Braid for Bluegill?

[Damon Toney]

Any of you use braid for bluegill?

[Damon Toney]

Yup, Slip, that's why I went with a waggler float. They cast like a arrow. Wagglers are only attached at the bottom and have a bit of a "weight forward" way about them. Pleasant to cast into the wind.

[Tony Livingston]

After a disappointing experience with nanofil, I ventured back into the superlines this past summer with Sufix 832 braid in 6 lb test. After several months I feel it has earned a place on one of my rods. I still prefer mono for all slip float applications, as I find it "slicker" than the braid, and it requires less weight to pull line through the float. But my crankbait rod  performs well with the braid.

No leader for me also. Never understood the logic of spooling up with a superline, then tying on a weaker, less sensitive length on the end.

[Slip Sinker]

i heard some great things about Suffix 832... fibers are made from the company that produces Goretex... has to be strong hey.

yep your right i have noticed more weight needed at the bait for a good pull through at the bobber. what i have noticed to is after the cast if the line comes into contact with the sides of the bobber the braid clings to it and the bait does not drop completely a couple snaps usually gets the bait down though.... a bit irritating yes. fishing the heavy slop almost all summer i considered switching a rig back to mono. then after tagging few big solid preds in the slop i noticed another advantage of braid it slices and cuts through the weed stalks and i landed most of the big fish i tagged... mono stretches and wraps. Nanofil doesnt stretch but doesnt cut the weeds like braid does so for now im sticking with the braid. i had a great pattern going last year fishing that slop with 2 and 4# braid on slip floats in 2 ft or less of water.

this is the what was left after a battling a SMB with 2# ice braid that was digging in the grass to win the battle. cut clean like a weed whacker. who hasnt lost heartbreaking battles with trophy fish that have wrapped mono around the weeds. the fish usually are hopelessly lost

[Slip Sinker]

at one time i bought some fluorocarbon to add a leader to add and match to the braid. what a difference in diameter ... the floro seemed like rope... i discontinued use almost immediately.

[Allen Morgan]

If you have a problem with the braid gouging and/or getting hung in the float, switch over to a Thill Float that has the copper tube.  Or, glue a glass bead into the top of the Comal floats to get the braid to slide through without hanging.

[Tony Livingston]

That's what I do Allen.....

http://bigbluegill.com/profiles/blogs/souped-up-slip-bobbers

[Allen Morgan]

I will use a mono or fluoro leader with my braid.  Main reason is, back in Oklahoma, I was fishing some fairly snaggy waters.  If I went with a 20 lbs test leader on my catfish rods, strung up with 40 lbs test braid (or higher), when I got hung up (it's a "when", not an "if"), I would end up breaking off the leader, but not my braid.

When I started fishing braid for sunfish, I did the same thing, except that my mainline is 10 lbs test braid, and my leader was never higher than 8 lbs test, but usually 4 lbs test.

It ends up becoming just like fly fishing.  When the Trout are feeding on midges, and you're fishing flies that are size 20 or SMALLER, you're using tippet that's either 7X, 8X, or 9X.  Basically, think 2 lbs test mono.  Imagine a big ol' 20" + Trout, IN CURRENT, and you've got 2 lbs test line that's your "wink link".  You better have your drag set light, and know how to steer that fish.

Same thing with me using lighter mono leaders with braid mainline.  I get the zero-stretch and bite sensitivity of braid, but since my weak link in the chain is the mono leader, I have to set my drag accordingly.  Now, 4 lbs test mono with a 7' light-action rod, and Bluegill in still water, have yet to actually pull drag.  But, the occasional Channel Cat or LMB that have taken my bait will definitely make that drag sing.

[Damon Toney]

Thx, Allen. I was thinking how much like a fly line set up this was.