Got a question.
I don't fish much, but am planning on it on our August trip. I've had the same line on my reels for about 4 or 5 years... Do I need to replace it?
If so, what's a good line these days for BW fishing?
I guess that's two questions!

Replacing the line is an absolute must.

Really hard to beat Berkley Trilene XL in 8 lb test for all purpose fishing.

I know I should replace it more often than I do.....but we do just fine with some line as old or older than that. I usually just pull off the first 10-20ft each spring and cut and throw away. Tie on there and good to go.

Line and lots of other fishing supplies are in high demand this summer, don't tear off your old stuff till you've got new in your possession.

tarnkt: "Replacing the line is an absolute must.


Really hard to beat Berkley Trilene XL in 8 lb test for all purpose fishing."

+1, I prefer 6 lb Trilene XL but the mindset is the same.

I change mine at least annually. For warm water species, I use PLine Fluoroclear for a main line. I’ll use PLine Fluorocarbon as a leader when needed.

Just get some Berkley Trilene XL 8 lb line. It will work for almost every fish except for pike.

Trilene xl 6 or 8 works great. I fish a lot and respool once and sometimes twice a year, not so much because of damage but, because of the memory the line retains.

I agree with the 6 lb or 8 lb mono. I went with 8lb Stren this year.

One problem you are going to run into with old line is memory. When you cast the line will be all curled up once your rig hits the water. This will easily tangle and cause you to have to cut off and tie a new rig.

I used to wind my own line until I found out how easy it is for a competent operator to use a line winding machine. I have three local bait and tackle shops that provide this service. First, I take off the old line from my reel. Then I bring the bare spools off my spinning reel and take it in to the shop. No need to take the whole reel into the shop. For my recent trip, I had Cabelas wind the line. Try to go on a weekday because they get pretty busy in the fishing department.

They typically have bulk spools of the Berkely Trilene or Stren (or whatever) and just charge you for the amount they put on the reel. They typically don't charge to wind the line onto the spool and just charge you for the fishing line. Makes it easy to have fresh line each season.

Mono I'd replace. Fireline or Power pro should be fine.

My opinion - use the mono for backup, it’s outdated and crap. Spool one rod with 8# fireline for toughness while trolling in BW and I only use the fluorocarbon anymore on all my rigs anymore at home. Seagur or Berkeley 8#. 4# on my panfish rods. Awesome. No memory snags, just smooth as silk and makes things so much easier. Worth the money. Use the Trilene and Stren for ballast.

AmarilloJim: "Mono I'd replace. Fireline or Power pro should be fine."

Same. Season 4 of 8 lb power pro on a spinning reel, season 3 of some berkley pro spec braid on my trolling reels. My mono on my slip bobber rigs gets changed yearly due to stretch and spool memory.

I replace all my line each season, sans braid if I only used it a few times. Could be wasteful but it's pretty cheap all things considered and can help with knots and the obvious wear and tear.

For line, under the assumption you aren't a super serious angler, I don't think you need anything more than a mid-test mono line. Trilene XL is a classic and if you want a true universal line I would probably go 8lb test. Pike will bite that off sometimes but it will also keep the pike sometimes.

I don't replace my fishing line on my rods as often as I should. I cut away the first 10 to 20 feet or so as mentioned above. I have Stealth Glow-Vis Braid (Spiderwire) in 6Lb test. I use mono, 8lb on the walleye rod though. I could probably go a tad lighter on the latter though.

Good old Trilene XL. Replace mine every year. I have used braided do not see a big advantage and there are issues with braided also.

I am surprised that more people don't advocate for the use of braid as a main line.
It's so superior in durability, castability, and fishability (it's super-sensitive, and so thin, that it (a) doesn't impede lure action as much, and (b) allows the bait to get to depth more easily.
Yeah, it's not as easy to use because the user needs to learn a proper line-to-leader knot (uni-to-uni knot is the one I use), but the incredible sensitivity and the fact that 15lb braid casts as well or better than 6lb mono place the braid in a category that transcends nylon monofilament line. Yech.
Is there a single (one) professional tournament bass fisherman that advocates for the use of mono as a main line?

Braid-to-fluoro for the vast majority of fishing applications for me.
Braid-to-mono or just straight braid for topwater fishing.

As you say, you don't fish much, so after a year, the braid should be in really good condition, except for some slight fraying about the last 10'.
I could easily imagine that for someone who rarely fishes, the braid can last (with little, if any, noticeable line memory) for 2 or 3 years. I fish a lot, and was going to replace the PowerPro Super Slick on one of my reels before this year, and I am just gonna fish through it.
I have a spool of off-brand 10# braid that I'll send you for free. Give it a shot; you'll love it.

I use braid (except for my slip bobber setup). No memory! Cast incredibly far! Quiet! Never had it break.

There are some downsides though. It can get twisted around treble hooks and if it gets a snarl, it can be almost impossible to untangle!

Trileme XL care free fishing. I,m sorry but fish with guys using braided they do not catch more fish than me. It is, braided, good stuff, but is not as care free as mono. But am not a pro selling it.

So I switched all of our reels over to braided, mostly because of the recommendation here. I put on Sufix Performance Braid. I put 30lb, 8lb mono equivalent on the SO Zebco 33 Platinum and 20lb, 6lb mono equivalent on my Ambassador and Calcutta reels. Seems like the reels are really working to reel them in. I am not a fan right now, this is my first experience with braided line. Am I doing something wrong or is it just that much different?