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Fluorocarbon or braided? Is the drop shot an advantage in cold water?

Question:
I'm in a fishing tournament on Saturday at lake Alan Henry and wanted your advise on Fluorocarbon vs. braided line. I seem to gravitate towards braid for the reason that I'm comfortable with it. It seems that braid is very strong with a small diameter and low spool memory. Is there a benefit between the two. Also, I heard that drop shot holds a great advantage for cold weather fish, is this true. reason for the question is I love spinner baits and lip less cranks.

-Nick

Answer:
First off, you indicated an important factor when it comes to any choice in fishing... confidence. If you don't have confidence in a lure, terminal tackle, spot, etc., there is no point in making a cast.

There are a lot of advantages, like you speak of, to braided line. However, when it comes to fishing hard baits with treble hooks you must be careful as there is no stretch and you can literally pull the hooks loose from a bass' mouth while fighting the fish. Fluorocarbon has a little more stretch than braid but less than monofilament. Fluorocarbon sinks (allowing your bait to reach deeper depths on the same lb. test OR increase your lb. test to achieve the same depth) and it is not as visible as mono or braid because of the refraction properties.

Drop-shot is a great technique for finicky bass because of the subtle presentation. Combine that with the ability to use your electronics and set directly over top of them and you have a winning combination. If this is an area you are trying to increase your skill-set, I recommend the "Electronics 101 & Deep Fishing DVD" that covers these topics in great detail. Here is a link for your convenience Bass Edge Electronics and Deep Fishing 101 DVD

Good luck and thanks for your question!

Aaron Martin