So I have two rods both are Fenwick HMG one is is M-MF 6'6" the others is ML-MF. both have Pflugger president XT reels on them. And for some reason this year I have been getting killed by wind knots and tangles. Both have be respooled twice already this year. So the question is what is everyone's favorite line?
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braided line definitely. I like Fireline Crystal because its transparent when submerged. little pricy but worth it for those smooth casts and durability.
PowerPro braid.
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What are you trolling or casting, Typically is you are casting spinners or spoons this will cause this type of thing. always use quality ball bearing swivels with anything that is spinning.
If this is not the case and you are fishing jigs, they can spin when you drop after awhile they will cause line twist also.
when you notice the line starting to twist take off all lures or terminal tackle if your in a boat let all your line out all the way to the knot on your spool run it for a few minutes and reel it back in this will usually get rid of all the line twist and you will not have to respool.
fnf[cool]
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[#0000FF]I have gradually spooled most of my light spinning rigs with Nanofil. Because it is pricey and because I don't troll or fish with a lot of line out I usually only "topshot" the last 75 to 100 yards with Nanofil...adding it on top of mono that tests a few pounds heavier.
Side by side casts...mono vs Nanofil of the same # test rating...consistently produces about 25 - 30% longer casts. Plus the no stretch and minimum coiling factors. Only downside is slipperiness. You gotta tie good knots and wet them as you slide them.
That being said, I still keep several reels spooled with mono for some fishing applications. Just a matter of personal preference. No good reason for it. Oh yeah, the monofilament I have pretty much stuck with for over 10 years is Silver Thread Excalibur. Very clear. Small diameter. Super abrasion resistance and great knot strength. I'd put it side by side against fluoro almost every time. And it is still what I use for short leaders on the end of my Nanofil. Can't break the 6# when snagged from my tube.
Just a thought. The President reels have super smooth drags and the tendency is to set them a bit lighter. So if you are catching some larger fish and if you keep turning the reel handle while the fish is running...or simply holding firm...you will put twists in the line. Once the initial long runs are over try tightening down on the drag and pump and reel more than just using the reel as a winch. Maybe you are already beyond that but I sure see it a lot out on the water. And then they wonder why they get a "boil off" on their next cast.
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Spiderwire 15 lb braid
I had the same problems til I changed.
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[quote TubeDude][#0000ff]pump and reel more than just using the reel as a winch.
[/#0000ff][/quote] OMG. I say that on my boat every day, on nearly every fish, to nearly every fisherman! Why is it everybody wants to "reel it in." I hate that phrase. (Almost as bad as "look at the colors on that one.") You don't reel in a fish, you pull it in with a rod, and store the line you pull on the reel! Even with the bait casting reels I have on my boat, everybody wants to use them as winches. (Tough on drag washers.)
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P-Line fluorocarbon has worked well for me. 12-15 lb for trolling.[
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[quote TubeDude][#0000ff] Oh yeah, the monofilament I have pretty much stuck with for over 10 years is Silver Thread Excalibur. Very clear. Small diameter. Super abrasion resistance and great knot strength. I'd put it side by side against fluoro almost every time. And it is still what I use for short leaders on the end of my Nanofil. Can't break the 6# when snagged from my tube.
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I've been having some trouble finding the Silver Thread Excaliber from suppliers lately. My last purchase was on Amazon.com. Where have you been getting yours at?
I use Excaliber for my bassin, warmwater, and ice reels. Awesome stuff. The 6# is all you need and I don't think I've ever had a fish bust me off straight up with it. Its a bit of a pain to break on snags though.
For those that haven't used it, it isn't a classic mono, but is what is called a copolymer. Strong as heck for small diameters, and not as big a pain in the arse handling wise as fluoro is.
For my lightweight trout reels, I like P line fluorocoated line. Not as expensive as fluoro, but casts phenomenally and is reasonably decent handling wise.
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I have been changing most of my lines to the stren fluorocarbon. For the fish in the Unitas I will stick with my trilene XL.
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One other thing besides not reeling against the fish is manually closing the bail on your reel. Just like on a baitcaster, if you let your lure hit the water, you're going to get loose line in there. Feather the spool and stop the lure with you fingers before it touches down. Then close the bail with your hand. Since I've started doing this I pretty much never have loops or tangles on my spinning reels.
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All great info thanks guys! That nanofil looks awesome but a little out of my price range ha ha.
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I finally gave in and loaded 20lb Suffix Braid on my spinning rods. The smaller braid diameter gives me the ability to tie on different lb floro leaders the last 8-10' depending on application and presentation. I wish I would have done it years ago.
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Nanofil also. I love the stuff.
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My go-to line for most of my spinning reels is Nanofil. I've been using it for several years now, and I love the way it casts and of course it's super-sensitive, having no stretch, but certainly has no memory.
I use Suffix 832 a lot also, but mainly for trolling.
Then I have several outfits set up with Seaguar Fluoro, but that's just because sometimes I don't want to mess with putting a leader on, and just tie something directly to the main line. But if you're going to use surface lures like poppers you need to use mono, because I think everything else sinks, and most mono lines float, and that can make a difference.
My very best advice would be DON'T USE CHEAPO LINES !!! You'll pay for it in the end.
BTW I too use a lot of Fenwick rods. Probably half of my rods are Fenwicks, and I even still have 3 of the old fiberglass rods from the early 70's, before they were making graphite. I just bought a new Fenwick Aetos casting rod, VERY nice!
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Lol, had to.
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"I've been having some trouble finding the Silver Thread Excaliber from suppliers lately. My last purchase was on Amazon.com. Where have you been getting yours at?"
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I recently tried ordering some Excalibur from Amazon. They sent the wrong size. The inventory tag on the outside was different than the size written on the spool inside the package. Sent it back and reordered. Same thing. Gave up.
I have successfully ordered several spools from:
http://www.lurenet.com/silver-thread-exc...ler-spools
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Once you get line twist in the main line, do you have to replace it? I like the Plueger reels for casting lures and trolling. But I've had some line twist lately and am thinking of replacing it with new line for the Memorial weekend.
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[#0000FF]You don't have to replace the line...unless it is totally trashed and knotted up. If you are in a boat you can let out your line behind the boat while moving...with nothing on the end of the line. Then grip the line between your fingers to apply some tension and reel it back in. That will untwist the line.
If you are not on the water you can go out into a park on on some other big lawn (like a church). Open the bail on your reel and prop up the rod so it doesn't pull over. Take the line and walk out a hundred yards...or however far down the twist occurs. Drop the line, go back to your rod and reel in the line with it gripped between thumb and forefinger to apply tension and untwist the line as it comes in. PS...tough to do if you don't have an opposable thumb.
The latter solution works best on a warm sunny day when your line will soften a bit. But it still might take a couple of runs before it is unkinky.
One variation you can put into the latter sequence is to tie the end of the line to a good quality swivel and then nail the other end of the swivel to something solid (park bench). Then, when you get back to the rod you can pull the line good and tight to help stretch it a bit. Now you have to walk toward the end of the line...stopping and pulling tight a few more times. Hopefully the swivel will help with the untwisting. Try a couple of practice casts with a light lure when you finish.
Don't overdo it on cranking the line on the reel with it pulled too tight. If it goes on stretched it can weaken the line and apply undue pressure to the line beneath it. Best to rewind it with just enough tension to spool properly. The original twists were likely partially caused by cranking fish in with the drag tight, rather than pumping and reeling.
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