Hello all! Just purchased a Pflueger President/Bass Pro Shops Micro Lite Spinning Combo. I need some advice on the best line and line weight to buy.

 

Specifics-

Size: 5'6" L

Power: Light

Max Drag: 9lbs

Recovery: 25.2

Reel Size: 30

Line Weight: 2-8 lbs

Lure Weight: 1/16 - 1/4 oz

Ball Bearings: 9+1

Line Capacity: 6/145

Braid Capacity:8/190

 

I have no idea what some of this means or what I'm doing! Any advice or tips to get started would be helpful! (Live in Oregon and only freshwater fishing.)

 

-Jenn

 

Welcome aboard, Jen! ?

 

You have a short, light rod and a smaller size reel.

 

I would recommend you have it spooled with 8-10 pound

braid - something like a PowerPro, or other brand (I use

Power Pro)

 

You should be able to fish a number of lighter (finesse)

rigs like Wacky rigging, micro jigs, Ned rigging (a fav).

 

I'm sure a bunch of suggestions will come rolling in, this

is a GREAT forum to learn from. Stay tuned!!

That's generally going to be a Panfishing setup....smaller fish like Bream, and Crappie.  

 

For those applications 6-8lb monofilament line will work perfectly fine.   A Panfishing kit, or buying some livebait like Crickets, Nightcrawlers, or Minnows would go well with that setup.

 

If you're going to be Bass fishing, I'd think about getting a heavier duty rod/reel setup.  Something that can handle bigger lines, lure weights, and fish.   

Hi

You got a decent setup, I have one similar that I was wade fishing with. What kind of fish are you going after or just general fishing? You going to be lake, streams, river fishing?

 Do you want to sit on the bank or dock and fish, or do you want to cast and work a lure or spinner?

Sorry for all the questions but it will give everyone an idea of how you want to fish.

 

I'll say your outfit should go well on limp 6lb mono line. Lures in the 1/8 oz range. Beetlespin, marabou or small tube jigs, Blakemore Road Runner etc. Live bait also. Good luck with your new combo.

light mono.  agree with Mo..6lb.  

 

braid if you can tie a leader knot, but that is a whole other discussion with this group.

20 hours ago, LadyHeroic said:

Specifics-

Size: 5'6" L

Power: Light

Max Drag: 9lbs

Recovery: 25.2

Reel Size: 30

Line Weight: 2-8 lbs

Lure Weight: 1/16 - 1/4 oz

Ball Bearings: 9+1

Line Capacity: 6/145

Braid Capacity:8/190

You mention not understanding what all this means. Let me break this down for you, briefly:

 

Size - that's the length

 

Power - that's how much weight it takes to make the rod bend. A light rod will bend very easily. This is great for smaller fish, but can be used for bass too in a pinch. I've caught 3 pounders on a light rod using live bait. You can do it, no problem. The limitation is less about the size of the fish you can catch and more about the type of bait you can use. A light rod lacks the power to set a big/heavy hook, like those found on almost all artificial baits. Bottom line, stick to smaller, thin wire hooks with this rod and you'll be ok. 

 

Max drag - that's how much weight the reel can handle before the drag engages. Basically, before you turn the handle and nothing happens. Think about it this way, when the drag engages you stop pulling the fish in and the fish is able to start pulling line back out. Don't worry about this. 

 

Recovery - that's how much line goes back onto the spool for every spin of the reel handle. Basically, you're moving the bait that much every time you turn the handle around 1 revolution. 

 

Reel size - 30 is medium. My fav size. 

 

Line weight - this is the weight of standard (mono, fluoro, or hybrid) line that they recommend you use. I'd go with 6 pound YoZuri hybrid line, personally, since you're probably not interested in learning to tie leader knots at this stage in the game. Hybrid is very strong, relatively invisible in the water, and neutral buoyancy.  

 

Lure weight - the size lure they recommend. I'd stick to open-hook type lures and techniques, as explained previously. 

 

Ball bearings - a technical detail of the reel. Ignore. 

 

Line capacity - how much 6 pound line will fit on the spool. 145 is more than enough. 

 

That should get you started. As someone said previously, this is a great forum and members are always happy to help. 

4lb yo zuri hybrid. Also get a couple of size 1 mepps spinners (black fury/comet mino), a tiny rat-l-trap and some trout magnets and ez floats. 

IMHO leaders are nothing but trouble. I'd go with like 10 pound braid in one of the better 8 strand braids. On spinning braid saves a lot of headaches. The line also has to be spoiled on in the right direction or it will jump off the spool.The braid is also thinner so the 10 pound will work on your rod.

This is a typical stream trout rod, not a bass rod fishing rod. The reel imo is too large and heavy for the rod but will work.

Suggest using 4 lb to 6 lb test mono line and set the drag at 2 lbs. 

If you choose to cast and retrieve lures like in-line spinners use a small Spro Snap Swivel. 

Bass fishing smaller size lures like Tiny Torpedo or Rebel Teeney Craw, nothing over 1/8 oz in weight.

Line Sunline Super Natural Mono.

Tom

PS, you could get a 6’ Medium Light fast action rod and use your reel for more general use bass rod.

Welcome, fellow pacific northwesterner! You’ve already been given great advice. 6# mono would be a solid choice and your set up  is likely geared toward trout and panfish but barring heavy cover, it would be a blast to fight bass (especially smallies) with such a rod. My lightest rod in my arsenal is a L/UL okuma celilo rod and it has caught more fish than all of my other rods added up.