Ice Fishing “ Braid or Mono?

I seem to get this question from people all the time especially new people coming into the sport. They always ask "why do I use braid on most of my reels and mono on only some for ice fishing? Since we're in the ice fishing season I want to talk about using mono or braided lines for ice fishing. For me it really comes down to one major factor “ How deep are you fishing? Shallow Water Situations When fishing shallow water 1-20 feet, I like to go with monofilament. I choose this line because it's super strong, it's easier for me to deal with due to its limpness coming off the spool, and I really like the stretch in the line. Because I'm fishing so shallow, having that extra stretch in the line helps me avoid ripping the bait out of the fish's mouth on the hook set. This is especially helpful when targeting panfish such as perch and crappies, and shallow water walleye. I generally go with a Medium heavy Ice rod for the larger fish in shallow and a medium action rods for panfish. I still like having some backbone in the rod when I need to set my jig into a good Jumbo Perch! Deep Water Situations When fishing deep water for Whitefish and Laketrout in 21 “ 100 feet of water for example there is no doubt that you are wasting a lot of your time if you don't have braid spooled on your reel. If you choose to use mono in these situations, you are likely not able to feel the bites you work hard for, or get any kind of decent hook set if you get a hit. Mono tends to coil to some degree in the winter and the stretch in the line will have very little effect on movement of your bait down deep, when trying to impart movement on your bait, and finally setting the hook. I always use a micro swivel to reduce line twist that you get from dropping your bait so deep and a 2-3 foot piece of fluorocarbon for stealth when fishing with braided line. I always opt for at the very least a medium heavy ice rod but generally pick up the Heavy action when going really deep! If you have any questions, feel free to send me a private message anytime. I'm always willing to help others learn! Thanks for reading! Dan Miguel