I finaly decided on a spinning reel, what dou you guys suggest I use for Steelhead/Salmon? I am leaning toward braided Firewire over Mono but I've always used mono user. Any words of wisdom or cautions I should be aware of??
As you can probably tell I'm having a slow day at work[sly]
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Braided can get ugly when it's cold out...ices up real bad...also you got to make sure to use the right knot with the braid...FireLine says to use the Palamar which is an easy knot and has worked good for me.
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I have 2 relitives that have used it (braided), and they said it knicks up really bad on all the rocks and weekens, my whole family prefers maxima ultra green 10#, bait cast, or spinning.
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There is no stretch to braided, takes a while to get used to that. Also your knots have to be perfect. And if you get tangled up forget about it, just cut your line and start over. I've used it before and there are some advantages, but I wouldn't recommend trying it out when you are going trophy fishing. If you do, take some spare spools with mono on them.
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Plus, the forgiving nature of mono will lead to more fish landed!
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i used braided 1 day and only one day lost 3 fish that day...when braided line meets rocks it frays and breaks...doesnt work very well for drift fishing in rocky rivers..a good abasion resistiant mono is the way to go..
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have you tried the maxima camellion..i find it to be tougher then the ultra green...ican ussually land 3 to 4 fish before needing to retie..
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i use braided for steelhead because its very sensitive and the hook set is solid!!!!! i use a mono leader though that way it is easy to break off when hung up and i think mono is more invisible to the fish but as far as mono being more forgiving if you have your drag set right it shouldnt be to much of an issue with braided
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I have not, my Grandpa finally sunk it into my head that once you find something that is working for you, then stick with it.
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its still maxima i wouldt use any other just a tougher version...
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I also have a strong preference for Maxima Camellion when I want an abrasion resistant line (as in for Salmon fishing).
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Rockjmpr
I agree with about everybody on this one. Both lines have their desirable features. Certainly Maxima is the strongest mono that I have run into and I found that the ultra green is good leader -- almost as good as fluorocarbon for being invisible to fish.
However, when you have a small spool and want strong line, you have to go to braided. The new braided line that is round in cross section and has coating on individual stands is very good. This avoids some of the problems of the old spider wire where it would wedge in your spool and bind. I agree that you would not use it when way below freezing as pointed out. If you use a good mono leader then abrasion on rocks should not be an issue. It does telegraph bites better so has advantages that way. Be careful with the smaller diameter stuff since it will take a finger off pretty easy under the wrong circumstances.....
I still use maxima if my spool is big enough. I think 30# (regular clear) maxima would land the biggest fish in the river under the worst circumstances. I found the camellian to not work so good as leader and wonder whether it really goes invisible fast enough.
FR
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i use it as a dropper and like to use the lighter line...5 to 6 on steelhead 8 on salmon..i use it for the strength per pound test not so much the visability..the lighter the line the less they see it..do you know of a braided or spider wire that is highly abrasive resistant?..i heard they they come out with a mono fusion line for this problem..
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I have used both and right now use the Maxima ultragreen in 10#. I found it was good after fishing it a couple days, prior to that it liked to tangle a bit, but may have just been overloaded on the spool. I also the liked the Tuf Line braid. The only issue I ever had with it is that when you get a wind knot it's a pain in the butt to untangle. I figure 25% of them I ended up cutting off and rerigging. But with the palomar knot I never had a problem with knots coming undone and the sensitivity was really weird initially because I wasn't used to feeling so much. It boils down to which one do you like best personally? If you have spare reel maybe you should spool one with mono and the other with braid and try them both out.
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i beg to differ i have used synthetic braided for years. spiderwire and fireline are both awsome. i rarly have any issues with it. right now on my rods i run a 20# main with a 10# sythetic leader. i more often staighten hooks or untie knots. and i don't mean badly tied knots either. i use an 8 wrap barrel knot. its something that my dad got me into years back when i was a kid. and when i got older i experimented with other lines mono and florocarbon. each one has its own advantages. but i think that synthetic by far has the best. no strech, the knots everybody seems to say that but i think that it is from over spoolin your spools. mono is a little more forgivin in that state but still. i always spool my reels a little heavy and i still don't. so yalls gots issues. lol i guess its all in taste. every line catches fish and some lines just dont work for certain people. find what works for you best.
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Hey thanks, I'm thinking of trying the braid because I used a whole spool of 20# Stren on the 4th I snagged + broke off that much. I was thinking if I whent braided 30# and used 15/20# leader I could save my line...It's hard to step away from mono though.
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Okay it's official, I'm more
now than I was when I asked the question...I used to use the original Spider wire for kings and loved it. I straightend most hooks before break-off. Kings didn't seem to care too much if they could see the line, they were just mean + ANGRY! I might try the Power Pro braid with a mono leaded, thnaks for the info.
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Yea after reading all the inputs I may be more
now then when I started[
] I think I'm going to try Power Pro braid 30# and a mono leader 15-20# and see how it goes.
Hey I'm getting out this weekend 18 Apr, are getting out? Where should I go between Challis and S/F Clearwater??
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I'm with CJunky on that, run an inline mono leader to braid and enjoy. I wouldn't try it on a levelwind reel though. I find that about an 8' leader gives me enough stretch that I don't rip off any fish lips, but still sensitive enough to know what shape the rocks are.[
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