Alot of people tell me to go light rather than heavy. I have been lost several fish latley do to light line. I am spooling my rod with 12# to replace the 10 I had on. I hope that the 10# leader will not make that much of a difference.
Has anyone out there experimented with heavy vs. lighter lines? In Bill Herzog's books, he seems to think that heavier lines dont make a difference ( especially with spoons and spinners) what about bait?
If I get more hookups lighter line might be better, if it makes no difference I would go heavier to decrease risk of fish loss

12 or 10# test line is more than enough for Silvers & Steelhead 15 to 17# for kings. If the fish are breaking your line you either have bad line or need a drag adjustment.They say go light in low water conditions but in my experience if you use stealth in low water the fish will attack your offering if they don't know your there and if you spook the fish line size won't make a difference either way.

One of my partners uses what I call barb wire 20# main and 17# leader for kings he might drop to 17# and 15 # for silvers and steelies but thats it.
I prefer 10 to 12# main with simular leaders we both catch fish ,sounds like maybe a knot problem or drag setting,I always go longer and lighter when fishing bait my partner just goes longer ,thats why I call him HorseBoy...ever seen a fish being pulled in upstream on top of the water...been there seen that
not much sport but they seem to taste the same

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Row Quietly and fish a Cataraft }<<(('>----<'))>>{
Release all Wild Fish

[This message has been edited by Osprey (edited 09-29-2000).]

I rarely use anything bigger than 12#, and generally stick to 8# (on my levelwind) or 6# (spinning gear) for steelies and silvers. All my fishing is from the bank and I've found I can cast lighter line easier, control the presentation better, and get the bait down quicker. I've caught up to 55lb. chinooks on 12# line, and several 10 to 15lb steelhead on a 5' ultralight with 4# (not my intention, but boy were they fun!)

Regardless of what a West Virginia bass fisherman might tell you, matching your rod, line, and drag setting is more important than brute force. You may have to fight a large fish for 30 minutes or more, but it'll be the best half-hour of your week. Check your knots and watch out for scuffs on your line in rocky conditions... and ALWAYS re-tie after a snag.

Save the parachute cord for the toothy critters!

I've never found a reason to go below 10lb tippet even in extremely low clear water. The main line leader question I believe is mute simple because any mono is more stealthy than a fly line. Low water usually comes with high temps and light lines imho hurt more fish in the long run.

I use cable ...I mean 20/20 ande for my winter stalk of large predators. Saved my butt more than once on some nice fish. It increases my margin of error if I tie a bad knot or have abrasion I didn't notice. I also use a direct drive reel so I can put as much or as little pressure as I want on fish. Another reason for the cable is you need to hook them first....land them second. I can and will cast into the nasty spots in search of mr fishie. I down size when it gets low and the fishies are smaller. Besides when I need to cross the river I just cast into the trees on the other side and secure my end and do a hand over hand....beats swimming

I almost NEVER go any smaller than 15, and my success tells me that it makes NO difference.. hehe.. I'm sure that it can make a difference, but another thing that you can use, that I've found makes a little difference, is matching line color with the water conditions... I've found clear line to be good for almost all conditions though.Casting isn't much of a problem for me, as all of my reels can throw a #3 spinner, across any river I've ever fished, with 15# line... Hope this helps a little...

Smilesforu, I'm with you. 20/20 for me. I fish some pretty fast water and lost a monster steelhead a few weeks ago fishing 17/20. Next time he'll have to take it all, not just the leader.

sounds like the consensus is that heavier line is the best bet. I spooled my Abu Level-wind with 12# Max UG. I would keep the 10# on but recently Ive been fishing some snaggy areas with alot of logs for fishy to swim under.