Braid or Mono for Bluegill fishing?

[Frank J Harvey]

Just bought a 6' 9" UL St Croix Panfish rod and ready to string it up with line. What to use? Braid or mono, what brand and what lb test should I go?
Thanks

[jim cosgrove]

tony- who runs 25000 miles on the same oil?just kidding.l.not a money issue for me.i use nanofil on one rod and will be changing a couple more over.it does cast farther.i have almost identical rods.1 firline crystal,1 nanofil.same test.the nanofil is better in every way that matters,i also have 2 old rods that have ceramic guides and i use 6lb cortland camoline.they are both great rods and have caught 100s of fish and some big ones.the nano gives me feel like nothing else and i am sure it has increased my catch rate on jigs.lots of bites i never would have felt.

[Slip Sinker]

it is truly amazing the distance i could cast the tiny jigs with the Nanofil UL setup.

[Tony Livingston]

Jim I'm glad you're finding success with the nano. Never again for me. That 4 lb nano would dig into itself on the spool after catching a large bluegill, and it was a sure bet that the very next cast would not feed until I pulled it off by hand and reeled it back up LIGHTLY. And, it was light as dandelion fluff....a long cast would leave a huge arc of nano, floating on the breeze, and finally settling on the surface where it sank ssslllooowwwwly.......too slow for my liking.

To be fair, My methodology for big bluegills is probably different than what is considered standard, and casting tiny, miniscule offerings is the rule of the day on many outings. I'm talking wet and dry fly stuff, cast with a spinning rod. If I had used the nano with some weight, or a float, or a lure, it might've performed differently.

But then again, Sufix mono does me proud whatever the fishing technique I'm using, so there's little incentive for me to change.

I own and operate an equipment service business....had a fellow tell me he drains out the synthetic oil, changes the filter, and pours the old oil right back in. Claimed to have over 50,000 miles on the same oil.

No thank you.....I'll change my oil, AND my fishing line, regularly!

[jim cosgrove]

4 is too small tonywhen i first saw it the guy said go with at least 6.you have to put braid or nano on super tight when you first spool it.i caught an over 6lb bass on it last year on a tiny jig and had no issues.the 4 is smaller than1lb mono.i have 1lb and .5 lb mono for tippet material.my buddy runs synthetic but changes it almost as often as conventional.his chevy pickup,which he runs 90 miles each way to work and pulls a bass boat all over the place.over 4000000 miles on a gas engine.he also puts synthetic in the trans.i would still use the nano for micro jigging if i had to replace it twice a year.tony i fish a lot of deep clear water too where finesse and small offerings are a must,and dangling below a float isn't an option.

[Tony Livingston]

I haven't given up on trying new lines, but nanofil is a no-fly for me. This year I intend to try Sufix 832 advanced in 6lb test, as well as Asso Powerbraid in 8lb test.

[Andy is OptiMystic]

Nanofil requires more "micro-management" than I would like and I will also be trying others. I have SpiderWire on another and it is very similar. I probably should move up in test and diameter but when you are careful about tightening it from time to time (simple as reeling between fingers every dozens casts or so if you have something really light on) you can get some serious distance with light jigs and set the hook with a small wrist flick all the way at the end and you feel that tap that alerts you to set the hook. With mono below 6# I could not set the hook well at the end of a long cast and I could feel less strikes.

[jim cosgrove]

always manually trip the bail with braid or any super line.the modern reels self center and thats where the slack creeps in.braid is different to manage but not harder.i used 4 lb mono for years it also needed special care.flinging 50 feet of fly line  is a lot different than tossing a jig

[Frank J Harvey]

It does seem to help Jim. Thanks

[Andy is OptiMystic]

I am trying to get in that habit. It is difficult when you have been reeling it closed for decades.

[Frank J Harvey]

Just bought a spool of 15 lb test Spiderweb guys. Has the same diameter as 4 lb mono. Thanks for replying all!

[Slip Sinker]

green, camo, yellow or white?

[Frank J Harvey]

Glow vis green!