Best line

[The_Bass_Master99]

I'm would like to know what line I should put on my baitcaster, I primarily use soft plastic frogs and other soft plastics and I was wondering if flouro or braid is better for soft plastic topwater  frogs(horny toads,rage toads etc.). And to get maximum distance. PLEASE HELP.

[lectricbassman]

Braid with a flourocarbon leader when necessary

[frosty]

Braid floats, flouro sinks. 

[mrdrh99]

I have all 3 of my Abu casters backed with 10lb mono and spooled with 30lb braid.... Hasn't failed me yet!

[fishnkamp]

I would spool some decent mono on first then fill the spool with Power Pro Spectra  in 30 pound test. If you are fishing really heavy Lilly pads and hard weeds then move up to 65 pound braid. otherwise 30 or 50 pound will work fine.  The other lines I would consider is Suffix 832 or SpiderWire Stealth, again in the same tests. My frog rod has 65 pound Power Pro but I spooled my wife's with 30 pound and it is working fine.

[frosty]

3 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

I would spool some decent mono on first then fill the spool with Power Pro Spectra  in 30 pound test. If you are fishing really heavy Lilly pads and hard weeds then move up to 65 pound braid. otherwise 30 or 50 pound will work fine.  The other lines I would consider is Suffix 832 or SpiderWire Stealth, again in the same tests. My frog rod has 65 pound Power Pro but I spooled my wife's with 30 pound and it is working fine.

I just did this on my spinning rod, made the switch from copolymer to braid, I only used 150 yards of braid to fill the spool using the older copolymer under it. Now if I could tie a leader knot that would hold...

[fishnkamp]

Learn the uni to uni knot I use it for the knot that connects the backing and braid or Floro and then the same knot to connect the braid or Floro to the leader, The double uni  or uni to uni is an easy and quick knot to tie.  check here 

 

[frosty]

Just now, fishnkamp said:

Learn the uni to uni knot I use it for the knot that connects the backing and braid or Floro and then the same knot to connect the braid or Floro to the leader, The double uni  or uni to uni is an easy and quick knot to tie.  check here 

 

Thank you. I used the FG knot, it held up for a couple snags and a couple bass, but broke in some weeds, retied, and the copolymer came out of the braid at the knot! I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. How is the uni to uni in micro guides? That's why I used the FG, because it was thin and would fit through the guides. 

[fishnkamp]

I make sure I really cinch it down tight after I do what you see him tell you to do. So when I am done, before I cut the tag ends, I pull on both main lines and then pull on all four line one extra time.  I cut my tag ends fairly tight and realize your braid is a bit softer than the mono of floro leader so the softer tag end is going "out" though the guides. I use four rods with micro guides and have no trouble with any of them except my eyes are not 20 years old anymore so stringing micro guides is not the easiest anymore. On spinning gear I use a shorter leader so it is almost out the guides anyway ( maybe 3 foot)  The nicest part about using the leader is when you re-tie a lure you are wasting leader not expensive braid.  Also I make 5 turns on each side always no more no less.
 

[Dwight Hottle]

Use straight braid & forget the leader.

[frosty]

38 minutes ago, fishnkamp said:

I make sure I really cinch it down tight after I do what you see him tell you to do. So when I am done, before I cut the tag ends, I pull on both main lines and then pull on all four line one extra time.  I cut my tag ends fairly tight and realize your braid is a bit softer than the mono of floro leader so the softer tag end is going "out" though the guides. I use four rods with micro guides and have no trouble with any of them except my eyes are not 20 years old anymore so stringing micro guides is not the easiest anymore. On spinning gear I use a shorter leader so it is almost out the guides anyway ( maybe 3 foot)  The nicest part about using the leader is when you re-tie a lure you are wasting leader not expensive braid.  Also I make 5 turns on each side always no more no less.
 

Just retied the leader, seems easier than the FG knot. I'll get to see how it holds up tomorrow, hopefully against bass and not tree stumps 

35 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Use straight braid & forget the leader.

I did that after having issues with the leader today. While it didn't seem to make a difference concerning the fish, I did end up doing a lot of reties to different lures. I'd like to avoid cutting my braid up if I can. 

[fishnkamp]

I have been using backing to braid to leader for the last 4 or 5 years now. It is how I set up all of my reels it does not matter if the main line is braid or Floro or P Line FlorClear. I set them up the same.  The only reel I setup differently is my topwater rod.  It has a full spool of 17 pound mono.  I use it mostly to throw spooks for stripers.  i live on the Chesapeake Bay and have fish for bass but also catch BIG blue catfish, smaller channel cats and stripers up to about 15 pounds..  The blue cats are the meanest. My biggest cat hit a 7 foot Irod with 14 pound FloroClear and a XCalibur XR75 rattle trap. He almost spooled me before I finally got caught up to him. He weighed 18 pounds.  I thought I hit a freight train. I was shown this setup by a  Tennessee guide that also fishes the FLW.  Since Craig Powers taught me how to make it all work I have not had a double uni break or come undone. So I would have confidence it will not let you down either. In Tennessee we regularly catch big smallies, a lot over the 5 pound category. Here is a pic from this past April. It was caught on Dale Hollow Lake. My wife says she want to break the world record which came from there. The world record is 30+ years old but it was 11.15 pounds   

 

[frosty]

An 11.5 pound smallie? That sucker would be a fighter! The one in your picture is all screwed up to! I can see how it would be stronger than the FG, the FG requires the braid biting into the leader, I think this ones a winner! Thanks for the help!

[fishnkamp]

Why did you say the one in the picture is all screwed up It fought great and was in terrific condition when I released it. 

[S. Sass]

49 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Use straight braid & forget the leader.

Exactly no knot to fail period. Simply no knot to learn, or not implement, no guessing if it's gonna hold. No need to create problems where there is none. 

[frosty]

8 minutes ago, fishnkamp said:

Why did you say the one in the picture is all screwed up It fought great and was in terrific condition when I released it. 

It looks like something ripped off part of its gill cover, unless it's just the camera angle?

[fishnkamp]

It was just the way the camera and the way i was holding the fish. When I released her I held her for a second and she splashed me good then took off back to the grass she came out of.

[An Outdoor Guy]

I use 50# braid. it doesn't dig in like some smaller diameter braid does. I LOVE the feel and diameter of 15# fluorocarbon but man talk about knots failing...I just lost a nice spinner bait today because I got a backlash and the line broke right at the knot. Took my fluorocarbon off and re-spooled with 50# braid. I wish I could find a decent knot to use with fluorocarbon

[Fish4bigfish]

The uni knot is outstanding for fluoro Carbon. It is also a great drop shot knot