line

[Smithvillesteve]

Question for you trout boys. I'll be coming down to Tanneycomo next week to do a little trout fishing. I've read Phil's fishing reports sometimes and he recommended 2 lb line for jig fishing. I cant find any 2 lb line. I was on Tacklewarehouse and i looked in Bass Pro. Couldnt find any. Most start at 4 lb. Any of you boys got any advice? Mono? Floro? Brand? I sincerely appreciate any advice here. All catch and release. 

[gotmuddy]

54 minutes ago, Smithvillesteve said:

Question for you trout boys. I'll be coming down to Tanneycomo next week to do a little trout fishing. I've read Phil's fishing reports sometimes and he recommended 2 lb line for jig fishing. I cant find any 2 lb line. I was on Tacklewarehouse and i looked in Bass Pro. Couldnt find any. Most start at 4 lb. Any of you boys got any advice? Mono? Floro? Brand? I sincerely appreciate any advice here. All catch and release. 

depends on who you ask...I normally fish 6lb flouro lmao....but most of the guys use 4lb mono or flouro.

If your coming down next weekend, you should come hang out some with everyone thats down for taneyfest!

[tjm]

Any fly shop will have tippet material down to 8X/0.003" diameter which is typically 1.5# test. It will be in 30 yard spools because fly fishers normally only use ~2' of it at a time spliced to some heavier line. but if you need more than 30 yards for a single cast, you need heavier line too. 

Since I fly fish rather than spin fish, I can't speak to the need for such fine line when spin fishing, but it has been several years since I used any for trout, even when fly fishing, simply because I don't use flies small enough to benefit from the extra limpness/suppleness of the small diameter. I most often use 5X/0.006"/5# test tippet (2# test in Maxima) for flies #16 and larger with only occasionally dropping to 6X/0.005"/3.4# tippet (2# Maxima) in very slow water. 

However the first two places that I looked on line both have Maxima Ultragreen spinning line in stock- https://www.fishusa.com/Maxima-Ultragreen-Monofilament-Line_2/?sku=205250 and https://www.fishusa.com/Maxima-Ultragreen-Monofilament-Line_2/?sku=205250

 

 

[Travis Swift]

Get on Trout Magnet, get their SOS 2 pound line.  Then when you get to Phils by some 7X fluro tippet, tie a triple surgeon knot and then catch fish.  That easy.  Also Phil has plenty of 2 pound line in his shop if you want to wait and buy there. 

[Travis Swift]

If the water is running you don't need the tippet with the 2 pound mono, if the water is off tie the Fluro tippet on.  

[tjm]

1 hour ago, gotmuddy said:

depends on who you ask...I normally fish 6lb flouro lmao....but most of the guys use 4lb mono or flouro.

Well it depends more on the result you want, 2# test is both less visible and more supple than #3 or larger. So, back about 50 years ago I spent a New England summer in testing whether or not line size mattered to trout. Within 30 minutes of my home there I had a choice of 20-30 trout streams and "ponds" up to ~300 acres and for my testing picked a spot in a spring fed pond with the out flow over an old mill dam where I could observe the trout in 2-5' of clear and relatively still water while presenting visible  live baits on various sized hooks and lines ranging from 1/2# test to 20# test in nylon monofilament. I spent 3-4 hours each on 20-30 different days between March and September feeding these trout and I kept two lines with bait in front of them that whole time, with lines having as much difference as from 10# to 20# as little difference as from 1# to 3/4#. I used lines like Stren yellow, Trilene green, and Ande clear in the sizes 4# and up or in the tests that were available and whatever tippet material I could get in the lower test sizes, probably mostly Mason.  

50+ years and a handful of miles down the roads, I no longer have any notes and the tests weren't exactly scientific to begin with, but, I was convinced beyond a doubt that trout are not affected by seeing either heavy line or large hooks. I also was convinced that more supple lines, as well as smaller hooks allow the bait/lure/fly to move more naturally or react to the water movement more naturally and that fish would always pick the lighter line of two because of this more natural movement but they would readily take baits on 20# test in any color if that was all that was presented to them. So line size is a compromise where if the bait/lure/fly is small enough or light enough that motion or reaction to the water's movement matters a lighter more supple line will attract more trout and a stouter line will result in fewer break offs. For me this usually 8# test for stream bass and 5# test for trout, and material marketed for tippet (such as Rio Powerflex et al.)  is almost always stronger for the same degree of suppleness in the smaller sizes. I use Chameleon and Trilene green in diameters larger than 0.008" where the observable difference in suppleness to test isn't great enough to matter. 

It was also noted in my testing that 18" of very light line could be spliced to very heavy line and have the same effect on bait and fish as very light line on the reel. What this would mean to me as a spin fisher at the time the testing was done was that I could keep the 6# Stren or 8# Ande on my reels and tie on a step down leader similar to a fly leader to present the bait on 2# or 3/4# test. It's been a couple (3?) of decades since I used spinning rods to any extent, but back then I thought that 6# was my best compromise for casting versus tangling versus breaking off, and most of the time it was light enough for the lures used. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

2 hours ago, Smithvillesteve said:

Question for you trout boys. I'll be coming down to Tanneycomo next week to do a little trout fishing. I've read Phil's fishing reports sometimes and he recommended 2 lb line for jig fishing. I cant find any 2 lb line. I was on Tacklewarehouse and i looked in Bass Pro. Couldnt find any. Most start at 4 lb. Any of you boys got any advice? Mono? Floro? Brand? I sincerely appreciate any advice here. All catch and release. 

Phill's been using 2 pound on One Cast.  @Travis Swift is spot on too. 

Or you can buy 2 or 3 pound P-Line Floroclear Clear Fishing Line (Filler Spool) for $8 on amazon.  I use the 3 pound.

[Johnsfolly]

@Smithvillesteve it depends on what lures/bait you intend to fish and the water flow conditions as @Travis Swift pointed out. If I am fishing microjigs in the trout parks I will use full 2# line (P-line Fluoroclear is my choice) on the reel. That helps me cast those tiny jigs effectively and I don't feel that the fish will shy away from the bait (I have seen them come in hot for a microjig then turn away with 4# line in the trout parks where they have seen a large number of baits). I will usually go to 4# or even 6# for jigs and 6# for other lures, spinners, spoons, small jerkbaits, etc. The 3# option that Pete (aka @snagged in outlet 3) suggested is a solid intermediate choice.

[Quillback]

2 hours ago, Smithvillesteve said:

Question for you trout boys. I'll be coming down to Tanneycomo next week to do a little trout fishing. I've read Phil's fishing reports sometimes and he recommended 2 lb line for jig fishing. I cant find any 2 lb line. I was on Tacklewarehouse and i looked in Bass Pro. Couldnt find any. Most start at 4 lb. Any of you boys got any advice? Mono? Floro? Brand? I sincerely appreciate any advice here. All catch and release. 

I believe Phil sells it in his tackle shop. 

[Seth]

I'll hop on the 3# for jigs train too. I use 3# Maxima Ultragreen for all of my jig fishing. You can save a few bucks and get the Pline Floroclear in 3# as well. I can think Mike Riffel for that tip.