Favorite Mono & Size For Top Water Baits ?

[ChrisD46]

I am interested to know which brand mono line AND size you use for the two specific topwater techniques below :

1 . Chuggers & Poppers : Many Pros suggest weekend anglers do not use heavy enough mono for this category - a heavier 15lb. to 20lb. mono will float higher so thus better for poppers & chuggers ...Your thoughts and experiences ?

2 . Walk - The - Dog Baits : For Spooks , Sammys , Gunfish , etc. a number of Pros suggest a little lighter pound test mono (10lb. to 14lb.) with the right response is an advantage as you want the line to have the right action when snapping your wrist to work the bait ( especially important throwing the rod tip BACK at the bait at the end of each retrieve) . * So it appears mono line choice and size is more critical in the category of walk the dog baits ...Your thoughts and experiences ?

On a final note : What about memory issues with mono (based on brand AND size) for the above categories of top water baits ? It would appear that too much memory in a line could affect how well you work a top water bait ... Do you find a low memory mono makes a difference in one OR both of the top water techniques above and if so how that factored into your choice of line and pound test line you selected as best for one or both above techniques / categories ?

[smalljaw]

I never thought about how well a line floats for my topwater bait but where I throw them and I normally throw poppers and the like closer to cover so I use heavier line. The same deal for walking baits, it seems to be eaier for me to work them using lighter line and because I'm not always close to cover using them I go in the lighter line direction but never because of floatation, I never considered it. For poppers I like Triple Fish Camo-Escent 16lb test, this line is under the radar and I started using it when my local Cabelas was selling it for next to nothing, I decided to try it and it is right up there with my beloved Silver Thread AN40. For walking baits like a spook or Sammy I'm still using the same Silver Thread AN40 in 12lb test, both of these also have excellent abrasion resistance which is really important to me as my waters are strewn with boulders, chunk rock, and shale ledges so the lines has to be able to take it, another reason I don't use braid in these waters.

[JDLaman]

I use Sufix Performance Braid in either 40 or 50 lb test. I use the same for chuggers, poppers and walkers.

I fish topwater baits almost exclusively for Redfish and Speckled Trout and will fish a topwater from sun up to sundown.

One of the advantages to using braid over mono for walk the dog baits is you can be much more efficient with your strokes. After making the complete switch to braid several years ago, I picked up a buddies rod spooled with mono and tossed a spook jr with it. I felt like I had to move the rod tip a foot or two more than I did with braid. I tired quickly with that setup and did not realize how inefficient walk the dog strokes were for me while I was using mono. I used to also experience tennis elbow symptoms when fishing top water baits with mono, I have not experienced any of those problems since switching exclusively to braid.

I use light drag settings, light to medium powered rods, with med-fast to fast action tapers for my topwater fishing.

[ChrisD46]

smalljaw : That makes sense ...16 lb. mono for poppers and 12 lb. for walk-the-dog type baits . Research indicates you see heavier lb. test for poppers and a size or two lower with walk-the-dog baits .

jdlaman : What I can't get my head around braid for walk-the-dog type baits is the part of the retrieve where you snap the rod back towards the bait which in turn creates slack and causes the Spook , Sammy , etc. to kick off to the side ? I don't think braid would have that type of "rebound effect" back to the hard bait to cause it to kick off to the side ... It's like you can pull a rope (braid) but you can't push a rope ? ...I tend to look at braid as fishing a bait where you primarily pull a bait in only one direction .

* I should also add I fish very clear highland reservoirs so line choice visibility does play a role .

[JDLaman]

Braid is not for everyone and can definitely foul on hooks more so than mono. I mostly fish very stained water so visibility is not a problem for me; however, I was fishing a marsh area last week in SW Louisiana where the water was crystal clear. No leader as I very rarely use one. I had Redfish staring me right in the eye as I walked Spook Jrs right by them and they would crush it every time.

The key for me with braid and topwaters is fishing lighter powered rods with tapers leaning toward med-fast. I also run light drag settings as well. I used to be a mono only guy, but it feels like spaghetti to me now and I don't ever see myself using mono again. Like I said earlier, my twitching stroke with braid is much more efficient and I can make the bait do so much more with braid. Tight walking cadence, slow gliding motion from side to side, almost walking in place at times, etc. Much easier for me with braid than with mono. I am not saying that is the only way to do it, but it is what works for me and I fish topwater baits constantly. From March through sometime in December, that is all I have tied on.

[NormanD]

This whole year I fished 16# SX1 on my popper set up. I greatly preferred that line to using mono. For spook type lures, I use 15# copoly because I like the way it feels, totally subjective, despite a lot of memory. But, I do use 30# braid when I am fishing in the gulf. The braid is far easier to cast and as JD stated it is easier to work the lure and get it to walk. I always have a flour leader so I don't have any issues fouling hooks. With the braid on really long casts it is nice to feel the fish eat the lure. With mono in that situation it seemed like it took a long time for the stretch to get out of the line and to be able to feel the fish. If I had to pick one line for the spooks it would be braid.

[ChrisD46]

JD & Norman : Good detail on using braid - curious if you have tried braid for topwater in the 20lb. ~ 40lb. range or if there is some attribute to using a heavier weight braid in the 50lb ~ 65lb. range for these applications ?

[NormanD]

I have used 30 and 40 braid, but mostly 30# braid. I have been using it for about three years and I wouldn't go back to mono or copoly for the application I am using it, fishing in the gulf. All my all my casts are maximum distance and there is a real chance of hooking something that can spool your reel. I haven't decided if I will use braid in freshwater for spooks this coming year. Despite the drawbacks, I still like messing around with mono.

[JDLaman]

I have used 30lb for topwater but I really prefer 40 - 50lb. I have had some issues with braid digging in when using 30lb and the 40 and 50lb braid seems to not do this nearly as much as the lighter weight braids.

When fishing plastics during our winter months, I use 30lb braid.

[jigapig]

I use 12lb. Trilene sensation for my chug bug. It casts very well . I like a long cast and have used 14LB. too. I think 20lb. is too much. Unless you are fishing in slop. Open water 12 to 14lb.

[Garfisher]

For Skitter Props and size 07 Skitter Pops, I use 8lb Trilene XT (on a M spinning mind you), for Skitter Walks and the largest Skitter Pops I use 12lb XL

[Afrayedknot]

This is going to sound crazy, but that cheap zebco mono that you can buy at walmart is probably the best mono I have used for topwaters. It casts VERY nicely, and has just the right amount of stretch. Get the 15 lb.

[Jeffbro999]

For walking baits I like 20 or 30lb braid with a 12lb suffix seige leader. For poppers I have actually been using the same braid with a 15lb Seaguar Invisx flouro leader. For some reason it has worked alot better for me the way the popper digs harder and really pops and chugs along but usually am moving it pretty fast over eel grass. I hold my rod tip a little higher but its working great. Either that or the Suffix Seige for this also if i want to let the popper sit still longer.

[njbasscat]

I like 16 lb Sunline Supernatural for walkers and 10 to 16 lb Sunline Defier for poppers. I will use 50 lb braid if I'm near very heavy cover.