It depends what you are using. I either use braided line or fluorocarbon. I throw a lot of weightless soft plastics and with that I definitely recommend fluorocarbon. Bottom line is that braided line floats and fluorocarbon sinks. So if you want a bait to fall naturally go with fluorocarbon so that your bait falls the way you want it to. On the flip side if you are throwing a frog or jog near heavy cover such as a grass bed or lily pads then you want to use braided line. Reason being that on heavier baits such as jigs or topwater baits such as frogs the braided line does not affect the presentation. At the same time you have 30lb test line in the form of 8lb diameter line so that when you do hook up in the brush you can pull the fish out of there rather than breaking it off and letting the fish sit there tangled in the brush to die. Also a plus for braided line is the texture of the line slices through grass and light brush like butter. The down side to that fact is that if you have a cheap rod it will also do a number on your rod guides.
If you decide that you want to use braided line I really feel by far the best option is power pro. No doubt about it. It has served me and everyone I fish with very well and has not let them down. I recommend 30-50 lb test for the casual fisherman. The pros pulling 10 pounders out of grass beds in a gator pond suggest a bit heavier, but this being RI I dont think more than 50lb test is needed.
If you use power pro, I do suggest using backing for two reasons. For one, some reels recommend that you do not tie it directly to the spool. The other reason is the price. Power pro is not cheap and there is no sense in spooling 300 yards of it on a reel. It is a waste of money since you should never get that far down on a reel. I use mono-filament as backing and go from there. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
If you decide that you want to use braided line I really feel by far the best option is power pro. No doubt about it. It has served me and everyone I fish with very well and has not let them down. I recommend 30-50 lb test for the casual fisherman. The pros pulling 10 pounders out of grass beds in a gator pond suggest a bit heavier, but this being RI I dont think more than 50lb test is needed.
If you use power pro, I do suggest using backing for two reasons. For one, some reels recommend that you do not tie it directly to the spool. The other reason is the price. Power pro is not cheap and there is no sense in spooling 300 yards of it on a reel. It is a waste of money since you should never get that far down on a reel. I use mono-filament as backing and go from there. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Brazzy thanks for the informative response, I think im going to experiment with both but Ill start with the flourocarbon. I havent had much luck top water but thats probably because of where Ive been fishing. Ive caught a few decent bass on the good old rubber worm.
Fluorocarbon is a great choice. Especially for soft plastics like worms or lizards. I love the carolina rig (will be throwing that all next week at winnipesaukee) and for me the leader HAS to be fluorocarbon. The basic science behind it is that is has the same density as water. That essentially makes it completely invisible in water and also allows your bait to sink naturally. When a bait is falling slowly it triggers a lot of strikes.
However, dont be afraid to try braided line. By at least trying it you will see that there are things that you love and hate about it. Either way you will find that it is useful in certain situations.
As for topwater, dont give up on it. Theres a time and place for it. If fish active typically topwater isnt that thing to trigger the finicky strike. On the flip side, when the bite it good a topwater strike is the most exciting bass fishing there is. That explosion comes when you least expect it.
However, dont be afraid to try braided line. By at least trying it you will see that there are things that you love and hate about it. Either way you will find that it is useful in certain situations.
As for topwater, dont give up on it. Theres a time and place for it. If fish active typically topwater isnt that thing to trigger the finicky strike. On the flip side, when the bite it good a topwater strike is the most exciting bass fishing there is. That explosion comes when you least expect it.