Straight braid or leader for lucky crafts/jerkbaits

[Aloha_Cowboy]

I'm using a Phenix trifecta light 10' for throwing jerkbaits in the surf, reel is loaded up with 30lb braid and I usually use 12-20lb leader, enough to have my finger on that instead of braid when casting. I keep having a problem with break offs near my knot though. My knot doesn't fail, rather my leader snaps just past the knot. I feel the guides on the rod are tiny, even when I had someone else tie up a solid FG knot for me I could feel it bump the guides pretty hard when casting. Would it be a good idea to just fish straight braid on these lures, or a super short shock leader where the knot doesn't pass through the guides? Do I need to just start re-tying my line to leader knot every 10-15 casts? I haven't had this problem with swimbaits or Carolina rigs on my other rod. I just can't seem to find a knot that passes through these guides without eventually losing $20 lures on what feels like to consistent of a basis.

[cajunjacket]

I use straight mono on my surf rods. The added sensitivity of braid is great, but the superior abrasion resistance and simplicity of mono is preferred for me b/c the beaches I fish have lots of rocks, reef, and jetties. If I was fishing on a beach that had no rocks/reefs and just pure sand-bottoms, then maybe I'd go with braid ... but probably not. I like simplicity.

Specifically, I use either Trilene Big Game green line or Zebco OmniFlex (clear .. unfortunately, they don't make a colored variety). You can get 700 yds of 12 lb test OmniFlex for $2.42. Works just as well as the Trilene, but no green tint, and I like the green for making it slightly easier to see my line when tying knots.

When using straight mono, you can directly tie on the lure. Or you can use a tactical angler clamp to make it easy to snap on various jerkbaits and spoons.

For c-rig fishing, I have several leaders pre-tied in mini zip lock baggies with the barrel swivel on one end and the hook on the other. I use fluorcarbon to tie those b/c my wife bought me a spool of fluoro one year for my birthday, and it works just fine.

The main arguments I've seen for using braid are: added sensitivity, less line memory, and longer lasting (i.e. you don't have to respool as frequently). I've never had line memory issues with mono, and I have no problem respooling my line twice a year. I agree that braid is more sensitive. I'll also admit that one out of every 15 or so fish that I reel in on days with high surf are fish that I didn't even feel bite. Usually they're small perch. So maybe the braid would let you hook those earlier. For bigger fish, though, it's rare that I'm wishing I had more sensitivity and that the reason I lost the fish is due to poor line sensitivity. I might be wrong, though. Who knows...

[Perch killer]

Agree !

[camobass]

Mono for the win. You can always fish a true fluoro leader a couple feet on top if you wish. But avoid casting knots through the guides unless it’s absolute must which it isn’t really unless you’re offshore striped Marlin fishing.
Nice thing about mono, you can strip off half spool or slightly more and top off with new every trip and not break the bank. Or have a braid backing but that can cause spool corrosion over time. Nothing beats fresh mono, it’s like putting on a brand new pair of socks.

[Midnightpass]

I'm in the mono camp as well.. I just came back from Cabo and used braid for the reasons mentioned above... I have never had so much line problems in my life... Fraying line, wind knots, and break-offs of expensive lures... If I go back, it will be with mono... And I almost always use mono here...
Butch

[Mike M]

I use straight 8lb mono for croaker and corbina. On the rare occasions I fish for halibut, I use a very short fluorocarbon leader to a clip. The knot is outside the guides when I cast. The clip is small enough to wind through the guides (Celilo 9'6"ML) and back onto my reel for storage. I use a crazy Alberto to join the 15lb fluorocarbon leader to 30lb braid.

As an easy and quick precaution, check to see if any of your guides are chipped, or cracked.