What pound test fishing line do you use?

[S34MH1]

What pound test fishing line do you use? Do you think the diameter of fishing line affects your catch?

[jules007]

Depends on what lake and size of target fish for example on local specimen lake its 15lb but on the smaller lake i use 8lb as no snags and carp only run to about 18lb 

[salokcinnodrog]

2 hours ago, S34MH1 said:

What pound test fishing line do you use? Do you think the diameter of fishing line affects your catch?

What are you fishing for?

How big do the fish go?

Is the lake snagged, weedy or clear?

I fish waters where the carp go to over 40lb, my normal line is 15lb, 0.35mm. I need that line to cope with weed and algae, occasionally long casting as well as playing the fish.

If I go to an 'easier' water with carp to just maybe 20lb and few or no snags then I will use 10lb 0.30mm line.

 

Does diameter make a difference? On a water I used to fish my shockleader was Drennan Greased Weasel in 40lb with a diameter of 0.58mm, or 30lb Amnesia which I have no idea of the diameter.

I caught with that diameter line as I do now.

 

 

[yonny]

14 hours ago, S34MH1 said:

Do you think the diameter of fishing line affects your catch?

Yes. The thicker it is the easier it is to see. I've watched carp spooking off lines numerous times.

That said, as others have pointed out there's no point fishing with line that's not up to the job. I will always go too strong/thick rather than than too fine for the given angling situation. Just make sure the last few feet are pinned onto the deck.

[S34MH1]

52 minutes ago, yonny said:

Yes. The thicker it is the easier it is to see. I've watched carp spooking off lines numerous times.

That said, as others have pointed out there's no point fishing with line that's not up to the job. I will always go too strong/thick rather than than too fine for the given angling situation. Just make sure the last few feet are pinned onto the deck.

Yeah, that’s exactly where my anxiety stems from. I’m not from Europe, so I’ve been learning carp fishing online. Countless articles keep stressing how wary carp are, covering line diameter, line colour, sinker concealment and whether hook coatings reflect light. It’s left me pretty anxious and unable to tell what matters most, haha.

[Golden Paws]

I use 15lb main line but always use a Korda Safezone fluorocarbon leader (30lb) and back lead after casting to ensure that there is no tight line cutting through the feeding area. The leader also helps prevent scales lifting during the fight.

[yonny]

52 minutes ago, S34MH1 said:

It’s left me pretty anxious and unable to tell what matters most, haha.

What matters most is that the line is strong enough to deal with any weed/snags etc. No point in dropping the diameter if you're going to lose the fish and/or tackle. Use a decent leader or tubing to get the end tackle pinned down. Fish the lines as slack as you dare (i.e. very slack with no weed/snags, and less so with weed/snags to deal with).

56 minutes ago, S34MH1 said:

Yeah, that’s exactly where my anxiety stems from. I’m not from Europe, so I’ve been learning carp fishing online. Countless articles keep stressing how wary carp are, covering line diameter, line colour, sinker concealment and whether hook coatings reflect light. It’s left me pretty anxious and unable to tell what matters most, haha.

Assuming you can get the tackle pinned down, line colour is less important imo. I wouldn't worry about lead and hook concealment. Get them feeding and they'll take a hook bait at some point.

[framey]

4 hours ago, S34MH1 said:

Yeah, that’s exactly where my anxiety stems from. I’m not from Europe, so I’ve been learning carp fishing online. Countless articles keep stressing how wary carp are, covering line diameter, line colour, sinker concealment and whether hook coatings reflect light. It’s left me pretty anxious and unable to tell what matters most, haha.

Stop reading articles and watching videos lol

makes it worse as most of the time they are made by tackle companies who are trying to sell you a product.

[salokcinnodrog]

12 hours ago, S34MH1 said:

Yeah, that’s exactly where my anxiety stems from. I’m not from Europe, so I’ve been learning carp fishing online. Countless articles keep stressing how wary carp are, covering line diameter, line colour, sinker concealment and whether hook coatings reflect light. It’s left me pretty anxious and unable to tell what matters most, haha.

For years, around 1995 to 2008 ish I used Daiwa Sensor in brown, on various lakes and reservoirs. From 2008 or 2009 I started using Gardner Pro, normally light as the waters I fish are normally clear. I mentioned above about leaders if I was casting long distances, Drennan Greased Weasel in grey, Amnesia in clear or black has never been an issue.

13 hours ago, yonny said:

The thicker it is the easier it is to see. I've watched carp spooking off lines numerous times.

I've watched carp spooking around lines, and it's usually tight lines. I've also seen them spook off fluorocarbon mainlines, whether it was the shadow on the lakebed or possibly the vibration (?) I don't know.

Unless your rod tips are mega high, and fishing super tight line, at anything above 40metres the line near the end tackle is likely to be on the lakebed, unless you have 'raised' features like gravel bars to hold it up. 

I've not been one for 'fish protection' * as with monofilament or copolymer lines, I think the line rarely damages the fish. Braided mainline/leaders and leadcore however I do think can cause cuts, grazes and scarring if they rub.

I occasionally fish with tubing, but it is a rarity, and it is for the real name, anti-tangle tubing, to prevent braided hooklinks tangling around the mainline.

 

I normally fish with my rod tips as low as possible, often underwater, to keep the line down, and if I can with running leads and slack lines. 

 

*Fish protection, that doesn't mean I don't think they deserve protection, but just that the line is not at fault.

We normally fish rig rigs or floater fishing with naked mainline, and hook carp on tench gear, or accidentally while float fishing or ledgering for other species.

 

Camouflaging weights, (sinkers), is it necessary? On my current water the lead in many swims is in the silt. Just dropping a lead in the margins, it is a job to find it. I have lost a few that I have seen fall off the link clip, the run ring fell after a pike bite-off, or where I dropped the blooming thing. I do paint and coat my leads, with a hard varnish, but I think its more a confidence thing camouflaging than a requirement.

The fish I had this week and subsequent casts, I had to pull the lead free from the silt!

 

 

[S34MH1]

12 hours ago, salokcinnodrog said:

For years, around 1995 to 2008 ish I used Daiwa Sensor in brown, on various lakes and reservoirs. From 2008 or 2009 I started using Gardner Pro, normally light as the waters I fish are normally clear. I mentioned above about leaders if I was casting long distances, Drennan Greased Weasel in grey, Amnesia in clear or black has never been an issue.

I've watched carp spooking around lines, and it's usually tight lines. I've also seen them spook off fluorocarbon mainlines, whether it was the shadow on the lakebed or possibly the vibration (?) I don't know.

Unless your rod tips are mega high, and fishing super tight line, at anything above 40metres the line near the end tackle is likely to be on the lakebed, unless you have 'raised' features like gravel bars to hold it up. 

I've not been one for 'fish protection' * as with monofilament or copolymer lines, I think the line rarely damages the fish. Braided mainline/leaders and leadcore however I do think can cause cuts, grazes and scarring if they rub.

I occasionally fish with tubing, but it is a rarity, and it is for the real name, anti-tangle tubing, to prevent braided hooklinks tangling around the mainline.

 

I normally fish with my rod tips as low as possible, often underwater, to keep the line down, and if I can with running leads and slack lines. 

 

*Fish protection, that doesn't mean I don't think they deserve protection, but just that the line is not at fault.

We normally fish rig rigs or floater fishing with naked mainline, and hook carp on tench gear, or accidentally while float fishing or ledgering for other species.

 

Camouflaging weights, (sinkers), is it necessary? On my current water the lead in many swims is in the silt. Just dropping a lead in the margins, it is a job to find it. I have lost a few that I have seen fall off the link clip, the run ring fell after a pike bite-off, or where I dropped the blooming thing. I do paint and coat my leads, with a hard varnish, but I think its more a confidence thing camouflaging than a requirement.

The fish I had this week and subsequent casts, I had to pull the lead free from the silt!

 

 

As an aside, if you were to head to an unfamiliar body of water, even in a foreign country, how would you start fishing?
 
I'm from Asia, and our holy grail is landing giant common carp, grass carp, and black carp. But every time I arrive at the water's edge full of confidence, I end up feeling completely lost. I check the air temperature, barometric pressure, and water temperature. I even own a pH meter for water quality testing. I try to pinpoint the best fishing spots using satellite maps, measure water depth by every means possible, and even use a sonar fish finder. I observe the vegetation along the banks and gather every scrap of information I can about the water body, both online and from fellow anglers. Yet I still consistently struggle to catch fish well.
 
I don't know if I'm missing something crucial or if I've lost sight of what truly matters. Whenever I feel this confusion, I always default to fixating on my tackle: should I buy a dissolved oxygen meter? A device to analyze the bottom substrate composition? A thermometer that reads water temperature at different depths? Or perhaps invest in better groundbait and hookbaits? But I suspect that's not how a truly skilled angler thinks. So how do I become a real master angler?

[yonny]

1 hour ago, S34MH1 said:

I don't know if I'm missing something crucial

Your eyes....... they're the most important piece of tackle you have.

Pressure, depths, temps etc etc are all good starting points but I'll not fish until I see a carp to fish for. You cannot catch what is not in front of you.

Edited 5 hours ago by yonny

[yonny]

1 hour ago, S34MH1 said:

how do I become a real master angler?

A successful angler will always be on the fish and if that means spending more time looking/searching than fishing then so be it. If you're not on the fish then none of the other stuff (dissolved oxygen, rigs, tackle etc) matters.

Edited 5 hours ago by yonny

[S34MH1]

2 hours ago, yonny said:

A successful angler will always be on the fish and if that means spending more time looking/searching than fishing then so be it. If you're not on the fish then none of the other stuff (dissolved oxygen, rigs, tackle etc) matters.

I have polarized sunglasses and binoculars. I’ve never tried observing from a tree, but thanks for bringing that up; it’s helped me see just how important this is.

[framey]

1 hour ago, S34MH1 said:

I have polarized sunglasses and binoculars. I’ve never tried observing from a tree, but thanks for bringing that up; it’s helped me see just how important this is.

Just watch any video with terry Hearn in it 

 

Most of the time the fish are not on the bottom anyway so most of that can be discounted at times of the day 

watch for strange movements in weeds 

look for bubbles.

look for bow waves.

find one and you will usually find more once you know HOW to look.

use the wind and follow it down or across the lake.