Question(s) on using braid for Muttons

Xaf · December 2012

I haven't used braid much but am thinking about switching to it for mutton fishing in the Tortugas and have several questions. I'm assuming a standard fish finding rig with a sliding weight on the main line.
1. What lb braid to use?
2. Is a shock leader needed from the braid to swivel or just straight braid to swivel? If so, what lb shock leader based on what lb braid?
3. What lb mono leader after the swivel?

Thanks, hope these questions make sense. Any additional advice would be appreciated

Exocet · December 2012

I would stick with mono for muttons, they are leader shy as it is. :shrug

razorreilly09 · December 2012

Exocet wrote: »

I would stick with mono for muttons, they are leader shy as it is. :shrug

This, and if your planning on going on a charter, there are some that won't allow braid on the boat.
If you do decide to use braid, start with about 12' of leader, more on cleaner and clear days. The smallest leader size you can get away with, the heaviest I've used is 40# but usually go with 25-30# especially if on the patch reefs in shallower water. You may be able to get away with larger in the some areas of the Tugas :shrug

jakedge · January 2013

Sliding weights can wear through braid. Guys I've seen mutton fishing with braid use a three way swivel with the sinker on a one foot dropper line. Also Reilly's right about the long leader. We have a Yuri trip the week after next and I going to try braid for the mutts for the first time. It's generally not welcomed on the Yankee Capts but on a six pack it should be okay.

Snaphappy · January 2013

Pe5 braid with 15-20 ft topshot of 60lb mono. Slide on your egg sinker and tie to barrel swivel. After that use a 5 to 10 ft 50 lb leader depending on current to a 5/0 hook and you should be good to go. This set up is assuming your talking about muttons in depths of over 120ft. Also if using on a head boat you better be good with your splice knots because you will be cutting and retying from tangles if everyone around you is using mono.

Alex G · January 2013

I tried using braid for muttons on my last trip with yuri and I lost some quality fish. Dudley will tell u that the guys fishing with braid were out fished by the guys using mono on the 2 trips I've had on that boat. The braid has no stretch so pulled hooks are way more common, and tangles make it very annoying on a 3 day trip.

swinsond1971 · January 2013

It's an interesting topic. There is a little bit of a learning curve when it comes to fishing with braid. A couple of friends of mine are top notch mutton fisherman, and they only use braid. They have been on me to switch for awhile. The huge advantage to braid is that it has such a small diameter which allows you to hold bottom better in heavy current and use less weight. If there is no current, it really doesn't matter whether you have mono or braid. In rougher conditions it can be a little easier for people to keep the sinker still with mono when they don't have enough experience with the braid. A little more tricky. Once you get the feel that changes. The bite is different as well obviously. A lot of guys don't let the mutton eat long enough with the braid because they can feel every tap. You have to be a little more patient in letting the fish eat. One other thing very important about braid is that people use way too heavy of braid and crank the drag down. I see a lot of pulled hooks this way. Why people use 65lb to 80lb braid for muttons is beyond me. I use 40lb braid with 50lb mono top shot about 30-40 ft.

Xaf · January 2013

Thanks for all the replies. One reason that I was thinking of switching is that I have seen more and more people using braid on my last 3 to 4 Tortugas trips. They seem to be pretty successful and as mentioned it is easier to hold bottom.

bite my bait · January 2013

Ok,I would like to give my OPINION,I have done plenty of Tortugas trips in the past few years with mono and love the mono,but recently on my last 2 trips I have switched to braid to see what the hype was all about,I generally do my normal fishing off of drift boats in Miami,so I would not like to compare my normal fishing(drifting) with Tortugas mutton fishing(anchored).so I will start of by saying that about 4tortugas trip back was on a charter with about 20 people and everyone there had allot of experience ,me probably being one with the least years under my belt,all these guys were using braid and doing very well,after that trip I was speaking with the captain from the drift boats in Miami and he had scheduled a trip with the Yankee,I asked him,what will you use mono or braid,he was a firm mono bottom fisherman ,but to my surprise he said will use the braid ,well when he came back from his trip on the Yankee he told me that the difference is day and night,he told me that u can feel your lead rolling,that u can feel every tick from the grunts and that u can feel every head shake that any fish would make when u were fighting it,I was kind of sold on switching but,still a little worried it would be like going to war with a new weapon!!!so I did my next Tortugas trip on the Yankee and took 2 mutton set ups one with braid and one with mono,just in case,the basics that I heard for this was fill up your spool with 65 lb braid,topshot it with 30-40 feet of 50 or 60 lb mono and then your basic rig for mutton fishing,so I did just that,we'll the outcome was not bad on that trip but I found myself pulling the hook out of the mutton many,many,many times,I felt like a newbie and did not understand,I believe I caught 14 muttons that trip but could have easily limited out if the hook didn't pull,so with a little field test and help from fellow anglers,I have done a couple of modification,first do a Bimini twist on your main line(my 65lb braid)then I put about 100 ft of topshot rather than 30-40 ft,I only have one other Tortugas trip under my belt after using this setup And maybe 8-9 drifting trips,but would like to say that I have not had almost any pulled hooks anymore,and when I feel the best advantage is when fishing deep water(over 220) and bad seas ,u can still feel everything with the braid,I like the braid and didn't use it before on the Yankee simply to be courteous to all the other angler,but as u get more and more experience,you get allot less tangles and learn how to maneuver your way around the boat with braid,I believe braid is an advantage,but like I said I'm still new to it!!!hope this long essay helps!!If anything I would email capt Greg and ask him his opinion,even though I'm sure he prefers mono

Reef Bandit · January 2013

Usually when I see these threads, I don't comment but I figured I might as well. Simply put, braid for bottom fishing is superior to mono. I understand the "thought" that the fish can see the braid but which is more visible 20 lb braid or 50 lb mono? If you're fishing the Yankee the majority of the fish are caught at night when the fish uses it's sense of smell, not it's vision. I've fished the braids for years and it is so rare to lose a fish that it's not even worth talking about. In fact, I believe just the opposite. When I come tight and strike the fish, the braid has no stretch and cuts through the water better so I think I get a better hook set. The Yankee doesn't like braid because without a doubt they are tougher to get the tangles out. I can honestly say this, I've never had anyone on my boat out fish me because they were using mono and I was using braid. That being said, I do NOT use braid on anything except bottom fish as I like the forgiveness factor of mono with jumping fish or high speed fish like wahoo's and kings. Take them both, use the one you feel confident in. BTW I use 30 lb braid with 40-60 lb mono, not fluoro leader. Not saying the flouro doesn't work, I just think it's too expensive for what it is.

Hammer

rngriley · January 2013

The capt we fish with out of ft.myers (80 miles out) feels that there hook up ratio is 3-1 mono over braid b/c he thinks the braid humes in the water. Like said earlier, make sure your splices are stong or they will pull, especially on big fish. We were breaking 100lb braid on fish we couldn't turn. He recommend the top shot but to use a small power swivel instead of the splice. Every situation is different, bring both and have fun. Definitely more sensitivity with the braid. I use 50-130 lb depending on bait size and setup.

Hoogan · January 2013

swinsond1971 wrote: »

It's an interesting topic. There is a little bit of a learning curve when it comes to fishing with braid. A couple of friends of mine are top notch mutton fisherman, and they only use braid. They have been on me to switch for awhile. The huge advantage to braid is that it has such a small diameter which allows you to hold bottom better in heavy current and use less weight. If there is no current, it really doesn't matter whether you have mono or braid. In rougher conditions it can be a little easier for people to keep the sinker still with mono when they don't have enough experience with the braid. A little more tricky. Once you get the feel that changes. The bite is different as well obviously. A lot of guys don't let the mutton eat long enough with the braid because they can feel every tap. You have to be a little more patient in letting the fish eat. One other thing very important about braid is that people use way too heavy of braid and crank the drag down. I see a lot of pulled hooks this way. Why people use 65lb to 80lb braid for muttons is beyond me. I use 40lb braid with 50lb mono top shot about 30-40 ft.

What he said.

swinsond1971 · January 2013

The only time the topshot breaks is because knots aren't tied properly. Just got back from a Yuri trip. I used mono and braid as always. Not one pulled hook on the braid.

Got TA Go · January 2013

FWIW.... I use Braid for all my wreck and bottom fishing.

Rob

Question(s) on using braid for Muttons

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