[PaintBass]

When trolling deep diving cranks it seems that braid will get your crank deeper, but has no stretch to absorb strikes. Mono stretches and absorbs these, but because of the thick diameter it will not dive as deep. I have been using Berkley big game 12lb for trolling and have done really well, but I am toying with the idea of power pro 14lb with 6lb diameter for getting my cranks deeper and not worrying about breaking off a big Striper. I was wondering what others use?

 

[Fish Finder]

Stick with the mono for trolling

Now if you were just cast/cranking, I would suggest a 10-12lb fluoro for deep divers

 

[BrandonA]

I personally like to use Braid while trolling to get the bait deeper. The reasons I do this 1) you can detect the strikes better. 2) the crankbait has better action 3) Due to the strength less likely to break off. The key is to have a loose drag to absort the shock.

 

[Dez]

I like braid and use 20 power pro on several spinning rods we troll with. And the llose drag is the key to happy trolling..

 

[ShawnT]

Since braid floats, you wont be getting your crankbait any deeper even if you downsize. I throw my big cranks on 12lb mono and if I really need it to go deep, I'll throw it on 10lb floro. Floro will get you a little deeper than mono, but doesnt have as much stretch. I even back way down on my drag when throwing my cranks on mono as well, even when using a 7'6" parabolic rod.

Braid has virtually no stretch which becomes a nightmare when throwing them into cover like wood, as you will bury the hook. You can back way off on the drag to help prevent this in addition to using a parabolic rod, and by doing so will also help prevent from pulling the bait free from the fish when you do get hooked up. I'd try 12lb floro first.

 

[NjTexan]

Brandon...Dez are y'all downrigging when you troll?

 

[BrandonA]

Typically when I troll, I will troll two downriggers out the back and two freeline rigs off the side. Usually on the downriggers I use swimbaits, jigs, long A type baits. These rods I am using 20lb big game. The freeline rigs I use 30Lb suffix and run the deep diving crankbaits. Using braid you gain 2-3 more feet when you let out 120-130ft of line.

 

[Dez]

Sometimes. We use mono on the riggers cause it donesn't need to get deep. I have to dissagree with Tamez, Power pro will sink once it's wet but that doesn't matter really when you have 120feet of line out at 2.5mph. 20lb braid will go probably 50% deeper than 12 lb flouro or mono simply because of the small diametercreating less reststance. I chunk cranks on mono or flouro but braid works best for freeline trolling IMO..

 

[ShawnT]

Even when power pro is wet it doesnt sink well/easily. I know this because I throw allot of weightless baits and I use a braid main line and about a 10' leader of floro. The braid sits on top of the water and I watch the braid to floro knot for strikes.

 

[Fish Finder]

I agree to disagree Dez...

I can throw the same cranks on the same rods with the fluoro getting the bait the deepest.
Now if a person was to throw a 12-15lb braid vs. 12lb fluoro the results would be much close but still not equal. There is no arguing the fact that a sinking line will drive a bait deeper vs. the latter

 

[Dez]

Even when power pro is wet it doesnt sink well/easily. I know this because I throw allot of weightless baits and I use a braid main line and about a 10' leader of floro. The braid sits on top of the water and I watch the braid to floro knot for strikes.

Yea i agree it will lay on top and not sink on it's own easily but for trolling it's the diameter that matters... I troll alot and that's what we see...

 

[PaintBass]

A friend sent me a couple of emails: Interesting information. And I am more confused now then I was before.

With FireLine, we can get an amazing amount of extra depth with crankbaits. Because it is so thin, it has much less water resistance than monofilament of similar strength, allowing cranks to go deeper. We usually use 10-pound test FireLine, which has the diameter of 4-pound test monofilament.
The thinner diameter of FireLine gives us as much as 30 percent more depth than monofilament for the same crankbait. For instance, a Storm Deep ThunderStick Jr. will go 18 feet with 10-pound XT, but down to 25 feet with 10-pound test FireLine. With a regular-sized Deep ThunderStick, we can get to 28 feet deep with 10 XT; an incredible 40 feet deep with 10-pound test FireLine. These depths were confirmed by Dr. Steven Holt, who co-authored "Crankbaits In-Depth," the bible of crankbait trolling. Holt donned scuba gear and actually recorded the depths of crankbaits as they were pulled in front of him.

Second Email:

I use Power Pro 30 lb test for trolling. The big advantage of using braided lines while trolling is the lack of stretch. You can detect the action of the lure much better with braid than with monofilament. This is helpful to detect when weeds and debris collect on your lure. It also gives you a better hook set.
Another big advantage is the thin diameter of braid. Thirty pound test braid is equal to 8 lb test monofilament. This helps your lure dive deeper due to less water resistance. In turn, you have to let out less line to get to the same depth you would have reached with monofilament. With braid you let out 150' to get a Bomber B16 down to 7' deep. With monofilament you would have to let out about 230' of line to get to 7' deep.

You are generally safe trolling with braid because you don't normally encounter objects that could fray your line like rocks. If you scrape any objects check your line for frays!
There area a couple of other things to keep in mind while using braid. For one, do not use clinch knots. Use the Palomar knot, and leave about 1/4 tag remaining. Also, older metal guides may groove from braided line. Newer rods should be braid-friendly.

 

[BrandonA]

. Never considered using fluro for trolling but may have to consider trying it.

 

[ShawnT]

I've spent all day trying to hit some rockpiles on Falcon that had always held good fish, but we fished it just after the lake came up 4ft and put the rockpiles in 19' of water. We initially had on 20lb braid because you lose so many fish in the junk and couldnt hit it, so we switched to 12lb mono and couldnt hit it, and finally 12lb floro, and that was the only thing that could get it down there.

 

[Dez]

And another thing, you can see theRod tip bounce with bait swimming on the braid. If it gets fouled you can tell immediately and you won't waste time dragging a bait around that's not running right. You can see light bites too and not drown so many whites..

 

[Dez]

I've spent all day trying to hit some rockpiles on Falcon that had always held good fish, but we fished it just after the lake came up 4ft and put the rockpiles in 19' of water. We initially had on 20lb braid because you lose so many fish in the junk and couldnt hit it, so we switched to 12lb mono and couldnt hit it, and finally 12lb floro, and that was the only thing that could get it down there.

It's different when trolling. You have way more line out than you can cast thus creating much more reststance on the line.. Try it some day. Put 2 of the same baits out at the same distance say 150' one on 20lb braid and one on 12 flouro., troll at 2.5 and run up an incline and see which hits bottom first...

 

[PaintBass]

Anyone use a Superline fused line like Berkley Fireline? I think I may just have to experiment. Thanks for all the feedback.

http://www.berkley-fishing.com/products/line/superline/fireline-fused-crystal

 

[ShawnT]

It's different when trolling. You have way more line out than you can cast thus creating much more reststance on the line.. Try it some day. Put 2 of the same baits out at the same distance say 150' one on 20lb braid and one on 12 flouro., troll at 2.5 and run up an incline and see which hits bottom first...

Yeah, that makes sense.

 

[NjTexan]

Interesting...maybe I finally have a use for that spool of Fireline.

Thanks guys..

 

[Dez]

I hate tossing cranks on braid, just like you said many issues and lost fish and baits. Flouro is the best for what I chunk usually but for trolling i use Power Pro. For other uses like freelining bait I use Suffix performance braid tied with a uni to a flouro leader..