I have a reel that can handle 17 lbs line and i put a 20lbs line on it will it still work or will it be bad and if it doesnt work can u give me a tip??

spinning or baitcast?

I wouldn't mess with the 20 pound if ur reel can only handle and 17. If u are new to the fishing world u should but a reel with line already in it.

I agree with fishontx.. depends on what type of reel it is, what sort of fishing you're doing, and the rod you plan on using.. it won't hurt the reel persay.. but it might mot perform the way you want it too.

If it's spinning you're going to have better casting performance with lighter line. But if you are redfishing on the jetties and you don't care about casting 300yds... then you should be ok.

If it's a casting reel, it shouldn't really matter either way...might have a little less casting distance..but almost un-noticeable in those line classes between 17 and 20.

hope that helps or let us know what type of reel it is.... and what sort of fishing you plan on doing.

spinning

I am fishing on the bank just with spinnig reels(DAIWA WHISKER SS TOURNAMENT 1300) and braid(FIRELINE SMOKE 4LB.,SPIDERWIRE ULTRACAST 6LB. and 10lb.)+fluorocarbon leader(6lb.to 15lb.)

I was catching big fish,40 inch ,23lb.red fish with FIRELINE SMOKE 4LB.,big speckled trout about 10 lb.,big drum and many flounder.Another 40 inch red fish i have catching in 20 October 2011 with SPIDERWIRE ULTRACAST 10LB.+fluorocarbon leader 12lb.

If you don't "horse" the fish and know to use the real drag you don't need 20lb. line IMO.

IMO the biggest factor is what kind of line are they talking about? Usually, it's Mono. Mono sucks, except as leader material.
Whatever reel it is, load it up with as much of the appropriate test in braided line. VERY TIGHTLY! It will seriously increase line capacity in most all freshwater/ inshore salt applications.
Another thing is rremember the 1/3 rule- set your drag to 1/3 the rating of the line. (I think you'd be surprised at how much drag 17# actually feels like. that's enough drag to kill 50# tunas quickly in most cases) Anyway, you can adjust up/down from there during a fight, and never get beyond the breaking strength of the line, w/ plenty of CAPACITY to handle hard runs & still land the fish.
last tip- as mentioned above, don't fish your gear outside of it's intended use
unless.. A.) you have lots of experience with light tackle
B.) you like buying new gear every year
If you're new, might as well learn what's best for what type of fishing right off the bat, right? That's why you're here. I can only offer my opinion.
Learn with braid from the beginning. It's unforgiving, in that it forces you to learn knots, drag setting, and other things that put you ahead of the curve that it would take years to understand otherwise.

I agree with "lite-liner".

cut and burn all your mono line off your spinning reel. Go with braid. I don't go under 20pnd braid, since its pretty thin already. Use braid and you'll never look back. Braid + mono/floro leader is the way to go....

I am fishing just on the bank with artificials(at ROLLOVER PASS),spinning reels with FIRELINE SMOKE 4LB.,SPIDERWIRE ULTRACAST 6 LB.and 10 LB.I don't need braid over 10 lb.
I use fluorocarbon leader(not floro,floro is something else) 6 lb.to 15lb.

Really, 4 lb line and 23 pound fish?

Please look in this site:

http://www.fishingworld.com/News/Read.php?ArtID=000010715

With FIRELINE SMOKE 4LB.+FLUOROCARBON LEADER 12LB.i was catching at ROLLOVER PAS many big speckled trout(10 lb.,8,5 lb.,7 lb.etc.)and i am not a liar.

I don't looking to catch big fish,but sometime i have big fish in the hook and try to bring the fish in my landig net if is possible.

Jean Scurtu