# Best line for baitcaster/



## tommy454 (May 20, 2008)

I have always been a spinning rod guy. just bought my 1st baitcaster with my BASS PRO gift cards I was generously given for Christmas. Anyway, just curious if one type of line performs better with a baitcaster? Any input would be appreciated. I will be fishing mainly bass, if that helps.


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## elkhtr (Oct 23, 2006)

Braid, mono and floro will all work with a baitcaster.

Couple of things you should think about.

1st, you may want to put on some inexpensive mono, 10 or 12lb test and practice casting with it. That way, if you end up with an unrecoverable birds nest, you can put on new without a big expense.

2nd, once you get the hang of casting, the line you use should be decided on what you are going to use this rod/reel for. The type of rod will make a difference as well. If you are going to cast crankbaits, mono or florocarbon would be my choice. If you are going to be fishing jigs in the slop, braid is the way to go. If you want to use it for topwater, stay away from floro.


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## bobby (Aug 1, 2005)

elkhtr said:


> Braid, mono and floro will all work with a baitcaster.
> 
> Couple of things you should think about.
> 
> 1st, you may want to put on some inexpensive mono, 10 or 12lb test and practice casting with it. That way, if you end up with an unrecoverable birds nest, you can put on new without a big expense.



Totally agree with elkhtr on this one. If you need to spend practice time, get a spool of Berkley Big Game in like 12 or 15 lb test. My favorite line for casting has been Stren 14 lb monofilament. I have tried all kinds of lines and brands and this is my personal favorite. I am one of the few, I guess, who still likes mono a whole lot. It has not really let me down. That being said, if I could afford to use flourocarbon on all my reels, I probably would, but it gets really expensive and has not kept as long or as well as mono has over a long period of time.

Back to the Stren 14 (clear blue) - it is visible to me, it has really good sensitivity (though obviously not like braid or mflouro), has good know strength and handles all regular to medium heavy kind of duty. Anything heavy I usuall fish 17 lb, unless I am in the thick stuff - then it's Braid. Hope this helps and good luck.

Oh, and be patient!


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## tommy454 (May 20, 2008)

Thanks guys for the advice. I had some 10lb Trilene XL...so I tied on a 1/2oz weight and went out to the back yard for a bit, probably casted 100 times or so, no backlash. I was thinking one type of line may not backlash as much but From what I gather its not really the line but the fisherman. Either baitcasters are not as troublesome as some say, or I'm just a natural. LOL..... by the way.. the rig is a Bass Pro tournament baitcaster on a berkley 6'6" lightning rod.


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

tommy454 said:


> Thanks guys for the advice. I had some 10lb Trilene XL...so I tied on a 1/2oz weight and went out to the back yard for a bit, probably casted 100 times or so, no backlash. I was thinking one type of line may not backlash as much but From what I gather its not really the line but the fisherman. Either baitcasters are not as troublesome as some say, or I'm just a natural. LOL..... by the way.. the rig is a Bass Pro tournament baitcaster on a berkley 6'6" lightning rod.


I was where you are a year ago, there is just something I love about a spinning out fit, it took me awhile to add the baitcaster to my repertoire. I got my first baitcaster last spring, BPS Carbonlite I think I paired with the same rod you have,  Berkley Shock 6'6" lightning rod? (BTW: I love this setup, its real light and the lightning rod is a great piece of equipment for the price.) Ive had 10 lbs mono on from the beginning, mostly used for cranking. 

I started out like a natural pro as well  dont worry though the backlash will come. But, I think youll be just fine with 10 lb. mono its versatile enough for most applications other than the thick cover braid excels in. On a small note: the lightning shock was designed for braid, if thats the rod you do have.


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

12-14lb berkley xt will suffice for alot of different applications for bass.

gama and p-line floro would be a step up from that but as someone else stated the backlashes will come as you get greedy for distance and other factors that are not present in the back yard come about (wind, obstacles, angles). I would go with something cheap but strong for now.


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## bassattacker (Mar 14, 2007)

i use 12-14lbs. suffix seige, once your comfortable with the baitcaster and start fine tuning youll notice big differences with different lines, casting distances, nesting, etc.., we all will have different types of lines we like and for different reasons, but you can get a great feel for what works and what doesnt work, also helpful hint, your brakes will have to be reset with different types of lure weights along with your spool tension...


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## robertj298 (Feb 23, 2009)

I've used all different kinds of line and I've just gone back to plain ole stren mono for most of my fishing. I don't think the difference between it and the more expensive lines are worth the extra $$ for the others other than flurocarbon which has less stretch.I use fluro on a couple rods I use for worming or jig fishing


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## Taco (Jan 4, 2009)

Personally, I'm a braid guy...I've been happiest with Power Pro and Strem Microbraid. I loathed floro for a long time because of casting issue but really started to appreciate it more last year and got to the point where I'd fish with it as much as anything. At this point I'm only using mono for topwater.

While you're still new to baitcasting I suggest trying to learn to cast with your left hand on the reel at all times and not switching like most people (including pro's). I simply move my right hand from the crank to the butt of the rod and cast over-the-top. I release and engage the spool all with my left thumb never changing my left hand grip. The nice thing about this is I can cast over either shoulder without fear of fouling anyone around me and I don't have to shift hands making everything much smoother and faster. I had a guide in FL teach me this, it took about 5 minutes to learn and I've casted this way ever since. His only advise was to start throwing softly, trying to throw the lure straight up to the sky. as you get used to lobing your casts you can quickly learn to throw a little harder each time.


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## elkhtr (Oct 23, 2006)

tommy454 said:


> Thanks guys for the advice. I had some 10lb Trilene XL...so I tied on a 1/2oz weight and went out to the back yard for a bit, probably casted 100 times or so, no backlash. I was thinking one type of line may not backlash as much but From what I gather its not really the line but the fisherman. Either baitcasters are not as troublesome as some say, or I'm just a natural. LOL..... by the way.. the rig is a Bass Pro tournament baitcaster on a berkley 6'6" lightning rod.


I can fix that in a hurry. Put on a 1/4 oz weight, face and cast into a 15mph wind!:bulgy-eyes: Instant mess!


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## elkhtr (Oct 23, 2006)

Taco said:


> Personally, I'm a braid guy...I've been happiest with Power Pro and Strem Microbraid. I loathed floro for a long time because of casting issue but really started to appreciate it more last year and got to the point where I'd fish with it as much as anything. At this point I'm only using mono for topwater.
> 
> While you're still new to baitcasting I suggest trying to learn to cast with your left hand on the reel at all times and not switching like most people (including pro's). I simply move my right hand from the crank to the butt of the rod and cast over-the-top. I release and engage the spool all with my left thumb never changing my left hand grip. The nice thing about this is I can cast over either shoulder without fear of fouling anyone around me and I don't have to shift hands making everything much smoother and faster. I had a guide in FL teach me this, it took about 5 minutes to learn and I've casted this way ever since. His only advise was to start throwing softly, trying to throw the lure straight up to the sky. as you get used to lobing your casts you can quickly learn to throw a little harder each time.


OR get a left handed reel. I have switched over to left handed baitcasters, cast naturally and never have to switch the rod from hand to hand.


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## Carver (Jan 20, 2010)

I switched to Yo Zuri hybryd line some years ago and now I use it for everything. It just seems to have the all around qualities I like in a line. For baitcasters I use 10 and 12 pound test.


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## angler69 (Sep 26, 2005)

Berkely xt to start with until you get used to the new reel.
1/2 weight is easy to cast but i seldom use that size here in Ohio, you might want to drop down to 3/8 or 1/4 once you get good with 1/2.
another thing you can do is make an easy cast then pull off 10 yards and take a small piece of duct tape and put it on spool then wind line up over it. Then when you practice cast and get a nasty backlash it wont go deep into the line and be easy to get out.

Good Luck


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

elkhtr said:


> OR get a left handed reel. I have switched over to left handed baitcasters, cast naturally and never have to switch the rod from hand to hand.


x2!!

I am a firm believer in controlling the rod with the dominant hand at all times.

Like others have said, learn on nylon mono as it is cheaper to replace. Once you learn, then branch out into the right line for the job.


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