Nymphing with Braid?

I tried nymphing with various leaders and lines over the winter period. I came to the conclusion that fly line on my reel was a bit of a waste although it allowed me to use the same gear for more than one purpose!

I loaded a spare spool with mono and another with braid and tried both with French & CZ styles leaders. Most of the time I didn’t have anything but the leader out of the rod tip, but on occasions would have a short amount of line or braid in use.

I feel the mono and braid were far more sensitive than the fly line, specifically the braid, but then I guess that was to be expected. I could feel the bottom and the fly knocking about on rocks and it was a much more involved experience. It certainly gave me more feeling during the takes which was pretty much what I was looking for.

Coupled with a soft action rod (I was using the Streamflex XF2 10ft 2wt) and the various long leaders, there was plenty of ‘give’ for hard takes even on fine tippet material. I didn’t have any snap off during takes or hard runs.

The only thing that concerned me slightly was the potential for wear on the rings when using braid. I am not sure if the XF2 is suitable for braid but equally there isn’t a great deal of casting and braid being dragged through the rings. It’s a risk I am willing to take. This problem wouldn’t occur using the Mono so there is an alternative should you want to try it and not risk your rings?

What are your thoughts on using braid or mono?

- Jamie