Casting reel line

[jason1974]

I am not new to fishing but new to bass bait casting reels. I won a nice one in a raffle and plan to use it this season. I am a spinning rod user mostly with all my bait casting reels in the muskie veriety. I am trying to get a recommendation on the right line to use. Looking for 10 lb or so. I spooled with some trilene xl and wound up with so many knots from back lashes. Yes, inadjusted the brake, but mono seems so damn curly. What are you guys using? Braid? Or a specific type of mono or flouro?

[krainium]

I use 30-40# power pro or 12-15# berkley big game.

[new2BC4bass]

Don't use fluorocarbon. Too expensive and will curl worse than mono...in most cases. I would use line conditioner on the mono, or feed out the line behind a moving boat. Be sure to remove any terminal tackle first, and keep tension on the line when you wind it back up.

What are you using on your muskie baitcasting reels? Are you using them for trolling only, or some casting also? What weight lures are you using on your bass rig? Light lures require good casting technique along with the right rod. What rod are you using? If you can cast a muskie rod, then you should be able to cast a bass rod.

Braid is expensive, but easier to learn on, IMHO. Backlashes are easier to pick out. Line doesn't curl. You should reel it on snug, and keep it that way. Use 40 lb. minimum to keep the braid from digging into itself. If you can afford to muskie fish, then I'm quite certain you can afford the braid. :)

I learned on 12 lb. Sufix Elite. Did it without line conditioner, too. :) Or the tape trick I mention at the end.

I hate giving advice to someone with more experience with baitcasting gear than I, but will mention a few things I've learned along the way. Please do not take them as a knock against yourself. It is just that I don't know what level your experience is at. Better to give too much information than not enough.

Cast nothing smaller than 3/8 oz. at first. 1/2 oz. would be even better. Don't cast for the moon. Be sure to load the rod on the back swing. Be smooth. A sloppy reversal will backlash the reel before the cast can be made. Don't over-tighten the spool tension. Do set the brakes high at first.

A trick many use is to make a long cast, or pull off as much line as you think you will need for a long cast and then walk off a few more feet. Wrap some tape around the spool at this spot. Now it won't backlash any deeper than the tape which should improve backlash removal.

Congrats on winning the reel. What was it?

Should have checked when this post was made. You may already be a master caster. LOL.

[jason1974]

Love the tape idea.

its a shimano curado on a St Croix premier casting rod. i think its 6'8" med/fast.

i use 80# PP or Sufix on my musky rids. sometimes 100# vicious for pounders.

i think i will try some 14lb on this bass reel. i spooled with 8lb and got some backlashes as i think this is just too light.

[new2BC4bass]

Nice outfit. Rod should make a decent all-around one. I prefer the looks of the Premier over the Mojo anytime. I've got a friend who used a Premier 7' MH as his main rod before upgrading to an Avid. Still uses the Premier.

Was it the Curado 50E? I use 8 lb. mono on my 51E and Alphas ito. Both are mounted on Medium rods. Use 12 lb. mono on a few others. I can see where 8 lb. may give you a bit more trouble than a heavier line. It flows off the reel a bit freer. It will give you greater casting distance once you get use to the reel. However, 8 lb. may not be the best choice for the techniques you use, or areas where you fish.

Good luck. Report back on how you make out with the 14 lb. I personally feel you will be doing fine with a bit more practice.

[swimnfish04]

I use berkley vanish. I have no issues with it. Much less memory than mono. I've been using it for around 10 years now. I've seen a lot of bad reviews and I'm just not sure where they are coming from. To save some money you can fill the spool half way with mono, tape it, then fill the rest with the fluoro. I have tried a few other brands of fluorocarbon and keep going back to the vanish, just can't beat it for the price. Seagar was comparable, but much pricier. Got a couple spools of cajun fluoro through rebates and it is nice. The only one that I would stay away from is vicious fluorocarbon.

[eightpounder]

Ive also used vanish with no problems, in higher pound tests. like the 20 lb to be exact. But when they came out with the trilene 100 I switched over. Braid is good but I like fluro because its invisible

[Bronzefly]

I really like Sunline Supernatural mono - it is a "class" line though, meaning it breaks at its rated strength unlike most US lines. We keep it in stock and sell quite a bit of it at The Tackle Trap. You can check it out here...

http://tackletrap.com/index.ph...5_287

[steve1206]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by new2BC4bass &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Don't use fluorocarbon. Too expensive and will curl worse than mono...in most cases. I would use line conditioner on the mono, or feed out the line behind a moving boat. Be sure to remove any terminal tackle first, and keep tension on the line when you wind it back up.

What are you using on your muskie baitcasting reels? Are you using them for trolling only, or some casting also? What weight lures are you using on your bass rig? Light lures require good casting technique along with the right rod. What rod are you using? If you can cast a muskie rod, then you should be able to cast a bass rod.

Braid is expensive, but easier to learn on, IMHO. Backlashes are easier to pick out. Line doesn't curl. You should reel it on snug, and keep it that way. Use 40 lb. minimum to keep the braid from digging into itself. If you can afford to muskie fish, then I'm quite certain you can afford the braid. :)

I learned on 12 lb. Sufix Elite. Did it without line conditioner, too. :) Or the tape trick I mention at the end.

I hate giving advice to someone with more experience with baitcasting gear than I, but will mention a few things I've learned along the way. Please do not take them as a knock against yourself. It is just that I don't know what level your experience is at. Better to give too much information than not enough.

Cast nothing smaller than 3/8 oz. at first. 1/2 oz. would be even better. Don't cast for the moon. Be sure to load the rod on the back swing. Be smooth. A sloppy reversal will backlash the reel before the cast can be made. Don't over-tighten the spool tension. Do set the brakes high at first.

A trick many use is to make a long cast, or pull off as much line as you think you will need for a long cast and then walk off a few more feet. Wrap some tape around the spool at this spot. Now it won't backlash any deeper than the tape which should improve backlash removal.

Congrats on winning the reel. What was it?

Should have checked when this post was made. You may already be a master caster. LOL.

</td></tr></table>

I have to make some clarifications to this advice...not trying to be a jerk, but for the OP (a newbie), this needs some additional info...

Regarding the advice on fluorocarbon....To tell someone not to use it, period, is not that helpful. Yes its expensive, but a great tool of the trade. You should hold off because you don't want to cut backlashes out of it and waste it...that, and the fact that may not be as "cast-friendly" to a newbie, are the reason to avoid it right now. In the future it could be a valuable tool because of its positive properties.

These "curls" are simply memory. Letting the line out behind the boat is to take twist out of line, not to counter memory issues. Reeling it back in under tension can help a bit, but there are better ways to counter the memory issue, like tying the line off, back up and adding some constant tension, then reeling it in under the same tension.

Braid is only expensive if you are cutting it out of a backlash and re-spooling. Because of its expected lifespan, it is actually pretty cheap, in most cases. Multiple full seasons easily attainable with braid. There are probably some people on the boards that have had the same braid on a reel for 5+ years.

The tape trick and starting with a heavier weight is good advise. Just make sure the rod you are using is not over/underpowered by the weight you are using.

[rolloman]

30# braid with tape at cast length, then 20ft. flouro using albright knot. Best setup I've ever found period.