I'm getting ready to assemble a dedicated swim jig outfit to coincide with the upcoming shad migration to the shallows .

I fish a fairly open semi - stained SE reservoir where  docks , rocks and boulders are the main obstructions .

In looking at my available line inventory - I have new spools of both P-Line #12lb. & #17lb. C-XX co-poly lines ...Would either of these be suitable for stated conditions using 1/4th oz. & 3/8th swim jigs with trailor ? ...If so , which size would you select ? Thanks in advance ...

17 pound as jigs get thrown into nasty stuff.

The P-Line #12

Rocks and boulders don't grab your line like brush and weeds do and I have similar places that I throw a swim jig and 12# works great. If you run into heavier cover like brush or tree limbs and heavy grass, then you can go to 17#.

I usually fish mine on 15 but as long as there isn't too much brush for them to dive into, I'd go with the 12. 

Thanks for the replies to date ... The reservoir I fish is approx. 40 years old and devoid of brush (except for fallen down trees shoreline OR discarded xmas trees planted offshore by conservation groups ) . Although I have not tried it yet - I heard the P-Line C-XX co-poly line fishes a bit stronger than it's rated test (i.e. #12lb. is more like others #15lb. test & #17lb. is more like others #20lb. test as far as line diamters go ...) Strength and abrazion resistance are supposed to be higher too with C-XX , so #12lb. may be a good place to start ... I already have backing on my baitcast reel so no harm in spooling up 75 yrds. of #12lb. C-XX to try . If I find something ugly in the C-XX charecteristics I have #15lb. Big Game mono and Stren #14lb. mono waiting on deck . I'd like to think that a good co-poly line would be preferred over mono in a swimbait application ?

It all depends on your lakes cover. If you're going to be encountering a lot of cover, then I would definitely use the #17 copoly. Just throw some backing on your reel so you don't waste any line, but that's obviously optional. For the swim jig, I love the Greg hackney attack swim jig by strike king in 3/8 or even 1/2. If your really shallow however (2'-5') a 1/4 or 3/8 will work just fine.

Also, If you're encountering a lot of grass, I would suggest throwing 50lb braid. But either would be fine probably. Also, I've caught two five pound bass on the hack attack jig in bluegill color with a small yellow and black grub. The jig has a perfect keeper for this application. The jig also comes in a sexy shad color, which also would work great.

Yeah, that p line is no joke. I use 50# braid on my jig rod and either p line or red label around the rip rap. The p line is more abrasion resistant and is really strong. It just depends on the water clarity, which probably doesn't matter all that much if you're swimming jigs, anyway.

p line or red label leaders, that is.

One could make an arguement for  a swim jig set up using say #30lb. Power Pro braid with a #12lb. leader of P-Line C-XX co-poly .

A bit better line manageability , distance and hook setting ability at distance  with the braid .

One could make an arguement for  a swim jig set up using say #30lb. Power Pro braid with a #12lb. leader of P-Line C-XX co-poly .

A bit better line manageability , distance and hook setting ability at distance  with the braid .

 

Yeah, just run a longer leader, as long as the rod you're using has big enough guides for whichever leader knot you're good at tying.

Are they both CXX or is the 12# original? If they are both CXX go with the 12. The 17 is heavy duty and CXX is way underrated at what it actually is.

I throw my swim jigs on Trilene XT 17 pound test mono. This helps with two things I want from a swim jig.

 

1. I want to keep the presentation up swimming just under the surface and a "fat" line like XT helps keep the jig up on a slow retrieve.

2. Where I fish swim jigs the weeds are extremely dense. After a hookup I either yank the bass out of the weeds or they get bogged down and I paddle my kayak over to pull them out. With a line that breaks at over 20 pounds and has some stretch I find it helps keep those bass connected while I try to horse them in.

 

 

 

To answer your question, I would think the heavier line would be best (as long as it does not hinder your casting distance).