What Line For First Baitcaster

[Tuckahoe Joe]

I'm gonna be getting my first baitcaster soon and I can't quite decide on which line I want to use.  So far I only have experience with mono and I'd like to try out fluorocarbon or braid.  I can't afford multiple rods and reels so its going to be an all-around-little-bit-of-everything setup.  I mostly fish cranks (shallow and lipless), spinnerbaits, t-rigs, and maybe some smaller 1/4oz jigs.  I'm going to leave mono on my spinning setup for my topwaters til I get another baitcaster.  Also there isn't too much heavy cover.  There's cover to fish.  Just not real heavy.  I really like the idea of the no-stretch braid but a lot of the fishing I do is shallow water and fairly clear so I can see a big advantage in the invisibility of the fluorocarbon.  Another big concern is backlashes.  Would one of these lines backlash less or be easier to untangle than the other?

[Topwaterspook]

Joe, on your first baitcaster, I'd spool it with 10-12# Berkley XL. Simply because I think you'll have fewer backlashes and it will suit your fishing needs. It is going to be a learning curve when you first start. Good luck with the new rig.

[Teal]

For your first baitcaster, i would stay away from a pure Fluoro. A good 10-12# mono or co poly line is a good starting point. I dont use it but i understand that P Line makes a some good copoly lines that will serve you well. Co poly will give you the best of both worlds until you get the hang of casting with a baitcaster.

Yo yuri hybrid could also be a good choice. It is castable, limp, and affordable.

The cover and possible hazards would dictate line size, but its hard to go wrong with 10-12 to start.

[BrianinMD]

First baitcaster, stick with mono until you get comfortable. You will backlash, no point in wasting money on other lines until you get more comfortable.

[hooah212002]

Line conditioner will make your life much easier with if you go with mono or copoly. It's a must, imo.

[tritondriver]

i have used McCoy for everything for years and taught two grandsons how to use a baitcaster..but more important then the line is to learn how to setup your baitcaster before even throwing a lure, if its not setup right it wont matter what line you use it will backlash...research on the internet there many pages on how to set it up and also on youtube there are videos to watch.....

[fl_bass]

Not sure if the Tuf-Line offer is still available but I'd go that route if it is. 5 buck 100 yards and the backlashes are really manageable. Also the trick to getting them out is when it happens release the spool. Then place your thumb on the spool lightly and start pulling line out (this keeps the spool from spinning as you pull out line). When the line gets stuck as you pull, apply more pressure to the spool the. Turn the handle 1/2 rotation. Release the spool pulling line out until the next spot it gets stuck and repeat the handle turning truck or you get back to the nicely spooled section of the line.

Backlash release was the item that freaked me out the most until I saw that trick on YouTube.

[RoachDad]

Joe, here is the best advice you can get:

 

whatever line you put on, tie one of those yellow plugs and play out about 100 ft. of Line.  then take a piece of scotch tape and put it across line on the reel.  All the way across.  Then reel in your line and practice in the yard.  In fact, I still put tape on.  you will never get a really bad backlash because you can only overrun down to the tape. Even if you end up cutting the line to clear the backlash, you will only lose line down to the tape. 

 

trust me, you will save yourself alot of headaches and time. 

 

Now that you have protected yourself,

 

DON'T try to cast real far.  nice little medium casts. 

 

DO use your thumb like crazy.  Start out by thumbing or stopping the line from feeding out BEFORE your lure hits the ground/water.  As you get mor comfortable you will get to where you can slowly thumb the reel so that you stop the reel right when the lure touches the water for a nice, soft, fairly quiet landing.

[MrSwimJig]

I would go with Yo-Zuri Hybrid or Izorline XXX line. Both are great co-polymer lines.

[deep]

I'd opt for Trilene Big Game or Yo-Zuri Hybrid. Basically any decent line that you can buy a big spool of at a decent price. You are going to have backlashes, and lose line. Fluoro seems to kink up real bad after a bad backlash.

 

Or you could buy some good braid, and tie on a leader. Braid won't kink up, and lasts for (almost) ever.

 

Whatever you do, consider practice casting a little before going fishing.

 

P.S. I'd make sure that the rod is light (in power, not weight) enough to cast quarter ounce jigs for your comfort/ skill level.

[tholmes]

First baitcaster, stick with mono until you get comfortable. You will backlash, no point in wasting money on other lines until you get more comfortable.

X2^ Go get a spool of Trilene Big Game 12 lb., spool up, and practice a lot.Once you become proficient at casting, use the Big Game for backing.

 

Tom

[kickerfish1]

Joe, on your first baitcaster, I'd spool it with 10-12# Berkley XL. Simply because I think you'll have fewer backlashes and it will suit your fishing needs. It is going to be a learning curve when you first start. Good luck with the new rig.

Yea that! Same line and I would go with 12# personally. Trilene XL is a good line. I can't speak on the armor coated Trilene that is out nowadays but the older stuff is great.

[TNBassin']

If you go co poly stay faaar away from Pline C21. The stretch that line exhibits is absurd. Go XL or Yo Zuri hybrid 10# Test.

[hooah212002]

If you go co poly stay faaar away from Pline C21. The stretch that line exhibits is absurd. Go XL or Yo Zuri hybrid 10# Test.

 

I'll second this. If not for the stretch, but because it is pure crap. I only bought it because it was way cheap on sale at Dicks. I get more birds nests with that stuff than any other line ever. Yes, this was even with copious amounts of KVD L&L.

[Sodus Bay Scooter]

I'm gonna say braid. Reason being if you get a bad backlash, the line won't be destroyed after you try picking it out.

It also has no stretch like flouro but floats instead of sinks.

You seem interested in braid or flouro so it's obvious you will at some point in the future buy it so you may as well get it now. Besides, it won't take long to get used to that baitcaster and then you'll be wishing you had braid or flouro on it.

That's my 2 cents.

[skeletor6]

I'm gonna say braid. Reason being if you get a bad backlash, the line won't be destroyed after you try picking it out.

It also has no stretch like flouro but floats instead of sinks.

You seem interested in braid or flouro so it's obvious you will at some point in the future buy it so you may as well get it now. Besides, it won't take long to get used to that baitcaster and then you'll be wishing you had braid or flouro on it.

That's my 2 cents.

 

I am not quite sure that there is a choice worse than braid. When backlashed, it is a nightmare compared to any line using nylon, fluorocarbon, etc. You can literally damage your spool trying to pull it out, not to mention the dig from pulling out backlashed braid

 

Sure, the line will not be as damaged, but why does that matter when you will already have to cut off a significant amount of line because of said backlash? I think practice and cheap line is the way to go. 1,000+ yard spools of mono can be had for less than $10. That should be plenty of line to practice with until you get it down. An option you may choose to help not let the backlash get so deep is to place tape on your spool after letting out enough line to cover your casting distance. 

 

Besides that it is all about practice. 

[TNBassin']

I was "scared" of going with fluoro for my main line, but I would recommend Seaguar Red Label as a good, cheap line. Treat it with KVD LNL and it's pretty manageable and doesnt have bad memory.

[Sodus Bay Scooter]

I've never had to cut my line from a bad backlash but that's just me. I also take the time and pick it out and I don't horse it, that just makes it worse.

I still think braid is the better choice. I learned on braid and I never had any major headaches, but again I guess everyone is different.

Oh and I use 40lb power pro which I think going with the heavier test helps picking it out.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Thanks for the opinions everyone.  Still got some time to think about it cuz I'm waiting on my income tax check.  I already have some mono so right now I'm thinking I'll start out with that til I get the hang of it and then go from there.  I've watched Glenn's videos (BassResource on YouTube) on setting up/casting baitcasters quite a few times even though I don't own one yet and I think I have a general idea of what I need to do.  I just have to apply it firsthand.  I also like the idea of using tape on the spool to reduce the severity of the backlash.  Thanks again guys!

[blskybass]

I'll echo what some others have said.  Buy cheap mono, either do the tape trick or only put on 50 or 60 yards and cast in the yard till you learn.  You are going to backlash until you learn how to cast, every does.  You will get some nasty ones, too.  You'll have to cut some out.  Don't waste 15 or 20 dollars on flouro or braid just to cut it off when you get one of the nasty ones.  After you get it down, spool it up with something good and hit the water.

[fishking247]

I just started using baitcasters for bass fishing. I mainly use em for heavy cover, rattle traps, jigs and blade baits. I am not new to baitcaster as I have used them for a while in saltwater but I recommended 12-15lb berkley big game for most applications. It's a bit stiffer then other monos but it's tough as nails us its cheap. Backlashes will occur at times just be careful picking them out to avoid weakening the line. I respool every 2-4 weeks because I fish every day

[s freud]

Some great advice. Bookmarked.

[derekxec]

get the cheapest mono you can find....take your reel and go to a field or lake or so and practice casting a lot and take a knife/cutters with you and the spool of line...if you cant remove a backlash cut off and try again if you run out of line respool

 

after you get confortable remove all mono and get some power pro braid if your spool has a place to tie line tie the braid to that if not leave like 10 yards of the mono on and splice the braid to it and fill spool

[dodgeguy]

powerpro super slick in 50 lb test.it has a 12 lb diameter.you want your braid to be the same diameter as mono to  prevent digging.super slick in this diameter doesn't dig and casts wonderfull.

[Jolly Green]

I'm in the process of learning a baitcaster myself. I chose 12# mono to start because I figured I'd be damaging/cutting out a lot of line at first, and I was right. After a week and 300 yards of line, I found out about taping off most of the spool and also how to use the thumb and a couple turns of the handle to work out the nests. After another week and a lot less line in the garbage, I felt confident enough to switch to braid and I'm glad I did because I find it waaaaay more manageable than mono, especially when it came to digging out backlashes. 

 

My advice is to start with a spool full of 12# mono, taped off except for about 40 - 50 yards. This way, your backlashes aren't horrible when they happen but you still get the valuable experience of carefully digging one out. As soon as you're comfortable doing so, add 40 - 50 yards of braid to your spool. (Cut off the mono you've been abusing down to the tape only, leave the rest on for backer, and retape the spool OVER the knot between the mono and braid.) I went with 50# Power Pro because it has a similar diameter to 12# mono.  Practice, practice, practice.