Best line for panfish setup

[Reel Doc]

My son started college in Daytona Beach Florida this Fall.  Some friends have been taking him panfishing, primarily for Crappie.  I'm getting him a spinning reel/rod for Christmas and wondering what line should go on it.  The pictures he has sent through shows lake waters there are crystal clear so I'm thinking Fluorocarbon in 4 or 6 lb test.  Does it make sense to go that route or will mono  be good enough?  I guess they've used some minnows but mostly throwing jigs either from shore or in kayaks.  It sounds like fun though I get a little nervous when he sends pics fishing from a kayak with Gators nearby.  

[HB2]

Depending on the rod , I would use clear 4 # or 6# Trilene XL 

 

I don't think Flouro should be needed for panfish with light line . . 

[GAMBLER]

I use power pro with a floro leader.  I have gotten away from mono.  The feel with braid is way better and no loops when you are using bobbers or light tackle. 

[Sk8man]

I use ultra light graphite rods and reels with 4 to 6 lb Trilene XL but with a fluoro 4 lb leader. I also use a # 8 or 10 Spro barrel swivel between the main line and leader to minimize line twist when using bobbers especially. Given the size of some of the bass down where your son will be fishing I'd go with 6 lb everything.

Edited December 16, 2019 by Sk8man

[Legacy]

I use power pro with a floro leader.  I have gotten away from mono.  The feel with braid is way better and no loops when you are using bobbers or light tackle. 

I agree with gambler braid and fluoro leaders all the way.
2-6# mono is an easy answer but the braid/fluoro combo is far superior.

Sent from my moto z4 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[scobar]

if they are float fishing like around here, any 4-6# with floro leader would be fine, as it's sight fishing then not so much a "feel it" bite

[HB2]

I fish light stuff a lot . 

 

I love braid for  all  of my bass fishing .

I have maybe 10 setups of different actions . Can't beat it for feel and hook set 

But for ultra light to light panfishing and trout   for me it's Mono hands down . Small jigs with small hooks set easy . 

 

I have 2 rigs that have 5 # braid and they are great , but jigs,under a float or ultra light , the lighter  braid gets funky and has a tendency to knot up when casting , and it's hard to untangle when it does it.  . 

 

A 6 /6 or 7 ft ultra light with 6  Or 4 # would be perfect IMO . 

Edited December 16, 2019 by HB2

[Reel Doc]

I'm setting him up with a Pflueger Supreme SUPSP30X Spinning reel and a Diawa Spinmatic D travel rod so easy to take on the plane. Can certainly load it with braid.  How long a flouro leader?  Attach with a little spro swivel or will it restrict casting, or should the leader length exceed casting range?

FYI, a newly met coworker at the horse track gave me some Crappie fillets recently as incentive to get me out for Fingerlakes Panfishing in the Spring.  I must say the fillets are tiny compared to salmon and trout but really taste good.  I haven't had an ultralight setup since college days so I'm going to need a setup in time for Spring.

[Sk8man]

I limit the fluoro leader to about a foot shorter than the rod so it doesn't interfere with casting etc. I have setups that use braid too but one of the things I don't like in using it  is that it tends to float on the surface rather than sinking immediately when using light weight. If an ultra-lite graphite rod is used you still have good feel for the bite even with the mono-fluoro combination. I have experimented with straight fluoro casting but it seemed to twist up a lot so I went back to the softer XL. A lot of this relates to personal preferences rather than things being far superior to another thing  Crappies can be finicky biters sometimes so being able to feel the initial line take ups preceding an actual bite can be important.in hook-ups.

[Beagler]

I like mono for panfish as well.  I've never found a fluorocarbon that handles as well as mono.  

 

4-6 lb. Trilene xl

[sherman brown]

I like trilene XL all the way.

[chowder]

On ‎12‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 12:10 PM, GAMBLER said:

I use power pro with a floro leader.  I have gotten away from mono.  The feel with braid is way better and no loops when you are using bobbers or light tackle. 

I agree . I have gone this route with all my ice rigs too- low line memory,superb feel and instant hook set.

[Sk8man]

It may not be an "either or" consideration. In my setups I have both braid and mono setups. The use of them depends on the depth of water I'm fishing and the species sought. In the shallow very clear water the braid shows up under water for a very long way. In the shallow water (e.g. less than 30 ft or so) it may be more important to be less visible and you can usually feel the biting pretty good with a decent rod; especially if you carefully watch your line movement; but in deeper water the feel becomes more important in detecting fish presence or biting and the line visibility becomes less important so the braid offers and advantage. Jigging for trout etc in deep water the 10 lb braid with a fluoro leader works very well and is superior to mono or straight fluoro. Panfish such as gills and crappies and perch as well in the shallow water are very wary in these recent clear water conditions so line diameter and  visibility may be more important than just the "feel" of the bite providing you have a sensitive rod tip. I have even seen landlocks mouth the bait and suck a tiny panfish jig without the line moving under the ice and the only way I knew he was there was that I was  looking down the hole at him

[Kingfisher06]

Im a braid/flouro leader guy. Get him some nice slip bobbers and accessories (bobber stops, small two-way swivels, beads, and small barrel weights). Braid zips through slip bobbers so much better. The advantages of slip bobbering are too many to count.