Hey #1, you're gonna get twice as many opinions as there are WCF members! I go back and forth between braided and mono. Whichever I use I go with as light as possible, usually 6-8lb mono, or 8lb braided. I don't fish in overgrown weedy lakes much if at all. Right now I am using 8lb green spiderwire. Love it, it gives all the benefits of braided w/o superstrength, but is only 1.5lb mono thickness in visibility. IMHO don't be afraid to let your reel drag do some work now and again, that way you can go lighter and less visible, but still work a bigger fish in even through most weeds. Personally, I don't think you ever need over 8-10lb mono around here or the Northwoods, just set the drag correctly. On the Big Lake sure you need higher strength. But around here you'll never get a fish thats just too big for 8lb line, but you will likely miss a lot of hits cause of too thick a line. Again just IMHO.