Right now I’ve got 12 lb mono spooled on it, can I do better?

 

Mojo Bass 7’ MHMF, Curado K 201XGK.

40# 832 or 131 works great for me for all the baits you listed. I throw them on either a MH or H MF rod.

15-17 lb mono (0.14-0.18" diameter) of your choice.  I have suffix elite 17 lb on mine for all of that and its a good line.  Supernatural 17 would be a good one also.  Go by diameter not stated strength and you'll be fine.

Don’t know how casting distance compares to mono, but I know when I switched my Carbonlite 2.0 combo from 14lb fluoro to 40lb braid, my casting distance seemed to go way up.

I run 20lb Sufix 832 to a 20 or 30lb Seaguar blue label flouro leader on a similar setup for topwater / crankbaits.  

 

Too many pike / musky around to use straight braid.

I run 14lb sufix siege on my dobyns 706cb (mod-fast) for subsurface and topwater lures like chatterbaits, cranks, ploppers and spook style walkers, it's tough and handles great even though it's a bit thick for it's strength rating at .38mm. I also run the inexpensive and very excellent yo-zuri hybrid on some of my setups. I don't like to mess with leaders on casting gear, just personal preference.

26 minutes ago, Standard said:

I run 20lb Sufix 832 to a 20 or 30lb Seaguar blue label flouro leader on a similar setup for topwater / crankbaits.  

 

Pretty much how I roll too.  I use 30 or 40 pound sufix 832 with a 30 pound seaguar blue label.  I tried 20 pound blue label last year and it wasn't enough.  If they make a 25 pound test I might try that.  30 is a little stiff to tie knots with.

40# Sufix 832 - no leader for chatter/spinner/WP

1 hour ago, Drawdown said:

Don’t know how casting distance compares to mono, but I know when I switched my Carbonlite 2.0 combo from 14lb fluoro to 40lb braid, my casting distance seemed to go way up.

Generally speaking braid is especially limp and Fluoro is especially stiff.  There are some exceptions, but that’s usually the case. Monofilament nylon can be stiff like fluoro but it can also be almost as limp as braid depending on diameter and brand/model.  If distance is the goal then braid’s the route.  That said, casting the lures the OP has mentioned isn’t a difficult ask and all three line types should be fine for distance.

My only concern with 12# mono would be losing lures or fish.  Had you said 14 or better, I think you'd be fine.  

  I typically use flouro and braid for chatterbaits and spinnerbaits, but mono or YZH for Whopper Ploppers

2 hours ago, T-Billy said:

40# 832 or 131 works great for me for all the baits you listed. I throw them on either a MH or H MF rod.

A bit concerned with braid rippin lips

2 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

15-17 lb mono (0.14-0.18" diameter) of your choice.  I have suffix elite 17 lb on mine for all of that and its a good line.  Supernatural 17 would be a good one also.  Go by diameter not stated strength and you'll be fine.

Is 12 not heavy enough?

2 hours ago, Standard said:

I run 20lb Sufix 832 to a 20 or 30lb Seaguar blue label flouro leader on a similar setup for topwater / crankbaits.  

 

Too many pike / musky around to use straight braid.

Isn’t fluro significantly easier to tear through than braid?

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

40# Sufix 832 - no leader for chatter/spinner/WP

You find braid to be better for casting distance or simply strength with big baits/big fish?

42 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

A bit concerned with braid rippin lips

Not a problem. I'm throwing the CB and SB on a H MF rated 1/2 - 2 these days. Plopper on a MH rated 3/8 - 1 1/2.

42 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Is 12 not heavy enough?

No. 

42 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

You find braid to be better for casting distance or simply strength with big baits/big fish?

Strength and hooksetting power at long distance. These baits all draw big bites, sometimes in cover.

47 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

You find braid to be better for casting distance or simply strength with big baits/big fish?

 

7 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

These baits all draw big bites, sometimes in cover.

Ya, especially since I tend to run them either alongside surface cover or over submerged cover...bass grabs it and hightails it back into the slop if you're not quick enough.

3 hours ago, Standard said:

I run 20lb Sufix 832 to a 20 or 30lb Seaguar blue label flouro leader on a similar setup for topwater / crankbaits.  

 

Too many pike / musky around to use straight braid.

Why s sinking flouro leader on a top water?

17 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

 

Ya, especially since I tend to run them either alongside surface cover or over submerged cover...bass grabs it and hightails it back into the slop if you're not quick enough.

 

17 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

 

Ya, especially since I tend to run them either alongside surface cover or over submerged cover...bass grabs it and hightails it back into the slop if you're not quick enough.

What about river smallies, if I’m gonna stick to mono for now because it floats is heavier than 12 still necessary and is 14 adequate? 

Just now, Ohioguy25 said:

 

What about river smallies, if I’m gonna stick to mono for now because it floats is heavier than 12 still necessary and is 14 adequate? 

I don't fish rivers - so can't tell you...

12 is heavy enough if you're not trying to horse fish out of heavy cover.   I use 12 pound mono for most everything.  I've dragged bass as big as 5 pounds out of lay downs with it.   

 

Take some fresh undamaged 12 pound mono and try to break it.   Most, or maybe all of the heartbreak stories either involve damaged line, or a bad knot.   

 

This is for bass, not toothy fish.  

12lb pline cxx.  .0148".  Hard to break....

12-17 lb mono or copoly for the baits listed. I use 12 and 15 lb Pline CX for a lot of general purpose techniques where fluoro isn't needed, it's strong and manageable. As others have mentioned, go by the diameter and not the pound test as it can vary greatly between different manufacturers. I am not a fan of braid, especially for moving baits.

Nylon

4 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

 

Is 12 not heavy enough?

not for me but again, check the diameter. The note above for pline cxx is a good reminder. It is listed as 12, but will be more similar to 14-15 of others. I don’t like it because it’s stiff and holds a lot of memory, but that wasn’t the question. 
 

For the lures you noted, I’m throwing them around cover.  I fish 14 lb for some lures (the plopper sometimes) and that’s about the edge for me.

Two things apply to your question about 12lb being strong enough. 

 

What is the cover you're fishing like?

 

What brand/diameter is the mono you are using. 

 

If you anticipate needing to drag or turn fish (especially large fish) over, through, or away from cover, heavier line is probably in your best interest. 

 

For brand/diameter and why it matters, dometic lines tend to be grossly underrated. For example, 12lb Big Game fails much closer to 20lb than it does 12lb. While 12lb Sunline products will fail closer to 12lb, but have a smaller diameter. 12lb Big Game and 19lb Sunline Defier are the same size.

 

For your original question of can you do better than straight mono, this is a personal preference thing. I like braid to a mono leader for those lures (30lb 832 to 15lb Big Game), but I'm in the minority and I would only say it's better for me. Straight mono is an excellent choice and going up in size is probably about the only thing you could do better. 

15 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Isn’t fluro significantly easier to tear through than braid?

 

Opposite.  Use flouro leader material, not flouro line.  

 

I used to believe 40lb braid was enough to stop pike bite-offs, until I watched one take a t-rigged worm from me and I barely felt a tug when he sliced clean through that braid.  The 30lb flouro has held up to multiple pikes, and will usually just get some nicks in the line.  I just retie.  Yeah, it's pretty stiff tying but I've been using a trilene knot with 3 wraps and it hasn't let go.

 

This is almost exclusively river fishing for smallmouth in rocky areas.

 

14 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

Why s sinking flouro leader on a top water?

Doesn't make a difference, I'm usually throwing big choppos.  120 size.

Braid is crazy strong when pulling on it. Trying to break it by hand is a good way to end a fishing trip with a stop by the ER. Most of us wrap it around a dowl or pliers or some other tool when attempting to break off a snag. I have straightened out countless hooks and pulled up all sorts of junk trying to break 40lb braid. The problem is, the stuff will cut like butter if you get it against something sharp. Sharp fish teeth, submerged metal, zebra mussels, and sharp rocks will all cut straight through braid when under tension. 

With a mh/f rod I use 15# Big Game.