Fishing Line Applications

[Johnnierat]

With all the different fishing lines out there, I was wondering if someone could clue us "less knowledgable" fisherman in on the different applications for the different lines.

I mainly jig for walleyes or troll spinners or lindy rigs. I haven't really tried crank baits yet because I've just never done it. So what kind of line should I use for these applications?

[Hawgeye]

Unfortunately for me, each presentation can use different lines depending on the circumstances.

When I am fishing in some current or water that is difficult to hold the bottom, I tend to jig using a rod with a faster action, fireline, and a lighter jig. If I am fishing a lake, with lower wind, it is easier to hold a lighter jig in the place I want it, then I like a little slower action rod with some mono line.

Cranking I personally like fire line or a braided line since it helps to transmit the lures actions and is much easier to tell if the lure is fouled. Fire line having no stretch transmits the lure action and strikes so much better than monofilament. A negative with braided line is that sometimes when hooking a fish, it is such a violent abrubt hookset that the hook does not set in the mouth of the fish. Mono tends to more gradually 'pull' the hook into a penetration spot on the fish's mouth and not tear loose.

I use the braided lines more often because they are stronger with smaller diameter and better "feel". If I feel I am losing fish, I may switch to mono for that presentation to see if it helps.

Hope this helps you...

[Eyez]

A large part of what line to use when is just personal preference. One a person has tried all the options, they would use whatever they feel does the best job for them. There are some guidelines to get you started though.



Jigging: In deep water or in snag infested areas I'd use 6/2 fireline or power pro or some similar line, maybe spiderwire. It's zero stretch, with means more sensitive in deep water where mono will stretch alot, and you may not feel light bites, and it's strong enough to pull your jig out of a lot of snags, saving you jigs and re-tying time. If you're casting jigs I'd go with 6 lb. mono (This is really a matter of my preference, others will probably disagree). Usually you're dealing with short amounts of line in shallow water, and mono is easier to cast and is lower visibility than fireline or something like it.


Spinners and rigs: Largely a matter of preference, because you're usually dealing with a snell of some length, and the visibility factor in ultra-clear water doesn't mean much. If I'm trolling spinners at a pretty good speed, I'll put them behind heavy bouncers with 30 lb. spiderwire or power pro spooled on a baitcasting setup. If it's a more subtle slower approach, like super slow lindy rigging, I use 6 or 8 lb. mono. Largely preference again.


Trolling cranks: Always fireline or some similar line in my opinion. My plug rods are spooled with 10/4 fireline. Leadcore is also used for trolling. Some people prefer to use mono for trolling with planer boards, because it's easier to keep the boards from popping off the line.


Hope this helps,

Eyez