what type of line?

[Bgolladay]

I just bought a baitcaster and a medium heavy rod for it and im gonna be doin all around fishing spinnerbaits soft plastic crankbaits everything because i only have one and i put on the heaviest line i have at the moment on it which is 10 pound bps excel mono and i was just wondering what kind of line and what pound test should i go buy for my new baitcasting reel because i have no idea

[Kevin]

If this is your first baitcaster and you're just getting used to the backlashes... I'd stick with the less expensive monofilament for now, simply because you might go through line very quickly with severe backlashes.

If you are already proficient with a baitcaster, then I would recommend fluorocarbon since it is superior to monofilament for almost every application.

For any "general purpose" reel, 12 lb test is a great choice. Good luck!

[Bgolladay]

Ok thanks and also should i stick with the clear or should i get a different color i mostly fish in stained water i didnt know if the other colors worked better

[islandbass]

You should let the conditions you face dictate the line you use. For example, I fish ultra-clear rip rap so I use 6# fluorocarbon when I drop shot. For crankbaits I stick with 10# mono, usually sufix. 10# line is a good all around line for many applications save for the heaviest of cover. I don't face super heavy cover often if ever at all, so the highest I have ever needed to go is 14# mono/fc or 30# braid. However, if I faced heavier cover and needed more abrasion resistance, I would choose a line that suits those.

[cassidyta]

I personally prefer the idea of going with a larger diameter line when learning to cast. I feel that it does not dig in as much and is easier to pull out the "professional over runs". Since the primary focus is learning how to cast, I would say go with cheap 20 lbs line for now.

[WTL]

Trilene Big Game mono is a very good, very available monofilament that would be great for learning the baitcaster and general applications. It is what I used when I used mono.

My primary baitcasters are spooled with PowerPro braid, and if you are comfortable with the reel already, and the price and will be fishing where there is a possibility of big bass, the braid is a good choice. It is very durable, very strong, and for a braid, forgiving.

If you go flouro, do a search on the board for the subject as there seems to be a robust debate on which brand to go with. Its the newer line on the block, and I think they are starting to get their act together based on some people's opinions who I trust. Its taken a little while though, when flouro first came out it had some issues that made me stay away.

[JerseyFisher]

I just started using a baitcaster and I had it spooled with Trilene XL Smooth Casting. I think it was a good choice while learning to cast. I didnt have many backlashes, but when I did it was very easy to untangle them.

[keithdog]

Originally Posted by JerseyFisher

I just started using a baitcaster and I had it spooled with Trilene XL Smooth Casting. I think it was a good choice while learning to cast. I didnt have many backlashes, but when I did it was very easy to untangle them.

I have to agree with Jersey, Trilene XL is a very good mono, and affordable. I've used it for years without issue. I would suggest 14 pound test. I think thats probably the "best all around" weight for line. Not for every situation, but it's a very good middle of the road weight. Also, I prefer to use the low vis green Trilene lines, especially in stained water.

[Bassboss]

12-20lb mono or flouro, or 20-50lb braid. What kind of cover are you fishing, and how clear is that water? Also what kind of lures do you fish most often? If you fish worms most the time, I would get the braid or flouro. But if you fish spinnerbaits and top waters mostly, mono is the better choice! If you fish weeds, and wood more than you fish rip raps, I would go with the higher pound tests, but if you fish the rip raps more, than go with the lower. All around, I think that 15lb mono or braid with a flouro leader when fishing plastics.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are the pro's and cons of all three of the lines

Mono:
Pro's - floats (wanted when fishing spinnerbaits and other lures you want near the surface); relatively invisible; and stretches (wanted when fishing top waters and fast moving baits so you don't rip them away from the fish)
Cons - Floats; (nor good when fishing weightless plastics, crankbaits, or weighted plastics) stretches (not good when fishing heavy cover) and not as abrasion resistant as flouro or braid)

Flouro:
Pro's - Nealy inadvisable; little stretch; sinks, more sensitive than mono
Con's - sinks (good when fishing top water, or fast moving baits that you want high in the water column [such as spinnerbaits])

Braid:
Pro's - No stretch; very sensitive; abrasion resistant; low diameter
Con's - No stretch (not good for fishing top water plugs are crank baits, you will tend to pull the bait away from the fish before it gets a good hold of the bait). low diameter (when using 20 lb or lower, it can dig into the spool and stop the lure in a cast mid stream)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mono - sufix siege 12-20b
Flouro - seagar inviziX 12-17lb
Braid - Power Pro, or sufix. 20-50lb

[swimbaitkid]

if you go with braid for heavy stuff,dont go any lighter than 65lb,some guys use 100lb braid.My buddy broke 50lb braid a couple of times just brakeing it on the hookset,the other day when we were pitching to flooded brush and stuff like that

[WTL]

Your buddy had some other issue if he broke 50 lb braid on a hookset. That should not happen. The drag should come out first.

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by WTL

Your buddy had some other issue if he broke 50 lb braid on a hookset. That should not happen. The drag should come out first.

No I've broke off 50 too, I was fishing heavy stuff, and the line was probably really abraded, but, you're right if the line had no weak points or abrasion!

[WTL]

My point. The line was abraded. Once that happens, all bets are off. Abraded 65 test isnt gonna give you much more.

And besides, we are trying to give this guy advice on line. He wont need 30. I use 10 pound PP for most of mine and breakoffs are rare.

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by WTL

My point. The line was abraded. Once that happens, all bets are off. Abraded 65 test isnt gonna give you much more.

Oh ok!

~~~~

[Bgolladay]

Also i saw some 12 pound test lo vis green at wal mart its trilene xl i was wondering if i should try that because all the waters around here are stained i took off my bps excel and i found some trilene xl that my dad had bought i think a year or two ago and it is clear/transparent blue and it had the blueish tint to it so i didnt know if the lo vis green would work better for me in this stained water or if the clear/transparent blue will be fine or show up really bad?

[Jim80]

Originally Posted by Bgolladay

Also i saw some 12 pound test lo vis green at wal mart its trilene xl i was wondering if i should try that because all the waters around here are stained i took off my bps excel and i found some trilene xl that my dad had bought i think a year or two ago and it is clear/transparent blue and it had the blueish tint to it so i didnt know if the lo vis green would work better for me in this stained water or if the clear/transparent blue will be fine or show up really bad?

I would stay away from the older line man it will be nothing but problems unless it was stored in a freezer or something of the likes .

Jim

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by Bgolladay

Also i saw some 12 pound test lo vis green at wal mart its trilene xl i was wondering if i should try that because all the waters around here are stained i took off my bps excel and i found some trilene xl that my dad had bought i think a year or two ago and it is clear/transparent blue and it had the blueish tint to it so i didnt know if the lo vis green would work better for me in this stained water or if the clear/transparent blue will be fine or show up really bad?

Ya, go with the new green. I would get siege, it far casting like XL, but better line.