12-20-2002, 08:09 PM
[size 2]I personally don't ice fish much, but I try to avoid Fireline when I do. It absorbs water and freezes. I just stick with mono.[/size]
[size 2]As for BLM's superline tips, I've found that if I stick with a palomar knot (for tying to a hook, lure, or clip) and back-to-back uni knot (for joining lines together), the knot will never slip or fail. And to prevent line slipping on the spool, another tip is not to remove all your mono from a spool before adding Fireline or PowerPro. Since the diameter of the superlines is much less than equal strength mono, it takes much more superline to fill a spoon. So leave just enough mono on the spool so that when you add the fireline, it just fills the spool (use the back-to-back uni knot to connect the Fireline to the mono). This way you only need one spool of superline to fill your spool completely, which you should always do anyway.[/size]
[size 2]And while we're on the subject of lines, if you use Berkley's Vanish for fluorocarbon, be careful when tying knots. It's extremely heat sensitive and cinching down a knot tight can cause enough friction heat to weaken the knot/line. So I wet the line thoroughly with saliva and cinch down knots when they're wet--or cinch them down under water.[/size]
[size 2]I bought a few big spools of Vanish when it first came out to use as leader material, but found it inferior to Seaguar--the real deal. So if you're buying new, buy Seaguar and stay away from Vanish. And forget what the ads say and don't even think about spooling up an entire reel with Vanish.[/size]
[size 2]As for BLM's superline tips, I've found that if I stick with a palomar knot (for tying to a hook, lure, or clip) and back-to-back uni knot (for joining lines together), the knot will never slip or fail. And to prevent line slipping on the spool, another tip is not to remove all your mono from a spool before adding Fireline or PowerPro. Since the diameter of the superlines is much less than equal strength mono, it takes much more superline to fill a spoon. So leave just enough mono on the spool so that when you add the fireline, it just fills the spool (use the back-to-back uni knot to connect the Fireline to the mono). This way you only need one spool of superline to fill your spool completely, which you should always do anyway.[/size]
[size 2]And while we're on the subject of lines, if you use Berkley's Vanish for fluorocarbon, be careful when tying knots. It's extremely heat sensitive and cinching down a knot tight can cause enough friction heat to weaken the knot/line. So I wet the line thoroughly with saliva and cinch down knots when they're wet--or cinch them down under water.[/size]
[size 2]I bought a few big spools of Vanish when it first came out to use as leader material, but found it inferior to Seaguar--the real deal. So if you're buying new, buy Seaguar and stay away from Vanish. And forget what the ads say and don't even think about spooling up an entire reel with Vanish.[/size]