# What line to put on my bait casters...



## jstiene (Aug 14, 2008)

Hello. 

I am going to be re-spooling my baitcasting reels. I only use them for Bass Fishing. These rods/reels are used for anything (spinners...heavier swimbaits...frogs..etc)....I plan on going to braid and was looking for advice if that is still the best idea...and if so,..,.what LB braid should I use....or should I not use braid?..with light braid (4-6LB I could possible use plastics also.? I currently use my spiining rods/reels for all my plastics,etc. .any advice is much appreciated as always...

Lastly...I typically use PowerPro...love the yellow if I can find it....any other brand that I should consider?

thanks in advance...
Joe


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## ostbucks98 (Apr 14, 2004)

If you want that much flexibility out of one pole I would stick with a good 10lb mono.


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## jstiene (Aug 14, 2008)

Well I had mono on and it seemed to backlash quite oftern compared t previous attempts with Braid. what I am wondering is will 6LB braid bind up on the reel since it is so thin compared to say, a 50LB braid? 

I dpo use 6LB braid on my spinning reels which allows me to cast it to Canada if I try. I like the extra distance, but I am wondering if such a thin braid on a baitcaster will cause more problems...


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## PapawSmith (Feb 13, 2007)

[QUOTE="jstiene, post: 2040508, member: I do use 6LB braid on my spinning reels which allows me to cast it to Canada if I try. I like the extra distance, but I am wondering if such a thin braid on a baitcaster will cause more problems...[/QUOTE]

6lb braid is awful small IMO. I have all my baitcasters spooled with 15lb Power Pro, with the exception of my flipping and pitching rods that I spool with 50lb. 15 braid has the diameter of about 4-6 lb mono and I have personally found it to be about perfect for any bass fishing here in the north. My buddy that I primarily fish with, both fun and tourney, fishes strictly mono and he uses 12lb. It is all about preference really but 6lb braid might really bind up in itself when stressed being it is so thin.


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## jstiene (Aug 14, 2008)

PapawSmith said:


> [QUOTE="jstiene, post: 2040508, member: I do use 6LB braid on my spinning reels which allows me to cast it to Canada if I try. I like the extra distance, but I am wondering if such a thin braid on a baitcaster will cause more problems...


6lb braid is awful small IMO. I have all my baitcasters spooled with 15lb Power Pro, with the exception of my flipping and pitching rods that I spool with 50lb. 15 braid has the diameter of about 4-6 lb mono and I have personally found it to be about perfect for any bass fishing here in the north. My buddy that I primarily fish with, both fun and tourney, fishes strictly mono and he uses 12lb. It is all about preference really but 6lb braid might really bind up in itself when stressed being it is so thin.[/QUOTE]

Papaw, thanks for the quick response. I think I will go with the 15LB braid, and may put 50LB on a rod for frog and pitching. With that said, have you noticed a difference in any binding between the 15LB and 50LB reels? I was concerned with the 6LB line bnding up which is one of the reasons I asked. 

I also assume the 15LB braid is prob a 6 or 8LB mono equivalent correct?


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## Nightcrawler666 (Apr 17, 2014)

I'm a big fan of braided line on all my reels. The only exception for me is my river spinning setup, which I use 10lb mono. My preference on bait casting reels is 50lb braid on my heavy 7' rod for frogging and heavy cover business like flipping and punching through mat and around pads. The other is spoiled with 30lb braid on my 7' MH for my heavier Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, spinners/chatterbaits and open water walking baits. The brand I stick with is suffix because I personally like it more than power pro. Not that I'm a power pro "hater", just like the feel and toughness of the suffix more. Any other applications, I use spinning gear; weightless plastics, light Texas rigs, drop shots, etc...


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## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

I have 50lb power pro on both baitcasters right now. One is my frog rid and the other is a jig/pitching rod. I'll be adding another one next year and it will be spoiled with 10lb power pro. Right now the water I fish isn't very clear so I don't need to go super small.


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## Dovans (Nov 15, 2011)

I've switched over to Fluoro Carbon on my Baitcasters. Raging from twelve to twenty pound. I seem to have fewer backlashes with the fluoro.


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## jstiene (Aug 14, 2008)

It seems everyone is using something between 10lb and 50lb braid. I guess I am trying to find what is the best option to give me the most strength but yet also allow me to cast the furthest...is there a big difference in casting between 10LB and 50LB braid on a baitcaster?


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## PapawSmith (Feb 13, 2007)

[QUOTE="jstiene, post: 2040525, member: 15825" Papaw, thanks for the quick response. I think I will go with the 15LB braid, and may put 50LB on a rod for frog and pitching. With that said, have you noticed a difference in any binding between the 15LB and 50LB reels? I was concerned with the 6LB line bnding up which is one of the reasons I asked. I also assume the 15LB braid is prob a 6 or 8LB mono equivalent correct?[/QUOTE]

I have never had any binding issues with 15# braid and, yes, it is about the diameter equivalent of 4# to 6# mono. You just have to pay attention when you are casting lighter baits to not let your line get too lose on the surface on your reel spool. 

Like I mentioned earlier, line type and size is really preference thing and I think you can see that just in your replies on this thread. Some guys like the heavier braids and some like lighter lines. Other than flipping/pitching or tossing frogs, I see no real need for anything heavier than 15# up here in our area and north. buy a couple small spools of a braid brand you like in different weights and test them out on a couple of your reels. Just like mono, you will find the smaller weight braid the longer the cast.


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## Nightcrawler666 (Apr 17, 2014)

+1 on what papawsmith said. I fish very very dense vegetation 90% of the time so I don't concern myself with visibility to fish. If I ran into clear water without the vegetation, I'd stick with my 30# braid setup and stick a 6-8' flouro leader on it. As far as casting distance goes, I don't really find myself wishing my casts were further ever. Especially on the 30# rod. I'll sacrifice a couple extra feet of distance for the added strength and durability. But, I would definitely get a few test spools and try a couple sizes out and see how you like them. If you get too thin, the braid can kind of cut into itself if wound very tightly on the spool or when you try to pull out a snag really hard. Food for thought. Hope it goes well.


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## bstephenson1225 (Sep 3, 2014)

I use The 65 lb power pro slick 8 on my heavy jigging rod and it works really well. I used some lighter 15lb on my med heavy and it was such a pita i stripped it all off and went with p line co polymer cx in a 12lb. hardly ever get a backlash and have straightened a cpl hooks. Love it on my lews. Everything else I use spinning gear.


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

Dovans said:


> I've switched over to Fluoro Carbon on my Baitcasters. Raging from twelve to twenty pound. I seem to have fewer backlashes with the fluoro.


Same here, except I have a heavy rod rigged with 50# PP braid. I use it for going frogging. I did it because I was comfortable with the flouro but I admit that in many situations it is personal preference. The only time I think it matters is in very clear water with finicky fish.

IMO braid, on a baitcaster, with a diameter less than that of 12# mono will cause more problems then if it were larger. It can cut into the rest of the line on a hook set or other hang up and the next cast can prove "nesty." Not to mention when you look at the ratings for baitcasters they give the line holding ability in 12# mono diameter. If you look at some higher end ones they will use 10# mono diameter. Now, that is not to say that you cannot put a smaller diameter on the reel, but it can cause additional issues for some people.


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

I use 15-20 pound PP on my baitcasting reels. I pretty much just throw 3/8 - 1/2 oz. spinnerbaits with them.


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## Carver (Jan 20, 2010)

I have been using Yo-Zuri Hybrid for several years . It is a fluorocarbon/nylon hybrid, it is the best line I have ever used and over the years I have tried them all. It is a supple line, but still abrasion resistant. It has excellent knot strength and does not give me problems with back lash or loops on spinning gear. It also has a small diameter to line test ratio. I just won't use anything else. It is hard to find locally so I buy enough by mail order to last for a season or more. It is not expensive and you might want to try it on one outfit. I prefer the green because it is easier to see.


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## BassFishing123 (Jun 6, 2015)

30lb suffix 832


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## Kaiser878 (Sep 13, 2007)

I use many different kinds of lines for many different applications...
frog rod- 50-60lb brain (PP)
spining rod, 35lb braid(PP slick 8) with 6-10 lb seagar abraiz x flouro for leaders for drop shotting, finesse fishing, and tossing wacky rigged senkos

cranking rod- 10lb abraiz x seagar flouro line for deer cranks or a squarebill I wanna get 5-6 feet out of 
13lb sunline defier mono for shallower squarebill usage

poplars, buzzbaits, and chatterbaits I run 13lb sunline defier mono

carolina rig, I run 50-60lb braid with 17lb sunline defier mono leaders

flipping- 16-20lb sunline sniper flouro

THis is what I Have gotten comfortable using....


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## winguy7 (Mar 12, 2014)

I've never had any luck with braid under 12lb mono diameter. As for lures, well no idea. I bottom fish with big weights and big live bait. Which puts a hell of a beating on line. This year I've been using courtland master braid side by side with suffix 832. You will not regret using courtland, its amazing......AMAZING!! You may regret ordering it though. I went through many cancelled orders and two months trying to get it last spring. However no other braid I've used comes within the same galaxy of it. 832= memory, enough said.


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## boxer (Dec 11, 2012)

I like 17 lb to 20 lb fluorocarbon. Stick with a good brand like Seager or Berkley. It's strong stuff and good for crank baits, swim baits, spinners, and spoons. I only use braided line for flipping and frogging in the slop.


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