# Mono vs. Braid for Mackerel



## Jackem_up (Apr 7, 2014)

Alright guys, I've had a lot of people tell me different answer to this, but off of a pier, for kings, whick is best, mono or braid?


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## panhandleslim (Jan 11, 2013)

Braid should give you more casting distance given the same reel and rod; but, with all the snarls that CAN happen between yourself and other anglers, braid is a nightmare on a pier.


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## fairpoint (May 9, 2013)

IMO throw mono .....its cheaper to replace and if you fish on the pier ..line replacement happens frequently.....I cobia fish with powerpro but I'm not slingin a cig or hardtail all day........


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## jesusE65 (Jan 7, 2014)

if your cobia fishing braid is the way to go but for slinging cigs go with mono :thumbsup:


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## Jackin' 'Em Up (Dec 31, 2013)

I use 100yds of 30lb braid backing and fill the rest of the spool with 17lb mono


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

I don't pier fish for kings, but I do from a boat. Things may be different from the pier. For pretty much everything, I use braid, EXCEPT Kings and surf fishing. I use 17lb mono for kings. You need the stretch to help keep from pulling the hooks.


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## nb&twil (Oct 2, 2007)

From the pier, you'll probably find mono more manageable. It's more visible, so you can see your line (where your bait is, and if you're getting mixed up with other lines), mono inherently has more stretch so you don't pull hooks as easily, and you don't have the worry of cutting an injury from the braid. 
That being said, you can certainly catch kings on braid. When I throw artificials, it's all I use. I can throw it farther and the bait will get down a little better. But the most important thing to remember is you HAVE to keep a light drag. Since you don't have the stretch of mono, you have to leave a light drag so you don't pull the hooks. When I fished the piers/jetties in south Texas, I used almost nothing but 15lb braid. Zero problems.


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## 9/0 (Feb 16, 2014)

For me mono for kings and braid for ling. Put braid on it and after the first King smokes your bait while your finger is on the line you will wish u had mono. That's just my opinion.


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## bay slayer (May 26, 2008)

mono for sure. less windknots, not so many tangles, easier too see, pretty much what everyone else said. Also braid braid burns people off pretty bad, not the best way to make friends. On a day when kings are running braid will be your worst enemy it sucks for the pier. Only time to use braid is ling and bonita season since you are sight fishing and not snobbling or throwing a bait all day.


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## Smitty81 (Sep 19, 2012)

Braid will pull hooks out of a kings mouth. You need mono for the shock relief. He will come unhooked when he runs back toward you after wearing a hole in his mouth during his first run.


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## startzc (Feb 4, 2013)

If you are asking that question throw mono. Otherwise you will end up getting across or getting crossed by someone's line who doesn't see your braid. Really depends on your skill and comfort level with braid, a wind knot on braid can be detrimental and will happen more often, since you will probably be throwing into the wind more often than not.


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## karma (Oct 26, 2007)

like stated above.. wind knots!! go mono!


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## tinboat814 (Mar 20, 2012)

I prefer mono, especially for kings. The mono helps take up some of the shock from the strike which helps if you don't have the smoothest of drags and prevent ripping the hook from their soft mouths. The biggest downfall for mono is line capacity vs braid. But if you're worried you might not have enough line fill your reel with braid and attach a 100yd mono topshot and you're good with the best of both worlds.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

What's with all of the wind knots you guys get on braid? I use braid on about 10 or 15 different rods and have used it for probably 15 years. I NEVER get wind knots.
The only problem I have ever had with braid was that I got a spool of Spider Wire a long time ago that was twisted on the spool. It twisted pretty bad on the reel. But I let it all out behind the boat and dragged it for about a mile... I did this 2 or 3 times and the twist was gone...

Are you guys loading it on spinning reels by putting the spool on a pencil or something? If so, that is not the proper way to load a spinning reel. Just curious, because I use braid ALOT, with no problems...


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## DreamWeaver21 (Oct 3, 2007)

Smitty81 said:


> Braid will pull hooks out of a kings mouth. You need mono for the shock relief. He will come unhooked when he runs back toward you after wearing a hole in his mouth during his first run.


 x2. I don't pier fish but I have lost a lot of kings using braid after a run. Mono for kings for sure.


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## startzc (Feb 4, 2013)

NoMoSurf you probably have more experience than the person asking the question and i am sure he can learn but king fishing from the pier is not the place to learn unless you want to piss a lot of people off. I don't care how comfortable you are with braid if you are using light braid <20lb and a wind catching bait (any dead minnow), if the wind is blowing hard and you have never gotten a wind not you are magical and I would liken you to the unicorn =). You can't just drop it for kings you have to cast for distance, wind or not, and sooner or later you will get knots.


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## MrFish49 (Jun 30, 2012)

I used to use braid for kings on the pier, using bright orange line so other people could see it. But I just sick of it eventually it drifted to fast, flew around too much, and I just got sick of watching the line constantly. So I just stripped off a good chunk of braid and run a 100 yards of mono as a top shot, no need to deal with braid while snobbling but still have line capacity.


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## demmackerel (Apr 26, 2014)

I agree with nb & twil i use mono on live bait/snobbling and i use braid on my artificial baits i.e.: xraps, yozuri's, knife jigs, etc. I never have any problems with kings and yes definitely want to use braid on them big brown fish =D


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