Topic: The Best Fishing Lines for Bass of 2023 (Read 37 times)
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The Trilene brand name has stood the test of time in serious bass fishing circles, and Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon is a reasonably-priced option that will benefit everyone from the first-timer to the serious bass pro. It handles well, is remarkably strong, and has similar refractive characteristics to water so it’s virtually invisible. This is what I use for my chatterbaits and cranking because I don’t have to worry about excessive memory, but I also know that I won’t have to take out a second mortgage if I decide to respool.
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If you can’t decide between fluorocarbon or monofilament fishing line for bass, copolymer, like Gamma High Performance, might be the way to go. It takes the best of mono and fluoro—facility of use, strength, and lack of memory—and eliminates most negatives. I still find myself spooling it up in situations where many other anglers use fluoro, and I don’t feel that I’m giving up anything except occasional aggravation. It’s beco*ing increasingly popular for tossing big swimbaits for good reason. The lower memory reduces the dreaded spring you get with mono on the first cast of the season and it has good abrasion resistance for ripping baits through wood. It also co*es in an expansive range of sizes. If you want to give it a try, buy a pony spool, but don’t be surprised if you invest in bulk sizes going forward.
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Power Pro was one of the first brands of braids to gain widespread acceptance and while they’ve introduced newer formulations since that time—many of them exceptional—the original Spectra formulation is still reasonably-priced and an exceptional value. I spool up many reels each year with 50- and 65-pound test Power Pro for frogging and grass flipping each year, and use it on hard-fighting beasts like Amazonian peacock bass, with the full expectation that it’ll never let me down because it never has. Other lines may be thinner or sink better, but you cannot go wrong with the original Power Pro for the price and performance.
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Sufix calls this “the mono that thinks it’s a braid” and that’s a good description because while it’s still supple and easy to manage, it doesn’t have the “rubber band” feel that limits the usefulness of some other monofilaments. I found that claim to be true and it’s remarkably strong, yet supple. As noted above, I wasn’t immediately sold on the value of fluorocarbon. I find some of them hard to handle, particularly in cold weather or in smaller sizes. If you too find yourself in that boat, this will do everything that most fluoros will do, without most of the hassles, or cost.
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Strike King has long been known for top quality lures, but now they’ve entered the line game in a big way. While they have quality braid and fluorocarbon, they didn’t forget the monofilament addicts. This line is wound on the spool precisely and functions well in all weather and water conditions. I’ve liked it for spinnerbaits, topwaters, swimbaits, and even Senkos. Moreover, the smaller spools have a built-in “Sidewinder” spooling tool and tensioner. That added feature makes learning how to spool a spinning reel or baitcasting reel easier. Even better, the co*pany includes a prepaid envelope that enables anglers to recycle used line, ensuring that it won’t end up polluting the environment.
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Bass anglers increasingly want to meld the values of braid – long-lasting durability, minimal stretch—with the low visibility of a fluorocarbon leader, especially when flipping and pitching for pressured fish. Seaguar makes a wide variety of fluorocarbons, but this affordable leader material will allow, if not encourage you to change things out regularly. Its double-structure process fuses two different resins, and maintains a small diameter while attaining the best of both worlds – abrasion resistance and low memory.
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If you’ve purchased a $100 or $200 (or even more expensive) swimbait and you’re afraid you’ll snap it off on the first hard cast, Big Game will allow you to get the maximum action out of your premium lures without that same risk. It’s made to handle big fish, and the green coloration makes it camouflaged in the water. Furthermore, it’s bargain-priced, with spools larger than standard filler spools co*ing in at lower prices than those other options. Even the 25- and 30-pound tests are remarkably manageable, especially in cold temperatures where other lines tend to show their faults.
Read about the best swimbaits in our full review.
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Even with the most forgiving of braids, spinning reels can occasionally cause problems, from line twist to wind knots to slow egress from the spool. This reasonably-priced option from P-Line solves those problems, and with its dual-color construction (the bright blue and vibrant orange colors alternate every meter), line watching is a snap. You’ll be able to detect even the most subtle deep water bites with ease. This is an eight carrier line, and it’s super soft, which enables long casts with the proper spinning reel. It can be fished straight out of the package, or with the addition of a matching fluorocarbon leader.
Just like there’s a time to throw a spinnerbait rod or a crankbait rod, there are situations to use braid, mono, and fluoro. Here’s how to know when to spool up the proper line.
A line’s stretch is generally the biggest variable among different styles of line and even within categories. If you try to set the hook on a 2-pound bass in 30 feet of water on a windy day while using mono, you’re giving up a lot as co*pared to braid, or even fluorocarbon. That’s because mono stretches the most of all types of fishing line. Nevertheless, there are times when some stretch is beneficial, particularly on moving baits where you don’t want to pull the lure out of the fish’s mouth on a hook set.
How strong does your line really need to be? Flipping a 1-ounce weight in matted grass for even smallish bass, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to break 20- or 30-pound braid. At the same time, in open water, most anglers would be shocked at how strong 8-pound test fluorocarbon can be. Of course, you have to treat it well, keeping it out of sunlight and extended heat, or even the best lines can weaken over time. For heavy cover fishing and applications like punching and frogging, a 65-pound braid is standard. But, let’s say you’re fishing a medium or medium light action spinning rod in open, clear water. In that situation a light fluorocarbon in the 6- to 12-pound range is ideal.
Bass that are programmed to feed indiscriminately or living in the dark may not care about the sight of bulky braid, but pressured finesse-oriented fish definitely demand a stealth approach. Fluorocarbon is less visible than mono, which is less visible than braid. In some cases, though, visibility is valuable. For example, on a spinning rod in deep water, with a fluorocarbon leader, high-visibility braid will often let you see strikes before you feel them.
Make sure that the spool has enough line on it for your intended purposes, whether that’s to fill one reel or to get through a season. Bulk spools can be a painful investment in the beginning, but they’ll encourage you to change line regularly and will ultimately reduce waste.
Fortunately, there are many good fishing lines for bass at a variety of price points. While paying a premium sometimes gets you better performance, there are also low-cost values. I’m personally willing to pay more for premium braid, which I change out only once or twice a season, versus fluorocarbon, which requires more frequent respoolings to minimize performance loss.
Most serious bass anglers use thousands of yards of 8- to 25-pound test line in the course of a year, as well as braid in the 50- to 65-pound class. The most-used sizes include 8 for finesse presentations, 12-17 for moving baits, and anything heavier for thick cover and oversized lures.
For spooky or pressure