Fishing Line Recommendation for Lilly pads/weeds.?

Question

I have an UglyStick rod and Shakespeare spinning reel. I am new to Bass fishing but I have had some good luck so far. The problem I am having is that I am constantly casting around lillies and grass/weeds in the lake I fish at because that is where I usually catch the Bass.
I would like to know what type of fishing line would allow me to both get my lightweight lures far and also be tough enough that I would be able to rip it out of the lilly pads if it gets caught. I have already lost a few lures so I am thinking my line/setup might not be appropriate.

The funny thing is I was having problems casting far with the line that came with the reel so I went to the store and bought 6lb Berkley Trilene XL. It improved my casting distance by double but not good when I get caught up in the lilly pads and such.

Thanks in advance.

There are a few types of braided spiderwire. Ultracast, Stealth and Original Braid. Which one should I go with?

Answer 1

Go with a braided line: Firewire, Spiderwire, etc...

But go with the lightest line you can. I always fish 8-10 lb test monofilament, so whatever the equivalent in a braid would be. People tend to buy line that is way to heavy for their circumstances. Since you're asking this question I'm pretty sure you're not a pro so you won't be catching any 15 pounders any time soon and even if you did it's 100% feasible to bring in a fish this size on 8 to 10 lb test.

The other problem is that you're probably casting non-weedless lures into the weeds. You're just asking to lose your bait. Try going weedless: plastic worms, weedless jigs, and you won't be running to the tackle shop everyday.

You are throwing lightweight tackle. AVOID HEAVY LINES. You do not NEED BIG GAME LINE.

Answer 2

I started bass fishing 15 years ago. Started out with Spider Wire 50 lbs test. It will rip through structure that is keeping you from lipping your fish. To add, if stuck in a stump the hook straightens before the line breaks. Great product, I have it on all my reels. It is a bit expensive but will last a very long time. But well worth the investment. You will have trophy Bass on the wall to show for all your hard work. Keep A Tight Line. Always, Have a Basskickintime.

Answer 3

I live on a heavily vegitated pond in central Florida with a lot of good bass in it, to get through the weeds, I use a 20 lb line (spider wire braided is great if you can afford it). Some say it is more sporting to use a lighter line, but I catch and release and I got sick of losing lures, with 20lb line, you just grab the line and apply some slow steady pressure, and it'll break free, I'm yet to meet a lilly pad that doesn't break before the line,

Answer 4

I have to agree with the spider wire suggestion. I don't like to use it all the time and its a pain to re-string your reels. So, what I used to do was simply keep a separate reel with spiderwire on it. Another nice thing about spiderwire is that you can put much more line on a spool and still keep a real high test line.

Answer 5

I use 8 lb. Berkley Fireline when I am fishing in the tough stuff.
where I fish, we have a lot of fallen timber and, I usually pull in a tree branch, before the line breaks. also with the smaller diameter line, I can cast lighter lures like, roadrunners(1/8 oz.) further. dont catch em all.

Answer 6

braided line would be good. but fishing heavy cover i would reccomend switching to a baitcast reel with 20 lb. trilene big game. i would also use a medium heavy rod 7 foot. ugly sticks are very flimsy and you wii miss alot of fish in heavy cover with that rod. if you must use a spinner i would still change rods. and if braid is not an option 12 lb big game would do a nice job.

Answer 7

I use Maxima on all my reels, its a little pricy for mono, but beats the hell out of that fluorocarbon crap that will not hold a knot. What test should you get? It all depends on the reel and what lure you want to use. I use #25 and #30 on a Penn 965/975 for swimbaits and big topwater lures but also go all the way down to #8 or #10 on a small Daiwa for plastic worms. Heavier lures like cranks, topwaters, spinnerbaits, #12 all the way up to #17 sometimes. Well, #17 with frog baits.

Answer 8

www.gofishin.com is the best on the net for you questions on line for Lilly pads and it's all at a discount price way cheaper than walmart or any were else

Answer 9

braided line is crappy stay with berkly 8pnd test try using a buzz bait are a tube bait they stay up top and dont let the bass sound and youll be fine

Answer 10

20 to 30lb spider wire...if you get hung up you can rip it right out of the vegetation and a lot of times you can trigger a bite doing that...happy fishing