Posted: 8/26/2015 4:49:36 AM EDT
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I've got a couple spinning reels that vary in size from pretty small to medium. Also have one of those low profile baitcasters.
We've been running 8lb mono on the spinners and 30lb braid on the caster. Lost a few fish and lures on the spinner and I can't work braid for shit on a caster. What's considered a pretty noob friendly but durable line choice for small/medium spinners and casters? I was looking at 12-15lb mono on the spinners but I think that may be pushing it. I know distance would suffer but I'm not too worried about that, more worried about the line unspooling itself after the lure meets water. How user friendly is braid on a spinner? The caster I was going to try mono but I have no clue what size. I threw 8lb mono on just because I have a shitload to see how it feels and I'm controlling backlash much better with that but 8lbs on a caster is a bit light. 20lb mono? 15? My biggest concern for the caster is user friendliness as its my first time using one. We are running 6" 16lb steel leaders on everything at the moment as our favorite lake is loaded with pike. Lost a few lures to them already before throwing those at the end of our line and Id prefer to doom as few fish as possible to live like with a lure stuck to their face as possible so I'm stick to steel either way. |
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I use 12-17lb Suffix red label or Seagar red on all of my baitcasters but one, it's got braid. My spinners have 6-10lb Suffix red label as well. Try a different line or maybe a better knot. Weak knots are a huge problem. I was using uni for a long time because it's easy to tie but it turns out palomar is just as easy and I've had considerably fewer break offs.
FYI I don't think the Suffix is actually called red label but I can't remember the actual name but it's in a red box. 
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I use 14 lb Sufix Elite (the red box) on my low profile bait caster and 8-10 lb mono on my spinning gear.
I keep the braid for my round bait casters and trolling gear. Braid on a spinner is alright, but can be a huge pain when you get twist. It'll take longer to make a mess, but when it does, It'll have way more twist than mono. You can help reduce twist by occasionally dragging the line with nothing on it behind you in your boat at 2-3 miles per hour. If you're dealing with large fish like pike, you might want to step up to a larger braid on your baitcaster and switch to a 20lb fluorocarbon leader instead of the steel. It's less likely to spook the fish. Heavier line is generally easier to cast on a bait caster. Also make sure you know how to properly adjust the centrifugal and magnetic brakes. |
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OK, I'll take flak over this post.
The object of fishing is to catch fish, the more fish you catch, the better your catch. What that means is hooking them is the game, not hauling them in. With enough experience and your gear adjusted right, you can haul in a 6' shark with an ultra-light. In fact, there's a whole sport around doing just that. What you want then is a line thin enough it doesn't scare off the fish but thick enough it maximizes setting the hook instead of too much stretch for whatever distance you are fishing. When you snag, you want your line to break easy enough to save time because here's another truism, the more your bait/lure is in the water the higher your odds. You don't catch fish in the air. Too heavy a line, costs time even moving your boat, all sorts of things. Fishing is setting the hook not reeling it in. My six year old niece can reel it in. Now keep in mind if birdsnest is your concern then the more limber the line, the more likely the problem. Limber doesn't really have anything to do with thickness or strength these days but that being said visibility is still critical so you are better off with a thin line than a thick one, even if it does take longer to reel it in. Now if you are fishing for fish that you are concerned it will bite through your line, you aren't rigged right. Use a leader. Having the one line that does it all doesn't do you a bit of good if its so thick the fish avoid the line. Best leave that fish decision path when the baits/lure is doing its thing, when its enticed. Now I could tell you stories of half a century of fishing from lines so thick I caught sharks it was who caught whom to lines so tough I thought my boat was under reel power but let's just say my annual pilgrimage is buy new line, try this or that. Ultimately though I keep coming back to Stren Original clear blue and Berkley Trilene XL florescent. What can I say? They're old mainstays that have been around forever because they work. You see fishing line is like oil changes in your car, change the oil frequently you not only don't need synthetic oil but your car will do better than trying to stretch, (like that word?) the mileage. Change that line, because hooking is like shooting accuracy, its not a matter of how hot but consistency round to round and in our case hook to hook. Now here's the kicker, the whole game is setting the hook and setting the hook is not as much dependent on line as it is rod. You have a crappy rod, doesn't matter what line you have. Line you can compensate for with technique but if you can't feel and/or see enough to set the hook, you are going to miss more than you catch. A good rod and line and enough experience, you can tell what's down there long before you see it. Tj |
| fluorocarbon is far more scratch resistant than mono. 20 might work. You might also want to step it up a little higher. I've used 20 with medium size barracuda before, but we were using casting irons and a very high speed retrieve, so they didn't have much of a chance to get their teeth on the line. |
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Quoted:
I use 12-17lb Suffix red label or Seagar red on all of my baitcasters but one, it's got braid. My spinners have 6-10lb Suffix red label as well. Try a different line or maybe a better knot. Weak knots are a huge problem. I was using uni for a long time because it's easy to tie but it turns out palomar is just as easy and I've had considerably fewer break offs. FYI I don't think the Suffix is actually called red label but I can't remember the actual name but it's in a red box. On my fresh water casters I only use Suffix. It has proven itself to me to be the best. Like stated above the palomar is my knot of choice. |