How light is too light?

[TheOriginalFishaholic]

Keep in mind when you read this that I'm a shorebound fisherman...but still, all opinions are welcome.

When conditions are tough I generally end up fishing heavy timber with light line; the line weights I use are 6lb. test Cajun Red on a 6' fast taper spinning rod and 2lb. test Berkley XT on a 5' super ultralite Berkley rod.

I've had better luck with the 6lb. Cajun Red and even the 4lb. Cajun Red as far as abrasion trying to free hooked fish from the snags.

Any preferences you have you're willing to discuss? If there's something better, I'd rather have the odds in my favor. 

[soccplayer07]

I can not comment on that particular line as I have never used it. Fishing heavy timber with 2 lb and 6 lb line is very risky in my opinion. Especially from shore. I use 6lb yo-zuri (rated at almost 12lbs) on my spinning and I have break offs occasionally. I'm really thinking of using their 8lb test line. On my casting rods I use 12lb and 65 lb braid. I would use much stronger line.

[simplejoe]

The lightest line I use is 8lb. Gamma line. I don't use anything lighter for the simple fact I fish heavy cover alot and don't want to risk to losing a fish.

[stratos 375]

Mr fishaholic, I'll say this the nicest way I know how, but heavy timber, 6 lb test & spinning don't even belong in the same sentence.

Even though you're bank bound, eventually you're gonna keep messin around in heavy timber when the fish of your dreams is gonna inhale your bait. He's gonna pop that 6 lb test like it was sewing thread. Unless you are super vigilant about knots & line changes, when your 6lb test has hundreds of micro abrasions and micro nicks, you are really fishing 2 or 3 lb test. This is usually when anglers claim " he was so big he popped my line"

If you're relegated to using spinning gear, put the heaviest line on there that it'll handle, or you're eventually headed for heartbreak city.

[Grey Wolf]

Keep in mind when you read this that I'm a shorebound fisherman...but still, all opinions are welcome.

When conditions are tough I generally end up fishing heavy timber with light line; the line weights I use are 6lb. test Cajun Red on a 6' fast taper spinning rod and 2lb. test Berkley XT on a 5' super ultralite Berkley rod.

I've had better luck with the 6lb. Cajun Red and even the 4lb. Cajun Red as far as abrasion trying to free hooked fish from the snags.

Any preferences you have you're willing to discuss? If there's something better, I'd rather have the odds in my favor.

Are you fishing for blue gill ? If not why ultra lite in heavy timber fishing for bass ?

You are over reacting because of a tough bite , you do not have to go that light with your out fit.

[roadwarrior]

Light line is only appropriate in open water. Most

of my smallmouth fishing fits this criteria. The

majority of my largemouth fishing does not.

The conditions you describe call for much heavier

equipment to "move" the fish.

8-)

[grimlin]

I use 4# test in open areas when shore fishing.It does make a difference when the fish are extremely finicky.

I wouldn't use it near heavy timber though,That's just a disaster waiting to happen.

[Raul]

It depends on cover density and type, for example my everyday lake is up to it 's neck with flooded timber, 10 lbs test is as light I dare to go, in other lakes I frequent there 's no timber, it 's been ages since they had some timber in them, you can fish with 6 lbs and no problem. Some of the ponds I fish have thick weeds ( tule ), 12 lbs is the lightest I dare to go.

[IwillChooseFreeWill]

I tend to stick with 6lb and lower for panfish, and 8lb and higher for bass. Right now my favorite is Pline CX on my spinning reels, I have a light setup for bream using 4-6lb (which works well because catfish take my bait off the bottom sometimes too) and my new heavier reel (when it and the line gets here) will be 15lb.

For heavier vegetation, stumps, branches, I stick with 15-20 lb PowerPro braid line (also on a spinning reel).

Now if you KNOW there are only bass 2-3 lbs max in that lake/pond then feel free to use the super light line.

[WRB]

Keep in mind when you read this that I'm a shorebound fisherman...but still, all opinions are welcome.

When conditions are tough I generally end up fishing heavy timber with light line; the line weights I use are 6lb. test Cajun Red on a 6' fast taper spinning rod and 2lb. test Berkley XT on a 5' super ultralite Berkley rod.

I've had better luck with the 6lb. Cajun Red and even the 4lb. Cajun Red as far as abrasion trying to free hooked fish from the snags.

Any preferences you have you're willing to discuss? If there's something better, I'd rather have the odds in my favor.

First let me qualify what I'm about to say. Bass are not line shy. With that said; bass can be turned off by how a lure or even live bait acts when fished on line diameters that can adversely affect how the lure performs.

I fish gin clear, highly pressured SoCal lakes where finesse bass fishing was developed. You simple want to select a line that will perform best with the lure presentation you are using.

The extremes; if you use a line that is too large in diameter; lets say equal to the hook eye diameter, the line may to too rigid and have too much drag in the water to allow the lure to perform well. A bass may still strike a lure with maximum size line. The other extreme; line so small in diameter that is about 10% the diameter of the hook wire; hook is .050, line is .005. The light line isn't strong enough to pull the heavy wire hook point into the basses hard mouth tissues.

The issue is control after you hook the bass; can you effectively land  the bass after hooking it?

The right size line give your lure good action and you the ability to land the bass.

During the 80's, finesse fishing was at a peak in SoCal. Tournament s were being won by anglers like Dick Trask who fished the split shot rig and dart jigs on 5 lb Maxima line, the hot set up. If you were not split shotting, you may not win a tournament. The worms were 3" screamers, up to 5" flutter craft or phenoms.

During this same time period, on the same lakes, I was fishing  12 lb Big Game mono and 1/2 oz hair jigs with pork trailers, old school jigs and catching a lot of double digit bass. Same lake, same water and bigger bass.

If I wanted to take my friends bass fishing and catch numbers of bass, then the split shot rig was my first choice, more bites per hour. Why? smaller lures look like the bait fish the 2 to 3 lb bass are feeding on. It's not the line alone.

WRB

[D4u2s0t]

I don't like to use any less than 10lb in any kind of cover, and casting gear will be better suited. I learned the hard way using 8lb line and watching my bait fly 100 yards out after the line popped mid cast. you're not going to pull anything out of cover on 2lb test unless your targeting small panfish.

[farmpond1]

I can't imagine using the line you described in heavy timber-especially from shore.  While I believe skittish bass can (sometimes) shy away from heavier line, it's usually the impaired action of the bait which buggers things up more than the visbility of the line.  Also, and you could prove me wrong, I'm guessing with that light of line, you are deliberately shying away from the places where the bass are most likely to be.  JMHO

[Fishes in trees]

If it was me, fishing where you're fishing, I'd go to some sort of braid.  For instance, 14 lb Fireline has the same diameter as 6 lb mono (roughly).  You can tie a fluorocarbon leader to the braid.  I think fishing 6 lb mono around bushes and trees is asking for it.

[5bass]

[movedhere] General Bass Fishing Forum [move by] five.bass.limit.

[TheOriginalFishaholic]

If it was me, fishing where you're fishing, I'd go to some sort of braid. For instance, 14 lb Fireline has the same diameter as 6 lb mono (roughly). You can tie a fluorocarbon leader to the braid. I think fishing 6 lb mono around bushes and trees is asking for it.

I consistently pull 3-5 pounders out of the timber on my ultralite gear...the reason for the light line is primarily an issue of having the baits fall and react exactly the way I want them to AND the fact that it's much more sensitive to a light hit than the heavier line.

Don't get me wrong on this, I also have two other rods with me all the time - one rigged with 30 lb. test Stealth braid and the other with 50 lb. test Stealth braid...the two heavier rods are necessary for the larger baits I generally throw for reaction bites.

I get a lot of harrassment from people I fish with when they see me tieing on a 9" surface bait or an 8" swim bait, but whatever works is my attitude...now the 2 heavy rods can handle those big baits, but my finesse baits drop in size drastically...all the way down to 1/124 oz. , hence, the necessity for light line and light gear.

BTW, I do retie often and strip off line each time.

[dodgeguy]

bump up to 8 lb cajun red.it is very strong line for a light line.

[bmad]

In reference to abrasion resistance, I have cought 2lb pickeral on regular 4lb yozuri. I cant say enough good things about yozuri line.

[Darren.]

I consistently pull 3-5 pounders out of the timber on my ultralite gear...the reason for the light line is primarily an issue of having the baits fall and react exactly the way I want them to AND the fact that it's much more sensitive to a light hit than the heavier line.

Perhaps you are answering your own question! If you are successfully pulling that size bass out of cover then sounds like the odds are, in fact, in your favor. To state you are using the wrong line for the wrong application seems to not apply. What works for one may not work for another.

I use 6lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid as a leader on my spinning rods, tied on to 10lb Power Pro and get hung up in woody spots, too, as there is a ton of vegetation/sunken logs off the docks I commonly fish. Near impossible to avoid. If I don't bend the hook straight, then the Yo-Zuri usually snaps, eventually.

I'm confident in my setup although I'm currently debating whether a leader is necessary in my situation. Was spooled up with YZ 6lb before I changed it out for braid. Thinking of dumping the braid and going back to YZ, but would like to try the YZ Ultra Soft.

FWIW, I am mostly shore-bound as well, though I do canoe fish from time to time. I love ultralight fishing, makes fishing a blast!

Used Cajun Lightning in 17lb test on one of my baitcasters. Had moderate success with it, but left it for YZ Hybrid. I'd be interested in trying Cajun's lighter lines. Do you have any issues with line memory?

As well, which Cajun version do you use, lightning, cast, other?

[TheOriginalFishaholic]

Do you have any issues with line memory?

I'm using the Cajun Red 4 & 6 lb. mono AND yes, line memory can be an issue, but I generally dress it with KVD Line & Lure Conditioner every night before I go out, which lessens the line memory issues.

For the 2 & 4 lb. test on my super ultralite rig I'm using Berkley XL clear mono and just paying attention to the line quality for abrasions, retieing and stripping a portion off whenever necessary.

[tyrius.]

Without knowing what your definition of heavy timber is, it's difficult to give a good recommendation.  If you're fishing the "buck brush" that Catt showed in an earlier post then you're probably losing a LOT of fish.  If you're fishing stumps where the fish don't have as much to tangle you up in then you're probably ok.

I would find the most abrasion resistant stuff you could find, something like P-Line CXX, and use that.  A co-polymer line will typically be more abrasion resistant than you're typical mono.

I'm a strong believer that bass anglers typically think they "need" much heavier line than they really do.