Line

Use a premium-quality monofilament. Buy your supply at a tackle shop which does high-volume line sales. Over time monoline is weakened by exposure to oxygen and ultraviolet light. For presenting light baits in open water, four to eight pound-test on a spinning outfit is essential. For heavier lures and the occasional heavy cover situation, ten or 12 pound-test on a baitcasting combination is the ideal choice.

Line weight does make a difference. Light line inhibits the delicate action of light lures less than heavier mono. In very clear water and/or heavily fished areas, the reduced visibility of light line keeps the odds in your favor. There has been a tendency in recent years towards ultralight tackle designed for use with ultralight lines. Some anglers see ultralight gear as the key to extending the fight with the fish to its maximum. But skilled release-oriented anglers realize there is no sport in leaving a lure in a fish, which will occur from the inevitable break-off during this fight, and there is less merit in boating and releasing a fish too exhausted to readily recover. So use line and tackle heavy enough to fight the fish with control and to allow release quickly with a minimum amount of handling.

You should ask yourself a number of questions before choosing your line: What weight of line is best suited to my terminal tackle? What line weight is best suited to my rod and reel? How colored is the water I'll be fishing? Are the smallmouths going to be in open water or must I winch them out of heavy cover? Don't worry if you get conflicting answers when you ask yourself these questions. Solving the incongruities may be as simple as substituting a different lure or rod. On the other hand, line choice is always a bit of a compromise.

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