Line Size For River Smallmouth

[Gavin]

Thanks for your snarky comment Xguide...If you want to go old school, I've caught fish using single strand of horse hair for tippet...silk gut tippet too....it was not practical, but just something to do. Now back to who's kung foo is the best.

[drew03cmc]

I have 10# and 14# on my casting reels, likely going 12 on both as soon as I can. On my spinning reels, I use Vicious Ultimate in 4# and Sufix Elite in 6#. I can attest to the fact that I have caught both bass and trout, and some nice ones on all of them, including the ultralight from crystal clear waters to muddy waters.

[Mitch f]

I have 10# and 14# on my casting reels, likely going 12 on both as soon as I can. On my spinning reels, I use Vicious Ultimate in 4# and Sufix Elite in 6#. I can attest to the fact that I have caught both bass and trout, and some nice ones on all of them, including the ultralight from crystal clear waters to muddy waters.

I have also caught smallies on a river with an ultralite back in the day, but IMO it's not the best fit for the application

[drew03cmc]

I have also caught smallies on a river with an ultralite back in the day, but IMO it's not the best fit for the application

You focused on that rather than the trout on 14# line? Wow, I see your concern is getting people off of UL gear.

[Ham]

12 or 14 pound copoly for baitxaster. 6 and 8 lb P Line CX Premium on spinning. I have been using Power Pro 20/6 on one of my spinning rod to help with hook sets. I've been happy so far.

[Mitch f]

12 or 14 pound copoly for baitxaster. 6 and 8 lb P Line CX Premium on spinning. I have been using Power Pro 20/6 on one of my spinning rod to help with hook sets. I've been happy so far.

This is the forth time I've heard about P-Line CX premium, is it a nylon/fluoro hybrid or just a copolymer? I've used the older CXXX P-line and P-Line fluoro clear but never the CX premium. The old CXXX was strong as heck but stretched like no line i've ever seen.

[Stoneroller]

I used to swear by fluorocarbon no bigger than 8lb test for clear ozark streams/rivers. for the past few years i've taken my setups with 20lb braid and I don't see any noticable difference in the number or quality of smallmouth I catch.

I do however see a difference in the number and quality of google eye and longear sunfish that I catch. Far fewer with braid, but the ones (google eye/longear) I do catch tend to be larger.

Last year I tried the new Berkely Nanofil, I only use spinning reels, and I am very impressed with it. The one downside is that it doesn't seem to be super abrasion resistant, but it's not terrible. It is very slick, which means a double wrap on the palomar knot, but hooks rarely get stuck in it like they do with a woven braid. This year i'm playing around with fluoro leader some of my rods to see if that really makes any difference. I can tell you that a fluoro leader on braid definately helps with abrasion resistance and with lure action especially jerkbaits when limp braid tends to get caught on the lure hooks where as a fluoro (or mono) leader is stiff enough to avoid that typically.

back in the day I only used 8lbXL, then Trilene sensation, then Vanish, now it's BPS XPS signature (the vast majority of pros use this) or Seaguar AbrazX.

[RSBreth]

I rarely use smaller than 10/40 braid for spinnerbaits, 14.5 fluoro (Orvis "Mirage" 1X tippet for leaders with superline) for cranks and jigs, but somtimes 8-pound P-Line Fluoroclear for leaders with 4/10 Fireline when just small creek fishing.

Another victim of too much advertising.

[drew03cmc]

Randy, do you use your 40/10 on baitcasters without issue? Doesn't the line dig in on itself?

[Wayne SW/MO]

Mitch the P line Premium is a polyp, floro coated and a thinner diameter than the other P-line's. I buy it in 1K spools and I haven't noticed any age degradation.