Trav And Fishing Line.

[Trav]

I have been doing a lot of experimenting with line lately.

Fluorocarbon…Mono…Braid.

I have found that mono these days give the best presentation. Sure, it isn’t as strong and it has a little stretch but the mono of today has kept up with the new wave stuff as far as diameter if you stay below a 10 pound test. And if you change your line as often as I do then the cost will suit what you want.

I am an exclusive spin cast guy and whatever you do, do not use braid with a spin cast reel. Braid is like dental floss cutting through a prison bar. If you don’t have ceramic runners on your reel and the eyes of your pole, you will see some serious wear.

Fluorocarbon has the memory of an elephant. Really sucks when you are loose line finesse fishing. It is crap if you don’t want to change line every time the temp changes. It has some advantages but it is not worth the money if you only fish once a month.

I fish a lot of tough cover and have only found slight advantages while using a spin cast with the stronger lines. Stick with the mono and you will not have to think twice as long as you retie often and shed abrasions.

Just don’t buy into the hype you hear from the pros. Fad fishing only costs money which could be used for gas to get to the lake!!!

Same thing goes for baits. But I will discuss those later.

As far as color of line you are being hyped there as well. Green, blue, clear, and my craziest observation, “red”, are a load of crap. Unless the water is crystal, none of it matters. I mean think about it. Do we start thinking of what the line looks in the shade as well? It is dumb stuff. Let’s be real, Bass react to baits, they don’t look to see if an alien is dragging their food.

I use clear to let me know how dirty my line is. That is all. To let me know when I need to shed off a few yards.

And when it comes to brands you are being hyped there as well.

Now, you don’t want to buy some off brand cheapo but the top of the line stuff like Stren or Berkley is pretty much the same stuff. The Bass Pro Excel is pretty good too if you have the chance to visit a Bass Pro shop to get it but I think Berkley makes it.

Also, avoid the stuff of any brand that says it is “tuff duty”. It is coated with abrasion resistant crap that only limits the memory of the line. I do however will admit that those which suggest smooth casting or limp retrieve tend to be the better products if you have a tendency to add line often.

All the same, your basic run of the mill line than says “original” will serve any purpose you want to use it for. It is after all better than the line your father and grandfather used and I am sure they had no problems with their line.

This is not a debate. I am just being Trav and saying it as it is. You do what builds your confidence. For confidence is half the skill set of fishing. I am just saying what I have researched and giving the results I have found personally.

“May success follow your every cast” –

[Wayne SW/MO]

So what do you think about the coated co-polymers?

[RSBreth]

By saying "spincast" do you mean the "push the button" type reel?

If so, no serious fisherman uses this kind of reel, with any kind of line.

It's for kids and noobs.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

[techo]

We have had the fishing line discussion on here many times. I have been a Maxima user for years and everytime I try another brand or type, I end up back with Maxima. With that in mind I keep two reels with flourocarbon on them, because they have different characteristics. An example would be when I want to get deep a little faster without getting too heavy on the tackle or when using jerkbaits. The bottom line (pun intended) is to use whatever you have confidence in.

[Al Agnew]

One or two observations...

Unless you've tried every line out there, you can't really say that line X is the best. All the average angler can do is to settle on a decent line and learn all its foibles and characteristics, and then if he's a knowledgeable angler he'll catch fish on it just fine.

To my way of thinking, braided line has two advantages. One, it gives you a lot more sensitivity, making it good for bottom fishing applications where you need to feel what your lure is doing. And two, it is much less affected by line twist, so it is fairly trouble free on spinning reels. And so I use it on spinning tackle for fishing bottom bumping soft plastics and jigs. I've never yet seen a need to use it for any other applications.

[Chief Grey Bear]

To my way of thinking, braided line has two advantages. One, it gives you a lot more sensitivity, making it good for bottom fishing applications where you need to feel what your lure is doing. And two, it is much less affected by line twist, so it is fairly trouble free on spinning reels. And so I use it on spinning tackle for fishing bottom bumping soft plastics and jigs. I've never yet seen a need to use it for any other applications.

I agree 110% with that assesment. I would also add that loop knots that one gets occasionally with spinning reels are much, much easier to fix with braid, than mono. With mono, 9 times out of 10 you will loose a lot of line, generaly the length of your average cast, fixing the problem.

[Gatorjet]

By saying "spincast" do you mean the "push the button" type reel?

If so, no serious fisherman uses this kind of reel, with any kind of line.

It's for kids and noobs.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Several years ago one of the top B.A.S.S. Pros used the large Zebco Hawg Seeker closed face spincast reel for crankbaits. I can't remember who it was, but there was a write-up in Bassmaster about it. I think he might have even won one of the big tournaments with it. I tried to do some web searching to get the details, but gave up. Wish I could remember when and who. Oh well, the say the memory is the second thing to go and I've forgot what the first was! LOL

[RSBreth]

"Several years ago one of the top B.A.S.S. Pros used the large Zebco Hawg Seeker closed face spincast reel for crankbaits. I can't remember who it was, but there was a write-up in Bassmaster about it. I think he might have even won one of the big tournaments with it. I tried to do some web searching to get the details, but gave up. Wish I could remember when and who. "

Probably had Zebco as a sponsor and couldn't move enough of those reels.

I should amend my previous statement and say I do use trigger-spin reels, but only on long crappie poles.

Now a more provocative statement: It should be illegal to use mono on spinning reels. Superline ends every problem associated with them. Line twist, having to re-spool every other day, all that stuff.

But hey, do what you want, I still often hunt Deer with a caplock .50 muzzleloader. Everyone likes some old-timey stuff.

[Chief Grey Bear]

By saying "spincast" do you mean the "push the button" type reel?

If so, no serious fisherman uses this kind of reel, with any kind of line.

It's for kids and noobs.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

The type of reel one uses does not bear witness to the caliber of said fisherman. Nor does the price of any of his equipment.

I know some very serious and very successful fisherman that use that style of reel. I think they are a lot of fun to use myself. I will admit though, I haven't used one in the last few years, I certainly wouldn't look down my nose at anyone that does.

[snagged in outlet 3]

RS said

"Superline ends every problem associated with them. Line twist, having to re-spool every other day, all that stuff."

What do you recommend I try? I've been using Vanish for a couple years and love it. I've stayed away from the lines that are similar to braid because they seem visible to the fish.

SIO3