Hope you can help me out. I am still trying to learn as much as I can about bass fishing and one thing that always seems to get me is fishing line. When and how to use a certain line be it Lb.s, color, or brand, and type. I went into BPS yesterday specifically to talk to and get as many answers as I could and walked away even more lost. So I thought why not ask it here. (may be in wrong section so sorry) Not sure if this will help but here is some basic info that might help you answer these for me. I fish lakes and rivers in the East Tennessee area. (FT. Loudon Lake to South Holston Lake) these are mostly deep reservoirs with no grass but with large to small rock and wood type structure. We still cover every type tackle from top-water to deep tight-lining

1.)What is the difference between Mono, Co-Poly, and Flouro? (ie strength difference, float, stretch, etc)

2.)As a basic rule What or why would anyone use any certain one of these over the other?

3.)What is the difference in P-Line CX and CXX? why would you use one over the other? (why not use the CXX if it is stronger)

4.)What type of line is best for a spinning rod and vice versa for a bait caster?

5.)If braid is suppose to be so much stronger in a small dia. and have as much sensitivity as the best plastic line then why not only use Braid?

6.)I am sure I will open a huge hornets nest here, but if you could only pick one company for all of you fishing line needs who would you pick?

7.)during the summer change to night fishing you then need fluorescent line for that. Do you just buy all new line and change out each spool for this or do you use Fluorescent line year round? if not why?

8.)How do you feel about the lines that say they are "coated"? with say co-poly or flouro" does it make for a better line? like say get the best of both worlds?

9.)Do some lines work better or worse with certain type knots? (ie. only use a fisherman's knot with mono)

10.)And last over the years when i read a story or asked someone what they were using 98% of the time is was something other then mono. So why do companies even still make mono if it is no longer a good option? Some one is buying it so it has to still work...

Thank you!

Mono is cheap and effective in many ways. I don't personally use it at all but doesn't make it any less viable for many techniques.

Fluorocarbon sinks. It's density helps it sink as well as be sensitive. I use it for any jigging, texas rigging, or diving baits, unless the water I am in is dingy enough to not care about line visibility then brain is viable for a log of that stuff too, but I still prefer fluorocarbons sinking nature for the most direct link between me and the bait without a big floating bowed line in the water.

Braid is infinitely simpler to manage on a spinning reel. You can twist and abuse it to hell and never see consequences like with mono/fluoro. It's also super thin for the same diameter/strength so you can fit more on the spool and it casts better. You can run a mono or fluorocarbon leader and have the best of all worlds. That's what I use on my spinning reels. Depending on the spool you may need a mono backing to make sure the braid doesn't slip on the spool.

Braid limits stretch severely. Fluorocarbon basically only stretches once then stays stretched.

Smaller line diameter = better (or at least more) action from baits and more depth from diving baits.

Just like there are different rod actions and some are much whippier than others which are very firm broom stick type rods, there are different situations where stretch/no stretch and sink vs. float are important, and in most any situation the limited visibility of mono/fluoro over braid is a decided advantage in most anglers' eyes.

And yes, knots can be very line specific. Some work well for all, some work better for some than others. Palomar knot = quick and awesome braid knot but quick easy way to break fluoro line. I like a 5/6 turn san diego jam knot for most all my terminal knots. For line to line knots for my leaders on braid, I will tie this knot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Z74Cj1MMw

Mono--floats, cheapest, generally has the most stretch and the most memory

Fluoro--sinks, more expensive, generally has less stretch and less memory than mono (not always the case), least visibility

Copoly--lots of different types of copolys and hybrid lines these days--I like McCoy's Mean Green--it floats with less memory and a little less stretch than many mono lines

Braid--floats, least stretch, least memory, most visibility

In general, the lower the stretch, the lower the memory, and the higher the sensitivity.

There are lots of different lines and extra "X"s in the names to sell more product. Lots of it is marketing.

Keep it simple--pick three lines (I'd recommend McCoy's Mean Green, Seaquar Red Label Fluoro, and Power Pro Braid) These are three inexpensive, quality lines.

General Rules of thumb
Topwaters--use something that floats. The more cover/grass/lily pads you are fishing and on longer casts, braid becomes a good option (it will cut through vegetation and the low stretch helps with hook ups on long casts)

Single hook presentations--Trig, spinnerbaits, jigs, chatterbaits, Crig, split shot, wacky, drop shot, shaky, etc the higher sensitivity, lower stretch, and lower visibility qualities of fluoro are attractive. Many use a braid mainline to fluoro leader to save time/money, hook up ratio, and improve sensitivity (especially on long casts)

Treble hook presentations--crank baits etc. McCoy's Mean Green

jerkbaits (personal preference)--if you want to fish them as deep as possible--fluoro (it sinks) if you want more suspension--McCoy's Mean Green or braid mainline to Mean Green (the low stretch of braid can help with hookups on a slowly moving bait on long casts)

Big heavy topwaters/wake baits/swim baits--braid to McCoy's Mean Green

A rig--braid

The P-Line CX has a much smaller diameter even though the packages say otherwise. I have a 1000 yard spool of each and they are incredibly different. CXX is more abrasion resistant. CX has a lot less line memory. I typically use CX unless im throwing in thick cover.

The rest of your questions were answered very well in the previous post.

I will answer #6. Seaguar. Very good lines.

I'll go into more depth and help confuse you a little more in a while. Right now it's time to clear my DVR of some recorded shows. Lol.

For me mono for topwater only.

Oh also I like to use mono on about half my spool and then use a uni to uni knot to tie in my preferred line.

I use them all for different applications. Some things I like braid some I like Flouro some I like mono and copoly. Im starting to lean more to the McCoys line though its a great all round line and cheap as well.

thank you everyone for the answers. I have a little better idea now. Just need to now figure out the best way to set up my rigs for the next coming season. I pretty much have 12 different rigs. 9 bait casters and 3 spinning.

The problem is when it becomes night season and I will be using a black light I hate the idea of changing line only to have to change back in 4 months. its like I have 6-7 months of day fishing where I need a line that will be less visible and then 4-5 months where I need some (bottom bouncers) that I can see in the dark. Because I only have 12 rigs I have to switch up my rods and reels depending on what my plans are and then the line too. this is why I was hoping to find a more universal line and not have to change so much.

Did any of that make sense?

Hope you can help me out. I am still trying to learn as much as I can about bass fishing and one thing that always seems to get me is fishing line. When and how to use a certain line be it Lb.s, color, or brand, and type. I went into BPS yesterday specifically to talk to and get as many answers as I could and walked away even more lost. So I thought why not ask it here. (may be in wrong section so sorry) Not sure if this will help but here is some basic info that might help you answer these for me. I fish lakes and rivers in the East Tennessee area. (FT. Loudon Lake to South Holston Lake) these are mostly deep reservoirs with no grass but with large to small rock and wood type structure. We still cover every type tackle from top-water to deep tight-lining

1.)What is the difference between Mono, Co-Poly, and Flouro? (ie strength difference, float, stretch, etc)
Mono floats, Flouro sinks
2.)As a basic rule What or why would anyone use any certain one of these over the other?
As a general rule, moving baits = mono, slower presentations = flouro (less visible to fish)
3.)What is the difference in P-Line CX and CXX? why would you use one over the other? (why not use the CXX if it is stronger)
CXX tougher and more abrasion resistant
4.)What type of line is best for a spinning rod and vice versa for a bait caster?
Water clarity and type structure applies here
5.)If braid is suppose to be so much stronger in a small dia. and have as much sensitivity as the best plastic line then why not only use Braid?
Braid = A-Rigs, Frogs and stained-dirty water)
6.)I am sure I will open a huge hornets nest here, but if you could only pick one company for all of you fishing line needs who would you pick?
Ford or Chevy argument
7.)during the summer change to night fishing you then need fluorescent line for that. Do you just buy all new line and change out each spool for this or do you use Fluorescent line year round? if not why?
No relevance, IMO)
8.)How do you feel about the lines that say they are "coated"? with say co-poly or flouro" does it make for a better line? like say get the best of both worlds?

9.)Do some lines work better or worse with certain type knots? (ie. only use a fisherman's knot with mono)
Youtube is your friend here as there are many variations / opinons
10.)And last over the years when i read a story or asked someone what they were using 98% of the time is was something other then mono. So why do companies even still make mono if it is no longer a good option? Some one is buying it so it has to still work...
The casual fisherman could probably slap mono on every rig and not sweat the details. It caught many of fish long before flouro and braid ever came along. Just something you research and play with as you go
Thank you!

Mono is basic fishing line. Its cheap. You can change it often without it costing you a fortune. It floats and usually has a fair amount of stretch. Big Game is good cheap Mono. Co-polymer lines are similar to Mono but have additives included to give the line better abrasion resistance. McCoys mean green and P-Line CX Premium and CXX are good ones. Fluorocarbon line is more sensitive than the other two and blends in very well in water. It is more expensive than the other two.
I no longer use mono because I believe a co-polymer line is much better. I use it for moving baits, and C-rig line. I use Fluorocarbon line for baits where I want the most sensitivity feeling a bite. Tx. rig, jig, shaky head, drop shot, (soft plastics).
Braid has no memory or very little and no stretch. Braid is harder to fish with when it is windy because it catches the wind and bows your line badly. I use it on my spinning gear because it does not twist like other non braid lines do. It is thin in diameter per pound test. DO NOT pull hard on this line with your bare hands if you get your lure hung up because IT WILL cut you badly, especially if you have wet fingers.
P-Line CX Premium is a good all around fairly thin line per pound test. CXX is thicker per the rating on the box. It is very strong but it also has a lot more memory. I like both lines depending on what technique I am using. CX if I want castability and CXX if I need a lot of strength. If you buy CXX pick it by the diameter of the line for the technique you want to use it for, not the pound test rating on the box.
I would have to choose 2 companies for my line needs. Seaguar for my Invizx (fluorocarbon) and McCoys for my co-polymer line. Third choice would be P-Line. I currently use all 4 lines, Invizx, Mean Green, CXX and CX premium.
Good knots, Palomar (if you tie it correctly), San Diego jam and double San Diego jam, fishing fool, uni, Alberto.
For small baits and hooks I use the Palomar and the fishing fool knot. For larger baits I use the SanDiego Jam. For heavy baits (3/4 oz and heavier) I use a double San Diego jam. Alberto for tying braid to a leader.

Here's a great summary. They've even got a cheat sheet you can print off on the bottom.

http://www.bassfishin.com/blog/fishing-line-guide/