heres a very newbie qestion.  i have a reel and on the spec it shows that it can take 12lb/120yds.

does this mean that i cannot go over the 12lb line?

what happens if i were to go to 14lb?

if it's a spinning reel i wouldn't go higher than 10 due to line twist issues unless you use braid.baitcasters you can go 25 to 30 lb mono or up to 100 pound braid.you have to realize when using braid that strong that something will give if you pull to hard and it won't be the braid.it will be either the rod or reel.guys use braid that strong for abrasion resistance and so it doesn't dig into the spool when fighting big fish.

This is only a guide on baitcasters to inform you of the yardage for a size line. You can load a higher pound line on the reel, but you will have less line on the reel. Keep this in mind though, even 100 yards of 14 lb is still 300 feet of line. You are never going to throw that far and will still have enough for frequent new line ties to baits. I have 20lb on reels, which only address the yardage up to 14lb.

Notice also the differences in line diameter by different manufacturers. One company's 14lb mono may the same diameter as another company's 12lb.

On spinning reels stick to the max line size recommended.

sorry, i should have given the specific reel that i had.  it is a baitcaster reel.

thanks for your help

G3 makes an excellent point. Some reels list lb. test and dia. capacity.

All thing being equal, you might lose some casting distance but gain some strength. Spool it with the lb. test suited for the conditions you will be using it for and have fun!