What pound test line for my new st croix med. lite?

[Ironeagle]

i got a new st croix legend med. lite for x mas. i mostly fish crappie, perch. with occasional bass, walleye, pickeral. what pound tst you think? i was thinking goin with 6lb test. i have there st croix lite and have 4lb on it. thanks

[Kevin23]

4 mono/fluoro or 8lb braid.

I have a legend ML also, I use it for crappie with 3lb.

[slipperybob]

Choose your line based off of how heavy your jigs/lures are.  It's very hard to get light lures to sink with larger diamter lines.
<2# <1/32 oz
4# for 1/16 oz
6# for 1/8 oz

I would suggest going 4# for the med.lite and drop the lite to 2#.

[icehousepsycho]

3 lb is the way to go for perch or panfish.  It is a good all around line for small jigs and larger ones.  If you have the resources it is nice to have several rods.  I have 3 similar rods rigged with 2, 3, 4 lb line for different size and style offerings.  The only rod I have 6 lb on is a heavy action that I will use on a lake for musky/pike occasionally. 

[btechvft70]

I agree on the 3 pound

[Swift]

Consider line diameter for the lines alledged lb test more important. Many lines can have a higher test and same diameter as a lighter line. 2# or 3# is fine, you can always add a tippet of something lighter if the need arises

[thefinlessbrown2]

i would set up the lighter of the rods with 3lb flouro and use that for pan fishing and trout ..then set the heavier rod up with 6 or even 8lb depending on the rod .for the green fish like bass and pikerel ..although i don't jig much for bass ..mostly pick ..if they are both light rods i would set them both up for pannies and look into a heavier rod for the picks ..

[Ironeagle]

thanks alot guys, most open water rods have the line ratting on them, the st. croix legends ice don't and that medium lite i just got is pretty stiff rod. most rods you can use with the lighter line have a pretty good flex to absorb the shock of the lighter line and this rod seems pretty stiff. i was thinkin about using this rod for jigging with a lil heavier jigs and lures up to 1/8oz.

[slipperybob]

Don't get totally stuck on what line # test.  If you really need to figure out line tensile strength, then you need to look at the line diameter vs the # test.  For example Trilene Microice 3# is at .18 mm.  Compared that to Gamma ESP Ice 4# is at .15 mm.  You have a line that test at a higher tensile strength and still even with a smaller diameter. 

[Ironeagle]

thats what i use the trilene micro ice, i really like it, i think its the clear steel. thaks alot guys!

[slipperybob]

Nothing wrong with Trilene MicroIce.  If it works for you, then keep it.  If you're looking for improvements in line properties, don't hesitate to test some other lines out.

[Ironeagle]

what are some other lines you suggest trying?

[slipperybob]

Like the one I mentioned.  Gamma ESP Ice for line strength.
Pline Floroice for low stretch and faster line sink rate for light weight jigs from the flourocarbon coating properties.

I use to be strictly a Berkley Trilene user myself.  Went through XL, XT, Sensathin, Vanish, Microice, and Fireline.  Didn't think I needed anything else, but took a big risky chance on other lines and went through the self discovery of the existence of much better performing lines out there.  I was especially impressed with Gamma ESP Ice and Pline Floroice last year.  Well I had disastrous results with Pline Floroice 2# but excellent results with the 3# test. 

I've been testing out some Asso lines and they're performing a lot better than I had expected.  So far the Asso Ice Fishing line is similar in performance with Trilene Microice.  The difference is that it's blue in color and has a smaller diameter for identical # test.  The Asso Micron 3 line is a flourocarbon line that I've found to have outperformed both Pline Floroice and Gamma Flourocarbon Ice lines.  The Asso Micron 3 line spools on much better than either lines.  The Pline Floroice requires a much higher attention to detail for knot tying quality.  Then again flourocarbon lines have less knot strength in comparison to nylon lines.  All of these more specialized lines does come with more cost.

[jimmygunns]

Choose your line based off of how heavy your jigs/lures are.  It's very hard to get light lures to sink with larger diamter lines.
<2# <1/32 oz
4# for 1/16 oz
6# for 1/8 oz

I would suggest going 4# for the med.lite and drop the lite to 2#.

slipperybob nailed it!  Get a reel with an extra spool you can bing out with you to do a quick swap if you plan on going after different stuff or fishing different jigs.  Or just have 2 rods rigged for both!  I end up going out with 3-4 different rods every time!

[Ironeagle]

thanks guys! 

[bigredonice]

My ML st croix is an in-between rod for me,

its quite a bit firmer than the UL

but nowhere near as firm as the M

I use it for jigging 1/16-1/8oz jigs/plastics, 1/16-1/4oz spoons, and chubby darters.

for the soft plastics and spoons, I use 4lb fireline w/ a flouro leader - for the chubby darters, it is 6lb trilene XL