I fish mainly floats in winter, hardware in summer (when not fly-flogging). I prefer braided (Fireline 14 #) for both. I disagree w/ Cleo about the bow in the water. If you use the same pound test in a braided line, the diameter is about 1/3 that of mono, so there in much less drag in the current, which (in my experience) more than makes up for the bouyancy when throwing hardware.

I will say, I had a big native break my drive gear this year using Fireline and last year I lost a big native on Fireline when the line barely touched a rock on a run. That day, I hadn't replaced any line after a few days previous fishing. I straightened a few hooks when I started fishing Fireline, but when I turned the drag down a bit, this problem stopped. I use a 10.5 foot ML Lamiglas usually, which is very forgiving.

One nice thing about the small diameter is that you can tie a surgeons knot to replace a small amount of worn line without having a big knot that's a pain to cast through the guides. With 14 pound Fireline, the knots are tiny. I change one casts length after every 10 hours or so of fishing. I prefer Fireline because it comes in 14 pound (nice for steelies) and it has a tougher coating than Power Pro.

I usually use a 1.5 foot 12 pound Maxima leader with 14 pound Fireline.

Good Luck!