Question for you guys. I have always used mono for my main line for live bait rigging. Never had any issues but curious if anyone is using braid. My thoughts were while the sensitivity would be through the roof, however would the lack of give of the mono be bad.
I use power pro with fluorocarbon leader. Fish river and rocks and zebra mussels eat mono up. I to see benefit of stretch so on clear lake may go with mono. With PowerPro just short hookset.
I run braid on all my wife’s reels. We lindy rig plenty and she never seems to have issues hooking up with the fish that bite. I still use mono on my rigging rods because logic tells me it “should” provide more forgiveness if I’m a hair slow. I don’t think you will notice a significant drop off in hookups if you give it a try. In clear water like mille lacs though,I would be hesitant to run a braid unless I was using a very long snell.
I run 8# braid to 6# flouro leader, then to my snell. Been doing this for a number of years and have next to no problems with hook ups. I use a 6′-9″ MLXF for this and the sensitivity you get is excellent. My “hookset” really isn’t a hookset. With the extra fast tip, I can tell if the fish has the bait. I then just point the rod tip at the fish, reel up slack, and sweep the rod forward at a moderate pace. Have your drag set so it’ll peel a little line on that sweep.
I always use braid to a flouro or mono leader, no issues imo.
Braid with leader for me
Thanks for the responses guys. Honestly the reason I ask is I got talked into another Gloomis GLX at the show this year an 8’6 light for live bait rigging. I got that with a 1000 shimano reel and would like to switch one of my 2000 reels with ghost color braid on it and put the 1000 on a jigging rod and figured then I don’t have to respool.
I got that with a 1000 shimano reel and would like to switch one of my 2000 reels with ghost color braid on it and put the 1000 on a jigging rod and figured then I don’t have to respool.
I think the 8’6″ rod would balance much better with the 2000 size reel anyway.
Ive gone back and forth on this and I haven’t seen a big difference either way. I still do use mono most of the time though.
Try both and decide what works best for you.
Personally I think braid might be a better option when using an 8’6″ light action rod. Hook sets really shouldn’t be an issue if you’re using small light wire hooks, but that’s a long whippy rod to pair with stretchy mono line. It’s possible you could run into an issue with that but experimenting will be the only way to determine what works best.
The only rod I have full mono on is my bobber rods, because the bobber stops don’t hold well on braid. Everything else is braid mainline to fluro leader.
Power pro for me too. Fluoro leader. I like the added sensitivity of the braid.
Livebait is finesse, slow and methodical. Stealth is something I want for my presentations, and that includes a line which will hide better than a braid, and will protect those hooks from coming unbuttoned.
Suffix advanced has worked well for me since it came out few years now. Copolymer gives more sensitivity than a reg mono
Livebait is finesse, slow and methodical. Stealth is something I want for my presentations, and that includes a line which will hide better than a braid, and will protect those hooks from coming unbuttoned.
Suffix advanced has worked well for me since it came out few years now. Copolymer gives more sensitivity than a reg mono
To be honest I have used some of that Advance mixed in with some reg mono, so not sure which I have been using on the live baits the last couple years it probably is the Advance now that you mention it. As far as stealth I am using the ghost color its white and hard for the fish to pick up, or so I have been told.
I think the 8’6″ rod would balance much better with the 2000 size reel anyway.
Agreed that was also part of my thinking. I bought the 2000 reels before I started using braid on my jig rods so needed more room for mono.
The only rod I have full mono on is my bobber rods, because the bobber stops don’t hold well on braid. Everything else is braid mainline to fluro leader.
Ditto…mono or fluro leaders depending what I am trying to accomplish. Sometimes don’t want the sink of fluro when rigging sometimes I want to be closer to bottom.
6 lb mono, No Flouro for me on my rigging rods, Flouro sinks and I want some lift in my leader with the crawlers and leeches, jigging rod flouro gets the nod. DK.
Suffix 832 with mono leader for me.
The only rod I have full mono on is my bobber rods, because the bobber stops don’t hold well on braid. Everything else is braid mainline to fluro leader.
Same
Thanks again guys on the input. Will be at least trying the braid on it to see how I like it. Correction on the rod length, once I got home I laughed at myself. It’s a 7’6. An 8’6 would be extremely long for that application
a 7’6″ is an awesome length for rigging. Light action I believe you said might require a braided line. Only reason I say this is because with a light rod you’re going to have a lot of give, so that rod paired with the stretch of mono as a main line might not drive hooks home the best.
I personally use 8lb braid and depending on the lake either a mono or fluoro leader.
Lakes like mille lacs which are clear I run Fluoro, but alot of other lakes I just run mono for a leader.
I run a 7’6″ MLF with a 2500 size reel. One thing I do not like about running braid is if you’re rigging big creek chubs as you peel line off to let the fish run, sometimes it gets tangled in a guide if you’re not paying attention. That’s really my only gripe but I still use it and have changed how I feed to make sure it doesn’t happen.
Just my .02 cents. All good info that’s been provided though.
a 7’6″ is an awesome length for rigging. Light action I believe you said might require a braided line. Only reason I say this is because with a light rod you’re going to have a lot of give, so that rod paired with the stretch of mono as a main line might not drive hooks home the best
It is a light, but it feels like it has really good backbone that starts earlier in the blank than other lights I have played with before. One of the Capra guy’s swears it’s the best rigging rod out there. We shall see.
My favorite length rod for live bait rigging is 7’6”.
I have a 76lf for my rigging, paired with sufix advanced, never had a problem driving hooks home.
In fact(soap box), I will argue fishing isn’t all about what comes in the boat, it’s pairing off each species with each rod combo we have to not only be effective in catching them, but also enjoy the fish and the fight of what they offer. My combo let’s the fish hold the minnow while I hold to make sure it’s a fish, and the softness of the rod and line allows me to go undetected on the other end, which then allows me to reel in that slack and watch that rod start bending until I get to that oh so freaking sweet spot and really crank it home, which who doesn’t like to crank it home all the while the combo is protecting those hooks?!
Sorry,that feeling u don’t get with braid, you’ll rip it right out and that’s why you see comments of light hooksets. That feeling and weight at the end of the rod after giving er the juice with a combo like this is simply orgasmic. Sorry not sorry.
Rigging is a loose term. I do very little live bait with the exception of down run eyes immediate to post spawn where I’m dragging 1/2 crawler down stream with about 1/8oncr jigs. I have a pair of 7’ rods in med lt with mono and a pair of 8’-6” ultralite. I have braid mainline on the ultra lites. A lot of experimentation to which was best for each combo
Most would consider that dragging Randy which is a different animal.
Most would consider that dragging Randy which is a different animal.
No kidding. As I said, rigging is a loose term because everywhere you go in this country people use different terminology. By the same token I switch off the jigs for 1/4ounce bullet weights ( reef rig, Carolina rig, lindy rig…..) and slide the current diagonally back and forth when working very isolated spots. Go to the Columbia and you’re “riggin”
Rigging is a loose term. I do very little live bait with the exception of down run eyes immediate to post spawn where I’m dragging 1/2 crawler down stream with about 1/8oncr jigs. I have a pair of 7’ rods in med lt with mono and a pair of 8’-6” ultralite. I have braid mainline on the ultra lites. A lot of experimentation to which was best for each combo
I have to come clean with all you river guys. I well have never fish a river from a boat other that the croix in a canoe. There I said it. I one day hope to have one of you hop in my boat and show me the ropes or I hop in yours and learn. So all of my rigging is in lakes with no or little current. So most is early in the year with light weights and minnows and then crawlers or leeches in the summer.
10lb braid on almost all of my walleye rods. I run this down to a 6 or 8lb mono or floro leader depending on what I’m doing. Live bait rigging is usually floro, but if there’s weeds or crud on the bottom, I’ll run a mono leader. It seems to help a bit since mono floats where floro sinks.
The only time I run mono on a rod is for bobber fishing. I’m even starting to run more braid rods for bobber rods. You cannot beat the sensitivity of braid! You don’t need stretch in your line if you have the correct rod.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
