Fishing line for sunnies

I normally use 6 lb. line, but get a lot of line twist. I have some 10 lb. braided line that would solve this problem. The diameter is no larger than the 6 lb. mono, but more visible, and I wonder if the sunnies would be line shy. I can try it and see if it seems to affect the bite, but thought I would ask for some opinions. Have you ever tried braid for sunnies? What are your thoughts?

Everything I have read is that sunfish are line shy. I use either 4 lb. or 6 lb. mono on my spinning rods. I use 6 lb. fluorocarbon as tippet material on my fly rod. I do think it makes a difference in certain situations. I too, have lots of issues with line twist on my spinning rod. I've tried a few different lines but haven't found a good low memory line yet.

There is a conditioning spray you can buy that helps line, haven't used it but heard it helps. I run into the same problem on some poles.

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like I should continue using mono. When it gets twisted too much, I usually just strip off about ten or so and cut it off. Solves the problem, just takes a few minutes to retie, not a serious problem. Onward...

I use 10 pound braid which is the same diameter as 2 pound mono. I use Reel Magic conditioner. Although I cannot say the sunfish are not shy of this line I catch a lot of them. I have often fished with one rod with braid and another with 4 pound mono without noticing any difference.

You could try the braid with a 6lb mono/flouro leader. I would not go straight braid to catch Sunfish.

You may want to switch line brands. I use Stren High Impact 6 lb test line. Works great. Also as already been mentioned you can use a line spray. I use Ardent Line Butter Spray. You can get it at Acadamey. Not expensive. I spray a little on my line before and after I am done fishing. Works pretty good.

Flip your bail by hand and not by turning the reel if you aren't doing that already. I like Trilene XL for mono and Nanofil for superline. I use KVD line and lure spray with great success.

I use a single 12 pound mono leader on my flyrod its yo zuri line cats bass and sunnies dont seem to care even in clear water!

Thanks for all the replies. Appreciate it. Jagg, I do flip the bail by hand. It's just the last 6 or 8 feet of my line that gets twisted. Not a serious problem, was just wondering if the sunnies would be line shy of braid. Smithaven says he catches them on ten pound braid. I may try it sometime, hut have to admit I am a little leery of it except when the sunnies are super active and will eat as soon as the bait hits the water. Was just wondering what all of you thought. Banker, I've always liked Stren 6 lb test also, but I did buy a spool of Berkley Extra Limp 6 lb. to try next time I change the line. Guess I just like to tinker with my line and gear when I'm not fishing.

I have used Berkley line products also and they have all worked good. Like you I love to tinker with tackle!

I'll add another

The most common reason why we use heavier line is so we won't lose as many lures or big fish. But the lighter lines provide more than just reduced visibility, they improve presentation significantly. If you are just using live bait then presentation is not a big issue. If you are bouncing a 1/124th ounce jig head off the bottom or pulling a fly through the water column at a certain depth, there is a difference.

I am always concerned about sink rate as well. I use 8 lb. mono tippet on my top water popper rod because it floats. I use 6 lb. fluorocarbon on my subsurface flies because it sinks and is invisible. 4 lb. mono also works well in this situation.

I used 6 lb. test line fishing for white bass most of the season. Mainly because the creeks are full of hangs. A friend of mine out fished me with 4 lb. line. I now have 4 lb. line on my ultralight. The 4 lb. line also helps me get more distance throwing a 1/32 ounce jig. I tried a couple brands of 6 lb. fluorocarbon but they twisted worse than mono.

Another example, I was catching white bass and hybrids on 6 lb. fluorocarbon, I switched to 12 lb to better handle the hybrids, and the fish stop biting. I switched back to 6 lb. and started catching them again.

I've seen it make a difference several other times as well.

So basically for me the question is "Do I have a better chance of catching a trophy fish using 4 lb line or 8 lb. line?" As long as I do a good job of fighting the fish then the answer for me is clear. "Yes"

I look for every advantage I can. The one thing I've learned in all parts of life is that the difference between being good and great are the small details.

Sorry, that was more than 2 cents worth and a bit obnoxious

Not obnoxious at all J-Moe. I enjoyed reading your reply. I understand the things you are saying and agree that, in many situations, line diameter is as much of an issue as visibility. Small diameter, limp, line makes for a more natural presentation. There is a lot to consider when selecting lines for various applications, especially when bass fishing. Sink rate, floats or sinks, elasticity, visibility, effect on presentation, etc. all have an effect. Each lure type, such as heavy jigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and topwaters have lines that work best. Clear water vs. stained water, cover type, must all be considered when selecting the best line for the application being used.

To be honest, this is one reason, among many, that I enjoy fishing for sunfish so much. It isn't as complicated. I can rig one UL rod with 4 or 6 lb. line, a #6 cricket hook, a split shot, a carton of night crawlers or super worms, and if sunnies are where I present my bait, they will bite. There are other lures/baits, and presentations of course that people enjoy. Fly fishing is a passion for many, and artificial baits on spinning gear works well at times. There is usually a time each spring when a small beetle spin with a plastic cricket, worked slowly over weeds/grass will catch sunnies faster than live bait, because they will bite it and you don't have to take the time to add live bait to the hook. Also, there have been times when I have fished with 1/16 oz. jigs and tiny plastics to catch sunnies on every cast.

But day in, day out, a live worm is old reliable. It took me a while to learn that, but I finally did and now, when I am searching for sunnies, I always use a piece of worm. This has increased my catch rate dramically. Everyone should fish the way they want, with the gear they want and baits they prefer, live or artificial. We are all different. In my case, I am now in my retirement years (that means I'm old) and enjoy a relaxed and simple style of fishing.

One thing I will add is that superlines (and braids) will fish very differently than mono and fluorocarbon. Superlines and braids float a lot so you can't get the same jig down as deep as when you fish a mono line. Superlines also have basically no stretch so they don't match up well with fast action rods that have a lot of backbone. You normally end up taking the bait/lure away on the hookset instead of popping the hook in the fishes mouth. Superlines like Nanofil normally do excell at casting light jigs out of sight when compared to monos and fluorocarbons. Just a little heads up.

Stren 4 lb test on my UL spinning rig. No problems!

Those are verg good points jagg. After this discussion, I'm going to stick with 4 and 6 lb. mono on my UL sunfish rods.