Could be a coincidence, but line thickness can definitely affect the bite in my experience. Whether that's due to them seeing the line or the heavier line changing the action of whatever presentation I'm using, I'm not quite sure. For these reasons, I like to use fluorocarbon for just about everything. For salmon, it's typically 30lb fluoro. I'm a huge believer in fluoro and have absolutely noticed a higher success rate since changing to it.

 

Thanks a lot! Ok. I think mine is fluro too but I don't have 30lb. I will buy 30lb and try. 30lb might be at least better than 25lb for strength.

 

I have been using 40lb mono for decades and have not noticed salmon shying away from it. From what I have seen Salmon for the most part are not leader shy...... For Springers I will go down to ultralite 30lb.........:flag2:

 

Personally I use 30 lb fluoro and it works well. I rarely break anything off and when I do it's because the line is exposed to the teeth. I'm not convinced going to heavier line would matter much.

In most cases when trolling I think we're more worried about visibility then the fish are (we're not talking skinny water steelhead). But thicker line tends to be stiffer and that will change the action of your lure.

So no. You're not insane. But both 25 and 40 will likely produce the same as you adapt to one or the other.

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If you want bites and stories how the big one got away, use 20 lb.

If you want to put fish in the box, 40 mono works better, especially with the added pressure of 16-20 oz weights, trolling 360 flashers fast without breakaways and then the oh so effective kicker hookset... if sea lions are around and you’re using barbless hooks I think you’ve only got so much time to play that fish before losing it. It all adds extra tension to the system if you’re working hard to get it in the bag quickly.

With wobblers for Fall Chinook I use 40 lb.

For springers in shallow water using plugs I’ll use 30 or 40 lb test.

I’m not a fan a fluorocarbon.

CW

 

Words of WISDOM here. Listen to the Master!

 

If they could see the mono, they would not go into gill nets. Nowadays I use 30 pound exclusively. Back in the day. when the coastal feeesh were much larger, I'd use 40 or 50 to drag them away from the logs.

 

It’s not a strength issue, it’s teeth. If salmon didn’t have teeth we could use 12 lb and do just fine. Getting fewer bites with 40 is coincidence. A fish coming after a bait from behind doesn’t even see the leader.

I think there’s a big difference between 25 and 30. Leader material is important too as some is more resistant to damage than others. Most of us use UG just because but Fluoro or Berkley Big Game is probably better. Have never had 40 UG fail.

 

Leader material is important too as some is more resistant to damage than others. Most of us use UG just because but Fluoro or Berkley Big Game is probably better. Have never had 40 UG fail.

I like Ultragreen as well, but Big Game is a third of the price, and I think just as good for salmon. Very similar knot tying characteristics.

 

I catch plenty of fish, and use 40 lb Big Game exclusively. For Buoy 10, maybe lighter leader matters, I'm no expert down there. I don't think salmon are at all leader shy once they are upriver of Cathlamet.

 

40# Big Game is the best. It's strong, stretchy, ties knots well. UG is more brittle IMO, I don't like using it. To me it is somewhere between BG and Fluorocarbon as far as brittleness.

 

You didn't say where/how you're using it (or else I missed it) ~ i.e., trolling big water or bobber in tribs, etc. I think the stiffness or thickness/drag in the current is definitely a bigger factor in how your bait/lure presents (especially if drifting, vs trolling) than the potential visibility or lack of it.

 

#40 UG for me.

Was fishing for springers in a friends boat this year when he asked me what line I was using. He looked surprised when I said #40. Not long after I hook a fish and he catches the hooks in the net when trying to land it. I told him to yard the fish in. I don’t think we would have been able to do this with anything less than #40. So many other reasons to use heavy line.

 

I use 30 pound Maxima UG for Fall fish. Previously never had a problem but this year we have.... fish are bigger [emoji3]
Broke a nice one off Saturday after a 30 minute battle near the A Jetty at Ilwaco and broke a Large Coho off yesterday but he got the leader wrapped around the flasher....hmmm maybe I have to go 40# UG in which I know to use at buoy 10 but I feel I get better rolls on my Bait and more bites with the 30#. It’s probably all in my head but I’m sure some on here believe you will get a better ROLL with lighter line. I use 25# ultra green for Springers and previously used 20# UG and never broke one off


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I use 40# Berkley Big Game mono for chinook fishing, B10, wobblers, kwiks, bait, spinners, etc.

Held up well springer fishing when a harbor seal hooked itself while stealing my springer (50 lb braid broke first, after 25 minutes) , held up to a 10’ sturgeon that we eventually got to the boat. Pretty sure 25 lb line would not have done as well at all.

We tend to do a little better than average, so I don’t think the 40 lb mono makes a big difference on bites. Especially B10, where there is so much current, wakes, boats going every direction, thousands of lures and herring rigs, I don’t think a little bit thicker line makes much difference to whether you get a bite. The bite is usually on, or off, and when it is on you can hook them on whatever.

I would certainly not use 25 lb above a flasher or weight...

 

40lb also twists less. It has the stiffness to turn the swivel better.

 

on the Sacramento River i use 40Lb leader for my plugs! lots of lava rock and it helps to get
your plugs back.

 

Fish see our offerings end on, not from the side like we look at it.

 

Another benefit is 40lbs is easier to hold on to when releasing a fish without using a net.....

 

the lighter the leader the more likely you will hook the smarter fish. the heavier the leader the more likely you will be able to horse him in and get him in the boat.

 

40

 

Last year, in the Camas area, I kept losing fish to broken leaders while using superbaits with 360s. I finally switched out to 100 lb mono and kept hooking fish consistently, and this time landing them. I’m currently using 40 lb and have been doing alright but broke one off two weeks ago. Don’t worry about the fish being leader shy; worry about your lure and/or bait.


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I famously do not know my butt from my elbow but I've been having great luck with 25lb floro and coldwater strong breakaways for my flashers. I managed to land a 36inch native king that felt every bit of 30lbs (but was probably 22 or so) after a very long fight where my reel seat broke and i had to hold the reel on the rod with my thumb and pointer. I dont intend on changing my setup until it fails me but I would not value my advice over ccw/eyefish. Do what makes you feel comfortable. Its no fun feeling like you have no confidence in how youre fishing and just copying what someone on a forum told you to do.

 

I learned a tough lesson last year that might have been obvious had I thought ahead. The shorter leaders that have become popular with 360’s are too short to have much stretch, so heavier leaders are needed. One of my guests had two leaders snap in the middle while battling big URBs because I threw on super-baits that I had tied earlier on lighter line for springers.

I know all of the cool kids have switched to fluorocarbon, but I have way more knot failures with it than with mono. This is my fault; my big gorilla hands aren’t good with delicate knots, and I tend to burn the knots when tightening them. I just gave up and went back to Big Game.


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I think it depends on the type fish and the bait. I fish San Diego every year and tuna can be line weight picky. I may be that most is live bait and live bait on lighter lines swim better. I don’t think salmon are as line picky, but the line weight will affect the presentation. Spinners, can use really heavy leader as they pretty much run straight. Same heavy leader on a plug, may dampen the action too much to catch fish. A Rogue River setup can go heavy as the bait is in a tight rotation. Same with cable baiters, etc.