Need some line help.

[Sharkicane]

Hello all,

 

So I’m brand new to bass fishing never done it. Still haven’t caught one lol. Ive fished saltwater all my life so I’m familiar with some things.  My question is primarily about fishing line. Be gentle lol I’ve read several threads and watched videos and I’m afraid it’s information overload on the ins and outs of bass fishing.

 

So for use with soft plastics and finesse type baits, Is it better to go with a high vis braid and flourocarbon leader, or a braid that’s supposedly invisible like spider wire or something?

 

Below are my rod and potential reel feel free to offer advice on that as well I’m including it in case it impacts the line I use. 

 

Rod: Currently I have a 6’5 Daiwa Alexa MH Extra fast tip (it was on sale for 35 bucks, I didn’t know any better and I couldn’t resist)

Reel: I’m looking at getting a Kastking royale (till I get good with a BC I figure I shouldn’t spend that much on one)

[InFishingWeTrust]

This is all going to fall on peoples personal preferences. I fish straight braid and do just fine. I generally run 20 lb powerpro. Best thing is to research tuning your reel. Practice casting. You may waste a spool of line learning the basics. Be patient with birds nests. They are easy to get out just dont want to pull hard and have your line cut in the spool. My reels I find a sweet spot and seems I barely have to adjust it from one lure to the next.  

[Choporoz]

Topic has been discussed quite a bit lately

 

[Sharkicane]

23 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Topic has been discussed quite a bit lately

 

Thanks for the links. I might go with some leader just to simply save braid line as suggested. I imagine I’ll have several hang ups and reties starting off.

 

Is Berkley vanish good? That’s what I’ve alwahs used in saltwater not sure if there are better options or not.

 

also I’ve always used a swivel with it, what knot is recommended for line to line? 

[Choporoz]

I've never used Vanish....but I've read a LOT of posts here over the years suggesting that it got its name from the way it breaks and makes your lures (and fish) vanish.

 

Lots of opinions on knots here, too.

My choices:

Leader knot: Alberto - easy, 7-up/7-back, reliable and I can tie it on the water without too much trouble

Line to lure: Palomar for braid to lure; San Diego Jam for all other line to lure

[Sharkicane]

4 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

I've never used Vanish....but I've read a LOT of posts here over the years suggesting that it got its name from the way it breaks and makes your lures (and fish) vanish.

 

Lots of opinions on knots here, too.

My choices:

Leader knot: Alberto - easy, 7-up/7-back, reliable and I can tie it on the water without too much trouble

Line to lure: Palomar for braid to lure; San Diego Jam for all other line to lure

Thanks. Also, what is your go to leader? I searched and found suffix, sunline, pline, Seaguar, and more. Seems to me there are a lot fewer options in brands when it comes specifically to fluorocarbon leader.

[Choporoz]

Honestly, I have never used anything marketed as leader material.  I use whatever fluoro or copolymer I have around - mostly Yo-Zuri Hybrid; I have partial spools of 6, 8, 10, 12 and 15 laying around, so that's usually what I end up using....but, I've also got CXX and other stuff I use.

[WRB]

I have bass fished over 60 years and my advice is learn to bass fish using a baitcast rod & reel using Berkley 12 or 15 lb test Big Game copolymer line. 

Fuorocarbon line offers very little for bass fishing, it's expensive with poor knot strength.

Braid is more difficult to learn to cast with and offers little over premium mono/Copoly line with the exception of very high tensile strength for it's diameter and cuts through vegetation. If you are not fishing in heavy cover no reason to use braid.

Big Game offers great knot strength with a Palomar or Trilene knot, both easy to tie.

$8-9 for 600 yards, you can change the line often when needed and worry about cost while learning to cast your reel.

I have caught hundreds of big bass using 12 lb Big Game line, Catt has caught hundreds of big bass using 15 lb Big Game. Don't listen to folks telling you mono stretches more then FC and you loose feel of your lures it's not true.

After a few years of bass fishing, then experiment with various lines and make a decision which line suits your needs.

Good luck,

Tom

 

[mattkenzer]

4 minutes ago, WRB said:

I have bass fished over 60 years and my advice is learn to bass fish using a baitcast rod & reel using Berkley 12 or 15 lb test Big Game copolymer line. 

Fuorocarbon line offers very little for bass fishing, it's expensive with poor knot strength.

Braid is more difficult to learn to cast with and offers little over premium mono/Copoly line with the exception of very high tensile strength for it's diameter and cuts through vegetation. If you are not fishing in heavy cover no reason to use braid.

Big Game offers great knot strength with a Palomar or Trilene knot, both easy to tie.

$8-9 for 600 yards, you can change the line often when needed and worry about cost while learning to cast your reel.

I have caught hundreds of big bass using 12 lb Big Game line, Catt has caught hundreds of big bass using 15 lb Big Game. Don't listen to folks telling you mono stretches more then FC and you loose feel of your lures it's not true.

Tom

 

Just when I think i have one part of fishing figured out ..... Dang It.

 

Nice write up ..... Thanks Tom.

[Choporoz]

11 minutes ago, WRB said:

Braid is more difficult to learn to cast with and offers little over premium mono/Copoly line with the exception of very high tensile strength for it's diameter and cuts through vegetation. If you are not fishing in heavy cover no reason to use braid.

...

$8-9 for 600 yards, you can change the line often when needed and worry about cost while learning to cast your reel.

 

Tom, I don't have near the experience, knowledge or talent that you do...I defer to you for nearly everything here....but, for me, a switch to braid was sort of a religious experience....so much easier to cast....I don't know anything about true stretch characteristics of fluoro vs mono vs copoly...but I will swear that braid stretches less than any of those...and that has helped with my strike detection and my hook sets....braid on a spinning reel will change your life even more than braid on baitcasters....as to cost, even though spool cost is far higher, braid may well be cheaper than even Big Game, since a spool might last for many years.

     I still love Yo-Zuri, especially for cranks; and I respect and sometimes use fluoro....but I can't see abandoning braid any time soon.

[mattkenzer]

16 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

braid on a spinning reel will change your life

^^^ This I do agree with.

 

Jury is still out on my casting equipment.

[AggieBassin10]

I'm a saltwater convert too ? but I fished saltwater with baitcasters so l wasn't new to that game. I do a lot of 1 rod pond hoping and kayak fishing and I keep my setup spooled with 30 pound braid with about a 3 foot leader of 20 lb fluoro. It's very similar to the setup I used (and still use) for wading and kayaking for redfish and speckled trout. I'm still in the realm of newbie to bass fishing but I've had a lot of success with that setup and it's caught me a lot of fish with minimal breakups. The only time I would not recommend it is if fishing very heavy/thick grass, but that's  topic that needs its own thread 

[mattkenzer]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

I have bass fished over 60 years and my advice is learn to bass fish using a baitcast rod & reel using Berkley 12 or 15 lb test Big Game copolymer line. 

Tom ..... Just to fix my confusion, is Berkley Big Game a Monofilament or Copolymer Line?

Thank you.

[WRB]

Copolymer line is a monofilament line; Nylon blends.

Hybrid is a coextruded line; fluorocarbon over nylon, Yo-Zuri and P-Line FluoroClear are examples.

Tom

[mattkenzer]

3 minutes ago, WRB said:

Copolymer line is a monofilament line; Nylon blends.

Hybrid is a coextruded line; fluorocarbon over nylon, Yo-Zuri and P-Line FluoroClear are examples.

Tom

Ok Tom ... That is what i thought. Thanks again.