I've always gone with 12# on my MH rods. I've moved from PA to FL. I have a lot of 12# mono and co-polymer lines. Is it worth the money to go with 14# or 15# on a few rods? Should I try even higher line weights? I do have one filler spool of 20# Advance I planned on using around docks. I will say that I currently use braid on very few reels but have ordered some because of where I now live. So several will be spooled with braid. However, I prefer something else when not directly casting into the lily pads, weeds, etc.

AFAIK, abrasion is not a concern in the few places I fish. I don't fish off the bottom very often anyway. How abrasive is sand?

More abrasion resistance with the 15lb...can stray strong even when frayed. Not as nice to use as 12lb, so I only go up if I must.

8 minutes ago, KP Duty said:

More abrasion resistance with the 15lb...can stray strong even when frayed. Not as nice to use as 12lb, so I only go up if I must.

Earlier today I read a post where the guy said he used the heaviest line he could get away with. Feared losing fish. A few others use the lightest line they can get away with. These guys are normally fishing deep in mostly cover free water.

It takes a lot to break 12# with a steady pull. I bought a one inch dowel four foot long to cut in sections. It was the shortest I could get at Lowes. Will wrap each section so line won't easily slip. Plan on carrying one with me for the times I get snagged. Especially since I will be starting to use more braid as well as the possibility of going to heavier mono/co-polymer lines.

I’ve been using 12 lb on most of my setups for many years and never had a problem with break offs.

If you think about it, the lightest line and heaviest you can get away with is the same thing. I know it’s winter for me but I believe this to be true.

I find it easier to say lightest line I can get away with. But as I mentioned above they are the same or at least arrive at the same conclusion.

😎😇

.35mm mono line ("12 lb") is going to have an actual breaking strength more like 20, depending on brand. It's incredibly strong stuff. IMO, even in the roughest stuff imaginable a bass fisherman doesn't need more than that to horse a fish out. In heavy rocks or similar where you know it's getting banged up you may want to re-tie more frequently.

Most of my casting set ups are braid to flouro leader. I do have 3 setups with 12# mono, (not co-poly). 2 crankbait rods, both medium, and 1 spinnerbait.

I was using 15# for t rigged worms but went back to braid and leader.

It's looking like I'll save some money and stick with what I have. I am using 17# on a 6'10" HF and still have some line left.

Look at the diameters. Larger diameter will help keep a lure to run higher and a lure to sink slower.

@new2BC4bass I forgot to mention in my earlier post, the adage, “if it isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it”. So if what you’re currently doing is working and productive I don’t see a need to change for the sake of changing.

Now if you’re changing to test and experiment and learn, that’s a reason to do so, say to test a line you’ve never used and you want to see how it fairs compared to what you currently use. Here there’s a reason and purpose as opposed to changing Willie nillie for no reason.

For example, I finally gave the braid to leader thing an honest run despite my aversion to having an extra fail point where the two lines join. After battling some big salmon, I understood when properly tied, any concern and line breaking was an unneeded concern.

30# braid to 12-15lb leader enabled to keep maximum capacity on the reel, maximize ms my casts when necessary , and slay those silver torpedos.

Is there a problem you’re trying to address?

Sometimes a stiffer, thicker line is beneficial in reducing hook fowling. Using topwater walkers, for example

It depends on many factors. The techniques you are using, the cover you plan on fishing, size of equipment you have, size of fish you catch, size of your tackle box etc.

I usually choose my line, not by the size of bass I will catch, but what techniques I will be using to catch the bass. If I need to get a crankbait down to maximum depth I will use a lighter line, than if depth is not a consideration. If I am using a medium action rod, in order to cast and work a small popper than I am not going to use 20 lbs line like I would when I'm fishing a large plopper on a heavy rod. When I am fishing around abandoned nets on one lake I fish, I use 30 pound braid for all of my crankbaits, because I can pull the baits free from the net, and not lose all of my tackle. If I had an unlimited tackle supply, I would use lighter line in many situations, where affordability comes in as a major factor. Around heavy cover and large bass, I use heavy line, but if a certain technique requires lighter line in order to get the bites, I will use lighter line even in heavy cover with DD bass. I try and determine what is the best line size for the technique that will get the bites and worry about how I'm going to land the bass after I get bit. I see many people come to Mexico with very heavy gear because the bass are big, and the cover is abrasive, but then try to fish lures that only cast and work well on lighter tackle.

In general 12 - 15 pound line will land any bass in any lake if you don't get around some type of cover. If you frequently retie and don't mind loosing a few lures, 15 will work in heavy cover, but you will get your heart broken when a big on wraps you around a stick. 20 pound will land more large bass in heavy cover, but does not cast as well as the smaller lines, and you may want to go up a size in reels. Matching the rod, reel, lure and technique with the line size is very important.

New line with new knots is as important as pound test. I once landed a bass just shy of 11 pounds on 15 pound Invisex, that wrapped me around a tree for 20 minutes before the limb broke and the fish was mine. That same line broke on a two pound bass a few days later because of a weak spot in the line I didn't detect after landing the large bass. I didn't change the line, because I was too cheap, and I wouldn't be able to find more 15 pound fluorocarbon in my local area even if I had wanted to spend the money ( use what you can afford to change often)

If you already own a large quantity of 12 pound line and you don't want to purchase massive amounts of new line, then I recommend you use the 12 pound and change your line often. When the line you have is gone, you may want to change to a stronger line. The Bait Monkey recommends you buy new line now in multiple types and weights. The Monkey always wins. Go buy some 15 and 20 pound line and give it a try.

No problem yet. It's just that I see so many using 15# and was wondering if I'm missing something.