Light line (Probably a DUMB question)

[Revtro]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but kind of piggybacking on the question about InvisX, here's my question.

I have spent the past 3 seasons systematically testing different florocarbons and hybrids.  One thing I haven't yet spent a lot of time on is testing line size and figuring out bite rates.  Has anyone done this?  I was watching the FLW Det. River coverage and everyone seemed to be fishing with 6lb test floro.  Does it really make that much of a difference going to such light florocarbon when it comes to bite rates?

Has anyone verified any of that "conventional wisdom"?  I'm interested in what ya'll think.

[Cheetam]

I think light line helps to get baits down quicker, reduces drag (think current), and offers better (in most instances) action then a larger diameter line.  I'm not afraid to throw light (6lb) line at all.  I've caught fish up to 16 lbs on 6lb line.

[dartag]

I think light line helps to get baits down quicker, reduces drag (think current), and offers better (in most instances) action then a larger diameter line.  I'm not afraid to throw light (6lb) line at all.  I've caught fish up to 16 lbs on 6lb line.

this from a guy who drop shots with 50 lb  braid

8lb fireline and a 10lb floro leader is the best thing i have ever used.  no coils off the reel.  line lasts forever

[Cheetam]

I think light line helps to get baits down quicker, reduces drag (think current), and offers better (in most instances) action then a larger diameter line.  I'm not afraid to throw light (6lb) line at all.  I've caught fish up to 16 lbs on 6lb line.

this from a guy who drop shots with 50 lb  braid

8lb fireline and a 10lb floro leader is the best thing i have ever used.  no coils off the reel.  line lasts forever

It's actually 30 lb braid (I think, it could be 20?) with an 8-10lb leader.  Although I have been using 8lb flouro on a couple rods this year.   Back in the day, I used 6lb XL on all my spinning rods.  I caught some big fish using that line, with the biggest being a 16lb carp on Belleville during a TNT...

[dashaver63]

I've been using 10lb Fireline with 8lb. P-Line Floroclear for a while now. I'm confident with that match-up and don't really think the difference between 6lb. and 8lb. test would make a whole lot of difference. I'm not one to make a change like that this late in the season. Besides, I'm still pretty new to this open lake smallmouth deal and anything under 20lb. mono and 65lb. braid still makes me a bit nervous. I did however discover what my drag sounds like when it gets pulled. Never knew it existed.

[Dan]

I've recently spent about 5 long days prefishing the East side and fished the St. Clair River, St. Clair, Detroit River and Erie. My traveling partner fished with straight braid, no leader and caught as many or more fish than I did with 8 lb invisx. It makes you wonder if they don't make all this line to catch fisherman with. I am sure there are situations where it increases your catch rate, but from what I've seen recently I'm not as confident as I use to be about how much difference it makes.

[motocross269]

I was watching some show probably Bass pros...KVD made the statement that he never goes below 10lb line in any situation...To much of a chance of losing a fish...
I am with the crowd though...I have been running 10lb stren braid, 10lb fireline or the new 10lb Stren microfuse (that I am starting to like) with and 8lb XPS flouro leader...
One other comment, I learned a lesson the hard way in the LSC BFL....Do not use super glue on the braid to flouro joint..one of those things I read someplace and thought I would try...(i know don't try new things in a tourney)...The first fish I caught the line snapped right at the joint..Sounded like a gun shot. it failed on the flouro side of the knot..I have never had a problem before, I retied and didn't have any probelms the rest of the day...

[skeeterman190]

  Well to start out there are no dumb questions only dumb answers.  To the whole line deal im sticking with KVD im not going any lighter than 10lb ever again. The only diameter difference is only 1000th of a milimeter but that whole 2lb thing hooks me. As my previous post on the invizx deal stated i was quite unhappy (you should have talked to me at the weigh ins.) I thought the post that Dan wrote was pretty eye opening. Braid vs Flouro? sometimes i wonder the same thing. are they just hooking us? No doubt that flouro is awesome the sensitivity is awesome. Braid has that also. So who knows??? Its all in ones OWN preference. I think. If it aint broke dont fix it!!-skeeterman-

[bshaner]

I'll give you a recent example that drives this point home for me:

At the Sandusky BFL my co-angler and I fished the exact same pattern, same drop shot weight, same bait.  We were drifting over areas, not spot fishing and our baits couldnt have been more than 10 feet away from eachother.  I got 3 bites and  he got over 40.  I spent days after that disecting the situation and even made a couple calls to him to confirm.

He was using light fluorocarbon with no leader and I was using 20 lb braid with a fluoro leader.  I immediately respooled to 8 lb fluoro and went out fishing.  First thing I notice when drifting is the fluoro sinks faster and doesnt drag in the water.  Braid slows the rate of fall way down which can be key when you are trying to get your DS to the bottom when battling big waves.  The braid stays up on top of the waves, the fluoro sinks to the bottom.  So in the previous example I'd say the key was staying on the bottom and a fast sink rate.

Neither presentation is more right or more wrong per se, however each serves the purpose better respectively depending on what you are trying to accomplish.  If it's a slow fall you are trying to accomplish you may want to utilize braid to some degree.  If you want no resistance and a fast fall rate to get to the bottom, you want lighter line and fluoro.

I'm siding with Cheetam on this one.

To further answer Rev's question, I would say the deeper the water the more you'd want less resistance and the bait to get to the bottom easier/faster.  Lighter line and fluoro would aid that.

B

[SethV]

I use 10 lb Flouro - no braid, no leader.

I don't like braid with a leader for several reasons.  First, it does slow the rate of fall.  Second, it is extra knots to fail.  Just about every time I draw a co-angler using the braid/flouro combo, they break off a fish or 2.  Not worth it.  When you whack a big fish, the 10' of leader has to do all the stretch and takes all of the load since the braid does not stretch.

Seth

[motocross269]

Bass and walleye boats did a stretch test on some braids..Stren Braid had some stretch...While most of the others had little or no stretch..
I do agree with you guys on the Braid/ flouro leader issue...I have a heck of a time keeping straight Flouro from becoming a mess on my spinning reels, I have not tried the KVD conditioner, but I have been very careful on how I spool it on...any other suggestions..
My boater last BFL kicked my but using straight Flouro in 30 fOW...He didn't think that the braid should be an issue, but maybe..
What pound test of straight flouro are you guys using for DS and dragging tubes...What brands??? I have had good luck with using BPS XPS as a leader and have had very little failure rate..
What about the Copolymers?? (p-line)..is their sink rate comparable or are they no better than mono??

[Revtro]

Great info and great answers everyone.  It really helps!  I'm interested in hearing some answers to Moto's questions.

[dashaver63]

On my DS rod, I have 10lb. floro with a barrel swivel attahed to 8lb. P-Line Floroclear to the DS hook and sinker. I know braid has a tendancy to float, but 10lb. test Crystal Fireline has such a small diameter, I haven't really noticed a problem getting my tubes to the bottom. The real advantage for me using the braid is I'm not fighting line twist. Thats why the barrel swivel on my DS rod. The only thing I've done differently when using the braid is a slightly looser drag, for both the initial shock of the hookset and then to fight the fish. The only reason I don't have braid on my DS rod is because I didn't have another spool to put on it, then I experimented with the barrel swivel and it did just fine so I never changed it. On a side note about drop shotting, does anyone think the color of the hook makes a difference? (ie.. bleeding bait hooks, black hooks or the silver nickel hooks)

[Skulley]

I am still using mono............on everything.  It is not because I am too cheap to buy more expensive super lines, but because I am not convinced that they are any better than mono.    I have tried them........but I am not convinced.      I have fished with people that have used them and they caught no more fish or no less fish than I did with mono. 

Hey Rev.....when I saw you Saturday on St. Clair were you using these super floro carbon lines?  I was using mono.  Did you put  any more fish in the boat than I or any less???  Did you have any break offs???  I did not as I always make it a habit to re-tie before a trip....if a spool needs a line change, I change it.....mostly before a trip, but I have been known to take 5 minutes and change line if needed right on the water.  I always carry extra in different line strength. 

It is like the drop shot rig.  I am not convinced that a drop shot will out fish a California style finesse rig that I learned from Iovino himself.  Iovino did tell me that I shouldn't discount the drop shot as every technique has its place.............however..........I am not convinced.  Maybe I am just stubborn............

BD             

[TritonTR20]

A lot of fishing tackle is designed to catch fisherman first and formost. Never had a fish come into work and buy anything yet!

[Hooksetter]

I have been using P-Line Halo and Evolution [8lb] since they came out. I have had each spooled on the same reels on the same rods with the same tube jigs and tubes and have fished them side by side dragging on Clair. I have caught more fish on the Halo. I know that is not a very scientific test but I did it twice and the results were the same both times.

The first time I went to Clair after I started using the Halo I went with my buddy and he was using 8 lb Trilene. All other equipment was the same. I caught about 4 fish for every one he caught. He has been using Halo ever since.  Halo is also very strong. I have been using it on the Detroit river walleye fishing and if it gets hung up on the bottom I have to cut the line or risk breaking something else. It just doesn't want to break.

I guess what I'm saying is I really like the Halo! The only drawback I have found is it doesn't skip under docks and pontoons as far as the Evolution.

[Flippin222]

I have been using BPS floro for the past couple of years. I have tried a couple of other brands, but keep going back to the BPS.

To help with the line jumping off, I switched to a larger spinning reel (size 40 instead of 30) and use the KVD line conditioner. No problems since the switch (of course flip the bail manually).

[BryanP]

I use straight floro 100% of the time for finesse fishing and some crankbaiting.  8 lb P-Line 100% Fluorocarbon on both tubes and drop shots on St Clair.  I'll use the same 8 lb P-Line Fluorocarbon for DS on Erie, but bump up to 10 lb for tubes.  There are lots more zebras and rocks on Erie and the 10 lb seems to hold up better.  It's not as critical on the DS because the hook is up the line.  Overall, I must say I agree with Seth on the whole "the fewer knots the better".

For cranks, I've started using 10 lb P-Line Fluorocarbon, especially on the C-Flash baits that are so hot right now.  I spent 3 days fishing with Chip Harrison before the BFL he won and not only does the floro get the bait a bit deeper, but it also makes that particular  bait dart more and transmits the vibration better.  He made a believer out of me, and you could see it by watching the rod tip bounce on the retrieve.  I had been using P-Line CXX green 10 lb but now I have both on my crankin rods.  I tend to go with the CXX on the deeper divers and noticed Chip uses mono/copolymer on those baits as well. 

[Dan]

The next question begs. Do you use a loop knot on your crankbaits? Where are you buying your C-Flash?  Have you looked at or used any Kopper Crankbaits?  http://www.koppersfishing.com/

[dashaver63]

Dan, I actually caught 3 of my fish at the last BFL on a Koppers lipless rattlebait. Those Live Target baits are awesome, perfectly balanced. I also use the deep diving craw crank alot down here for largies and they produce.