With largemouth bass being one of the most popular game fish in the US, the options and opinions for fishing line is seemingly endless. However, this is meant to be a quick rundown to help you choose the best fishing line for largemouth bass.
Quick Look
- 30-60 lb. Test
- Best: Braid
- Good: 10-15 lb. Test Monofilament
- OK: 10-15 lb. Test Fluorocarbon
- Leader: 12 lb. Test Fluorocarbon
Why Braid Fishing Line For Largemouth?
Braid is the most popular fishing line used to catch largemouth bass. This is due to it’s strength, sensitivity, and abrasion resistance. The sensitivity helps you to detect the bite, while the strength and abrasion resistance helps you get it to the net faster.
Largemouth bass usually hang out around cover such as sunken logs, branches, rocks, and weeds. Having a strong fishing line that is able to pull the bass away from potential snags is important. the ultra strength and zero stretch of braid allows you to get the fish under control and to the net fast.
Another key benefit of the no stretch is that you have ultimate sensitivity. You can feel like your are in direct contact with everything your bait or lure is doing. This helps when you are trying to detect the bite so that you can perfectly time the hookset.
What lb. Test Fishing Line For Largemouth Bass?
When fishing for big largemouth around heavy cover, use a braid between 40 to 50 lb. test. If you are targeting smaller largemouth or bass in open water, you can use 30 lb. test braid.
If you are fishing clear water, consider using monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line in the 10 to 15 lb. test range. The fish won’t see these lines as clearly as braid, so they may help you get more bites.
And if you don’t want to change out your line, then just tie a leader to the end of your braid.
Leader Material
Largemouth bass aren’t very line shy. This means you can use either fluorocarbon or monofilament for your leaders. 10 to 12 lb. test is usually a good place to start. If fishing heavy cover, you may not even need a leader. Just tie your hook straight to the braid.
If you are fishing for highly pressured fish and struggling to get a bite, you can try using a fluorocarbon leader. fluorocarbon is almost invisible to fish underwater.
I mainly prefer a mono or fluoro leader just for the fact that knot tying is so much easier.
Is Fluorocarbon Good For Catching Largemouth?
Fluorocarbon is a great fishing line for catching largemouth bass in clear water. Bass aren’t particularly line shy, but if the water is crystal clear, it helps to use the least visible fishing line, which is fluorocarbon.
If for whatever reason you don’t like using braid, then your other two options are mono or fluoro. Both types work well for largemouth, but fluorocarbon has the slight advantage of being nearly invisible. However this comes at a higher price.
If the price difference doesn’t bother you, then spool up with all fluoro. Fluorocarbon has better abrasion resistance, so it’ll be less likely for a bass to cut you off on rocks and snags.
Is Monofilament Good For Catching Largemouth?
Monofilament fishing line is a great and cheap option for catching largemouth bass. It is cheaper than fluoro or braid, and will catch just as many bass. However it does have a few disadvantages.
One disadvantage of monofilament fishing line is that it has a lot of stretch to it. This means that mono is less sensitive than braid. You might have a little trouble detecting the bites and when to set the hook.
Another problem with the stretch is that you have slightly less control when fighting the fish. The stretch does help to keep the hook in the fish’s mouth, but you’ll have less power to pull it away from snags.
One more downside to mono is that it is less abrasion resistant than braid or fluorocarbon. But unless you are fishing heavy cover and sharp rocks, you should be fine. Just check your line after every fish or snag. Honestly you should be checking no matter what line you are using.
I don’t mean to scare you away from using monofilament for largemouth. In fact I currently use a 10 lb. test mono as my leader on my bass rod and it works great. I just keep an eye on it and cut out any damaged line.