need some line

[weezymagic]

ok guys, i think this is my first thread on this site and here it goes

i have a m or mh (sry, i forgot) st croix 2 piece rod. i am getting (with next paycheck) an abu garcia revo sx baitcasting reel. now i need my line for the setup. heres what ill be doing...pretty much all bass fishing. im going to use as many lures/baits as i can.
that being said...
i have read alot about mono, fluoro, braid and braid seems the best choice for me. although it doesnt go as deep as fluoro, it will be stronger and thats the main dif i found. also, braid lasts longer and has less memory. i dont much care for company that makes it considering they are all decent. i was thinkin suffix, power pro, or spider. and for color, i think the unanimous decision would be moss green or a variation of. lastly, size... if i understand correctly...50lb braid diameter is equivilent to about 12lb fluoro. therefore, id want from about 50lb to 60lb braid so i get the same size with alot more strength

[weezymagic]

just looking around and the spiderwire ultra casting ultra invisible braid doesnt look half bad

[Lancer6]

Weezle....POP!

You're pretty much on the mark re the braid for most applications. Since you are, by comparison to us South Texiz types, in the "Frozen North" braid will offer far better spool behavior and castability than the other lines so well as affording you better hooksetting power, sensitivity, and durability.
That said...If you ARE concerned about sink rate then you will benefit by the use of a pure fluoro leader, especially for your slow presentation lures, such as worms, jigs, Senko-types, etc. Also, if you are fishing rather clear water the relative invisibility of braid will offer some benefit so well as boost your confidence factor as you envision what's going on down below. Pure fluorocarbon sinks, whereas mono is slow to do so, so the leader will serve to get 'er down more rapidly. Do NOT use either a fluoro leader OR fluoro line for topwater plugs (Spooks, Poppers, etc.) as it will drag the nose of the lure down sufficient to impede action.
If you're fishing in the muck and water clarity is nil, then you'll be able to omit the leader for all applications.
For a leader material, I use and endorse P-Line CFX, a pure fluoro formulated specifically for leaders. It comes in 25 meter spools, ain't too cheap, and does the job very, very, well.
To attach your leader (I recommend 6-8 feet thereof) use the dreaded J-Knot. This knot is tough, relatively small when tied, and WILL require some practice to master. Practice it, using some old #12-17 test MONO and the braid, until you can achieve a compact and tidy knot THEN use the real stuff (CFX) for your leaders. With a #20-30 test braid (See related comment in later paragraph re line test.) I use a #12-20 test leader, depending on the "terrain" and technique of the moment.
It's become clear to most that one can use braid for almost any application, even topwater (Spooks, Toads, Frogs, BuZZZZZZZbaits, etc.) with confidence. It can work well enough for diving cranks, lipless cranks, and swimbaits as well since bass should be so fixated on the motion of the lure that they will ignore the line. Of course, unless you will be using a leader 100% of the time, AVOID using Hi-Vis braid...Black or dark green is the answer.
You mentioned using pretty heavy-test braid. Well, unless you will be fishing heavy mat or extremely woody cover most of the time, you might be better off using a #20-30 braid in lieu of the heavier braid. The smaller diameter of these will allow a better sink rate and less "bowing" and that will enhance sensitivity, allow for more positive hookset, and lessen the effect of crosswinds on the above-water portion of the line...Win-win, right?
About that line color: Dark braids are truly difficult to see when trying to detect a pick-up. Also, when night fishing they will NOT fluoresce under UV. The H-Vis braids...yellow, orange, etc, make "twitch" detection far easier but the trade-off is that they necessitate the use of leaders in all but the rarest instances..
One more thing...Be aware that drag settings and hooksets need to be adjusted to accommodate the virtually non-stretchability of braid. Many a good rod has been broken by having a drag set too tight or by a too-violent hook set. Also, repeated whipping of the rod in an effort to free a snag may easily cause rod failure. Be cautious and gentle until you become accustomed to the characteristics of braid.

Good Luck,

Lancer6

[pig n jig]

2 things to consider is whether you fish from boat and are you looking to use this rod for the majority of your fishing or do you intend to add to your arsenal very soon(like tomorrow or within the next time you go fishing)??????

If lure gets snagged, braid is tough to retrieve unless you have boat positioning capabilities and then it still can be a pain in the butt.
Braid does not fish all types of lures as well as a co-polymer line will(only my opinion)
Braid is twice as expensive as mono.
I have had mixed results with thinner braid lines, it has poor shock resistance qualities.backlash on a cast and watch your lure pop free and fly far from reach.I still backlash on occasion due to uncontrollable circumstances or human error.

If I were to choose 1 line for a all purpose 1 rod only, I would choose P-Line floroclear in 14 lb test.It may not be the best line for every purpose but you could get by with it pretty well.

Don't get me wrong, Braid works extremely well but more spicific lure selections. I would not recommend it for an all purpose line.

Also read Kevins line guide. http://www.bassfishin.com/articles/fishing-line-guide/

[weezymagic]

ok. i think i have the setup...
on my spin rod, ill put 20 lb mono (dark green or clear?) for anything topwater.
on my baitcaster, ill put 40 lb braid (dark green) and get some 14 lb fluoro (clear) as a leader. ill use braid for jiggin and flippin in cover and fluoro for anything that i need to go down deep or hide.

how do you guys like it?
whats the best knot to tie a leader? or would i swivel and tie the lines to that be better?

[weezymagic]

ok, i looked around and a uni knot seems the best

but do you guys like my thinkin

[Jim80]

Originally Posted by weezymagic

ok. i think i have the setup...
on my spin rod, ill put 20 lb mono (dark green or clear?) for anything topwater.
on my baitcaster, ill put 40 lb braid (dark green) and get some 14 lb fluoro (clear) as a leader. ill use braid for jiggin and flippin in cover and fluoro for anything that i need to go down deep or hide.

how do you guys like it?
whats the best knot to tie a leader? or would i swivel and tie the lines to that be better?

Uni to uni or the j knot . I am also a big fan of seagaur invizx fluorocarbon in 20lb , I use that for most situations save heavy cover and top water , and then I use #30 power pro and #12 berkely big game

Jim

[WTL]

PowerPro for braid has become probably the industry leader. I know others come and go and I'm sure they have their advocates, but I have never had a bad experience with Power Pro.

I like your setup, although I might go a little lighter -30 pound braid, 12 pound mono. You can get too big with line sizes - especially mono. Keeping it simple is always good.

[woody]

Originally Posted by weezymagic

on my baitcaster, ill put 40 lb braid (dark green) and get some 14 lb fluoro (clear) as a leader. ill use braid for jiggin and flippin in cover and fluoro for anything that i need to go down deep or hide.

Green braid was also my first choice of line for my jiggin rod. But I soon found out that the color green was difficult to see while fishing stained greenish waters. When jiggin I have to be able to watch my line for those hard to detect bites and I found it hard to do with green braid. It was a real strain on my eyes trying to watch for bites with moss green line on a moss green lake. I would pick a braid with higher visibility and if needed a low vis. floro leader. I hope this helps.

[BASSFISHINCHRIS20]

get some 10 # trilene maxx
i love it
but the fireline crystal is good stuff but kindof a ripoff cause of 125 yards for like $15

[weezymagic]

what about 14lb mono?

[Lancer6]

Originally Posted by weezymagic

what about 14lb mono?

Weezle,

If you're referring to your REVO, then #14 moneau will be fine IF you remember this; Be judicious in choosing WHICH mono. Y'see, if you spool up with a tough and abrasion-resistant type, such as P-Line CXX (Dos Equis!) you'll be fine so long as you are casting 3/16 oz soft plastic rigs and heavier stuff. Lighter lures may be a problem, especially in cooler weather, since the line will stiffen and become more "coily". To remedy that, braid is THE best answer but you may obtain some relief by using a premium mono that is of smaller diameter and softer makeup, perhaps P-Line CX (one X, plizz.)
Another concern is the aerodynamic and ballistic characteristics of any given lure. A RatLTrap weighing 1/4 oz will be easier to cast in still air, crosswind, or into the breeze than a billed crankbait of the same weight, to mention an example. If you already have a strike against you due to stiff line then...(fill in the blank.)
Of course, you could always cast only downwind
#14 ANYTHING ('cept braid) will be a disaster or, at the least, "inconvenient", on so small a reel as a 2500 SideStep...errr...Stab.
Re the assertion by a respected colleague that braid costs more; Not so if one factors in my already-stated factoid that since braid lasts virtually forever and mono/fluoro must needs be replaced often, you will spend less on braid over a year than on the other stuff...assuming you pay attention to line condition and level on spool. Low line levels are BAD on both fixed AND revolving spool reels. There WILL be the cost of the proper leader material (CFX) but even that can be minimized via careful handling and the use of the correct knot (See: J-Knot.)
If you wanna get into more detail, PM me and we'll plot and scheme away from prying eyes

Lancer6

[weezymagic]

damn, ok...you are my sensai from here on in. we are going to have alot of pms going. well, you got my tackle pm and now ill send you a line one. lol

[bassnman30]

I have used flouro, braid, now I use Suffix,or Stren mono. I don't care if it's mono or not. I even use it on shaky heads.

[Joel]

I use braid on all my setups, and all but one have a leader. Since you're only go to have two setups to start with, one spinning and one baitcaster, each will have to be able to multi-task.

Use your spinning setup for finesse presentations. Here I'm a big fan of 10 or 15 lb test Power Pro coupled with a 4-6 ft leader. I generally use 8 or l0 lb mono as a leader. I attach the leader to the braid with a Albright knot. Tied correctly, it just will not break. I use a Palamar knot to attach hooks and lures to my leaders. Even my dedicated drop shot setup uses braid and then a leader which is the drop shot rig. You don't need a swivel as you can't get line twist using braid, it has no memory issues.

For your baitcaster, I would recommend 30 lb Sufix Braid over Power Pro, as it's a 6 strand line vs a 4 strand line. The main difference is that it's rounder, and tip wrap isn't nearly as much of a issue. I also use a leader with my baitcasters except for my spinnerbait setup. Since you're going to have your setup multi-task, I'd go with a 12-14 leader. The leader does double duty here. 1st, it protects the braid from being cut off on sharp objects as you bounce and drag your jigs, cranks, and creature baits along the bottom. 2nd, it hides the braid from the Bass.

Braid is like your favorite flannel shirt, it gets softer and softer the longer you use it. I generally manage to keep my braid for 2 years before respoolling it. Too soft, and you'll start to have control issues.

As for color, for line watching, you can't go wrong with white or Optical Yellow (Power Pro). I prefer Moss Green for both my the Sufix and PP. With all braid, the color rather quickly fades.