Best Overall Type Of Line - New

[Patrick Lang]

So just a little brief history. I used to fish a TON when I was younger, we have a good sized farm pond in the neighborhood I grew up in. anywhere from 1-7lbs bass could be caught back in the day(biggest one this summer is 5lbs). Through the years as I got older I didnt fish as much since I was so caught up in sports/teenage/college life. I am now 23 years old. And still live in the same area I grew up in. Just this last summer I started to go back down to the old farm pond I used to fish when I was young. Going to the fishing section can cause quite the headache since it seems technology has come a longgggg way since I last was fishing as a youngin.

On the pond my go to bait is just texas rigging soft plastics worms/lizards and letting them sink and slowly bringing them up and sink, up and sink and it works wonders on the farm pond. I use anywhere form the bronzeeye 65 frog to spinners to swimbaits on a given day down there as well. I have been able to catch fish on any of these lures at the pond.

My real question is though based on the lures I tend to use what would be the go to type of line / lb test that would be best for my situation. I have 2 rods but I don't want to be carrying around both when im there thats just a pain. However im willing to put a different type on each, that way if I know im going to work say worms that day I can easily just grab the rod/line that will work best for that day.

The farm pond can some times be weedy as well but not much logs/twigs are on the bottom to worry about and ive never had a snag in the weeds that I didnt just punch through without a problem.

I do also go up to a River in Wisconsin where there are a lot bigger fish but not more than once or twice over the summer.

Also Im sure this matters, both rods use a spinning reel

All answers are very much appreciated! THANKS!

[J Francho]

50# braid or 12-15# copolymer. I like Power Pro braid and P-Line CXX copolymer.

[moguy1973]

I think a lot of people on here are going to suggest Yo-Zuri Hybrid, probably in an 8-10lb test.

[Western-Mass-Bass]

I like the suffix lines myself

[B@ssCrzy]

50# braid or 12-15# copolymer. I like Power Pro braid and P-Line CXX copolymer.

I can't attest to the copolymer, but I most often use braid 50lb braid with a leader. Only use straight mono for cranks. C-rigs, texas rig, wacky rig, etc is braid with a leader.

[Patrick Lang]

First of all thanks so much to everyone for all the input so far! To be honest I'm still learning a lot but from what people are suggesting I should use a 50# braid and a leader. Just now being back in the fishing game, I hadn't every heard of a leader till just about now ha. I do understand the concept though. 50# braid as the main line then at the end tie on a "less visible" line that connects to the lure. I can easily look up the way to tie on the leader via youtube. However my question is now, what kind of leader is recommended (mono?), and about how much leader line do you put on the end of the braided line? 2ft? 3ft? ect.

Also is the "suffix" or "Yo-Zuri Hybrid" just brand names? or they actual types of lines like a braid, mono, ect?

If you believe I'll be just fine using just straight braided with no leader then let me know that as well.

Thanks again!

[moguy1973]

Also is the "suffix" or "Yo-Zuri Hybrid" just brand names? or they actual types of lines like a braid, mono, ect?

Thanks again!

Yeah. Those are brand names. Yo-zuri is a hybrid copolymer that is nylon inside and flourocarbon coated. Kind of best of both worlds. And it's super strong for its break rating. I think 12# breaks somewhere around 19# of tension.

Most people who use braid use a 100% flourocarbon as a leader. Usually a couple feet or so.

[Patrick Lang]

Yeah. Those are brand names. Yo-zuri is a hybrid copolymer that is nylon inside and flourocarbon coated. Kind of best of both worlds. And it's super strong for its break rating. I think 12# breaks somewhere around 19# of tension.

So essentially if I went the route of using the yo-zuri hybrid it would eliminate me having to use a leader? or would using the flourocarbon leader still be required?

[moguy1973]

No need for a leader with the yozuri.

[mod479]

Check out Izorline XXX or Yo-Zuri hybrid. Both are excellent copolymer lines for spinning gear. Cant see you needing more than 6 or 8# test if you set your drag properly.

No snag issues or heavy cover, and 1-7lb fish. You probably dont need braid at all. Both of those spools of line will cost less than one spool of quality braid too. Not to mention they will fill ~3 or 4 reels if you decide to get another setup down the road.

[Arv]

X2 on the Yo Zuri. Unless your pond has a jungle under the surface I wouldn't worry about braid too much. Like Mod said above, you will be able to buy a lot of line for cheaper than quality braid. I just got 600yds of Yo Zuri for around 16 bucks where as I spent around 20 for 150 yds of braid. With that said, I feel like 8-10lb test would probably be fine for what you're doing.

[Capt.Bob]

I would never run heavier than 20# test braid on a spinning reel. I put that on 4000 size shimano's. you will suffer big time with casting distance going heavier, and even with the twenty you will probably straighten a hook out if you are on a snag on the bottom, and have to wrap a rag around your hand to wrap the line on if you have to break it, or risk deep cuts, this is another reason for a leader. Then if your going to use a leader now you have 6-12 # test leader that is taking all the nicks and abrasions so why the heavy braid?? With lighter braid you can use lighter weights , be it jigs drop shot whatever, and do the same job you do with heavier braid and heavier weights. with the lighter tackle you have more control. If your reel is smaller like my 2500 size Shimano's I would not use over 15# test, still can run 6-12 # test leader and they will still work for you, and you never loose mainline. This is what makes Braid the cheapest line to use you can buy. It is the only line that is unaffected by the elements. It wont rot and uv doesn't affect it. Most run the same spool for 3 years or more. If you use Braid run 6-10 wraps of mono on your empty spool then use a Blood Knot or a double Uni Knot to join the braid to it, this keeps it from slipping on your spool, and in colder climates this is more of a problem, the few wraps of mono against the spool eliminates slippage. I have over 20 outfits rigged, bait casting, and spinning, and they are all rigged this way, I usually after 2 or 3 years turn the line around on my reels and have brand new line that was never used against the backing as my new line at my end for my leaders. that's 4 to 6 years use for 20 dollars worth of line!!! that's pretty economical.

There is what I do and why. I prefer the new Fireline Braid. I also like the Sufix and my third choice would be Power Pro. any one of the three are very good choices. Just don't rig for deep sea, and handicap yourself.

[SirSnookalot]

I would never run heavier than 20# test braid on a spinning reel

Amen to that !

I keep my formula pretty easy (use only braid and spinning for just about everything). I match my line to my rod ie: med 6/12= 10# braid, med 8/17= 15# braid, mh 10/20= 20# braid. This is consistent whether it's freshwater or saltwater, my 4000 reels get no more than 20# braid, I know people that use 30 or 40# on that size but I don't see the need. I mostly use PP, but I'm not married to any one brand.

[rockchalk06]

This is just my take. I have switched all but one set up to braid with an 8 foot fluoro leader. I am so frustrated with coiled up line with memory, its taken the joy of fishing away.

I had used mono only all my life up until last year. I used just about every mono I could find tying to keep line memory down. It was so bad on my spinning rods, I would spend more time dealing with tangled lines than I did fishing. I switched one set up to fluoro last year and had some good success. I only used that rig about 10-12 times so I didn't notice the memory much. About 3 months ago I switched everything over to fluoro. The more I started using it, the more I hated it. This was before I got turned on to the KVD line conditioner. With the recommendation of several people here, I respooled and used the conditioner. I did notice some difference but not enough to make me drop my pants for.

I went through 3 brands before I gave up. I have switched to braid and so far am very happy. My distance has increased dramatically, I have had much fewer backlashes, and the sensitivity has blown me away.

I love it for top water. Floats decent and I don't have to work my poppers near as hard as I do with mono.

[hooah212002]

This is just my take. I have switched all but one set up to braid with an 8 foot fluoro leader. I am so frustrated with coiled up line with memory, its taken the joy of fishing away.

I had used mono only all my life up until last year. I used just about every mono I could find tying to keep line memory down. It was so bad on my spinning rods, I would spend more time dealing with tangled lines than I did fishing. I switched one set up to fluoro last year and had some good success. I only used that rig about 10-12 times so I didn't notice the memory much. About 3 months ago I switched everything over to fluoro. The more I started using it, the more I hated it. This was before I got turned on to the KVD line conditioner. With the recommendation of several people here, I respooled and used the conditioner. I did notice some difference but not enough to make me drop my pants for.

I went through 3 brands before I gave up. I have switched to braid and so far am very happy. My distance has increased dramatically, I have had much fewer backlashes, and the sensitivity has blown me away.

I love it for top water. Floats decent and I don't have to work my poppers near as hard as I do with mono.

Did you try Yo-Zuri? I am seriously contemplating that for my next line for myself and my dad, but since I offered to pay for his line, I can't exactly afford 4 different spools of line (he has two spinning reels, one of which an ultralight). I was thinking about getting some 6 or 8# for the spinning reels and some 12 or 15# for my baitcast reel. I have been racking my brain with this decision lol.

[Bass Slayer 72]

I would never run heavier than 20# test braid on a spinning reel. I put that on 4000 size shimano's. you will suffer big time with casting distance going heavier, and even with the twenty you will probably straighten a hook out if you are on a snag on the bottom, and have to wrap a rag around your hand to wrap the line on if you have to break it, or risk deep cuts, this is another reason for a leader.

There is what I do and why. I prefer the new Fireline Braid. I also like the Sufix and my third choice would be Power Pro. any one of the three are very good choices. Just don't rig for deep sea, and handicap yourself.

I run the 4000 Shimano’s as well and over the past three years I have changed all my line out for braided, I don’t use anything larger than #14 lbs fire line or equivalent, unless I’m going to fish the river during the salmon run. I’m pretty constant with staying between 8-14 lbs depending on the time of season and what I think I’ll throw most of the day, I have the Crystal line on one and the HI vis on the other, but lately I’ve been either flipin’ or Cranking..