear in the final ten feet close to your lure then it is probably a good idea to use either a mono or a fluorocarbon leader as these two types of fishing line have much better abrasion resistance properties.