What Pound Test?

Starting off, I know that this is more of an opinion question and that there will be no cut and dry answer. I am wondering what pound test other people use while fishing on a perch/walleye lake. I assume that I am probably like others in the fact that I very often target perch/crappie with 2-3 lb test line and just pray that I don’t hook into that monster walleye who often hangs out in the same area. I have always loved to fish as light as possible and enjoy every second of a fight a fish can give me. Also, the lighter line gives me so much more control and feel with my presentation. Even if I am jigging and targeting only walleyes, I will use a 6 pound test line. My question is what is the lightest pound test you would ever use for a lake like this when you know that a big walleye could bite at any time while perch/crappie fishing? I understand that the rod and reel drag play a big role in this and that is why I use shimano symetre reels and thorne custom rods or st. croix legends. Thanks for your opinions.

I am exclusive to 4 pound Vanish. Vanish is tough stuff, but can be difficult to manage when real cold outside. My avitar picture fish was caught on 2 pound Vanish while fishing perch.

Depending on where you’ll be fishing, it’s difficult to find a one-size-fits-all line test. Even within species. Like most here, I like to err on the side of caution, but I think we all like to fish the lightest line possible for all applications possible.

Floro is really tough stuff, no doubt.

For most walleye applications, I’m a fan of 5lb Pline, or 6lb Sufix Ice Magic. Perch are tough because walleyes often come mixed in. For that reason, I think 4lb is a good middle ground. Panfish I’m pretty exclusive 3lb test.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

Joel

Joel is right, no line is perfect.

One big thing about line is the reel has to be a great mechanical working order. A lot of fish are lost to weak links in equipment.
Good reels, smooth drags, and light line mix very well.

most times I use 8# when walleye fishing I do have 5# on a smaller noodle rod that I use sometimes if targeting panfish. There are alot of pike where I fish so I like to play it safe. I would rather catch fewer fish than lose a big one and not know what it was or have the line break at the bottom of the hole.

I use 5 lb p line for my walleye Rods (perch sweet hearts from Thorne). I use 3lb on pretty much all of my panfish rods.. I have caught some nice walleyes on 3lb test and a power noodle paired with a fly reel. It just takes a little more finessing to get them to come up the hole. I am going to try suffix 832 ice hi vis with a Fluor leader this winter on one of my rods for eyes though.

I use 4 lb. P-Line on most of my perch and walleye setups. I do have a couple reels spooled with 10 lb. braid and 6 lb. P-Line leaders that I use on occasion as well. I landed a 40″ Muskie on 3 lb. P-Line with a crappy reel and noodle rod, so I’m confident with a good rod and reel I can land anything on 4 lb.

2 lb trilene sensation for shallow panfish

2 lb fireline w/ 4 lb copoly leader for deep panfish (no stretch/memory is soooo important)

3 lb fireline w/ 4 lb copoly leader for perch and the occasional eye. I also use this for eyes on lakes where the majority of the fish are eaters (less than 18″)

6 lb fireline w/ 8 lb fluoro leader for targeting eyes on lakes like Mille Lacs, Leech, etc

**Edit: I don’t use trilene and fireline because I think it’s the best… I use it because I can get it super cheap

It depends on the presentation i,m using. I will use 2lb on up to 6lb depending on the lures i select. Generally i stick in the 3lb range regardless of what by catch species are around just be sure to set and check your drag so if you hook into big mama you have a chance.

Ajs

X2 well said Joel

Been using 4# Fireline (1# diameter) for Eye’s and Perch for
years, it’s them toothy critters (Northerns) that give ya
problems. #3 floro works well for pannies.

Just like Joel said 4-5 lb P-Line is perfect for walleye/perch. Another tip for fishing with relatively light line is that it is very important to continually be checking for any damage to the line, especially after landing a larger fish. Many break-offs are not due to using to light of line, but rather nicks in the line that can result as a fish runs your line around the bottom edge of the hole. It’s always good to run it through your fingers and feel for any damage a few times per day and even if there is no visible damage several times a year I will strip off as much line as the depth I’ve been fishing just to get back to fresh line.

Im the odd ball here as I use strictly flourocarbon only. 2lb on all panfish rods. 4lb-6lb for walleyes.

It may feel brittle but is no way weak, as strong as it comes for a clear line without going to a colored braid. If your not used to flourocarbon lines you may not like it at first. But after some time you learn to manage it just like any other line in second nature. Adding some line conditioner may help ease too.

I’ve been using trilene 8 lb maxx love the stuff super strong but marketed more toward warmer weather applications I might break down and get some ice specific stuff but the trilene works well. I just get so p’d off when I miss a fish cuz of broken line that I don’t much like less than 8 lb for walldads hope I’m not missing out on bites under the sheet cuz of it.

On the Mississippi, we often catch a lot of species variety while targeting panfish. As a result, my crew and I have landed some very big game fish on 2 and 3 lb test line. I have been using 2 lb Trilene Micro ice on my 24″ ultralight for years. On my finesse spoon rod (1/16 oz spoons and less) I use 3 lb Trilene Micro Ice. I have caught 4 lb largemouths, 30+” northerns, nice walleyes, catfish, and giant buffalo on this set up. I am confident I can land anything on 3 lb line with my 6 year old abu garcia cardinal 100. If I am targeting walleyes with the 26 and 28″ sticks I am using 4 lb micro ice on Okuma reels. Anything over 4 lb just feels to heavy for me. The only time I’ll go up to 8 lb is when fishing the tailraces on the Mississippi. In this scenario I usually abandon my flasher, pick up a 6’6″ spinning rod, and hole hop with #3 and #7 jigging raps.