"Two things (a lively action and a long casting distance) are more important than anything else when you're fishing a crankbait," says Fritts. "Both of them are directly affected by your line choice."
As he explains, "A lively action is the most important. If you don't have it, you won't catch very many bass, and I don't care how pretty your bait looks or how much you paid for it. Coming in a close second is casting distance. The further you cast a crankbait, the longer it'll be down in the strike zone. The further it travels down there, the more water you'll cover, and the more bass you'll catch. An extra 5 yards makes a big difference when you fish all day."
"Keep those two things in mind when choosing a line," advises Fritts.
He says you don't want a stiff, thick line because it will kill the action, and one that doesn't flow through the guides smoothly will cut way down on distance. Fritts also cautions everyone to avoid fluorocarbon because, despite advertisements to the contrary, that line stretches and will break on the cast, never mind the shock of a big bass grabbing your lure. Even worse, it tends to break up from the knot...sometimes as far up as 6 or 8 feet.
"I'm a big fan of low-stretch monofilament," notes Fritts, "especially of copolymers and multi-polymers. I don't know all the science behind them, but as I understand it, they're basically a line within a line. The best ones are tough and abrasion-resistant, but they're also soft enough so that they don't get brittle and break. And they give you plenty of casting distance and sensitivity. My choice is Berkley Trilene Sensation Professional Grade."
Fritts also admits to fishing "a little braid" in recent years..."has great feel, it's tough, and it's thin," he says, also noting, though, that it has one major drawback: casting distance...the lack thereof. The finish on most braids is rough, which creates a drag on your line as it goes through the guides and, therefore, eliminates most from use with Fritts' crankbaiting. However, he does make an exception for a few braids that have a slick coating on them, saying, "They seem to cast OK."
Fritts goes on to note that "regardless of what line you like best for fishing, you need to keep something else in mind: You need to fish crankbaits with light line. Smaller and thinner lines give you a better wiggle, and you'll get more casting distance, too."
Concludes Fritts, "I fish 10-pound test almost all the time, and that's with heavy, deep-diving crankbaits, as well as small squarebills. I'd drop down to 8-pound test if it didn't break so easy. Think about your line the next time you throw a crankbait...it's important."
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