What is an appropriate size of fishing line for bass, walleye, pike? and can fish see too heavy of a line?

Question

also, is braided or monofilament line better?

Answer 1

I target those species, and I use line from 4 to 10 lb. test, depending on the technique I'm using.  I use Trilene XL, XT, Fire Line, and Vanish.  If you use heavy line on some baits, it impedes the action.  In dirty or stained water, you can get away with using heavier line than you can in clear water.  The braided line will give you more sensitivity than mono, because it has little to no stretch.  It's also a smaller diameter than similar weight mono, so crank baits will run a little deeper.  You need to be careful playing a fish with braided line, because of the no-stretch factor.  Set your drag a little looser and try back reeling if the fish makes a run.  Mono has stretch that acts as a shock absorber if a good fish makes a sudden surge, or you make too hard of a hook set.  I wouldn't say that either braided or mono is better than the other, they both have their advantages....choose one or the other based on what technique you'll be using.

Answer 2

i have a different wieght and brand on every pole i have a 10-12lb. line for walleye stern. for pike i use a 18in steel leader and 15lb. spirderwire. and for bass a 8-10lb. eagle claw.hope you start you use what i use and then, you will catch the big one.

Answer 3

I use 8-10 lb. trylene ultra thin test ! very strong and hard to break !

Answer 4

I prefer to use 12 lb test monofilament for those types of fish.  The odds are in your favor that you are not going to catch anything over 12 lbs.  Keep in mind, when fishing for Northern Pike, you may want to use a steel leader due to their sharp teeth.  With a steel leader you can also get by with using a lighter line.

I have tried the braided fishing lines and didn't have much luck.  I found that your braided lines are highly visible underwater and if you became snagged on something, it was impossible to break.

Answer 5

Depending on how you will be fishing for the bass, I would use 10lb fluorocarbon line when fishing plastics and jigs, 20-30 lb test braided when fishing topwater, and 6-10 lb mono for fishing everything else in between. Fluorocarbon is basically invisible underwater, perfect for finesse and plastics, but like braided it doesn't stretch well, so be careful setting the hook. Braided is a no brainer for topwater because you get amazing strength and a solid hookset everytim, just make sure the fish has a chance to take it before you yank. Everything else is best with mono because of the stretch factor. I like using suffix elite for mono, berkley's brand of fluorocarbon, and stren's braided.

With Pike, it is important to use a steel leader because of their teeth. Chose the line slightly heavier than the bass line in the same situation (basically use the same line as if you were fishing for bass).

Walleye, just stick to 10lb fluorocarbon, or 4-8 lb mono.