Line Question from a NY Transplant

benarsenault · Post by **benarsenault** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 9:34 am

Hi guys,

First of all, thanks for reading my post. I moved to SoCal from NYC awhile back and I've always been a mono guy - on the east coast I was using 8-10 lb. for spinning and 10-16 lb. for baitcasting. I just got into drop shotting with 6 lb. mono and it's making me re-think the line I'm using - maybe I need to put braid on my casting reels? I gave fluoro a shot and didn't like it, but maybe I need to try harder? Basically I think I need a more stealthy line out here, because I'm having a tough time getting strikes. If you were me and you fish from a kayak in SoCal lakes, what type of line (and what color) would you use with the following setups?

7' MH casting (jigs, t-rigs, blade baits)
6' 6" MH casting (jigs, t-rigs)
6' 6" M casting (blade baits, crankbaits)
6' 6" ML casting fiberglass (crankbaits)
6' MH casting (small jigs, shakey heads, topwater, jerkbaits, senkos)
5' 6" MH casting (pitching around trees - almost never use this one)
7' M spinning (tubes, shakey heads, senkos, topwater)
6' 11" ML spinning (drop shot)
6' spinning (small jigs, super flukes, senkos)

Chad Sweitzer · Post by **Chad Sweitzer** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 9:57 am

Running a braid to Flouro leader will really make casting more manageable, not to mention much cheaper. I do it on almost all my baitcasting rods. Tacticalbassin has some great videos answering your exact question.

JoeLanghans · Post by **JoeLanghans** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 9:58 am

Welcome to California! I would recommend buying bigger, longer, meatier rods, you are in big bass territory! I prefer Powell. Good price point and wide range of quality rods. Go with braid on everything and use floor/mono leaders if needed.

Gary Dobyns · Post by **Gary Dobyns** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 8:43 am

SoCal has some of the toughest fishing in the country. A combination of not enough lakes, too many fishermen, clear water....all adds up to very high fishing pressure and very educated fish. This is why so many SoCal anglers are stud fishermen. They must learn every trick in the book, they have unbelievable patience, use small line and lots of finesse baits to be successful. I'm not talking about swimbait fishing here. The truth is you moved to one of the toughest areas to fish. It will make you a better angler if it doesn't drive you nuts

. This is also why many SoCal anglers like to come to NorCal or even some of the desert lakes. Fishing is simply easier. More water and less angling pressure makes for easier fishing.

The tip I'd give you is use lighter florocarbon line. SoCal guys fish a lot of 5 lb test, some 4 lb and yes some a little heavier. We sell lots of lighter action, longer spinning rods in SoCal.

benarsenault · Post by **benarsenault** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 9:14 am

Thanks Joe and Chad! Very helpful advice. I asked a buddy on the NYBass forum (who grew up in SoCal) the same question and he was also suggesting braid with a fluoro leader for casting reels, and light fluoro or copoly for spinning.

Hi Gary, thanks to you as well, and I've heard great things about your rods. Will have to pick one up this season. Out of curiosity, what are the specs of your best selling spinning rod in SoCal?

I'm looking forward to going down the rabbit hole of finesse fishing out here.

Gary Dobyns · Post by **Gary Dobyns** » Thu Feb 16, 2017 10:54 am

A little tough to answer. We sell a lot of spinning. We sell mostly 1 and 2 power in SoCal. Light line rods. DX 741 SF has done well lately. We always sell a lot of 702 SF in all series. I'm making 6 new longer spinning models right now. If you get down to baits and line size I can help better. THX!!