Jerkbait line question

[styler]

Hello guys . I'm fairly new to jerk bait fishing but I have been fishing with a guy who does it a lot and he has been teaching me.
He only uses 8lb low viz green mono and he out does me every time were out . although I am getting better I always want to improve.
We are fishing in north ga blueback herring lakes. mostly clear water.
My question is . Is there any advantage to going with braid? or even floro. For some reason he is stuck on the 8lb low viz green mono and I cant really argue because he catches fish.
Even though I'm a baitcasting guy, we both are using spinning tackle .. it just works better for wind conditions.

Edit: the reason im asking about braid is. to me I can use an 8lb mono at .010 diameter or go to an 8lb braid at .003.
although we casting a pretty long now would that not increase distance? would that small braid be about the same as the mono in viability.
we not catching huge fish. 2-4 lbs with a 4 ponders being rare so im not too concerned about bending hooks.
All that said I don't even want to fool with floro. we use floro casting drop shots in the summer and its good but finicky (aggravating)
maybe leave well enough alone? not having any problems with the mono .. other than that &*%$& out fishing me most of the time.

[Real L]

When jerkbait fishing you get into a rythme with a certain type of line and when you get good results, you sitck with it. Whatever you choose , braid, braid with a leader, fluoro or mono, stick with it and try different rythmes. You friend has found his rythme with 8 pound mono. Find yours.

[styler]

I hear ya. I guess I should have asked what i really wanted to know.

8lb Low viz green in braid is .003- .004 diameter. so its quiet a bit smaller. would viability be about the same as 8lb low viz green at .010 ?

[A Wood]

So just my opinion but I would shy away from straight braid to a jerk. With zero stretch you have a better chance of tearing hooks out of a fishes mouth imo. Especially if they are just nibbling the back of the bait. For me I tend to use 10lb braid to an 8 lb mono leader when the water is below 50 degrees when I'm using a spinning rod. I feel that the mono helps float the bait in the strike zone a little. If you use straight braid it will pull your bait down in colder water.
I have now come to this due to ffs and watching my bait. I used to throw fluro and in cold water many jerkbaits will slowly sink as you fish it. By changing to mono I'm able to adjust accordingly to keep my bait in the strike zone longer.

[Squire]

problem with braid on a JB is that the bait will swing around more often and the trebles will hook the line. For light JB's, I am using 8lb 8strand braid to 8lb pline copolymer as it is more neutral in buoyancy. Mono have a tendency to pull the head up, flouro will potentially cause the bait to sink. I am generally rigged with 5+ JB rods
with different setups until I find the size, rhythm, depth, color and sinking/suspending/slow rise that triggers them. I fish a herring lake as well and you get tuned
in to the colors pretty quickly.

[FryDog62]

I also try to stay away from braid when jerkbaiting. With no stretch I have a tendency to over work the bait (doesn't look as natural to the fish in the water) - plus as mentioned above, easier to tear hooks out w/braid.

I typically use 10 lb Invizx fluoro - I get a better and more uniform sink rate and it stretches slightly less than mono but just enough to keep fish pinned.

Mono would be my second choice, I've used 8 lb Trilene XT which is the thickness of most 10 pound test lines. I sometimes just leave the 8 lb XT on there if it’s the time of year I switch off between jerkbaits and topwater since mono floats.

[JJohnSind]

I also heard that braid is a lot noisier in the water when jerking. The no stretch is the main reason I don’t throw it.

[DrewFlu33]

I'm a big fan of braid to a leader on jerkbaits. I use a long (15' or more) leader, and wouldn't ever do it with straight braid. I've caught literally thousands of fish on that set up, including lots of 4+ lb river smallmouth with several over 5 mixed in, so I think a lot of the fears around braid and jerkbaits are overblown.

That said, I don't think you should ever pay attention to lb test ratings of braid, especially when comparing braid to mono or fluoro. Lb test ratings for braid are absolutely meaningless. If you try to throw a jerkbait on braid that thin, you're likely going to be miserable. Also watch diameters on mono/fluoro. Several brands' 8 lb lines are the same diameter as something like Sunline or Seaguar's 12 lb.


Lots of good discussion in these two threads, the first one was one the OP started about a year back:
https://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=1216152
https://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=1217341

[BassVoodoo]

Be careful with going to small in line poundage with braid. The lighter you go the easier it is for wind to cause that light line to cause issues. TRY a copoly.

[styler]

Well guys I've decided to stay with the 8lb low viz green mono. My buddy is still whippin me but I'm gaining a little every time we go out. its just working so well that there's no need to change .. my reall issue is technique but I'm getting there.
Actually landed a 6 lb hybrid on that 8lb line yesterday .. that was fun.. those things can pull!!

[dragon1]

Well guys I've decided to stay with the 8lb low viz green mono. My buddy is still whippin me but I'm gaining a little every time we go out. its just working so well that there's no need to change .. my reall issue is technique but I'm getting there.
Actually landed a 6 lb hybrid on that 8lb line yesterday .. that was fun.. those things can pull!!

Friggin'-A fosho... especially on a L-ML spinning rod and light line! Congrats on the wiper.

[catdude28]

I don’t do a lot of jerkbait fishing, but my set up is like your friend’s. Spinning rod with straight 8 lb. mono.

[Quillback]

I like 8 or 10 lb. InvIsx.