New Rod: Cashion Icon

[jpike16]

So I picked up a new rod for the year that I plan to use as a dedicated Squarebill/cranking rod. I went with a 7’0 Cashion Icon medium with a mod/fast action. I’m pairing it with My Daiwa Steez SV, but was curious what line I should use? I’m thinking perhaps 10 or 12 lb p-line. Is there a better option that I should consider?  Thanks!

[Eric 26]

Depending on what type of cover you’re fishing in might dictate a bit more but I love throwing square bills and shallow crank baits on a couple dedicated crankin sticks and my favorite line is Suffix Advanced Monofilament in 10 pound test. I’m also a fan of McCoy mean green which is also a co-polymer line. And I also like Trilene Big Game monofilament in 10 pound test for crank baits. 

Edited March 13 by Eric 26
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[NorthernBasser]

I usually put 12# Sniper on my squarebill/shallow cranking rods. 

[new2BC4bass]

My only experience with P-Line was with 10# FloroClear.  It was not a happy experience.  Maybe I got a bad spool.  If I had to worry about abrasion resistance, their CXX is one of three that I would look at first.

 

The previously mentioned lines are all good.  I like Siege, McCoy Mean Green, and Izorline XXX of the lines currently in production.  I have a lot of AN40 on hand.  No idea why it went out of production.  Line is probably not something a person would consider a rabbit hole, but there are many, many good lines to be tried.  I have more on hand than I will ever use. 

 

[Brian11719]

I prefer straight fluorocarbon on a casting setup for crankbaits. The lb test depends but I would say most 'not cheap' options out there are pretty good. A lot of people like sunline fc sniper...I personally like YGK G-Soul or Sufix Advance and McCoy Fluoro100 has also done well for me if you are looking for something a little less expensive.

Having said that regardless of what brand or even what type of line you choose I would say the two things I would pay attention to are depth and abrasion. For example if I'm only throwing squarebills I don't know that going up a little higher in lb test is really going to make you lose much in terms of depth...but fair chance there are going to be more rocks, wood, etc. so a higher lb test might be better. Alternatively if you think you might get into medium or deep diving cranks at some point then there's a good chance the difference between 12lb and 15lb test will probably be a little more noticeable.

 

Anyway...if I'm throwing a crankbait there are probably going to be zebra mussels around so for me it's usually 15lb test but I also get why a lot of other people typically use something like 12lb test. 

 

So my answer it depends on where you are and what you want to do. If you are going to go with fluoro I would also point out that there are some good options out there like McCoy that are a little less expensive, but there is a difference between 'less expensive' and 'cheap' and I'd personally stay away from the cheap stuff as it seems to get replaced quicker anyway so you don't really save much but you do get some bonus frustration thrown in if you go that route.

[F14A-B]

PLine CX is very manageable. PLine CXX is a much tougher line. 
 

Personally, I use YoZuri Hybrid in 10-12# in clear, on an IMX heavy/mod-fast

 

CXX and YoZuri both have a larger diameter line. you might keep that in mind when selecting a pound-test. 

[TnRiver46]

For some reason I always go 12 and up on baitcaster, I like the way the diameter/feel/casting/retrieve all work together with that size. I have used some 10 before and it’s still pretty strong, I think my wife had 10 lb line when she caught a 36 lb striper! It just seems slightly too thin for most of the stuff I end up doing