Man, I'm not sure if it's just because I've been using braid for a while not or what. I spooled up a couple reels with 12lb Yo-Zuri and I swear it feels like I'm setting the hook with a wet noodle. I just needed to try something new out and figured I might as well use hybrid. I've used it on spinning gear plenty, never on casting. I feel like I'm not getting a quality hook set with it right now. I've lost a couple of fish on it already. I hope this is something I'll get over.....quickly. Otherwise it's back to braid for me.
Had to try it out on casting gear after watching Bassn Blvd pull as hard as he could to free a lipless crank from a tree and he couldn't break the line no matter what. We drove up to it and got it out. Not a fray on the line. That impressed the hell out of me.
Hybrid's good stuff. It's great around pilings and rocks. I think it stretches less than Trilene XL. But it does stretch - no getting around that.
I'm not giving up on it yet. It casts nicely, handles well. I've got problems other than the stretch. I completely understand that there will be stretch. It stretches just about as much as the last 12lb fluoro I was using. I think I just need to get a little used to it. I'm so used to having those bone jarring hook sets with braid on. I've actually got to reel down a bit more and really lay into the fish now. I can't just gently snap my rod tip up to set the hook anymore.
Its all about the hook set. Maybe that why I love Big Game line. I have a vicious hook set on casting gear. When I use braid(which I do) it tends to injure my shoulder. Everybody is different when it comes to hook sets so ya gotta fish what works for you. For me I use braid for punching(but not always), frogs and other top waters.
The Yozuri is great line.
Well, you know I'm a big fan of Hybrid and I HATE braid.
However, I have become a convert for jigs and weighted soft
plastics. Braid has significantly improved my jig fishing.
For everything else, I'm back to Hybrid.
p.s. For the last six months or so, I have been experimenting
with several other brands: Seaguar AbrazX, InvizX, Tatsu and
Carbotex. I'm back to Yo-Zuri Hybrid as my "everyday" line.
Eric and RW - what's your take on Yo-Zuri's sensitivity compared to flouro ?
I have noticed the same thing as you mentioned about setting the hook because I usually fish with straight braid.
I just switched to Yo-Zuri within the last two months and it took awhile to get used to.
I wasn't setting the hook hard enough at first, but I think I got the hang of it now.
Goose to answer your question (even though it wasn't directed at me ;D) I don't notice much of a sensitivity difference between Yo-Zuri Hybrid and normal fluoro, but that's just me.
QuoteGoose to answer your question (even though it wasn't directed at me ;D) I don't notice much of a sensitivity difference between Yo-Zuri Hybrid and normal fluoro, but that's just me.
That's a good thing. I was hoping that Yo-Zuri would be comparable to flouro, and MORE sensitive than mono. I was using flouro on my worm rod and am now out of that line. I need to restock over the winter and have to decide whether to go with flouro...or whether Yo-Zuri would meet my sensitivity needs.
QuoteEric and RW - what's your take on Yo-Zuri's sensitivity compared to flouro ?
RW would certainly be a better person to answer that. Hopefully he reads the thread some more and answers. I don't have enough experience with it on casting gear. On my spinning rod I can feel it if a fish farts on the line. That rod is silly sensitive for the purpose it's made for though.
The rods I have it on right now are my worm/jig rod and a rod that serves a bunch of purposes. I didn't have much trouble detecting bites with it....when I got bit. There were a few times where I knew I had a fish but never felt him it it. Could have been slack in the line though. I've got to play around with it some more before I can truthfully answer you.
In terms of sensitivity and overall performance, Yo-Zuri
Hybrid is comparable to any other brand of mono, copolymer
or fluorocarbon I have fished.
Craig DeFonzo (earthworm77) turned me on to the line about
seven years ago. I was fishing P-Line CXX at the time. I fished
the Hybrid and like it for performance, not price. Now that I
have fished some of the high priced lines, I really appreciate
Hybrid's "value".
As I mentioned earlier, Hybrid nor any other brand compares
to braid in terms of sensitivity...nothing! So, even with its
many faults, braided line gets my vote for some soft plastics
and jigs.
I have 24 rod and reel combos that I use regularly and have Hybrid on all but a few of them. I have braid on three, fluoro on one, and PLine CXX on two.
Hybrid to me is more sensitive than Trilene XL, XT or Stren Original. It is also a bit stiffer. But far from unmanageable.
Hybrid is, IMO, very similar to PLine CXX. But I think it has better knot strength. In the short time I've been using PLine, I've had a few breakoffs at the knot. I've only had one breakoff on Hybrid - when I tried to lift a very heavy blue catfish over the side of my boat.
Hybrid is more abrasion resistant than Trilene XT. I fish around old duck blinds and some barges and they can really chew up a line. Trilene XT is pretty good around stuff like this, but does get roughed up. Hybrid is noticably more resistant to the extent of abrasions I get with Trilene. Braid, IMO, is horrible around these structures. Anyplace that braid touches on a barge it raises fuzz. Hybrid has much better abrasion resistance than braid.
Like RW (and because of RW) Hybrid is my standard line. If I were limited to one line, Hybrid would be it.
QuoteQuoteEric and RW - what's your take on Yo-Zuri's sensitivity compared to flouro ?RW would certainly be a better person to answer that. Hopefully he reads the thread some more and answers. I don't have enough experience with it on casting gear. On my spinning rod I can feel it if a fish farts on the line.
Fish fart? I never knew that... ;D
I think one of the things that sets hybrid apart is the fact that its so strong yet doesnt stretch as bad as alot of other mono/copolys I've tried. Sure big game, XT, suffix seige, etc have decent strength to diameter but to me all felt like a rubber band. Hybrid is just as sudden as any flouro Ive tried. The only gripe I have is that it does float, and flouro gives me a more direct contact when fishing in current.
Ive used this line exclusivly for 5 years, I keep experminting with others and end up coming back to it. I know that I can depend on it to be strong, sensitive, abrasion resistant, manageable, and won't spook fish (I use it for leaders in the salt). Couldnt ask for more out of a line.
Thanks guys. I'll kick it around over the winter. I had flouro on the rod I use for worms and finally had to change it out. I put mono on that rod temporarily and could immediately feel the loss of sensitivity. I have braid on 3 rigs and the sensitivity is obviously there - but I'm just not a fan. Then there's cost, flouro is pretty expensive, Yo-Zuri is much less. BUT, if Yo-Zuri floats, thats a negative as compared to flouro for bottom contact.....
Decisions, decisions....
Braid for everything from bluegill to marlin. Just spooled up with Fins braid on 1 reel, so far it's pretty good.
I used braid on probably half my reels this summer for the first time. IMHO everything (mono, flou., and hybrid lines) feels like a rubberband when compared to braid. I also used 12# hybrid this summer and it has crazy break strength for that size of line.
That being said, I will continue using other lines in conjuction w/ braid. There are some situations were I don't care for braid. One thing would be casting distance.
Yo-Zuri does not float. It sinks. So does mono.
Try a simple experiment like I have. Take big glass and put 8 inches of water in it. Take a 6" piece of 12lb Trilen XL, 6" piece of 12lb YZ Hybrid and a 6" piece of 12lb Trilene Fluoro. Put them in end first so they break the water tension and let them go.
It takes about 7.5 second for mono to reach the bottom, 5 for Yo-Zuri Hybrid and 2.5 for Fluoro. Hardly scientific, but it does go to show YZ is denser than XL and sinks faster, but not as fast as fluoro. That stands to reason, Hybrid is a a combination of mono and fluoro.
Micro your correct, "float" is misleading. I should have stated that it takes longer to sink. My point being that you get more of a bow in your line than with flouro do to the line lingering higher in the water column.
The bow in your line has more to do with the line's diameter and how much line is out than density.
Very true but theres deffinetely a diffrence between comprable sizes stren flouro and hybrid.
QuoteThe bow in your line has more to do with the line's diameter and how much line is out than density.
I agree. The bow in the line has more to do with drag than the density of the line.
A round profile is a very poor aero (or hydro) dynamic shape. But with line, the round profile is unavoidable. The way to reduce drag is to reduce the profile size. That means reducing the diameter of the line. It does not mean changing the material the line is made of. It matters not whether the round profile line is mono, fluoro or some other material, round profiles of identical size will have the same drag coefficient regardless of their material composition.
The simple fact is that fluoro sinks faster than mono, but it doesn't drop to the bottom like a rock. It sinks slow enough that the lure pulls it down. The biggest force acting against that is drag, not the weight of the line. The weight of line may help - but truth be known, probably only a tiny bit.
Also remember, that the faster something goes, the more drag is produced. Drag is not a constant force. There is no drag when something is at rest. Drag increases as speed increases. So, as I see it, the best way to get a moving lure deeper is to reduce the drag it has to work against. That means reducing line diameter.
QuoteThanks guys. I'll kick it around over the winter. I had flouro on the rod I use for worms and finally had to change it out. I put mono on that rod temporarily and could immediately feel the loss of sensitivity. I have braid on 3 rigs and the sensitivity is obviously there - but I'm just not a fan. Then there's cost, flouro is pretty expensive, Yo-Zuri is much less. BUT, if Yo-Zuri floats, thats a negative as compared to flouro for bottom contact.....Decisions, decisions....
Absolutely no impact on "bottom fishing", none whatsoever.
QuoteQuoteThanks guys. I'll kick it around over the winter. I had flouro on the rod I use for worms and finally had to change it out. I put mono on that rod temporarily and could immediately feel the loss of sensitivity. I have braid on 3 rigs and the sensitivity is obviously there - but I'm just not a fan. Then there's cost, flouro is pretty expensive, Yo-Zuri is much less. BUT, if Yo-Zuri floats, thats a negative as compared to flouro for bottom contact.....Decisions, decisions....
Absolutely no impact on "bottom fishing", none whatsoever.
Gotcha. I already crossed flouro off my winter buy list and wrote in Yo-Zuri.
I keep wanting to pull it off of my worm rod in favor of braid or this nice shiny new spool of fluoro I've got sitting here. I'm going to give it a month or two before I make a decision on it. I had it out earlier for a bit with a drop shot. Didn't have much trouble feeling bites. The wind made things a bit difficult, but thats a different story. Had one lure get hung up in some rocks. That 12lb is hard stuff to break....
Like Micro I carry a lot of gear in my Z-21. I have 27 rigged casting rods in the boat now. 24 have Hybrid or Ultra Soft on them. Several years ago R/W put me on Yo-Zuri & I found it to be an excellent line. My rods are all custom built on Shikari SHX blanks which are sensitive so I don't use braid. I do have the other 3 rigged with AbrazX & Tatsu which I also like. It's pricey & I don't think it increases my catch. I use Yo-Zuri from 10 - 30lb test & have no problems. I do use KVD line & lure on it from time to time. I try to keep things simple & not over think things. The very best way to improve your catch rate is time on the water which for the past several years I have been able spend 175 to 200 days a year.
Went out tonight throwing a spook. What fun. No issues with the Hybrid on that. I'm still not sold on using it as line for my t-rig/worm rod. I've caught a few fish using a t-rigged worm and never even felt the strike. Just had some added tension. Now that could be because the way the fish were taking the bait, etc etc. I'm itching to put the braid back on, but I'm still going to give Hybrid a fair chance.
QuoteWent out tonight throwing a spook. What fun. No issues with the Hybrid on that. I'm still not sold on using it as line for my t-rig/worm rod. I've caught a few fish using a t-rigged worm and never even felt the strike. Just had some added tension. Now that could be because the way the fish were taking the bait, etc etc. I'm itching to put the braid back on, but I'm still going to give Hybrid a fair chance.
Thanks Eric - keep up the reports ! I have only used Yo-Zuri on my deep-cranking rod - some 10lb that I snagged out of the bargain bin at Gander Mountain last year. After our earlier posts, I found that I had some of that 10lb left - perhaps as much as 70-80 yards - enough (with some backing) to fill the reel on my worm rod. So, it looks like I might be giving it a try-out as well. Gonna be at or below freezing here for a few days but maybe next week I can get it in the water.
Even if you had to buy a new spool, it's worth it to try it out just based on the price.
QuoteWent out tonight throwing a spook. What fun. No issues with the Hybrid on that. I'm still not sold on using it as line for my t-rig/worm rod. I've caught a few fish using a t-rigged worm and never even felt the strike. Just had some added tension. Now that could be because the way the fish were taking the bait, etc etc. I'm itching to put the braid back on, but I'm still going to give Hybrid a fair chance.
I would have to say it's possible the way the bass are taking the bait. Very few times have I not felt a bite on any of the Yozuri line. Maybe it's a case that your so use to braid..? Could it be your line has to much slack..?
I'll stand by it still being me so used to braid. After using it only for...I guess the entire year, that would make sense. There may well have been slack as well, it's been fairly windy here lately, so I'm sure that the boat getting blown around a bit more than I'd like has left a little slack in my line.
Out of curiosity, do you guys like using Yo-zuri for jigs as well? Haven't had a chance to really test that out yet.
QuoteI'll stand by it still being me so used to braid. After using it only for...I guess the entire year, that would make sense. There may well have been slack as well, it's been fairly windy here lately, so I'm sure that the boat getting blown around a bit more than I'd like has left a little slack in my line.Out of curiosity, do you guys like using Yo-zuri for jigs as well? Haven't had a chance to really test that out yet.
I still use straight braid for jigs. I see no reason to switch really. I like the sensitivity and the strength for jig fishing.
I've used the 15lb Yozuri for jigs, but I have to say, that I prefer braid, for the sensitivity, and strength factor. When I did use the yozuri, I kept my finger on the line to detect bites.
Hrmm choices... I've gotta decide. Since I primarily only use five rods on a trip (boat space); each has to serve more than one purpose.
#1 Flipping/Frog
#2 Texas rig/Jig
#3 Swimbait/Flipping
#4 Cranking
#5 Spinning
Have 12# Hybrid on rod #3 and that certainly isn't coming off. I've been very happy with it on there. It's rod #2 right now that I've got the problem with. Braid with a leader may end up being the best choice for that rod in the long run. At least I'll have plenty of leader material to use if I do swap it back over....
You use 12# for swimbaits..? They must be under 6" ...
As for the t rig set up..use what your most comfy with.
They are
I'm not hurling anything big. Mostly paddletails and a few smaller hard swimbaits. Eventually when I buy a rod capable of throwing larger baits I'll be using 20-30 probably.
There seems to be alot of lost sensitivity in this thread, or a dependency on braid to be able to feel a bite. I dont quite understand not being able to feel a bite easily on mono. I use alot of Berkley Big Game and have no issues, even at 45 to 50ft deep.
Several things come to mind as to why, well perhaps. The first and a major is concentration. I have fished with many people who just are not one with their rod. You need to be a line watcher when fishing.
The other thing Ive seen people do is not matching the rod and line for the technique. I personally like my line in the middle or lower end of the rod rating. If it says 10-17lb test, I would use 10 or12lb test. The weight of the bait can also make a difference, but its not the biggest thing. A senko on a spinning rod with 8lb test is very sensitive, and a better choice since braid wants to float. Of course if Im throwing into heavy cover I will use 20lb fluorocarbon on a baitcaster, 7-8ft mh.
I change my line alot when using Big Game, its inexpensive, and its always a good idea to keep fresh line on the reel. Fluorocarbon I will use a bit longer, but I will often cut off 10ft when I retie.
To each their own, but braid and rocks can spell disaster. I do use braid the majority of time when punching and throwing frogs, neither are for sensitivity reasons. I dont know about other parts of the country, but around here in California, if I fished braid on my spinning reels Id get destroyed in tournaments. The fish just dont bite it as well in clear to slightly stained water.
Just a friendly update:
Ended up putting 15# Hybrid on my paddletail rod as well. I use that rod for pitching into light/moderate cover also. I've been very happy with this setup so far. Makes a mean Senko tossing setup.
I'm still undecided on the 12# for my t-rig rod. Sensitivity isn't an issue as I've gotten much more used to it over the month. I still need to get better hooksets with this line though. Probably a bit more rod speed when I swing is needed.
Love the way this stuff casts on casting reels though. It's silky smooth.
I've been hunting some new "go to" line lately. Due to this thread and others like it, I ordered a big spool of Hybrid earlier today. I've never really used braid but I do LOVE to jig fish, so perhaps I should give it a try soon. I've been on a fluorocarbon kick lately and I've switched brands every couple weeks trying to find one that I liked. I had this silly notion that I needed to be fishing fluorocarbon so I was sticking to that. No matter what brand I bought or what price I paid, I absolutely HATED it. It was either very prone to abrasion and breakage, too stiff to cast well, or too prone to kinking up. I used to use P-Line Fluoroclear and liked it pretty well and was thinking about going back to that, but maybe this Yo-Zuri will be the ticket for me.
Has anybody tried the hybrid "ultra soft" designed for spinning gear? And if so, how does it compare to the normal stuff? It comes in 600 yard spools, and with that much line i'll throw it on a baitcaster too. Just wanna know the difference.
QuoteHas anybody tried the hybrid "ultra soft" designed for spinning gear? And if so, how does it compare to the normal stuff? It comes in 600 yard spools, and with that much line i'll throw it on a baitcaster too. Just wanna know the difference.
Ultrasoft is all I use, unless you need it in a test higher than 20lb..The regular hybrid has more memory than the ultrasoft. So yep, you can use it on any baitcasting reel too.
QuoteI'll stand by it still being me so used to braid. After using it only for...I guess the entire year, that would make sense. There may well have been slack as well, it's been fairly windy here lately, so I'm sure that the boat getting blown around a bit more than I'd like has left a little slack in my line.Out of curiosity, do you guys like using Yo-zuri for jigs as well? Haven't had a chance to really test that out yet.
Yo-zuri's hybrid is my line of choice for cranks and topwater, everything else braid with flourocarbon leader if necessary. For jig fishing braid is a must for feeling structure and cover. In my experience you feel more fish and miss less with braid especially for weighted lures and soft plastics.
I've always jig fished with fluoro. I'll try the hybrid, and if i like it throw it on my jig rod too. Braid may be great for sensitivity, but i just can't stop thinking about how visible it is when i use it. I just have more confidence in less visible lines.
QuoteI've always jig fished with fluoro. I'll try the hybrid, and if i like it throw it on my jig rod too. Braid may be great for sensitivity, but i just can't stop thinking about how visible it is when i use it. I just have more confidence in less visible lines.
You ever heard of a leader?
Ha ha, yeah... i've done leaders before. What knot do you guys tie for braid to fluoro? I don't remember which knot it was, but i didn't have much luck with it. It was one of the recommended knots too. I lost way too many on the hook set only to find the knot at my leader didn't do its job.
Albright special or the Alberto Knot.
Those look a lot better than what i was tying...i'll try those. Thanks.
QuoteHa ha, yeah... i've done leaders before. What knot do you guys tie for braid to fluoro? I don't remember which knot it was, but i didn't have much luck with it. It was one of the recommended knots too. I lost way too many on the hook set only to find the knot at my leader didn't do its job.
The two most popular are the uni to uni and alberto knot.
Alberto knot retains most of the line strength (I want to say 80%+?) but is a pain to tie (for me). The uni to uni is closer to 50% but I can tie on a leader in under a minute. I barely fish anything except braid and have had 0 problems with the uni to uni knot.
It sounds to me like the problem may not be the knot. Two things to think about:
1) Hookset. Are you still using a massive bone-jarring hookset? If so it's not necessary; braid has no stretch so you're transferring the energy more efficiently. My hooksets are more like a quick gentle jerk of the rod.
2) Drag. If you didn't back off the drag when using braid it's probably way too tight. Again, the lack of stretch comes into play and you don't have a shock absorber as with mono/flouro. I also see most people check the drag by just pulling line from the reel. In reality, that line also has resistance from the rod, going through the guides etc. Try hooking your lure to something and then loading the rod until the drag starts stripping. Maybe it's just me, but I was shocked to actually see how much pressure I had to apply that way vs just pulling line out from the reel the first time I tried it.