12-21-2002, 01:22 AM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I don't believe fireline absorbs water as much as it "holds" water when it's new. What do I mean? If you'll notice when you first spool a reel with fireline the line will feel very coarse. This is the small "strands" that stick out from the line. Water has a tendency to hold to these very small strands and freeze to them. You'll find yourself clearing ice from the line a lot more frequently than mono BUT the more the line is used, these small strands wear off and the icing problem becomes less and less. I have smoked color fireline on some of my reels and it is now starting to turn white from use. I have very little problem with icing or freezing now. Granted, mono does not freeze but I'll sacrifice a little icing for the superior benefits superlines offer in an ice fishing environment. [/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]The initial expense of superlines are prohibitive. Spooling from bulk spools at your tackle shop helps reduce this cost. It's about $22 bucks to spool an Ambasseduer 5000C (about 220 yards) but unlike mono, who's working life is about a season with fair use, superlines will go many seasons of hard use with no adverse effects except losing it's color. Another way to extend its life is to rotate it on the spool by switching ends and tying the used end to the spool and fishing the unused portion that has seen no use. Since there is no memory with superlines this becomes a way to get the maximum return on your investment when you consider the upfront cost of superline and the reoccuring cost every season of monos.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I like the Offshore Angler brand of Fluorocarbons. They are not as pricey as some but seem to be a reliable brand. Also they offer a wide variety of weights from 4# to 400#. Remember that one of the drawbacks to fluorocarbon is poor knot strength so fish it to the heavy side of your situation and you should be just fine. It's supposed to be nearly invisible so fishing it heavy should not be a problen. Dennis is exactly right, wet the knot before cinching it down. This is also a good habit to get into with monos as well.[/size][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]The initial expense of superlines are prohibitive. Spooling from bulk spools at your tackle shop helps reduce this cost. It's about $22 bucks to spool an Ambasseduer 5000C (about 220 yards) but unlike mono, who's working life is about a season with fair use, superlines will go many seasons of hard use with no adverse effects except losing it's color. Another way to extend its life is to rotate it on the spool by switching ends and tying the used end to the spool and fishing the unused portion that has seen no use. Since there is no memory with superlines this becomes a way to get the maximum return on your investment when you consider the upfront cost of superline and the reoccuring cost every season of monos.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I like the Offshore Angler brand of Fluorocarbons. They are not as pricey as some but seem to be a reliable brand. Also they offer a wide variety of weights from 4# to 400#. Remember that one of the drawbacks to fluorocarbon is poor knot strength so fish it to the heavy side of your situation and you should be just fine. It's supposed to be nearly invisible so fishing it heavy should not be a problen. Dennis is exactly right, wet the knot before cinching it down. This is also a good habit to get into with monos as well.[/size][/font]
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