Line for Jigs

[JoeDeal55]

I will have a 7'MH/F Shimano SLX combo with the SLX151HG reel this month or the next. I will be using it for a dedicated jig rod. I might try a few other things on it just to broaden my experience but mainly just for bottom contact jigs. I am looking for advice and recommendations for what line to use with it. Brand, test, fluoro, braid, etc.

 

My local fisheries have little to no vegetation. Mostly wood, underwater brush, rock, and mud. I have 0 experience with straight mono and straight fluoro on baitcasters. I have only used straight copoly, straight braid, and braid to short mono leader. Honestly, I only use a short mono leader to save the life span of my braid. The struggles of micro guides. Im unsure how leader knots will pass through the SLX rod yet. 

 

The SLX combo will be my most "high end" piece of equipment, (I only own budget gear) so I dont want to spool on "cheap" line but I wouldnt mind "affordable" line.

 

Any and all advice and recommendations are welcome. Thank you!

[MidwestBassAttack]

My suggestion would be P-Line Tactical. P-Line is about $35 for 200 yards and is my personal favorite. Very, very abrasion resistant and strong. I use 17lb tactical on my setup because diameter-wise is similar to other brands 20lb.

 

I’ve used this line all season and never once broke off on anything and have fished it around rocks, brush, etc. 

 

It’s a harder line in feel which seems to help with sensitivity as well.

 

 

[Chaos10691]

27 minutes ago, JoeDeal55 said:

I will have a 7'MH/F Shimano SLX combo with the SLX151HG reel this month or the next. I will be using it for a dedicated jig rod. I might try a few other things on it just to broaden my experience but mainly just for bottom contact jigs. I am looking for advice and recommendations for what line to use with it. Brand, test, fluoro, braid, etc.

 

My local fisheries have little to no vegetation. Mostly wood, underwater brush, rock, and mud. I have 0 experience with straight mono and straight fluoro on baitcasters. I have only used straight copoly, straight braid, and braid to short mono leader. Honestly, I only use a short mono leader to save the life span of my braid. The struggles of micro guides. Im unsure how leader knots will pass through the SLX rod yet. 

 

The SLX combo will be my most "high end" piece of equipment, (I only own budget gear) so I dont want to spool on "cheap" line but I wouldnt mind "affordable" line.

 

Any and all advice and recommendations are welcome. Thank you!

I had that exact setup before and I used braid to leader. Worked great never had an issue passing the uni to uni knot.  As for leader I mostly used Seaguar red label at the time. Now I use Sunline Assassin as main line on some reels and the leftover is what I use for leaders.

[T-Billy]

Jigs and T-Rigs in wood, brush and rock is straight braid territory for me. 40# Sufix 832 specifically. Great abrasion resistance and plenty of power to muscle them out of cover.

[papajoe222]

I'd use straight fluoro, 15.b. It's more than sensitive enough for bite detection and is more abrasion resistant than braid. The problem is, if you've never used straight fluoro, there is a bit of a learning curve and that involves hook-sets and keeping your thumb on the spool during a cast.  You'll avoid much of the frustration by using a strong, sweeping hook-set vs. a 'cross their eyes' style.

[dodgeguy]

50 lb Sufix 832. Ditch the leader.

[FryDog62]

Mainline Abrazx 15 lb ?

[rtwvumtneer6]

15-17# fluoro.  Find a seaguar that fits your budget.  

[Catt]

Berkley Big Game 15# ?

[JoeDeal55]

So far the consensus is 15-17 fluoro or 40-50 pound braid. Is casting fluoro similar to casting 14lb Super Silver Thread copoly? In my limited experience, the 50lb PowerPro is a lot easier to cast for me and the 14lb copoly. Better distance anyways. Same amount of backlashes tbh. 

[Functional]

Go 17lb floro unless you do mostly 1/4 and 5/16 jigs then I'd say 15. 17 should be easier to manage being a larger diameter and give you some meat to wear through before a retire. 

 

InvizX and red label will handle better but abrazeX and sunline assassin should be better with abrasion. My money would go red label or invizx  though unless chunk Rock was the bulk of your area.

 

If you didn't have rock I'd say go braid but rock has always broke me off easy. 

[Bluebasser86]

I use 15lb Tatsu for a majority of my jig fishing. 

[Boomstick]

Here's several good options I would recommend across various price points. Because of rock and wood, I'm not going to suggest braid.

 

The most budget option, but works: 15# Berkley Big  Game

Economy option: 15# Sufix Siege or Advance

Middle of the road option: Seaguar Invizx or Abrazx, 15# or 17#

Higher end option, Daiwa J-Fluoro Samurai in 16#-20#. Around this time of year, it tends to be a little over $20 a spool on ebay and at that price, that's a steal.

[jbsoonerfan]

40lb Sufix 832 or 20lb Sunline Shooter around heavy cover. 15lb Tatsu in open areas. 

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, JoeDeal55 said:

In my limited experience, the 50lb PowerPro is a lot easier to cast for me and the 14lb copoly. Better distance anyways. Same amount of backlashes tbh. 

If you're backlashing frequently you should probably think twice about Fluoro. It doesn't do well with kinks at all. If you do kink the line, that's pretty much all she wrote. If you take the plunge you'll need to be 100% diligent with your thumb, and there's no shame in adding a dash of spool tension or juicing up the brakes to start off. Fluoro in really cold weather is even tougher to deal with as it wants to spring off, even after you've stopped the spool after a cast.

[JoeDeal55]

8 minutes ago, Functional said:

Go 17lb floro unless you do mostly 1/4 and 5/16 jigs then I'd say 15. 17 should be easier to manage being a larger diameter and give you some meat to wear through before a retire. 

 

InvizX and red label will handle better but abrazeX and sunline assassin should be better with abrasion. My money would go red label or invizx  though unless chunk Rock was the bulk of your area.

 

If you didn't have rock I'd say go braid but rock has always broke me off easy. 

Only 1 of the lakes I plan to fish next year has some rip rap at the dams with some chunk rock here and there. The other 3-4 are mud/silt and wood. I might get some braid and some abrazex and try them both out. I have also heard good things about yozuri hybrid. Eventually I'll end up trying them all anyway lol

[flyfisher]

15lb copolymer except in winter I go with 40lb braid then, I like the line management of braid in the cold.  

 

[Bluebasser86]

9 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

15lb copolymer except in winter I go with 40lb braid then, I like the line management of braid in the cold.  

 

It must not get down to freezing temps while you're fishing. Braid when the air temps are cold enough to ice the line is unfishable. Not only that, but it carries so much more water back to your guides and reel that everything ices up faster. 

[JoeDeal55]

17 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

If you're backlashing frequently you should probably think twice about Fluoro. It doesn't do well with kinks at all. If you do kink the line, that's pretty much all she wrote. If you take the plunge you'll need to be 100% diligent with your thumb, and there's no shame in adding a dash of spool tension or juicy up the brakes to start off. Fluoro in really cold weather is even tougher to deal with as it wants to spring off, even after you've stopped the spool after a cast.

I dont backlash too often, and when I do its not too bad. Its only when i try to get max distance and 100% of the time its in the very middle of my cast, mid air. Im getting better though.

[flyfisher]

1 minute ago, Bluebasser86 said:

It must not get down to freezing temps while you're fishing. Braid when the air temps are cold enough to ice the line is unfishable. Not only that, but it carries so much more water back to your guides and reel that everything ices up faster. 

It does but I haven't experienced the line icing up in winter.  

[JoeDeal55]

2 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

It does but I haven't experienced the line icing up in winter.  

I havent fished in freezing weather yet so this will be a fun experience this winter!

[Bluebasser86]

Just now, JoeDeal55 said:

I havent fished in freezing weather yet so this will be a fun experience this winter!

I don't know that I would call it "fun", it's a unique challenge for sure. 

[Lead Head]

I have had great success with 40lb 832 to a 25lb sunline sniper leader. 

I started out with straight braid for years. Started using the leader to fish chunk rock. As I started moving to other cover I left the leader in place and had only positive results. Now I use the leader nearly always in all cover, pitching, casting, and skipping. 

 

About a 5'-6' leader, just outside the tip when pitching and outside the reel when casting. It works for me.

[Phil77]

Straight braid or 12# P Line CXX, strongest mono I've ever fished. I like to tie directly to the jig, I never have found the benefit of a leader for the waters I fish.

[GreenPig]

Around any rock I'd go with 15 - 17 Red Label. I have 2 of those exact combos except the hand is correct. ? They fish above their cost. You'll enjoy it.