Line question

Anybody have input on a good line to use with weightless plastics? I am looking for small diameter, abrasion resistant and able to handle a hookset. I use a med-light or med baitcast rod and have had trouble recently with breaking off fish on the set. I have had poor results with stren in the past but lately I have been breaking trilene xl, sensation and now the iron silk. I tie a palomar and wet it, but it seems to break near the knot. I think it may be from abrasion or if the fish grabs the plastic all the way maybe the “teeth” are abrading it.

How is big game for castability with a senko or fluke? Any other thoughts? Thanks.

I have had no problems throwing senkos or flukes with 12lb big game. I use a medium heavy action rod with baitcasting reel.

I to like big game line however I switched 2 years ago to the P-Line copoly flouroclear line. It handles the abrasion better, less coil, and casts further than big game. This is totally an opinion so you will have to give it a shot for yourself. If you Are just looking for a good quality line, Big Game is hard to beat. Especially in Green.
jc

I like the P-Line as well. Either the Flouroclear or the CXX-Xtra strong work well. The CXX is not as soft or as manageable as the Flouroclear, but it is absolutely the toughest line out there aside from braids IMO. Both lines stretch less than Big Game too IMO. To tell you how tough CXX-stron is, I landed a 32 inch Northern last week on a Texas Rig with nothing sticking out of his mouth but the line, and he didn’t bite me off.

Given their differences in handling properties, they will actually give a slightly different action to soft jerkbaits. Try then and see which you like.

By the way, if you ever want to put some on a spinning reel, definitely go with the Flouroclear. I just really like these lines.

what lb. line do you guys use for fishing weightless plastics.. I gave it a go with the baitcaster last time out, but ended up going back to my spinning rod as I was able to control my casts a little better… I assume most of you guys use baitcasters for your weightless plastics as well?

I usually throw them on a baitcaster with 12 lb. P-Line. I do use a spinning reel sometimes. Also with 12 lb. Line.

Finding the right rod for soft plastics is kind of a challenge. Has to have a light tip to throw them, but you need alot of backbone to drive the hook home in all that plastic.

Please define what you are using as a weightless plastic.

I was throwing a 7″ senko on 20lb P-Line this last Saturday. The rod I was using was a 7′ med. heavy with a quantum pt low profile baitcaster. I know I can get away with throwing flukes on the same rod.

If you are throwing floating worms, I would stick to a spinning rod. About the only time I like to use a spinning rod is when I am throwing spider grubs into chuck rock. Just a personal preference.

I was thinking like Flukes, Slug-gos, and floating worms. Senkos are heavy and cast well on anything.

I too like a baitcaster for most things. I’m just trying to find uses for that St. Croix Avid spinning rod I have!!

St. Croix Avid ? You don’t say ….hmmmm….I think that if you don’t find any uses for that rod, I could see if it works well out of my boat !!

just a thought for you to ponder on MossBoss

Guys,

I use 20 lb. fire line on a spinning rod for flukes. I feel the no stretch fire line is very important in the current where its common to have a huge bow in you line. I know when I set the hook I won’t have to deal with line stretch, plus the bow. Also, I can make an extra long cast and get away with it.

Have you thought about trying one of those “super-free” baitcasters (I forget the model name) where the spool just rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls some more without anything pulling on it? Seems to me, a good stick with one of those should be able to cast flies if he wanted to! Okay………that wouldn’t work but it seems any typical plastic bass lure would.

I’m talking of lighter weightless plastics… I was using a 4″ senko, craw tube, baby brush hog, and 5″ worm weightless…

I was using a super-free baitcast set-up that I would say was marginal… I probably need to go down to lighter line on the baitcaster – using 14 lb. It wasn’t the best set-up.. I did have some power pro line that was much smaller diameter 10/2, but it was tough to get backlashes out since it is so limp and it always is wrapping on my rod tip…

another question, apparently most guys use weight on their plastics… what size weight do most of you prefer for shallower water 3-10′? Last time out I couldn’t get them on the bottom, so weightless seemed to be key… I don’t normally like to use weights unless I have to get down but it seems that most of these guys throwing worms with baitcasters must be using weight.. the senkos are a little different, I can see how you could throw those on baitcasting gear without a problem..

Thanks for the great replies. I have no real problem casting the lures with a curado sf/st croix ac66mf or ac66mlf that i have. My problem is busting them off. In answer to rigman i fish the flukes and senkos weighless- you might be having trouble with getting them down because of the braid- it floats and in current can float the lure and slow down descent based on my experience. Thats why i want to try the fluorclear or big game. Also, i dont know about the rest of you but i have been somewhat unimpressed with braids around rock and wood. It is great for weeds but seems to get weak on the rocks and stumps. I might be way off on this, but i have used power pro 15 lb line and had cranbaits digging wing dams just pop off the end and float up after hitting rocks. Maybe i need to re-evaluate my palomar technique or do others notice this as well?

rigman- another thing i have noticed is using a bigger gauge (thicker wire)and size hook helps sink it, but that might be why i am snapping the line- you have to set harder to get the big hooks through the jaw. just my 2 cents.

Thanks again, i think i will try the big game and fluroclear to form my own opinion. One other ?- what is the difference between big game and big game supreme?

I haven’t had any problems breaking using the super lines. I have 6/2 fireline and the 15/4 and 8/2 power pro… I maybe don’t set the hook quite as hard. I have been using the polymer knot and never had a break at the knot.

Bassbaron,
While not certain I believe that your experiences with braided line are usability issues. First with the think diameter you risk knot slipping if not completely winched down when using a polymer style knot. Next is that braided line is much more prone to shock. If you have a lure flying at say 50mph and you click your bail the lure stops dead in the air. This shock on lighter braided line can cause it to break or otherwise fail. If you are using crainkbaits with braid I suggest using at least 12lb for ¼ oz crainkbaits. I would personally use around 20lb.
As for abrasion resistance I like copolymer lines such as p-line. The braid however should last much longer than your results. Are you using really light braided line?
Jc

BassBaron:

Can you get a good hookset with a M or ML rod and a Fluke? I noticve especially like on weed flats, if I have a long cast out, I find it tough/impossible to really drive the hook home with a M or lighter rod, seems the MH does a better job. I do know the Avids run pretty stiff for their rating though. Like you, I also use a bigger hook, which may be harder to drive through.

I have noticed also the Braids are more easily cut by rocks. I wonder if the new Spiderwire stealth, with the Silicone coating, will help this?

Moss boss- If my line does not break I get a pretty good hookset- I rarely lose them once the set is done. This did change last weekend after breaking off 2 the next one i didnt set as hard and it threw the hook. That was the reason for my post- i want to be able to set hard, and would prefer a mono, copolymer or fluorocarbon for the sink rate discussed.

As for the others- the power pro issues i have were frays about 2-3 inches up the line from the knot and the only time i really have had trouble is on the rocks (wing dams, etc). I usually use 15-30 lb power pro- it works great for spinner baits, jigs, etc but I had most of the above issues while cranking riprap or wing dams. The other place I have trouble is in my neighborhood lake- the braid seems to fray easy on pallats which have been placed- ive broken the 30 lb power pro with texas rigged worms after fishing the pallats. In both the river and in the pond- It was not really breaking at the knot. I will accept some of the blame, as maybe i should have been re-tying more but I had gotten used to the braids being so good around weeds I neglected to do so.

I think what i am looking for is the perfect casting, abrasion resistant, shock absorbing, invisible to fish and cheap line- when you find that one let me know

Thanks to all for your input, i think what i need to have is a different line type on several rods which is kind of what i want to avoid so that i know the properties of what i am using.

Bassbaron,

That is my solution. Several different types of line, on
spinning, and baitcasting. On spinning, I have a couple of
rods spooled with McCoys Mean Green mono, for finesse
stuff, and 15 lb Power Pro on two spinning rods. One for
Senko/Fluke fishing(skipping), and one for small
crankbaits, and topwater/suspending hard baits. On
baitcasting, I have about 4 spooled with 15 lb
Fluorocarbon, for jigs, Tx rigs, C rigs, and tubes, and 2
spooled with 20 lb Power Pro for flipping, slop,
spinnerbaits, or large crankbaits. I carry extra spools
with mono, fluorocarbon, and Power Pro, so I can switch
combos around to match my conditions, and situations.

When I fish the late summer jungles of the river
backwaters, I would have a spool of 30lb Power Pro
handy, too.

As for Power Pro breaking on crankbaits over wingdams,
I can’t say that I have that problem, but if my Power
Pro looks the least bit fuzzy, I cut off that section,
and re-tie. I also use a small Berkley Cross-Lok snap,
rather than a spit ring. The sharp edges on the split
ring take a toll on braids. I do not have a counter
measure for Gar, though. Well there is one. Sit
around and wait for the crankbait to float back to
the surface.

Big Bass Bane

I like Fireline, normally 14lb except flipping stick which is 30lb, but do agree with some of the comments about superlines getting frayed. With no stretch it is a bad idea to engage the real while the lure is flying but not sure whay you would anyway. You do have to watch it and strip off a few feet as you notice it getting frayed and re-tie. I use Palomar knot and have not had a fish break off in two years. In very clear water I attach a flourocarbon leader but it is very difficult to tie the two directly together so I normally have to use a small swivel but that is problematic as well. Anyone over come this?

With a no-stretch line like Fireline hook sets are normally easy and quick because you don’t have to account for stretch and the feel is outstanding even on somewhat slack line.

I use 10 lb P-Line for my weightless rig. I use a curado and 7ft Avid and have not had a breakage problem. P-Line Cxx is excellent line and I would reccomend it in this type of application

Ken,

I fish a lot of gin clear water, and have fooled around

with leaders, too. By my experiences, I have gone away

from using leaders. If I am concerned about the line

spooking fish, first I try coloring the braid, with a

black Sharpie. I just streak the first few feet of

the line with the pen, to give it a irregular coloration.

This usually does the trick, when I am fishing with 15 to

20 Power Pro. If not, then I drop down to 10 lb Power Pro,

color it, keep a sharp eye out for abrasions, and re-tie

often. You might have to do a few side by side comparisons,

with leaders, to prove, or disprove, this, for confidence.

I have seen little to no difference in my comparisons.

Big Bass Bane

I have moved from mono to superlines over the past 5 years or so, i have had success in every application with fireline as well as fusion, the fusion is much less costly but frays easier just need to observe the frays, i have tried to move back to mono a couple of times, but it just feels like a pile of crap at the end of the line, as compared to superlines

wow, I think thats the first time I’ve ever heard someone actually say anything good about fusion, I hated the stuff when I tried it but to each his own. I personally use mostly p-line and 10x silver thread (both co-polymers). Both are great in my opinion for toughness and durability, but I prefer the silver thread for slightly less memory than p-line. When I do use superline its power pro

I agree with you Fluke that Excalibur and P-line flouroclear copolymers are great choices and I use Power Pro for slop only. Line choices are like lure choices, I try lines and if I like their performance and characteristics I keep using it and if not I go back to what I was using or try a new one.

On the knot issue, I use Palomar for most applications but have added a simple overhand knot on the tag end of the Palomar and it seems to help with superlines (and mono for that matter) with the added benefit of having the tag end coming back away from the rod so it doesn’t catch as much vegetation as the Palomar tag end which sticks towards the rod.

I wanted to bring this post back up and comment on my field test. I got some big game 15 lb green and p line fluroclear 12 lb line. I am very impressed with both. I had tried some pline cxx and was not happy, so I have to admit i was resistant but the fluoroclear is a great line! Very clear in the water, sensitive and seems to be abrasion resistant. Thanks to JC and the others who suggested this. I have not had it on the reel long enough to see if the memory is bad, but after about a week it seems to be ok which is about all you can ask.
I also used the big game and also am very happy with its setability and shock absorbance. sorry for the story but i was fishing in a pool 13 tourney and there was a dock (about 8 feet wide) parallel to shore with many slips- I casted a senko over the dock (Dont worry about landing them until you catch them in the back of my mind) and hooked a nice lm. As i pulled it towards the dock my line caught a nail. I pulled that bass up and down on the other side to try to slide it over but to no avail. Since i could not exit the boat i was worried, but my partner and I kept pulling and finally got it over and in the boat- a solid 16″ that improved our weight. (Unfortunately, not enough ). After landing it, there were very few frays in the line. It casts very well and seems to have little memory. Thanks to all for the input, I think now i have 2 options that seem better than my past line experiences. JJ