You're right, the Board covered this ground before but that was long ago. As someone who uses Fireline (coated gelspun polyethylene) for 80% of my fishing, my overall recommendation is to forget this stuff for drift fishing. I would use braid for jigs (though not from a moving boat as breaking off on a snag could give you serious cuts), pulling plugs (excellent: no stretch) and, though I haven't done it, mooching (improved sensitivity). Other thoughts on Fireline vs. mono:

1. Thinner, stronger (14lb breaks at 18-20lbs) and more durable than mono and in general represent value for money for CERTAIN applications.

2. Generally good abrasion resistance to wood; generally v. poor with rocks, barnacles and other sharp stuff. DOES NOT cause extra wear on rod guides or reel pickups! (DOES tend to bury if not wound on very, very tightly.) Does not blow up drags or ruin gears in reels either -- unless you overload a reel by spooling 30lb test and then locking the drag up! (Remember, it's not the line's fault here it's the angler's fault.)

3. Poor knot strength! Joining Fireline to mono (or fluorocarbon) can be done in one of two ways for a strong join: (a) using a swivel or (b) doubling the Fireline w/ a Bimini Twist or Spider Hitch and then using an 'improved' Albright to join the mono/ FC leader to the Fireline. Sounds complicated but if you fish for strong fish in tight quarters (snook, tarpon in the Everglades is close to what I do in Singapore) then you need the full strength of the line.

Email me if you want a more detailed description but this knot system is beginning to appear in knot books, most notably Geoff Wilson's 'Complete Book of Fishing Knots & Rigs'-- page 23 for the 'Improved Albright'.

4. Dangerous line to use from a moving boat as it can't be broken quickly and can CUT deeply. I've had this stuff cut through Neoprene gloves in 20lb test. In tests over 10lbs it has to be broken by wrapping it around something inanimate (plier handles, a short section of broomstick, whatever). If the boat's moving, often you don't have time to do more than make a few wraps around an arm or a hand and then hanging on. It's asking for trouble to do this. That's why I use mono for jig fishing from a boat -- I snag up often enough that I would risk line cuts if I used Fireline.

Hope this helps.