line question

[elbaito]

I am pretty new to bass fishing (and fishing in general), but I have a buddy who is lending me his setup and was hoping to get a little advice about which line to use.

 

Right now I pretty much exclusively do soft plastics from the bank for largemouth (mainly neko rigs lately) but I have spinnerbaits and stuff too that I would like to be able to throw on there.

 

The setup is:  Daiwa BG2500 reel, Daiwa Aird-x AIRX661MHFS (6'6" MH/F)

 

The line rating for the rod is 8-17 lb mono but i was planning on trying 15 lb braid with a 6 or 8lb fluoro leader.  Do you guys think 15# braid with a 6# leader is too small for this setup? (is that even a thing? line being too small/weak for a rod?) It is technically outside of the line rating but I know those numbers aren't set in stone.  Any other recommendations to maximize this setup are more than welcome!

 

[jimmyjoe]

   The predecessor to the bg2500 (mechanically) was the Fuego 2500SH. I have one, spooled with 10 lb. Sufix 832 and no leader. It's on a 7' M/F Compre rod. Gets great distance, good sensitivity, and I took a 37" musky last fall with it.  I see nothing wrong with what you have at all. If I used a leader ( and I've been experimenting with not using a leader to see if there's any difference) I would use 8 to 12 lb line for the leader. But that's just me. I fish where there are pike and musky. YMMV.  jj

[Scott F]

15lb braid will work just fine. Why are you choosing to use a leader? 

[elbaito]

39 minutes ago, jimmyjoe said:

   The predecessor to the bg2500 (mechanically) was the Fuego 2500SH. I have one, spooled with 10 lb. Sufix 832 and no leader. It's on a 7' M/F Compre rod. Gets great distance, good sensitivity, and I took a 37" musky last fall with it.  I see nothing wrong with what you have at all. If I used a leader ( and I've been experimenting with not using a leader to see if there's any difference) I would use 8 to 12 lb line for the leader. But that's just me. I fish where there are pike and musky. YMMV.  jj

Thanks for the advice!  I don't have to worry much about musky but a decent sized pike is certainly possible.

35 minutes ago, Scott F said:

15lb braid will work just fine. Why are you choosing to use a leader? 

No real reason except that I have read that many people that know more than me seem to use one for soft plastics, and my main fishing spot generally has pretty clear water.  I am not set on using it by any means.

 

Edit:  After doing a little more research about leaders I feel like I was overthinking things too much.  Next time out I will keep it simple and just go with straight 15# braid and see how it goes!

Edited July 13, 2019 by elbaito
add more info without a new post

[The Bassman]

I go without a leader myself. A lot of guys use them here but I personally think 6lb. is too light for what you're doing. That said, some line manufacturers like Sufix and YoZuri rate their lines light. I think something around .28-.30 mm would serve well.

[Scott F]

24 minutes ago, elbaito said:

   

No real reason except that I have read that many people that know more than me seem to use one for soft plastics, and my main fishing spot generally has pretty clear water.  I am not set on using it by any means.

If you are new to fishing, I’d recommend going straight braid at first. Bass aren’t line shy, so the leader isn’t going to make a real difference. If you find that your line breaks from abrasions, a leader might help because it is a bit more abrasion resistant. Tying leaders on properly takes some practice. I wouldn’t make things more complicated until you find a need that a leader will fix. I’ve been using braid for twenty years and I haven’t felt the need for a leader yet. Others, due to local conditions, find leaders necessary. Don’t makes things more complicated than they need to be.

[elbaito]

2 minutes ago, Scott F said:

If you are new to fishing, I’d recommend going straight braid at first. Bass aren’t line shy, so the leader isn’t going to make a real difference. If you find that your line breaks from abrasions, a leader might help because it is a bit more abrasion resistant. Tying leaders on properly takes some practice. I wouldn’t make things more complicated until you find a need that a leader will fix. I’ve been using braid for twenty years and I haven’t felt the need for a leader yet. Others, due to local conditions, find leaders necessary. Don’t makes things more complicated than they need to be.

Sounds like really good advice, I think that is what I will do.  Thank you.

 

21 minutes ago, The Bassman said:

I go without a leader myself. A lot of guys use them here but I personally think 6lb. is too light for what you're doing. That said, some line manufacturers like Sufix and YoZuri rate their lines light. I think something around .28-.30 mm would serve well.

I will keep this in mind in case I do feel like trying a leader.  I will probably go with 10# if I do.

[islandbass]

If you’re going to fishing spinnerbaits that last thing you want is to use a “weak leader” so to speak. 

 

Glad and to see your are going to go direct tie. I don’t fish too heavy a cover but for spinnerbaits, I personally won’t us any line less than 10# mono equivalent, use 10# in a pinch if no other choice, and at least 12# mono equivalent diameter. 

 

You going with 15# braid doesn’t meet my personal preferences but don’t let that stop you. Sometimes thinner and limper lines can get “caught up” on the lure tied on. It’s not a show stopper as much as it’s an irritant because you make a beautiful cast only to realize the line gets caught up on the lure thereby ruining that cast. Yeah it’s anal and peevish but sometimes my fishing outings are like barely 20 minutes and in these cases, I don’t like to have “wasted” casts, lol. 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

I wouldnt go over 10# braid and no leader. With a well tied knot actual strength at the knot for most 10# braids will be in the 14-15#range (Powerpro,832,gamma).  "Weak" lines like Kanzen and Smackdown you may need their 20# rated line to get the same strength of the others 10# rated braids.

[Boomstick]

I have a BG 2000 size and that's actually a really great reel, especially for the price let alone the $40 I actually paid for it. Personally, I would go with 20# braid, which will be the happy medium between baits with smaller hooks and larger hooks and should cast nicely on the 2500 sized reel as well.