Fishing a crankbait is one the best ways to cover a lot of water in a short space of time.
When choosing the best line for crankbaits you need to be clear about how, where and what type of crankbait you will be fishing with.
What type of Line for Crankbaits?
The correct type of fishing line for crankbaits will be either monofilament or fluorocarbon of between 12 and 15 , rarely is braid a good choice.
Braided fishing line has little or no stretch and it is also highly visible.
When using lures such as crankbaits that have commonly two if not three large treble hooks then you need a little stretch in your line as you need to slow down your hook set a small bit.
This is why the best crankbait rods will usually have a more moderate action rather than a fast action.
The best line for Crankbaits
Trilene Sensation is one of the slickest casting mono's available with a smaller diameter and high tensile strength.
Braid's lack of stretch can also make it prone to snapping especially when you are casting longer distances which is often the case when fishing crankbaits, you need a little stretch in your fishing line to act as a shock absorber.
Depending on how deep you are running you may need to pick a specific line to suit:
If you do not have a dedicated crankbait setup then mono will be the better choice as chances are your rod will have a fast action and not the more moderate action that is preferred for crankbaits.
If you do have a dedicated setup then you can use fluoro without having to worry about it stretching less than mono as your more moderate action rod tip should give you that extra little give to delay your hook-sets.
Best Line for Crankbaits
Trilene Sensation Monofilament is one of the best casting mono's available.
It is a multi-polymer monofilament that has a very small diameter versus regular mono.
The smaller diameter will allow your crankbaits to run deeper than when using a larger diameter line.
It casts extremely well and has very little memory. Memory can be an issue in lower quality monofilaments and excessive coiling on your spool can result in a lot more friction through the line guides which means shorter and less accurate casts.
It also has great abrasion resistance for a mono although not quite as high as a fluorocarbon.
Available in four different colors and a variety of breaking strains.
Trilene XL is one of the most popular mono's ever.
It casts well, has a high knot strength and is pretty resistant to kinks and twists.
If you want a crankbait fishing line you can really rely on the XL is a proven performer.
Trilene XL is a real workhorse of a monofilament fishing line as it is a great all round line to use for many different techniques.
Is it as sensitive as a higher end fluoroarbon? No, but it is extremely strong and durable so if you are working a large deep diving crankbait in and around structures then you need a line that can take a lot of abuse.
Although Invizx like all other fluoro's will not has the same amount of stretch as some of the mono's above it does however cast a mile.
It is also very abrasion resistant and can handle a lot of knocks and scrapes.
It is also very hard to see once in the water so if you are using smaller crankbaits in clearer water it will run a lot less more visible than mono.
When compared to another high end fluoro such as Yo-Zuri Hybrid it casts that little bit smoother and lies nice and flat on your spool.
It also has been developed to have a higher knot strength than most other fluoro's.
Elite is Suffix's premium monofilament and uses a G2 precision winding process that results in a pliable line that does not coil easily or feel in any way stiff.
Great knot strength and super slick casting performance. If you like your mono with a little less stretch then this is the choice for you.