Line for Crankbait rod and reel

[hanronson]

I just bought a Abu Garcia Revo-S reel and a Fenwick HMXT 70M 7' rod at the Sport Show and was wondering what pound test and make of line I should put on it? I will be using it almost exclusivley for crankbait fishing for walleyes. Thanks

Ron

[Mike Walerak]

I would spool up with 10lb Powerpro. After great success last year with it I am going to be switching over as my reels need new line.

I have used 10lb. Fireline in the past and that works great too.

mw

[Northlander]

I agree with Mike and I usely pull 10# Power Pro but at times I will use 10# Trilene XT or Big Game.

[PerchJerker]

For casting cranks I like a superline like Superbraid or PowerPro, in about 10 lb diameter 4 lb test.

[LMITOUT]

I agree with Northlander. I use the Trilene 10# XT on my trolling rods and have never had an issue with it. Does the job so no plans to change at this time. Pulled in a 45" Pike with it that I caught trolling so I have to say that it's tough!

[Bobb-o]

I normally use Trilene XT on my trolling rods, but tried silver thread AN40 last year and fell in love with it for a trolling line.

[PierBridge]

If you don't mind me asking how much did you pick up the reel for at the show I really want ione of those but the lowest I've seen it for is $150.

I use PowerPro 10# Test 2-LB Diameter for most of my trolling but like mentioned above Trilene XT 10# works great also.

[musky999]

The reel that he said he bought is a revo s, that retails for $100, the revo sx is $150 retail. For line you can't go wrong with braid of any sort, I use 10 to 12 lb fireline or power pro.

Musky999

[walleyejon]

I guess for me it would depend on if you're trolling or casting, and how stiff the rod is. If the rod has a slow to moderate action, and you do a lot of trolling with some casting, a braid with a 6'-20' mono leader is a good bet. If the rod has a moderate-fast to fast action, and you do more trolling than casting, straight mono with some stretch would be a better choice. As mentioned, the 10 to 12 lb XT is hard to beat. No matter what the rod action, if you spend most of your time casting with a little trolling thrown in, a braid with a short mono leader would be a good way to go. Good luck, and let us know how whatever you pick works for ya.

[riverrat56]

Just a question, I have a 6'10" Medium action rod, I'm cheap and can only afford one rod for casting for bass, trolling for walleyes, pulling spinners for eyes and dunking crawlers in the river.

I used 30lb Power Pro on it last year and it worked pretty good I thought, but can anyone see any potential problems with this set up? Will I gain alot more depth with 10 lb PP or lose less fish with mono?

[ruster]

I like the "feel" I get from fireline. You can tell instantly if theres some grass or weeds on your lure. Usually use 10lb for trolling.

[eyepatrol]

You'll gain more depth with crankbaits using lighter line with smaller diameter. And 10lb PP will get you more depth than say 10lb XT. Depending on the type of fishing you're doing and the water clarity, you'll probably be okay with 30lb PP in my opinion, but there may be instances where you'll want a leader such as Vanish when fishing clear waters.

I've got 20lb PP for my trolling rods this year and will be using 10lb PP for my casting/jigging/live bait rigging rods. Casting and jigging I'll just attach the lure directly to the snap swivel unless I'm in super-clear water. Live bait rigging.....I'm using Vanish leaders. This will be a season of firsts for me. I've seen first hand and second hand how well TO's setups work for him and they all make perfect sense to me. So I'm going to mimic his setups this year. I know...I'm not being very original.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I'm very surpried to see the number of people who use braid/fused lines for cranks. I'm not saying its wrong, just hasn't worked all that well for me. I have a tendancy to not get the fish hooked as well or pull the hooks out of a fish when I fish with braid. There are times when its needed, when fishing in weeds and you are trying to get stuck in the weeds so that you can jerk it back out(which can trigger strikes) then braid is needed... Otherwise I use a co-poly or Floro.. usually 10 lb.

[hanronson]

Thanks for all the replys! Pierbridge...I paid $89 for the reel at Joe's booth. I plan on trolling almost all of the time. I think I will go with 10lb Trilene XT. Thanks again everyone for all the input!

Ron

[Team Otter]

That's because you fish for those things that don't hit very hard.

Eric, glad to hear you have saw the light. You'll like the change.

[Northlander]

Dietz I use a 8.5' soft tipped rod when using PP. If you dont have a soft tipped rod either add 20' of mono or go straight mono. I like the PP because I get deeper faster without weight and I know when a lure is fouled up.

I do however use mono a lot with boards on windy days. Seems like I can keep the boards on the line better even when I wrap the PP it can slide off at times.

Another thing when long lining with PP is set your drag light so if your not watching your clicker will wake you up.

[DinkADunk]

Dietz, I like to use a St.Croix Avid crankbait rod with 10-4 braid (PP, Firewire, whatever). It casts very well and the tip section telegraphs the cranks action very well. If I'm in very clear water I will tie on a flurocarbon leader. For trolling (trolling rods, linecounter reels) I like 10lb XT as it hooks up nicely if we're running multiple lines and can't react right away. Then we use a leader that's appropriate; which might be 40lb or 80lb fluro to fight off biteoffs (trying that this year), 6lb or 8lb fluro when trolling slow in clear water, coated wire if i've been having problems with a particular toothy critter (one little run on tonka and one piece of structure on Pelican) although I'm not a real fan of the way the lure acts when I use wire.

[Team Otter]

10/4 Fireline across the board for me.

[cabin boy]

Otter-What type of knot do you use with Fireline?

[eyepatrol]

I know TO will chime in, but I've found the Palomar knot to be the easiest and quickest.

[Team Otter]

The only know there is. A Palomar Knot.