There are so many good options for bass fishing lines now it’s getting hard to figure out what the best options are. With bass fishing, there are so many techniques and different classes of lures for each. This makes needing a wide array of fishing lines a necessity. The market is dominated by a handful of players, but there has been a push in Japan the last few years to make highly technical braided lines, monofilaments and improved fluorocarbons for bass fishing so we have been reviewing and testing a lot of the best fishing lines for 2024 since ICAST.
The push for better castability, manageability and smaller diameters in stronger lines has led to a lot of good development in fishing lines for bass fishing the last several years. And the top companies in fishing lines have been innovating thanks to the push they are getting from new brands to the market. This hopefully leads to more affordable options for good line for anglers on a budget as well. While many anglers will spend more on the critical link to the fish, fishing line can be a very expensive part of an angling budget. So we will take a look at some affordable options as well.
The best bass fishing lines usually boil down to quality for the price, manageability, castability, strength, durability and a few other key aspects.
The large majority of bass anglers seem to throw fluorocarbon or braid for most applications with mono getting the nod for a more affordable option or when you need a little stretch or you don’t want your line to sink. So we tried to review a large mix of the newest and best options available right now for anglers.
OUR PICKS FOR BEST BASS FISHING LINES
- Best Fluorocarbon – Seaguar JDM R18 Fluorocarbon
- Best Flipping Braid – Cortland Silent Flip
- Best Sinking Braid – Sunline Almight
- Best Small Diameter Braid – Seaguar JDM PEX8 Lure Edition Braid
- Best BFS Braid – Varivas Bass PE
- Best Value Fluorocarbon – Daiwa J-Fluoro
- Best Bass Mono – Varivas Bass Nylon
BEST FLUOROCARBON
Seaguar JDM R18 Fluorocarbon
I’ve long been a Seaguar guy and I’ve been eagerly awaiting their JDM lines coming stateside. The JDM R18 is consider the premium fluorocarbon in Japan. Seaguar invented fluorocarbon and this is their latest take on the absolute top of the line fluorocarbon. Using their new proprietary Flexible Non-Twist FNT production method with the strongest polymers available, they are able to make a very thin diameter fluoro that has incredible knot strength while having a rigidity that resists kinking and line twists, which makes the line more manageable and worry free.
This line is very sensitive and really excels with bottom contact baits. It’s been great as a mainline for casting Texas rigged worms and football jigs out deep. I really like how strong it is in the light pound tests and how well I could feel the bites on lighter line. It’s a really impressive fluoro carbon.
Other good fluorocarbons for 2024 are Shimano Mastiff FC, Seaguar InvizX, Berkley Trilene 100% Fluoro.
BEST FLIPPING BRAID
Cortland Silent Flip
I have used Cortland lines a bunch for fly fishing, but have just recently been introduced to their lines for bass fishing and they are very impressive. This new Silent Flip uses a 16-carrier super braid structure that makes it lay flat on the spool, move effortlessly through the guides and the cover without a sound.
The Fibertech and Colorlast technology prevents fraying, color fading and bleeding and gives the line an excellent abrasion resistant make-up. This line is perfect for flipping in heavy vegetation and I actually really like it for topwater fishing too. The 50 pound size is a very small diameter and has a very nice limpness that makes it very manageable and castable. I get a really smooth pitch with this braid and you can bomb a topwater.
BEST SINKING BRAID
Sunline Almight
This latest small diameter braid made for finesse applications offers impressive small diameters for the pound tests they offer. The line is made for more deepwater applications so it’s specially formulated to sink quickly for your bottom contact and deep water finesse applications. They use a special ULT-PE material wrapped around a gravity fiber core to achieve the small diameter and sinking properties. There is an orange stripe every 81 inches so you can gauge depth and distance a little easier as well.
I saw some negative comments related to this line on one retailer and I think it’s because people are trying to use the really light pound tests on too heavy of gear. Because this line is so small, you can beef up to like 16 or 18 pound and it fishes like a lot of brands 10 pound test. The 7-pound test is very small and that can be hard to get a good knot in (you need more wraps). So I recommend sizing up because the diameter is so small and you’ll like it for deep contact baits. I used it crappie fishing with BFS gear and it was really good.
BEST SMALL DIAMETER LOW STRETCH BRAID
Seaguar JDM PEX8 Lure Edition Braid
The new JDM PEX8 Lure Edition braid uses Seaguar’s proprietary GrandMax PEX8 braid technology to offer the lowest stretch in their line-up of braids. The hi-vis multi-colored Passion Pink and Lime Green color allows anglers to see their line clearly and recognize depth changes quickly The premium 8-strand construction has an extremely thin diameters, perfect for spinning gear, micro jigging, or bait finesse techniques.
This is a premium finesse braid, arguably one of the best on the market now and I’ve enjoyed using this braid for finesse applications for bass, panfish and even trout. This is one of the best braids offered in Japan.
BEST BFS BRAID
Varivas Bass PE
Varivas is a premium fishing line brand out of Japan. They have really been pushing the finesse fishing line game to a much higher level and I personally believe the reason we are seeing a lot better high-end JDM lines coming stateside is because of this brand. They have been making some of the best saltwater and trout fishing lines in Japan and they make some of the best BFS lines in both braid and fluorocarbon.
Their BASS PE braid offers a very thin diameter line that is very strong, sensitive and durable. From 10 pound to 30 pound sizes, this small diameter line uses a 4 carrier weave to deliver great performance on your favorite BFS bait casters. This line works for finesse spinning applications as well, but I really love it on my BFS reels.
I’ve caught trout, bass and crappie on this braid with a fluoro leader. With a minimal roll cast I can achieve great distance on my small hard baits and finesse plastics.
BEST VALUE FLUOROCARBON
Daiwa J-Fluoro
A large majority of bass fishermen are looking for an affordable fluorocarbon that offers enough strength and castability to be usable in every day applications. It’s hard to find a fluorocarbon that offers this performance at this lower price point. At $14.99 it’s a very good value. While it won’t be expected to have the same performance as higher-end fluorocarbon, it’s actually a pretty good line for the money.
They use premium materials from Japan to process this line. I found the line to be pretty good. It worked well for swimbaits, jerkbaits and some bottoms contact baits. So far it’s been good. I haven’t used it as long as I have some of the others but it seems like it’s a decent budget fluorocarbon line for everyday use. I’m not sure yet how much it will need to be changed.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN BASS FISHING LINES
Generally with bass fishing you either are using heavy line to employ power fishing techniques or you are using smaller diameter lines in lighter pound tests for finesse fishing applications. While bass fishing makes use of both spinning and baitcasting gear, a lot of the various bass fishing lines are available due to the many different techniques and options for lures. You might need heavy braid to wrestle a big fish out of really heavy cover. Or you might need light line to fish ultra clear water and fool big healthy smallmouth in open water.
Because bass fishing has so many divers types of water across the country, you need a diverse range of fishing fishing lines. That’s one reason their are so many options. The line you need for fishing St. Clair in Michigan is not the same line you need for fishing Lake Okeechobee in Florida.
Most of the time good bass fishing line either offers great strength, durability and lack of stretch or it offers, low visibility, increased sensitivity or superior knot strength making a light line seem more like a heavier line but with a lot more stealth.
So knowing how diameter, suppleness, and stretch affect your fishing applications will make you a better angler. Generally speaking smaller diameter lines will have lower break strength. But they will be a little easier to cast and fish more effectively in deep water. Where a larger diameter line will offer a lot more abrasion resistance and knot strength and less stretch.
For a long time everyone chose their line by pound tests. Now anglers factor a lot more into their decisions because there has not been a single standard for line size (pound test).
DIFFERENT TYPES OF FISHING LINE
Fishing line has progressed exponentially over the last few decades. Some of the oldest lines in fishing are actually braid, however it wasn’t made with the modern materials we are used to seeing nowadays. Instead it was woven with other materials such as silk glands, creating a stiff and slightly transparent line.
Fast forward many years later and monofilament was created. This quickly became the norm thanks to its revolutionary durability and transparency. This line went on to be a bass fishing staple for decades. Since then, both fluorocarbon and modern versions of braided fishing line have taken over the bass fishing market. While fluorocarbon is likely the most commonly used line, all three still have their own time and place based on your chosen technique. For more information, read our guide on how to choose bass fishing line.
