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First of all, I should say that I don't know a ton about fishing. I'm 18, and I haven't been fishing since I was 11 or 12. For some reason, I really have the urge to get back into it now, so I've been talking to my friends about it and researching different rods. After a lot of research, I decided on getting a 6'6" Ugly Stick GX2 spinning combo. I picked up the rod tonight along with some different kinds of bait and some SpiderWire Stealth Braid that's 50 lb test with 12 lb test diameter. I picked the line because 1. It was on sale and 2. The friends I'll be fishing with sometimes fish for carp, musky, flatheads, and other larger fish, so i wanted a strong line. It was only after getting home that I saw small text on the rod stating its meant for 10-15 lb test line. Should I return the line I bought because its too heavy or will it be okay? I'd greatly appreciate any advice you guys can give me
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For general use that is too heavy but it really depend on what fish you will spend the most time chasing. If indeed you will be mainly fishing for the big fish you mentioned that line should be fine and you will not have an issue with it on your new rod and reel. If how every you end up fishing for smaller fish like crappie and bluegill you will need to have lighter line. In general, rods are rated for certain test lines not because they cannot take larger line but because if you catch a larger fish on them, the rod could actually break under the weight of a large fish. You can use the drag on your reel to play a larger fish and keep from breaking the rod but it is good to have different rods and reels for different type of fish. By the way, welcome to the site, hope this info helps.
WH2
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Hey welcome to BFT! First of all I would like to ask where you are from? Then on the line I think you may have over done it. Also something to think about. Braid is good but is mainly designed for trolling. If you out braid in your reels put some mono on as a backing so that the braid doesn't ruin the spool on your reel. Go with the 15 lb braid for the fish you are wanting to catch. If you feel you need the 50 lb braid get a more stout rod and reel. Also for Muskie get some steel leaders, they have teeth and will bite through most lines. You might find the fluorocarbon lines may work for you as well. Easier to cast too. The rod you chose is a good one and will serve you quite well.
You are starting at a good age into the sport and asking questions like this will help improve your knowledge. Let us know how you do.
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I use braid on half my freshwater rods. 8lb is enough to catch anything up to pike if you are careful on the drag. You will see you will get better distance with the 8lb.
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The line you picked is great for catfishing and things like that. The magic about braid is you can use an albright knot and attach a very light piece of mono to it, and still use it for smaller species. The other thing you can do is buy a spare spool and put what ever line you want on it. When you change target species, just swap the spool to the line that is best suited. Kind of like having 2 reels in one.
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