A friend gave me a brand new Abu Garcia Cardinal 501ALB for my son. Now I see it has a max of 6lb test. We fish for bass, walleye and there are pike. Should I put mono on the reel or would 20lb braid with 6lb diameter be ok. This is his first spinning reel and not sure if braid is a good way to start. He does have a spincast with mono on it. Any help asap would be great.
What should I do? Need help asap.
- Thread starter SeanCrabb
- Start date
Help Support Ontario Fishing Forums:
RedSkullz
Well-Known Member
I personally prefer mono on a spinning reel. Berkley big game can be bought in the large spools for $10 at canadian tire and is a solid line and the large spool will get 6-7 refills in case there is problems. Even though the reel has a 6lb max i would up it to 8. 6 is fine for smaller bass and 'eyes, but if either species is big and of course pike 8lb test will be better. I landed a 30" rainbow in super small water this spring on trilene big game 6 lb test.
RedSkullz
Well-Known Member
17 minutes after....quick enough? hehehe
reefrunner
Well-Known Member
6lbs mono is fine for the young fella .
Personally, I would use some 6lb mono as backing and tie on some 20lbs braid. I just like the sensitivity of braid over mono.
Personally, I would use some 6lb mono as backing and tie on some 20lbs braid. I just like the sensitivity of braid over mono.
RedSkullz
Well-Known Member
Yes thats a good point nado
Even salmon doesn't need more then about 8-10lb test. Unless your trying to drag it through the water with your line. I routinely use 8lb line year around to land everything from panfish to salmon running in the river.
Jim
Jim
RedSkullz
Well-Known Member
Same here jim. I do use light line for crappie(4lb), and a few heavier lines for thick cover big bass, pike and musky(12pound test), but you can get away with 8-10 lb for 90% of all fishing i do.(i fish for almost every species in ontario throughout the year) The only reason i think you'd need heavier lines is if muskie is your game and you are casting 4oz crankbaits all day. 
NADO
Unaccomplished Steelheader
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2010
- Messages
- 3,064
if ur gonna use 12lb line whats wrong with a 6lb diameter line? And also if ur using 8lb line to catch a salmon you better have a big spool unless you have the fish in a smaller river when they are spawning and weak.
Its amazing how much money i save on lures using braided line. Yesterday i has such a bad snag and I was almost cutting my hand with the line I was pulling it so hard. I ended up wrapping the line around a stick and bending the mepps aglia hook off the log until it was straight and the lure popped off. Id say 20lb braid can stand up to alot more than 20lbs of force. And if you aare thinking that you arent catching anything because of the visibility of ur line you just throw on a leader...
Its amazing how much money i save on lures using braided line. Yesterday i has such a bad snag and I was almost cutting my hand with the line I was pulling it so hard. I ended up wrapping the line around a stick and bending the mepps aglia hook off the log until it was straight and the lure popped off. Id say 20lb braid can stand up to alot more than 20lbs of force. And if you aare thinking that you arent catching anything because of the visibility of ur line you just throw on a leader...
RedSkullz
Well-Known Member
I am going to give some braids a go again, with flouro leaders. I am considering a heavy action baitcaster for muskie lures.
Fact of the matter is, the line is dependent on the amount of FORCE that the fish can apply, not is "real" weight. It is a misconception that many fisherman have, to match the physical weight of the fish to the line rating.
People fish for say salmon and trout with fly rods and 4 pound leaders (I know I'm one of them) because it allows one to use even the smallest flies, and while you do lose a few fish, you can land many more then if you just kept yourself to the larger flies.
Jim
People fish for say salmon and trout with fly rods and 4 pound leaders (I know I'm one of them) because it allows one to use even the smallest flies, and while you do lose a few fish, you can land many more then if you just kept yourself to the larger flies.
Jim
My reel is slated for 6lbs only as well and i use the suffic 832 or something braid gortex i believe its called its 6lb size but like 20lb braid and it smashed through weeds the other day, havent used it much in them tho but i yanked on it pretty hard a couple times when caught.
Garfield the cat
Well-Known Member
Same here to Jim. Never went higher then eight. The key is the drag.
The key is the rod and the person holding it. If you have a rod that takes alot of the force of the fish pulling then you can get away with much lighter line I use 20 lbs braid on my spinning outfits and 40lbs on my baitcasters because you need to keep the diameter of line in the 10lbs range to have your reel work properly and not backlash as often. You can't beat the superlines that we have available to use today.
I have an extra heavy carrot stick and have It spooled with 50 lbs power pro and if the hook slips out of the plastic and catches some tough weeds I can point the rod tip down and pull and instead of breaking i just get pulled into it. The stuff is amazing! And believe me you need it to flip reeds and anyone who thought they can do it without the proper rod and line has always came home disappointed!
