Posted: 6/25/2014 10:36:01 AM EDT
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Used to fish all the time as a kid, but i've gone about 10 years without and am looking to get back into it. Got a kayak and want to do some kayak fishing. It will all be inland for the foreseeable future in rivers and lakes, as i'm pretty heavily landlocked.
My plan, at least to start, is to set up a spinning rod running 6lb line (as this is what I have experience with), but I was wanting to do a baitcaster as well for a bit heavier lures. Asked my father, and he told me to go with 17lb mono, but I spent about an hour at basspro looking at baitcasting reels, and the vast majority were 12lb. Am I not looking at something right, or should I just be looking at 12lb line, or what? Thanks! |
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Depends on what and where you are fishing. In clean water no weeds or rocks or stumps 12lb mono is fine. If you fish in heavy weeds or thick brush 50lb braid might not be strong enough. Now if you are up north or like to fish in salt water there is the toothy fish to worry about which is another problem,
Need more info on what you are fishing for. |
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Quoted:
Depends on what and where you are fishing. In clean water no weeds or rocks or stumps 12lb mono is fine. If you fish in heavy weeds or thick brush 50lb braid might not be strong enough. Now if you are up north or like to fish in salt water there is the toothy fish to worry about which is another problem, Need more info on what you are fishing for. Bluegill,crappie, perch, trout, bass, ect. Maybe catfish on occassion. I don't foresee anything larger than a catfish or bass. I know it depends pretty heavily on the exact species you're aiming for...but at least to start out with, i'll probably just be trying out all sorts of things to see what I enjoy and have a knack for. |
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12# is used to give you a spool capacity for a frame of reference.
What is the water color like where you are fishing? Take a white spinner bait and drop it in the water, tied to the line of course.- Clear, seeing it several feet down. Lighter line could get you more bites, go with 10-12# Stained, see it a foot or two down. Bump up 14-17# Choco milk, as heavy as you can get away with and the bait fish properly. I use 65# when fishing the really colored stuff. If you fish near a lot of structure (trees, docks, rocks) you may want to bump it up a little. To keep it simple, get a quality baitcast reel a 7' Medium Heavy rod, spool with 12# and give it a go. How much $ are you looking to spend? |
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I ended up getting an Abu Garcia Revo SX baitcaster reel, and i've been playing with it a bit though have mostly been using the spinning setup i've got. I can't recall if I ever used a baitcaster when I was younger, because this seems totally new to me and it seems like I spend way more time clearing massive birdnests of tangles from my baitcaster than I do fishing.  I'm positive it's not the reel, just something i'm doing wrong with the technique that i'll have to work on. Stuck with 12# for now, but have some other stuff if I need heavier line.
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You'll get used to the baitcaster, the key is to set it up correctly.
Set spool tension so that the lure falls slowly, this varies with the weight of the lure. If you have magnetic brakes, set them about midway thru the adjustment range. (5/10) Once you get used to it and are not getting birds nests, but want more distance, back off on the meg ethic brakes a little at a time. |
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If you are going to fish out of a kayak, I recommend braid with a flourocarbon leader.
The reason is that you are low to the water and sitting down. Hook sets will not transfer much energy to the hook with stretchy mono. Another advantage is that you can buy several 25 yards spools of flourocarbon for different lures, water clarity, techniques and braid will last you forever. |
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I prefer braid on my baitcasters. 65lb power pro is what I typically run. I have far fewer issues with it over mono. I hate the mono-stretch too.
If it's clear water, I use a flouro leader of whatever size I think is appropriate. I haven't used mono on anything but my ice fishing stuff for many years. I simply don't see any advantage to it. Wears out faster, sun eats it faster, stretches, kinks, thicker per pound of strength... |
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Next time you go to BP or the like, take 12lb braid off the shelf and wrap it around your hand tight. It will damn near cut you. Braid has come a long way. 12lb or less diameter braid is more than efficient for most applications you are wanting to address.
ETA: don't forget to put backing on your reel. |