Northwest Fishing Reports

I've gone back and forth between mono, braid and blends. Most of the water I fish is darker, almost like tea, so the fish have never seemed to be line shy. I've used nothing but mono on my spinning rods because I only really use the spinning rods for finesse techniques. I've used braid before for my baitcasters and am thinking of going back to it now that I'm older and wiser. I used to just straighten hooks and crack guides when I was younger. I liked the sensitivity of braid and now can appreciate the zero-stretch. It also seems easier to deal with than mono in a baitcaster.

What is your mileage with these lines? What situations and rods do you use these lines? In clearer water, are you adding a leader to your braid to hide the line?

Braid seems to last a long time. When it starts fraying apart, I change it, typically after an entire season.

I personally only use braid fishing heavy cover, typically frog fishing or flipping in really thick vegetation. I'll use heavy action rods with fast action. A reputable guy who pops up on this site once in a while, Tag Watson had strongly suggested using slower action rods paired with braid when froggy fishing, it'll increase your hook up ratio. I've yet to try it, but Tag knows his bass fishing.

I've seen guys dropshotting with braid and a fluro leader. They'll tie a blood knot for the transition. I just use straight fluro. Too many knots for me.

I definitely can see where a slower tip section could help with braid. I'm coming back to bass fishing after spending a few years learning to fish for steelhead. I started to like rods with more moderate action for what I would characterize as tight-lined presentations. The rod tip absorbs a lot of shock and lets a fish really take in the bait. My faster rods have all been used in "loose-lined" presentations where I like to be able to MOVE some line if I need to.

Its amazing how similar bass and steelhead fishing really are. I know for certain that being a bass fisherman made me a much better steelhead fisherman.

I've been bass fishing pretty much all my life, but when I moved to the Northwest I started steelhead fishing about 6 years ago. It's definitely helped out for the winters here. It's nice to use my bass reels for steelhead/salmon as well. I do use some bass experience to apply fishing for steelhead in regards of water clarity, temperature, and weather patterns.

What I really noticed when learning to steelhead fish was that I could put a lure or bait tight to the bank or I could flip under low branches and stuff like that. You see guys with their rigs caught in the trees or making errant casts. I keep telling them that a summer of bass fishing will fix those problems .

Another good application for braid is topwater. Don't just think frog fishing in heavy vegetation either. When you are making long casts with topwater, you have to to compensate for all that extra line stretching. The longer the cast the more stretch.

And it floats which is best for a topwater lure, expecialy the ones like poppers and Spook types.

Dan ,

I suggest that you continue too keep an open mind in relation too choosing your line for all of your BASS rigging needs.
I use it all Braid , Fluoro, Mono, & Co polymer at any giving time depending upon a few simple factors .
For Example if im fishing a football head around big bolders with sharps crevices on a lake like Roosevelt , im gonna rig up Co polomer line over my standard fluoro .
In this example im mostly only concerned with the fact those rocks will slowly start to stripp away at my fluoro line which will force me to re~tie a lot though out the day or possibly resulting into lossing a fish.
Now if im on lake washington or lake sammaish throwing up on rockpiles , i will revert back too 100% Sunline Fluoro you see.
Another great example in relation to reaction bait like a Rattle Trap for example .
Fundamentally we are told by the Bass acticle editors and pro's at times that traditionally the best line too always roll with is for reaction baits is Mono right ?
Well in the spring when im focused on flats filled with weeds iv found that using braid is the most effective line of choice in this scenario . When my trapp gets down in those thick weeds i like to rip it up using a yo~yo like retreive , 90% of my bites comes on "the rip" .
So If im using mono or Co polomer in this scenario im at a disadvantage due too line stretch which might result into to poor hook penetration .
I could out line more examples for you to understand my overall point Dan , which is that you have to look at your line selection no different than you do your bait selection , There is a time a place for all variables to come together .

Dan line too me personally is one the important aspects of rigging up for bass , I spend a lot of money on line though out my tourney season , why ? Because its sooo very relevant due to structure , highly pressured bodies of water , and baits control .
If you ask me 4 years ago would i pay $40 for a 200yrd of fishing line , I proberly would have laughed first and said hecks no . Dan trust me when i say that somethings spending more up front will pay for itself in the long run for sure , field tested and approved brother

Feel free to PM me anytime bud

BBD

Will do! I see what you're talking about in regards to lines being as specific as baits. Sounds like it might be easier to buy more rods. I bet the wife will like that idea......

More rods is always good. I bought 6 last year and was planning on 3 more this month, but something came up, so I won't be able to get any more for another month or 2 at least.

Dan360 wrote:Will do! I see what you're talking about in regards to lines being as specific as baits. Sounds like it might be easier to buy more rods. I bet the wife will like that idea......

Nice , Im glad you were able to take something from this thread bro .There are a nice amount of high caliber anglerS on this site and they all always willing to answer questions and offer great advise so welcome too the WALAKES FAM~BAM ..

Heads up guys , Mike cary and myself are doing another filming this coming wkend .. I cant give up the details but i promise you all that it will be action pack and very informative as usual

BBD

Hmmm. I haven't decided which lake to fish Fri., Sat., and Sun. Hmmm.

Maybe having a better understanding of rods and lines will open up some new doors to presentations that I haven't used in the past. Versatility is never a bad thing methinks.

Dan360 wrote:Will do! I see what you're talking about in regards to lines being as specific as baits. Sounds like it might be easier to buy more rods. I bet the wife will like that idea......

and more reels for those rods.

Mike Carey wrote:

Dan360 wrote:Will do! I see what you're talking about in regards to lines being as specific as baits. Sounds like it might be easier to buy more rods. I bet the wife will like that idea......

and more reels for those rods.

Yup, for those 6 rods I also bought reels. I now have 4 extra reels of each size I like to use for the techniques I do.

I use braid all the time for every lure 65lb test works the best for me . I don't lose any fish. So if you don't want any lures lost or even fish use the braid.

It's definitely a choice based on practicality. Braid fishes better on a rod with a slow tip, because you can really rip lips and straighten hooks with it. Now that they have super light and thin braids out, the line shy issue can be less of a problem. If you decide on the fly that you'd like to fish mono instead of braid, all you have to do is put 30 or so feet of flouro on top of your braid.

But I'm pretty sure the ideal situation is to get more rods and reels. Something for chucking and ripping spinner baits, a finesse rod for drop shotting, a top water rod, a long rod for drift fishing, a 10' 6" for float fishing, a stout and supple fiberglass plugging rod, a 13 footer for free drifting roe, a Curado, Stradic or Penn for each rod, a bass boat, pontoon drift boat and a jet sled.