Need help with which pound test and make

[Mattybofmd]

I use a 6'6" med hvy graphite rod 1/4-5/8 oz lure weight 6-17 lb test limit. I need to know how do I determine what lb test I need and which style line to use. I need to know for a 6935 pflueger president reel using crankbaits and also what lb and style for using 7" power worms. Any help on this matter is appreciated I understand there are many possibilities I'm looking for safe best bets. Thanks to all

[Southerly]

lots of different lines to fit lots of different situations. an ez answer - 15# power pro mossy green and 2' of 20-30# monofilament or fluorocarbon leader. 10# has a smaller diameter and should cut thru water a little better giving you a straighter more direct contact with your lure. 20# is stronger,.. suit yourself.

you may worry about leader-shy clearwater fishes and change up leaders to something smaller. or you may worry about winching out lmb that are wrapped around in thick vegetation and want a stronger mainline. or better casting microlures for panfish and want a smaller mainline (but your rod is not really suited to that).

estimate/set your drag to about 1/3 line test is a good starting point. lighter setting for soft-mouthed fishes.

fwiw - when I fished lmb with monofilament, I had mostly settled in on 12# stren but cannot foresee going back to mono. but among other things, using a mono or flouro leader with braid helps prevent some of those hook wraps etc you might otherwise get.

[Shady]

what he said...
If you don't want to fork out the cash for powerpro, I've found Tufline to be a formidable alternative at a much lower price.

[Mark]

I fish light lines and I still use mono because I'm old and that's what I'm used to...

But I learned my lesson about leaders a few weeks ago in the Severn when I lost two very nice stripers. Both fish severed 8 pound test with their flaring gills I presume. After short fights my line came back with no fish and no lures very frayed. So on the advice of a fellow Snaggedline member I started using leaders in the 14 to 20 pound test range. They feel like rope to me because I'm used to light lines but I have not lost any fish to broken lines since.

[mweber02]

I have been happy with 12# mono for LMB and any stripers that may be in the mix with them. I generally don't fish too much risky structure or weed beds that would be tough to pull a fish out of, so I have found 12# to work great. I always keep the drag as low as I can set the hook with and adjust it tighter as I feel necessary based on the fight of the fish. Drag setting and how patient you are bringing a fish in can be more valuable than the line strength in relatively open water.

I will say that I have been contemplating switching over to braid but I have always been worried how braid handles on spinning reels. I may buy some to try on my secondary rod. That one usually has a speed clip on the end, so no worry about a shrinking leader when switching lures. I definitely recommend the speed clips.

[J.A. Veil]

Another consideration is how you plan to fish, what species you will target, and in what type of environment will you fish. For example, if you are trolling lures in open water, you can relatively light line (8-20 lb test). If you are targeting largemouth bass in cover or saltwater species that are likely to swim under pilings, you need heavier line and leader to horse them away from the structure. I fish two or three ultralight rods in the Severn year round. From May - November, I catch plenty of perch and rockfish using 8-lb mono and no leader. However, from Dec-March, when the primary species I target is pickerel, I add a 20-lb mono leader on the end of the 8-lb mono main line. The leader allows me to swing the fish in the kayak for easier unhooking and photographing without experiencing many breakoffs.

The light to medium spinning rods I use for trolling, casting, and jigging in the rivers, bay, and nearshore ocean are spooled with 10 to 20-lb Powerpro (I prefer yellow for improved visibility) topped with a 20-lb mono leader. I used to use expensive fluorocarbon leaders, but realized in the local waters with less than optimal clarity, mono works just as well, at a fraction of the cost. When I fish in crystal clear waters in Florida, I usually switch back to fluoro leaders.

[clm]

I just switched my reels, Shimano bait caster and shimano open faces, to the Spiderwire Stealth braid. 20lb and 30lb. Casts really well and doesn't bind down into itself like the plain braid. My bait caster doesn't do the cross weave thing and I haven't had any issues with it. The plain braid lasted about 10 casts before embedding itself. On the open face reels it works well too. Thin diamter, but able to pull through the grasses when the bass dig in. It comes with a higher cost, but after having some fish break the line lifting them (no net at the time) or losing them in some grass, I was able to justify it. The normal braid, without the coating was a waste. So disapointed. On the open faces it would twist up and foul up too. your mileage may vary...

[Mark]

I've recently started using Shimano bait casters with 12 pound mono on the Bay. I was surprised to learn that I can toss a crank bait much farther with a bait caster than with a spinning rod. I still like my spinning rods with 8 pound test for casting 1/4 oz. jig heads. But for distance and control of crank baits the bait casters are better for me.