Throwing swim jigs is my favorite thing to fish with. Can I set the hook hard like I did with braid. How do I know how much pressure I can put on the fish before line snaps? I fish in mostly in ponds that have big bass. If i set the drag correctly should I be okay or should I go back to braid? I love the less visiblity that fluro has bc I fish heavy pressured water most of the time.

no

Solution. Go back to braid? If yes what pound test. I see a lot of guys throw 30 pound braid on the pro tour

15-20 lb Fluorocarbon

you can set the hook as hard as you want on a fish with 12lb fluoro knotted correctly without breaking it.

But there's probably no need to go down to 12# on a moving bait.

As I tell all my friends. "12 pound will break your heart" but works great for crankbaits.

I'd recommend 15, 17, or 20 pound test.

20 Flouro on Jigs for me, especially swim jigs. Very little stretch and I can swing hard which is what I like to do with confidence.

20 pound fluro to me is a B*(*& to cast.

I have zero issues casting with 20 pound test. That being said, I would never throw a swim jig on 12 lb. 17 is about the lightest I'd go.

Agreed, use a palomar knot and you should be fine. Now if your catching 9-10-11 pound bass you might want to go to 15lb. and if you are and need a net man call me.

To answer your questions about 12# fluoro:

There are a lot of variables that can cause line to break. If the fish has the bait way back in its throat and the line is rubbing against the teeth as you fight it, then 12 can break. Even 20 can break. If you have a good knot and you hook the fish in the upper lip or the corner of its mouth then you will have a hard time breaking 12# line UNLESS he gets around a stump or lily pad stem.

The only way to know how much pressure you can put on the fish before it breaks is to put pressure on the fish until it breaks and then don't put that much pressure on the next one!

The primary reason I use 17 to 20# fluoro is for the added insurance in the event I have a tiny nick in the line or the fish gets around something and I have to drag it out. When the fish start biting we all get excited and most of the time unhook a fish and throw right back out without retying. I am a fanatic about retying but I still occasionally get lazy and don't retie after a fish.

I will guarantee that if you hook a bass over 3# bass on a jig or soft plastic bait and he has it down in his mouth to where the line has rubbed against his teeth, there are tiny nicks on your line just above the hook. It happens every time. Once this happens, your 12# line is now 8 or 10# line. Look at it closely the next time you hook a fish and he has choked it.

If I only fished open water with no cover (never) I would use 12 as well. It casts great and is more manageable than heavier line but I fish mostly Fork where every cast your line is in contact with stumps, limbs, shell beds, etc. As you stated, you fish ponds with big bass. You will absolutely get more bites with 12 versus 15 or 20 but is it worth it?

I just realized you have started about six threads all about line. Why don't you just start a thread and list the bullet points on the questions you want to ask?

THIS.

All my pond reels have 17# just because you have to drag the fish over some moss usually to get him to the shore. Why risk loosing a big fish when you can step up in Floro. to 17#.

Ponds with lots of moss and shore weeds stay with your Braid in at least 30#.

I believe I watched a video where Mark Pack was fishing a jig and using 12# flouro. Personally I like to fish with lighter line. I like the way it handles and believe it's more sensitive. It also gives the fish a chance. I enjoy feeling like I have to be careful with light line and feel like there's less challenge with heavy line. However, and this is a big deal, I don't fish tournaments. I'm going to release every bass I catch anyway so I want to get the most from every bite.

Bottom line is that if it's important that you put the fish in the boat ... use heavier line.

The reason is I have a lot of different questions and I have noticed if you post it that way people will answer 1 question and not the others and as more and more people post people get off point and I never really get good information. What I am trying to decide basically is I fish mostly large ponds with heavy cover and I am debating whether I will catch more fish with say 20 pound flurocarbon vs 50 pound braid. I have 2 different thought processes. 1) Am I misssing big fish bc of line visibility. Its hard to catch fish that don't bite. On the other hand I do fish places like Fork and places with heavy cover like the large ponds that have monster bass and I going to be crying some day because I caught this monster fish and and he snapped my line and I lose a fish that might be a fish of a lifetime. I have caught numerous bass between 6-9 pounds but I want a monster.

12lb seems light to me for fishing around any sort of cover. I use 20lb copolymer.

If you're fishing solely for a monster with a moving bait, line visibility isn't as much of a concern. They are going to react quickly and bite, not study it. I'd use braid. TX bodies of water are usually stained anyways so that will conceal line as well. If you're not confident with braid, use a heavy fluoro. Either way, check your line often, either for small knicks in fluoro or shredding with braid.

Even if every component of your entire setup is perfect, the bass will still have the upper hand in the fight so fish what you have confidence in and hang on. Monster bass will break you off, spit the hook, wrap you up or do some other sort of magic trick to not get caught no matter what you use. That's part of the reason it's that big and still there for you to have a chance at.

Swim jig = 30 lb Suffix 832 for me

Many of the pros use 30# braid on their swim jigs for what it is worth.

Only time I throw floro if the water is clear and its 15lbs with the right rod, both of my swim jig rods have 30lbs slick 8 and never had a problem.

Caught him red handed Ken, never thought to check. Ranks right up there with,
1- Best brand of reel
2- Best brand of boat
3- What lure works best for - - - - -
4 - Where to stay at Fork
5- Fork
6- What are the fish biting at Fork
7- Best rod for - - - - -
Last but not least- Which side of the buoys do you stay on at Fork ?

Get 20 Ib. Seaguar Fluro. Casts a mile.

Noted

YES, unless it gets the slightest little nick in it.

I was just about to check and see if it was the same guy asking this same question over and over.

What kind of line should I use for my swimjig?

You've been answered close to a hundred times by now... You can save time next time by using the search function. Hundreds of responses to these same questions are already on the board. Tight lines bud.

Not baggin on ya bud. Just sayin there are easier ways to get the 411 you're looking for.

You will get more bites on 12# line. My PB 10.5# was caught on 12#. I've caught several 8# fish on 12# also. I lost an over on Fork this spring because of human error. I needed to change my line out because it was old. I needed to retie my bait because I had caught several fish. Last but not least my drag was too tight. I just flat screwed up, naturally I was fishing the IBC Spring open on Lake Fork. That cost me a check that day. So what did I learn? Keep fresh line on, retie often and check that drag. If you pay attention 12# line will work but you have to be ready to work the fish in and not over power him. I've seen 20# break when you try to horse one in with playing him a bit.

Yes and No

Subscribed to see brand recommendations (and because i can't find the "subscribe" button on this forum...

if just fun fishing I say yes. if your paying entry fees and spending money to fish I would kick it up a notch. I like smaller line for the challenge as well, but I don't fish many tourney's........

noted...first time doing any kind of forum. Still learning.

Just think of it as Redneck Facebook 4 Fishermen!

15-20lb Fluorocarbon minimum on a bait cast and then adjust drag

On a moving bait like a swim jig there is no need to go light on line. Go big and you will get better hooksets and abrasion resistance.

Disagree. I throw 12 pound fluoro on all my deep diving cranks.

Isaiah, no magic bullet and you can't have the best of both worlds. If you want more bites, go light. If your heart can't stand a lost fish, go heavy. I try to get a close to the best of both worlds and throw 17lb Invizix. I don't see it costing me bites on a swim jig in TX waters and trust it will land a big fish.

I decided to go to 50lb Sufix 832 Braid. Later this year I will be fishing Fork and other places with heavy cover so I figured I would go with braid not and get another setup with 20 pound fluro at the end of the year or next spring and alternate them depending on where I am fishing and the water clarity

You'll like Sufix 832. Stuff sails through guides like butter. I'm a little late but I would have gone 17# for most jigging situations. I feel like 20# is a bit too heavy, especially for swim jigs, since I use 20-25 for Hudds and glides.

15# fluoro for open water, 20# for flipping in cover.