Fishing line is a critical link to you and your fish and can mean the difference between a fish of a lifetime or just another fish story. For professional anglers like Major League Fishing pro Spencer Shuffield, it can also mean the difference between getting paid or going home empty-handed.
Shuffield is a highly technical angler for everything he uses on the water, including his line, which he carefully selects depending on the lure and conditions. Here's a rundown of his favorite lines and why he trusts them when big money is on the line.
The time for braided line
Braided line continues to gain popularity for its exceptional strength and ease of use. Shuffield uses it for many different baitcast applications, and every time he's fishing with a spinning rod.
"I use Yo-Zuri SuperBraid on casting stuff, all my topwaters, and some of my flipping applications when I'm around vegetation," he said. "I also throw my A-Rigs on braid, which we can't use on tour, but I still use them around home. It's also a must for a frog."
As for the pound tests used, he's pretty straightforward with his thinking. "I don't see a need to ever go heavier than 50-pound for most situations because it's so strong, the only time I'll use 65-pound is when I'm punching thick mats," he said. "50-pound is what I use for my frogs and most flipping and punching. 40-pound is great for swimbaits, buzzbaits, and most topwaters like the Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil. I'll go down to 30-pound for little bitty topwaters and small walking baits like the 3DR-X pencil."
He keeps spinning tackle simple with 15-pound yellow or white Yo-Zuri SuperBraid on all of his reels; he alternates between fluorocarbon leader material depending on the technique.
"I use it exclusively for spinning and use the 15-pound test almost all the time. Only occasionally do I see the need to go down to 10-pound," he said. "10-pound is what I use for crappie fishing, but once in a while, if I'm fishing a little hair jig for smallmouth or a small 1/16 or 1/8-ounce jighead for a minnow, I'll go smaller just to get a longer cast. No matter what size of SuperBraid I've used, the manageability is great, and you don't have to worry about wind knots like you do with some other braids."
Fluorocarbon
With Shuffield's monofilament use extremely limited to use as a leader with tiny topwaters in certain situations, fluorocarbon line is what he uses most for all of his different reels.
"I use 20-pound Yo-Zuri T7 for a bunch of stuff and have realized that line size doesn't make a difference for many power techniques, so I like as heavy a line as I can," he said. "20-pound is great for ChatterBaits, Texas-Rigs, light flipping, and swimbaits. I'll use 16-pound T7 for spinnerbaits and pitching jigs and go with 14-pound for my squarebills, magnum deep-diving crankbaits, and lipless crankbaits."
Another plus, according to Shuffield, is the impact strength of the line and the ability to withstand hard hooksets. "I'm a slack-line hookset guy and not one to just lean into them," he said. "I set the hook very hard because it's fun. I'm only a little more cautious with my hookset if the fish has got me around something, and I need to lean into them. Other than that, I'm going to be setting as hard as possible, and the T7 fluorocarbon can hold up to that and doesn't break on me."
For crankbaits and jerkbaits, he'll downsize to 10- or 12-pound Yo-Zuri T7 fluorocarbon. "12-pound is great for shallow and medium diving crankbaits, and 10-pound is what I use for all my jerkbaits. It's strong enough to catch big fish but gives you great casting distance because it's still so thin," he said. "What I like most about T7 is its abrasion resistance, plus the diameters are true, whereas some brands are much thicker. It's a great casting and durable, super strong line; I can't say enough good things about it."
Shuffield will also use the T7 Fluorocarbon leader for spinning gear, most often a 10-pound test. "I use that size for my shaky heads, drop-shots, Neko Rigs, and all of that," he said. "I'll go down to 8-pound test if I really need to downsize in clear water situations or if the fish are really pressured."
Fishing line is an often overlooked aspect of bass fishing. It allows anglers to get technical with different lure actions and to maximize casting distance. Having a good line that works as intended and can stand up to the abuse of powerful hooksets and fishing hard for multiple days in a row is critical for Spencer Shuffield as he fishes on the Bass Pro Tour and in any free time he gets between events.
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