What Line for Which Type of Reel?

[Fishaholic]

If you were asked to list the 5 best lines for baitcasting reels with number 1 being the best, and then to do the same for spinning reels...what lines would be your top choices...and if it's not too much trouble, for your number one choices could you explain "why".

Please be specific as to proper name, manufacturer's name and preferred line weight.

[Pferox]

Wow fish what a great question, but I don't have 5 best so I'll list the few I know about.
Well, I don't use baitcasters anymore but when I did it came down to this:
Berkley Big Game Supreme- 20 lb
Berkley Big Game- 20 lb
Berkley Trilene - 12 lb
I had only a couple rigs at the time and used em for every kind of fishing I could think of, the 20 lb cast well, and was strong enough to handle everything I caught ecxept for the biggest fish which were too big for me to keep anyway the supreme seemed to be more abraision resistant. I used the 12 lb trilene for panfishin and smaller fish.
That part was easy.
For Spinning reels.
Cabella's Ripcord plus Xtra Body - 30lb
Power Pro - 20lb
Berkley Fireline XDS - 50 lb
My favorite is Cabella's line, it has a tracer in it and has proven to work extremely well in all conditions I have come across. It hasn't frayed on me as other braids have and has worked well in sandy and salty conditions.
Power pro is readily available down the road at Wallies. 
I just started using Fireline for heavy salt fishin so the verdict is still out on this one.
I should also mention that I use a leader of various weights to match what I am fishin for now most of the time I use vanish clear florocarbon in 10 and 20 lb weights. When going for the big salt fish the leaders are either 40lb Triple fish florocarbon or Seven Strand wire. Triple fish gives me some kind of a chance with toothy fish compared to other leaders, but won't stand up to sharks like wire does.

[OHbassaholic]

My #1 is Stren Magnaflex as it is the most abrasion resistant line I've come across so far that still casts like a dream.  I basically use this line on all my baitcasters when using lures that can be fished with some stretch to the line.

#2 is Stren SuperBraid 30 pt for when I want extra pound test without adding diameter.  Mostly on my flippin' sticks.

#3 is P-line Fluoroclear for dragging tubes and hula grubs up at Lake Erie

I don't have a #4 and #5 but will be field testing more lines this season such as Power Pro and Sufix.

[Dean]

P-line 10 or12 CXX green for Baitcasted crankbaits, stickbaits...
P-line 12 or15 CXX green for Baitcasted or pitched soft plastics...
P-line 15# Florocarbon for Jigs (very tough, and also very sensitive)

for spinning reels I use a few different lines, but for best (by far) overall I prefer
P-line fluoroclear 8 or 10#

I've also heard lots of good about using small test braid for spinning, but only if water isn't very clear.  It isn't translucent (obviously) and can be seen in clear water.

[Dean]

OOPS! I left out Flipping...

P-line 20# CXX or 50# braided

(and no I'm not sponsored by P-line, it is just worth the price)

[Mike Cork]

Bait casters are all spooled up with Bass Pro Shop's Excel, depending on the application it is always either 14 or 17 pound.

For my spinning rod, the jury is still out and I look forward to others comments on this one

[Dean]

Can tell you are back to "normal" bass fishing!  I used to have 15# CXX P-line on everything but 2 reels.  A flipping stick with 20# and my "finesse" rod in Louisiana was 10# fluoroclear.  Out here in Cali things have changed a bit in my fishing.  DEEP, CLEAR water will do that after fishing cypress knees for 11 years!

[Mike Cork]

Yeah the California fishing is way different, on Cachuma during the middle of the summer we used to go all the way down to 4 pound test and 3 inch worms sometimes. Shoot I don't use less that 8 pound on my crappie equipment out here in La.

[Dean]

My favorite things for cachuma when it gets hot are oxblood dropshot worms, and big football head jigs fished on flourocarbon DEEP.  I caught a 4.7 lb bass at Casitas last September in 65ft.  In Louisiana I don't htink I ever even ran the boat in that except maybe in the Red River.  I actually saw 3 big blips on the finder and sat over them jigging slowly and one lift the jig didn't move so I set the hook!

[Pferox]

Oh wow Dean, to get 65 feet deep around here you have to get 10 miles out into the gulf.
There might be a couple sink hole lakes around here that deep but I don't know of any right off hand.
Wow that must be a trip to catch bass that deep.

[Fishaholic]

got quite a few lakes in Indiana with that kind of depth, but I still get my biggest bass in extremely shallow cover...go figure

[bass1cpr]

I have two rods set up with Fluorocarbon 17lb. one for Jigs one for worms. One rod 12lb. P-line plastics. One crank rod 8lb. P-line one crank rod 10lb. P-line One rod 15lb. P-line multiple use but mostly senkos, also use it for Buzzbaits. One rod C-rig 20lb.P-line 12lb.P-line leader. One rod with 10lb. Vanish (experimenting) does small crankbiats and spinnerbaits, Two spinning rods with Fireline, one does mostly Mojo rig. Another crankbait rod with 10lb. P-line Fluoroclear. Forgot one spinerbait rod 12lb. P-line I've got more but i think this will give you an idea of what I use.

[Dean]

got quite a few lakes in Indiana with that kind of depth, but I still get my biggest bass in extremely shallow cover...go figure

Yeah, I'm not sure I would find many that deep in the midwest.  I actually got into bass fishing in Illinois, and usually deep fish there are 25 ft or so.  That 65 ft was on a point that dropped into 90+ feet and there was a lot of fish down 50-70 ft.  I think the thermocline varies dramatically out here because of light penetration.  Even at Rayburn or Lake Fork DEEP was only 40 ft but here the water is much clearer.

[bass1cpr]

Dean the closest thing that we have that would come close to being like a California lake would Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Tanycomo. Deep rocky lakes but they don't have the big fish they have in Cali. But they do have some good fish.

[Dean]

That is kinda why I ended up coming out here.  I figured if I had to leave NW Louisiana, and the east texas lakes, I would try some different, but also good bass fishing locale.  I had been out here to visit before, and knew I could spend a few years chasing these big fish!  Have actually looked at Whiteman AFB in North Central MO and would be close to lake of the Ozarks, and Table rock.

[Kal-Kevin]

back to the question

as for the line I use it is all Stern, I use 20# braid for flipping and pitching, 8-12 clear for most types, and  6# green for docks and shallow fishing. but plan to try some of these new florocarbons this year.

[Fishaholic]

Kevin there's another thread on line...fluorocarbons vs braids.

In all situations on my spinning rods I use the green or chamo lines...years ago, I used that stren yellow stuff, but to tell you the truth, I found it shattered my confidence level regardless of whether it was on my baitcaster or my spinning rods.

back on track..
If I'm doing any sort of finesse fishing I turn to my sppinning rods to carry me .through...There are just so many things I can do with them to increase the feel, or be able to see visually the slightest of pickups...I consider my baitcasters more like the "general" workhorses of my arsenal...great for searching a lot of water quickly, because for the most part, I believe I cast more accurately with my baitcasters than I do with my spinning rigs. But as always, if you want control of the situation when playing a big fish that can make instantaneous runs a spinning rod / reel (especially shimanos with fighting drag systems) gives more versitality...I think the drag system is better, you have the ability to change the drag as you're playing the fish, you have the ability to backreel and assist the drag.

[Randy]

I fish with one manufacturer's line and that is P-line CCX.
I use 10 lb on cranks and light lures.
I use 15 lb on everyting else except for jigs sometime.
When fishing jigs in heavy cover I use 20 lb.
I do keep 10 lb flouroclear in the boat for leaders on caroilina rigs.

That is it.  I keep it very simple when it comes to lines.  I have found something that works and I am staying with it.