# Mono vs Braid for distance casting



## Al Kai

I dont care for braid on a conventional reel.
When mono and braid are of the same diameter lets say .015 or .016, mono will clearly outcast braid for me. 
True braid may may have a higher breaking strength per diameter but I do sacrifice distance.
I thought to myself that not needing to tie up a shock leader would be an advantage but I was wrong, I lost distance.
Is anyone aware of a braid that will cast as well as mono. Braid and mono must be of EQUAL diameter. 
Not some super braid with a diameter of 2 pound test and breaking strength of 900lbs.
If you do please share this knowledge with me.


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## HellRhaY

what kind of braid did you use?
your situation seems to defy lthe logic of braid. braid flies of the reel and have better distance than mono because it doesnt have memory. when a line doesn't have memory, it will not keep the coil of the spool. Thus, making it fly further because it wouldn't hit the guides with the larger coil retained by mono. if the line doesnt hit the guides, less friction is obtain, with less friction, you get better distance.

soime braids are just too stiff (i.e. fireline) a 30lb fireline is like wire.


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## Rockfish1

some braids need time to break in, IE. wash some of the fillers out or just to loosen the fibers up before it'll cast to it's maximum efficiency... you can see it as you're fishing it, specially with green PP... you'll start seeing fresh line at the end of your casts... till it breaks in and you hit your maximum distances...


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## curtisb

HellRhaY said:


> what kind of braid did you use?
> your situation seems to defy lthe logic of braid. braid flies of the reel and have better distance than mono because it doesnt have memory. when a line doesn't have memory, it will not keep the coil of the spool. Thus, making it fly further because it wouldn't hit the guides with the larger coil retained by mono. if the line doesnt hit the guides, less friction is obtain, with less friction, you get better distance.
> 
> soime braids are just too stiff (i.e. fireline) a 30lb fireline is like wire.


Ok, if this is true then why don't us distance casters use braid? Because braid lines have more friction than mono going thru the guides. I would like to see someone at a tourney use braid and see if they can cast 700' plus with it.

CB


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## HellRhaY

is braid allowed in tournament?


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## curtisb

No one bothers to use it in tournaments. It is strong enough but would have to probably meet the minimum line diameter requirements. Like I said, no one bothers to use it. When they get braid smooth like mono it will cast like mono with out the friction a braided line produces(try braid line at 40,000 rpm spool speed and see how it fairs). I just checked and the rules state nothing about mono or braid use so like I said no one bothers to use it in a tournament.

CB


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## Hudak

I use 20lb Power Pro on my BY. The benefits from the diameter of the PP vs the diameter of 20lb mono FAR outweigh any added friction that may be occurring. I have thrown 20lb mono (a few different types) and thrown 20lb PP in the field and over water using the same reel and rod. The only variable was the line. Throwing 4oz and bait, there is absolutely no comparison. Braid hands down outcasts the comparable lb test mono. That is actually one of the advertising campaigns of braid manufacturers, that braid does outcast *same* test mono. I am not one to buy into what some fat cat sitting at a boardroom table wants me to believe. I tested it myself before coming to any conclusions. If anyone is finding that same test mono is outcasting the same test braid with everything else being the exact same, please let us know so we never buy that companies braid.


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## curtisb

Ok when it comes to fishing, yes braid is fine. But to prove my point the world record longest cast in a tournament is 312yds that's over 900'. Line used to make this cast MONO. When someone can cast farther than this with braid I will agree with you. Till then there is your proof.......

CB


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## Al Kai

HellRhaY said:


> what kind of braid did you use?
> your situation seems to defy lthe logic of braid. braid flies of the reel and have better distance than mono because it doesnt have memory. when a line doesn't have memory, it will not keep the coil of the spool. Thus, making it fly further because it wouldn't hit the guides with the larger coil retained by mono. if the line doesnt hit the guides, less friction is obtain, with less friction, you get better distance.
> 
> soime braids are just too stiff (i.e. fireline) a 30lb fireline is like wire.


I put some green power pro .016 braid on my 6500c3ct. It has diameter of 16 pound test
but does not cast as well.


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## Al Kai

Rockfish1 said:


> some braids need time to break in, IE. wash some of the fillers out or just to loosen the fibers up before it'll cast to it's maximum efficiency... you can see it as you're fishing it, specially with green PP... you'll start seeing fresh line at the end of your casts... till it breaks in and you hit your maximum distances...


You just taught me something, thank you.
How long does the braid take to break in.


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## HellRhaY

curtisb said:


> Ok when it comes to fishing, yes braid is fine. But to prove my point the world record longest cast in a tournament is 312yds that's over 900'. Line used to make this cast MONO. When someone can cast farther than this with braid I will agree with you. Till then there is your proof.......
> 
> CB


i bet it is also conventional. as conventional wisdom suggests, conventional outcasts a spinner.
new innovations had come up lately you just have prove it yourself.
anyways, did you ask the tournament organizers if braid is O.K. for use as substitute for mono? Or the tournamnet has a rule that says mono only. because as Nick Meyers told me, if i wanted more distance, I should go with braid from 17 lb momoi.


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## HellRhaY

Al Kai said:


> You just taught me something, thank you.
> How long does the braid take to break in.


fireline is the only braid that i know of that needs to be broken in. you will know when it's broken in when the line is limp and supple compared to when you got it new when it is "wirey".


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## curtisb

Yes it was conventional, so to also say the record with a spinning reel and mono is over 750' and for the record Nick is a good friend of mine and I have been longcasting with him in tournamets for about 5 years now. And there is no rule stating braid is not legal only that a certian diameter must be met. 150 gram .31mm and 125gram .28mm but like I keep saying no one bothers to use braid in a tournament. With all the advancements we have gone to in tourney casting(reels, rods, sinkers and line) why do you think then if braid was the super casting line it's billed to be that people like me who do longcast competitvely don't bother with using it to try to cast as far as we possibly can on a tournament field.

CB


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## HellRhaY

well, we will just have to agree to disagree on this. because i achieve more distance with a 20lb braid compared to a 20lb mono.


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## terpfan

curtisb said:


> Ok when it comes to fishing, yes braid is fine. But to prove my point the world record longest cast in a tournament is 312yds that's over 900'. Line used to make this cast MONO. When someone can cast farther than this with braid I will agree with you. Till then there is your proof.......
> 
> CB


i bet if danny moeskop use 10# pp on his reel. (spinning) he will easily cast over 900' maybe tommy can try it sometime


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## curtisb

terpfan said:


> i bet if danny moeskop use 10# pp on his reel. (spinning) he will easily cast over 900' maybe tommy can try it sometime


I'm sure if with Danny's experience in longcasting he would have already tried it. And like I said, for fishing braid is probably just fine. I have tried braid and prefer mono for fishing. I will only use mono for longcasting, unless something much better than the present choices out there comes along.

CB


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## Rockfish1

Al Kai said:


> You just taught me something, thank you.
> How long does the braid take to break in.


normally within a couple hours of plugging it'll loosen up and get to good fishing condition... when it turns from green to grey, it's at it's optimum stage... that's when all the dye and fillers are out of it...


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## Kwesi W.

*Just my opinion!*

I'm starting to phase out my braid for several different reasons. Using braid is not a bad thing, but In my opinion it's not the best practice for all fishing applications. For me braid will only be used for lure fishing, and when I need ultimate distance. So that's 2 setups out of 8. 

I think it's important to remember that when you compare braid vs. Mono that you do it with matching diameters and not pound test. When you compare pound test it not a fair comparison. Example. 20lb braid vs. 20lb mono is really like comparing 20lb mono against 6lb mono.. Not a far comparison if you ask me. So if any one has ever done a TRUE comparison I would like to know the results!


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## Hudak

I guess my point wasn't clear to a certain extent, or maybe I should have embellished it a little more. 

If I were casting in the field for distance competition, I would want to cast mono. If you cast the same *diameter* mono and braid, I wholeheartedly feel that the mono would cast better. Better = further in this case.

I was reading from strictly a fishing standpoint of comparing *test* rating. It will be hard to convince anyone that 20lb mono will cast further then 20lb braid in general all else being equal. Now, if you change your comparisons to line *diameter* instead of lb test, sure mono will outcast braid. 

Looking at the diameter charts of Power Pro, it says 200lb power pro is .030 diameter. (based on a website advertisement) Even at that size, it is too small for 150gram class if I am not mistaken. I do not know anyone that would throw or could even justify throwing 200lb power pro in a competition expecting it to cast further then the equivalent *diameter* mono.

Comparing *lb test rating* braid will prevail. Comparing *line diameter* mono will prevail. Depending on which line property is being choosen to measure for comparison, either answer could be right.


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## barty b

*Yaaaayy!!!*

ANOTHER Braid VS Mono debate!!!! 



HellRhaY said:


> well, we will just have to agree to disagree on this. because i achieve more distance with a 20lb braid compared to a 20lb mono.


Rhay, I'm not even sure why your giving out opinions on this topic
You throw spinners, Yes braid performs better on spinners. 

Also the man said *BRAID AND MONO MUST BE OF EQUAL DIAMETERS.* Evreyone knows that 20lb mono and 20lb braid are nowhere near the same dia so your point is moot in this arguement.

No. braid is not allowed in sanctioned events.

Spiderwire and Power Pro, and every other braid I have used are ALL "wirey" when new due to thier coatings.

And again what Nick told you was refering to spinning reels 

Why do people insist on throwing in their .02 when they don't know what they're talking about?


Back on topic....As for an argument going in FAVOR of braid for distance on a conv. Where's Clinder?? He can throw 8-n-bait 900' with a 6' ugly stick and a calcutta 400


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## curtisb

Barty, were did you see that braid was not allowed in sanctioned events. I have doubled checked Sportcast USA rules and all they refer to is line diameter and it must be of high visibilty.
But of course like I said, in my 5 years of tournament casting no one has even considered using it.

CB


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## curtisb

Barty, were did you see that braid was not allowed in sanctioned events. I have doubled checked Sportcast USA rules and all they refer to is line diameter, parallel through out it's length and it must be of high visibilty.
But of course like I said, in my 5 years of tournament casting no one has even considered using it.

CB


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## curtisb

Barty, were did you see that braid was not allowed in sanctioned events. I have doubled checked Sportcast USA rules and all they refer to is line diameter, parallel through out it's length and it must be of high visibilty. Matter of fact the first tournaments were cast using dacron line and then mono came out later.
But of course like I said, in my 5 years of tournament casting no one has even considered using it.

CB


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## curtisb

Sorry, moderator please delete #21 and #22


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## Connman

Curtis , it's somewhere in the rules , only Mono allowed for our casting events .The exception is the Fishermans style event where both mono and braid are allowed . 
On *conventionals* IMHO mono is the king . Several reasons . 
1) Mono being stiffer than braid actually helps the flow of line off the spool and has less tendency to backlash .
2) Mono beds down differently on a conventional spool than braid . Braid digs into itself and you have to overcome this when you cast . Cast at high power levels and you can feel the braid having to become unstuck from the other strands of adjacent braid . this cuts distance for braid . 
3)Thinner diameter of braid is not necessarily better on a conventional . Every spool size ie abu 5500 or 6500 or mag 525 has an optimum line diameter size which will cast best on that particular spool . Usually something in the 12-17lb mono diameter works best , thinner diameter braid works against you . If you like braid then use something closer to the optimum mono diameter which will usually mean a 50-65lb braid will cast best on a conventional , if you use fireline which is thicker then 20-30 works good .


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## curtisb

Con, I have never seen it listed anywhere in the rules. It should be right up front with the other line requirements(not that I would ever use it myself).
I have read all thru the Tournament rules and don't see it anywhere on your site.
CB


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## seajay

HellRhaY said:


> well, we will just have to agree to disagree on this. because i achieve more distance with a 20lb braid compared to a 20lb mono.


 Read Barty's post, the part about Line Dia. and Conventional vs. Spinning Reels.
This one is for you :beer:
opcorn:


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## HellRhaY

barty b said:


> ANOTHER Braid VS Mono debate!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Rhay, I'm not even sure why your giving out opinions on this topic
> You throw spinners, Yes braid performs better on spinners.
> 
> Also the man said *BRAID AND MONO MUST BE OF EQUAL DIAMETERS.* Evreyone knows that 20lb mono and 20lb braid are nowhere near the same dia so your point is moot in this arguement.


MY BAD!!!
I should've read the ops post twice. 
i missed the part where the op said conventional and the same line diameter.

I am such an idiot.

carry on.


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## HellRhaY

seajay said:


> Read Barty's post, the part about Line Dia. and Conventional vs. Spinning Reels.
> This one is for you :beer:
> opcorn:


Sorry.


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## JAM

Great stuff Conman, also a ting to remember is that the less diameter line compacts tighter and tighter under resistance (big fish) I have personaly see 3 reels in the past year explode the reel spool and the side plates.. These boys were not even using braid just a real low diameter mono.. Zing Pow doged one that way as did Rusel the Muscle.. Forget who the other one was but.. Less dia puts more pressure on the spool reguardless of what pound test it is..Or what its made of.. JAM


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## barty b

JAM said:


> Great stuff Conman, also a ting to remember is that the less diameter line compacts tighter and tighter under resistance (big fish) I have personaly see 3 reels in the past year explode the reel spool and the side plates.. These boys were not even using braid just a real low diameter mono.. Zing Pow doged one that way as did Rusel the Muscle.. Forget who the other one was but.. Less dia puts more pressure on the spool reguardless of what pound test it is..Or what its made of.. JAM


I ahve heard of theat happening to a 6/0 filled with braid. Dude was fighting a shark and his reel (spool)litterally exploded. Blew the sideplates off!


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## barty b

HellRhaY said:


> MY BAD!!!
> I should've read the ops post twice.
> i missed the part where the op said conventional and the same line diameter.
> 
> I am such an idiot.
> 
> carry on.


Take that black bar off your face and maybe you can see to read better.


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## barty b

curtisb said:


> Con, I have never seen it listed anywhere in the rules. It should be right up front with the other line requirements(not that I would ever use it myself).
> I have read all thru the Tournament rules and don't see it anywhere on your site.
> CB


Just what I've been told. It IS in the UKSF rules, I couldnt find it in Sportcast either,but like you said, I dont think anyone would even consider it.


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## HellRhaY

barty b said:


> Take that black bar off your face and maybe you can see to read better.


already did barty.
i put the black bar on my face because of racial prejudice's i have experienced in life. after getting comfortable and seeing none of the members in the sites i frequent are biased against my skin, i took the bar off.


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## Leigh

hers a clip of 3 of the top casters in Australia going for it with 10 and 14 lbs fireline and no leaders in comp with 2 and 4 ozs leads ,2ozs whent 193 mts and 4 ozs whent 210 mts enjoy,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KL6H2fdhDk


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