Fishing Line

[RichWentFishing504]

Popping cork rod gets 30lb power pro slick and 20 lb mono leaders. Dead lift school trout all day.

I have 1 rod dedicated for sliding corks. I use 40 lb regular power pro because those little sliding cork knots and beads don't work too well with 30lb braid. Sliding cork knots slip on the super slick.

I don't fish on the bottom much for trout but when I do I just use the above rod.

What you have to keep in mind with braided lines is that they have almost zero stretch. Any give to fight a fish is done exclusively by the rod and the reel's drag.

One time I took a friend of mine out fishing with me. He used one of my sliding cork rods with power pro. We pulled up to a near rig and I began hauling in 3 and 4 lb trout. I got 7 to his 1 in just minutes. We were both getting good hits. Live shrimp under a sliding cork set to 5 feet, throwing right up against the pilings in 8 feet of water. Identical setups. However, he had this massive hook set that was ripping the trout's lips. They would be on for about three seconds before the number 4 trebel would tear free. I would just reel up the slack and snap my wrist and being the trout in. It wasn't until I gave him another rod with mono did his landing ratio improved.

Lesson here is mono gives a lot more than you think. On bigger trout this can be an issue. No big deal on a redfish or bass. They got tougher lips.

You can prove this yourself at home. Remove the hooks from a topwater lure and tie it to a rod with mono. Have a friend walk 25 yards away with the rod. Hold the lure between your finger and thumb and have him set the hook hard. Unless it's a giant surf rod your friend will not be able to rip it out of your grasp. Re-spoil with a braided line and he will be able to rip it out of your grasp every time.