I like Stren as well. I never go over 8lb mono and most of my rods have 6lb. The bass can see that thick line in the clear water we have on this side of the moutains. Set the drag right and you should not have any problems. I've landed 17lb carp on my 5' ultra light rod with 4lb test lol. Over on the east side you can get away with up to 14lb test.
Now salmon, channel cats and steelhead setups are another story. I use Power Pro on all of my heavy setups.