8 replies to this topic

[Lngnokr71]

Just curious what everyone's preferred fishing line for Bass is. I've used Trilene XL for years but just this year started using braid and I've got mixed feeling about it. I do most of my fishing from the bank and I'm always casting to tight spots such as submerged logs or trees or that certain spot where it just looks like a big one might hang out at. Occasionally I get hung up and with mono it's not hard to break off but with braids that a different story. With braid I seem to have to cut off the line not far from my rod and intern I loose quite a bit of line. I'm thinking about switching to a fluorocarbon, what are your thoughts.

[BobP]

Lngnokr71, on 13 July 2011 - 08:52 PM, said:

Just curious what everyone's preferred fishing line for Bass is. I've used Trilene XL for years but just this year started using braid and I've got mixed feeling about it. I do most of my fishing from the bank and I'm always casting to tight spots such as submerged logs or trees or that certain spot where it just looks like a big one might hang out at. Occasionally I get hung up and with mono it's not hard to break off but with braids that a different story. With braid I seem to have to cut off the line not far from my rod and intern I loose quite a bit of line. I'm thinking about switching to a fluorocarbon, what are your thoughts.

There's no perfect line for every situation. If you bank fish and carry only one or two rods, you just have to decide what's best for you depending on the baits you fish the most. I don't bank fish and I use all three types of line, just depending on the situation. Of the three, I use braid the least, reserving it for fishing heavy grass. If you like the way braid handles and its sensitivity, there's nothing stopping you from using it with a fluorocarbon or copolymer leader that you can break off if you get snagged (of course, re-tying leaders is a pain in the butt). For plastics and jigs, I like fluorocarbon for its sensitivity and stealth characteristics. For crankbaits, I like a hard surface copolymer like XT or Izor Line Premium. You can free snagged crankbaits by snapping a copolymer line and using its elasticity to pop the bait off the snag. I like trying new stuff as much as the next guy but in a sense, I miss the simpler times when I fished with one rod lined with copolymer and a bag of plastic worms. I caught a lot of bass with it and had an intimate relationship with that rod/reel/line which allowed me to get the maximum out of it. Not sure I can say the same about the 6-8 setups and unlimited number of baits I keep in the boat these days.

[Bob La Londe]

Trilene XL is nice line for presenting light baits, but it is not as abrasion resistant as many other lines. Because it is so limber it performs very well on spinning tackle.

I like Suffix for mono for the most part, but have had good luck with McCoy. McCoy is a copolymer rather thana straight mono though.

I like Flourocarbon for most light finnesse presentations in clear water, but can get by with light mono too.

For frogging almost exclusively 65lb braid, although before I knew any better I caught bass in the grass on frogs with mono as light as 10 pounds.

For flipping I like mostly 65 pound braid , but in moderate cover in gin clear water I'll use 20 or 25 lb flourocarbon.

For small poppers. 10lb mono.
Larger poppers, spooks, gunfish, etc. 14lb mono.
Buzzbaits. 17-20 lb mono.

Cranks 10-12lb mono.

Dropshot 6-10 florocarbon.

Spinnerbaits under 1/4 oz 10 lb mono
Spinnerbaits 3/8 and larger 12-15lb mono or floruocarbon

etc etc etc etc....

That's just me. Other people use braid for everything and others use mono for everything.

For braid my favorite was Stren Super Braid (sadly discontinued)
For mono my favorite was Suffix Seige (but its getting hard find in bulk)
For flouro my favorite was Seaguar CarbonPro (discontinued but Invisx works good too)

Currently I am using Power Pro Braid.
McCoy Mean Green coplymer for mono aplications.
Seaguar Invisx floro.

[hillbilly1]

It dependeds on the application I have 8lb (3.5 mono) braid tipped with a 7 ft floro for my drop shot rod and 80lb braid for my frog stick. I hold now brand allegiance some company's make a line that is suitable for one thing and some do for others.

[Clint M]

Dude your missing the boat if your not using fluorocarbon. Screw braid. Its a pain to use, fades, way to noticeable. I like pline halo. You could tow your truck with twenty lb halo. Its the stoutest line ive ever used, and holds up well. I dont know what your preferred method of fishing is. Topwater you have to use mono. Try some suffix mono. It doesnt cost that much more to go first class!!

[biggun]

I have several different rods set up for different styles and lure's. But ive tried to keep the line as simple as I can. Do to the unending types and sizes of line it just gets to much for my little brain. 90% of my bank fishing and light spinning rigs are just spooled with trilene 8lb mono.
As for my bass rigs it's 8lb,12lb,15lb BT big game mono and and 65lb power pro. spinning reels for the 8lb-10lb mono and the others are on baitcaster. I'm not nocking the others they may work fine I just havent tried them. With all the stuff I have going on im not going out first thing in the morning of a tourny and stand there thinkin OK wich one did I put the floro and wich one did I put the mono.

[Braided Line]

For years (early 50`s) I used to wade ponds and shallow creeks and rivers. Always used mono.

Some time later I got my first bass boat. Since then most of my reels are spooled with .....BRAID! Have never looked back.
Lots of different lines out there, keep looking till you find the right fit for what you do.

[BobP]

Looking at your crankbaits in the Gallery, I sure wouldn't want to break one of those beauties off! If you fish with baitcasting gear from the bank, I'd be using a good quality 15 or 17lb fluoro like Trilene 100% fluoro or P-Line fluoro for my crankbaits. Many guys use too small a line for fishing shallow crankbaits. 10lb line is great for deep cranking to get the bait down deep but if your lures are digging bottom from the bank, there's really no need to go light. Fluoro is less visible, so you can upsize and it also has some stretch so you can snap lures off of snags with it. It lasts a long time on the reel because it isn't affected by UV radiation like nylon lines. Just be sure to tie a good knot with it!

[crzyjunyer]

i pretty much use 10 or 12lb suffix exclusively - i really like the seige (blue pkg) for my crankbaits and jigs since it does seem to hold up better against abrasion from rocks (my way thing to fish) but i like the elite more for worms since it has a lil less memory and resists looping as bad - knot strength on either is much better and more secure to me than trilene or stren ever was - ive wanted to try floro but its hard to justify the extra cost when the lakes i fish (coosa river) are pretty dingy and muddy water