best fishing line to use?

It really is a matter of personal preference. If you fish for catfish and regularly catch fish 20 pounds and over then yes the 20 pound test is right, but I find in most situations 10 pound test is plenty. You can put the heavy line on one or two rods while using 10 and 12 pound test on the others.

For bass fishing, i don't think you would need 20 lb. test unless the bass were in a lot of cover (lilly pads, overgrown grass, weeds, etc.) 12 lb. test would be enough for almost any bass fisherman. I wouldn't think 20 lb. test would go good with a spinning reel either. There is no certain limit to fishing rods though. At least, i don't know or haven't heard of.

Hope i helped!

Thundermist Fishing Tips

I agree with the rest of the other posts.

Depends on where you are, how much fishing pressure your Bass receive and what type of water you will mainly be fishing.

I lived most of my life in Florida and recently (6 years ago) moved to MN.

In Florida, it isn't uncommon to use 14-20LB mono on all your Bait-casting outfits. Due to weed-growth, Rip Rap, and size of Bass you NEED that extra diameter and strength to overcome any issues. Not to mention the fact you tend to cast larger lures in Fla.

In MN, your average angler uses Spinning outfit's and either 6-10LB mono or a low diameter Braided line, (for obvious reasons).

If you only own 1 rod and want to have a "general" LB line, (not too heavy/not too lite), I'd suggest either a 10LB-12LB Mono line. For Mono I like Berkley Trilene Big Game green.

However, my favorite line is currently a Braided line. Braided lines have a MUCH smaller diameter VS strength and have twice the "life" of a Mono. Braided lines work well in most fishing applications and (in my opinion) would be the way to go if I only owned 1 outfit. If you go the Braid route make sure to use a leader of Mono or Flurocarbon.

Try Power Pro 6/20 green or Berkley Fireline 4/10 smoke. Either one of these work well and can last a LONG time.

(Thumbs to Dan. Great answer bro.)

I rarely fish a heavier weight line than 10 pound test, but then, I fish open water rather than in the submerged timbers and heavy weed beds. I hold to the belief that fish, particularly BIG fish, become line conscious so I want to be as inconspicuous as possible. It is a matter of scientific fact that bass in particular get better vision as they get older. I think that applies to other fish species as well. Therefore, CLEAR line and thin line is always going to be my preference. For that reason, I like Berkley Trilene clear in 10 pound or less. Most of my rods have 6 pound on them and I fish for average sized salmon (6 to 15 pounds +) and big trout here in Alaska. My biggest salmon on this line is a 15 pound king. I have taken a 25 pound carp on the same weight Trilene line. That's one of the reasons I am so secure fishing with it. You've heard the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Well, so far, "it ain't broke"...LOL If you get into the heavy underwater habitat that some lakes offer and old bass prefer, you may choose to move up to a bit heavier line such as the 20# class to drag them out of it, but otherwise, I'd stick to what I'm using now. It works. Good luck and good fishin'.........

It all depends on the type of fish you're going for. If you want a trout, go with 10-15 pound test... if you are in the river going for a sturgeon, use 80 pound test with a steel leader... if you are just fishing in the river/ocean for bass, cod or any other "typical" fish, just go with about 25-35 pound, you should be fine.

Either way, I go for bass mainly as well. Dependant on the type of bass and whether you are lake, river, or ocean fishing, you should use a test as strong as the biggest fish you expect to catch would typically weigh.

Smallmouth, largemouth, other lake bass 15-20 lb.

Striper, black, white, other river and ocean bass, I use 25 lb and let the drag out a bit to wear the big ones down before I bring them in.

Every answer here is right on.Dan B and FisherKing are always on the money. Would like to fish with them sometime. 10 to 12 lb. test would be my choice for bass. If you land a big fish on small lb. test line, you have braggin rights.

What pound test line to use depends on many - many - factors, however, there is nothing wrong with 20 lb. Consider these tips:

The heavier your line is, the less you will get on your spool.

If you want to use lighter line, you can simply tie on a lighter line as a leader.

Generally, with monofilament line, the heavier the pound test - the thicker the line. Thicker line is more visible to fish.

You can find plenty of tips on line & other fishing related topics by going to the Thundermist Fishing Tips web site I have noted below for you.

Good luck & good fishin'!

it should say right on the rod what lines it's rated for. might say something like "6' med action 8 - 17lb line 1/8 - 3/4 oz lure". just stay somewhere in the mid-range and you should be safe. l would use 10 or 12 on this particular example.

Well mate...

It all depends on what u wanna catch

Whiting u want a fine but strong line

For Bass...

Go to this website

Should help

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/selecting_line...