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Whats your favorite fishing line...
#1
[#800000][size 2]What is your favorite fishing line? Heavy or light. Mono, braided, or flurocrap? Let the arguement, I mean discussion begin:[/size][/#800000]

[#800000][size 2] When Vanish came out, I thought I had a reel secret. I been using for about 7 or 8 years(can't remember when it hit the market)? Pro's- it sinks very well, its invisible in water, It doesn't get alot nicks/cuts(less abrasions than mono), and I always caught lots of fish. Con's-it does stretch a little(I like to throw into trees 20feet over my head), Major line twists on spinning gear(I know most of the tricks on not to get twists), and it goes bad after a couple weeks(for me about 4 trips).[/size][/#800000]

[#800000][size 2] I started using McCoys Mean Green this spring and like it alot. Alot less twists than vanish and just as abrasion less too. But, I'm not catching as much fish(I believe this has to do to weather and over abundant forage this year[crazy]. [/size][/#800000]

[#800000][size 2]Ok, there my 2 cents. Thanks for the idea TD![/size][/#800000]
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#2
well you got me worried now just bought some vanish and put it on my spinning reel guess i try it and see what happens i have been useing spider fusion line on my baitcaster with no complaints
chris
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#3
For my main rig, I've always stuck with Berkley Trilene...I guess I've never thought of toying with success. I prefer light/ultra-light gear, so I stick with 4lb test. I'm sure some of the newer lines out ther would work quite well, but I've never tried them.

As for my trolling rig, I use 30lb SpiderWire. Strong, extremely abrasion resistant, and it doesn't deteriorate. On this rig I use a lighter flurocarbon leader, so the line doesn't distract the fish. and if it breaks, I don't loose my diver. I've noticed that the biggest problem with SpiderWire, is that it is very visable. It also doesn't have much stretch, so I also use a rubber snubber to add a little shock absorbtion.

It will be interesting to see everyones prefs on line. Nice question Tomegun.
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#4
Vanish as a main line is pure crap. I still have some and use it as leader material. But when it's gone I'll replace it with the real fluorocarbon line, Seaguar.

My favorite all around line is PowerPro. I use it for jigging, rigging, casting, trolling. And I'll tip it with a fluorocarbon leader when needed. Loosen your drags and get a soft rod to compensate for the no stretch.

ps: I also keep my spare spinning spools filled with Trilene XT. Sometimes mono can't be beat, but not very often.
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#5
I used vanish for a long time but I got tired of replacing it all the time. I mostly use spinnig gear and it gets twisted up pretty quick. I switched to trilene xt and like it a lot. I still use vanish as a leader though. It took me a while to get used to the mono's stretch again after using the flurocarbon for so long. I don't use a rubber snubber with the mono. I think it already has enough stretch on its own.

CABLEGUY
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#6
I like Trilene XL, almost no line memory and thinner than most diameter. I tried braided line and didn't like it at all! Spider Wire fusion to be more exact on my spinning outfit. After a couple of days fishing it looks like yarn, fuzzy.
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#7
Here are the brands that I've used so far, listed according to my preference and/or target species.

a) PowerPro - my general purpose line. I use it mainly for my baitcasting reels. I normally use the 8/30 for bass fishing and I have recently bought a spool of 15/4 for my spinning reels. To make my dollar stretch a little further, I spooled two of my spinning reels with 50+ yards of the 15/4 stuff on top of mono.

b) Stren Magnaflex - good all-around mono for jigging, casting, and rigging. I use it for trout and panfish.

c) Trilene XT - tough mono. Have several spinning reels in the bright green color for better visibility when still fishing. I recently spooled some of my catfishing tackle with the 20 lb. stuff.

d) Trilene Big Game - tough as XT but a bit more manageable. Used on the rest of my baitcasting reels.

e) Trilene XL - Used on the rest of my spinning reels and ice fishing tackle.

f) Silver Thread - Liked it on my baitcasting reels until PowerPro came along.

Some of the lines that I didn't like are Rapala Finesse/Tough, Spiderline LS/XXX, and Remington.

P.S. Tomegun, it was a pleasure meeting you at Lindon Boat Harbor that one stormy evening.
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#8
I have always used Berkley Trilene XL on spinning reels for years . Have been trying out Maxima Ultragreen at times on some reels . Still think trilene is my choice for spinning . Bought some Fireline and fluorocarbon leader for ice fishing this past ice season .Still haven't gave it a good coldfooter try for big fish . Broke off several fish on it at the Berry due to the no stretch and and my hook setting ability . Keep thinking it was mono line . LOL
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#9
For casting I still prefer mono, but if you do any verticle jigging its hard to beat berkley's fireline, smooth, ultra thin, no stretch, no memory, great knot strength not like that spiderwire crap. When you hook a fish 90 feet down it feels like its right under the boat. The downside is the price its around 13 bucks for a 125 yd spool.
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#10
[cool]I just knew that some smart aleck would take the challenge and post the question. Of course, out of any hundred anglers there will be almost as many different preferences. And, just like religion and politics, there are some who get pretty worked up over their personal choices.

As most previous replies have acknowledged, the type of tackle and types of fishing you do should dictate the type of line you use. For someone who gets out only a couple of times a year, and cannot appreciate the subtle differences in the various line choices, it doesn't really matter. But, once you have fished long enough and seriously enough to be in tune with what is going on at the business end of your rod, there are some real considerations. Most of those have already been mentioned, and will probably get a lot more discussion before this thread is through.

On a purely personal note, I have fished everything from 130 pound dacron, on a 12/0 reel, to 1/2 pound test tippet on size 28 dry flies. In between, I have tried just about every kind of braided, fused and monofilament line ever made...in the eternal quest for the perfect line. My conclusion is that there are many lines best for specific applications...and some that work well over a wide range of fishing situations...but nothing is a UNIVERSAL line.

I have kind of settled into being a light tackle enthusiast. I use mostly four pound line, on ultralight, light or medium light action rods...both spinning and baitcasting. I often hook large fish...sometimes with sharp teeth and gill plates, capable of cutting soft lines quickly. Thus, I tend to look first at abrasion resistance. Almost of equal consideration is limpness and castability...and overall line strength per diameter. Fishing light lures on light tackle demands that you be able to effectively cast long distances, and with accuracy. Stiff, springy lines don't make it.

When I lived in Sacramento, and fished steelhead and salmon in the coastal rivers of California, I loaded my light reels with 4# Maxima Chameleon. It was slightly larger in diameter than my preferred Stren, but held up well when dragged over the rocks and logs found in most of the rivers that held the salmonids. I landed 19 pound steelhead on the 4#, and a salmon over 50 on the 6#.

When I moved back to Utah in the 70's, I used the Maxima on big cats, but went back to Stren for walleyes and trout...and most other fishes. However, I never did like the knot strength or abrasion resistance of Stren. When Berkeley Trilene came along, I tried all the alphabet soup...XL, XT, etc. I used mostly Trilene for about the next ten years. With the introduction of the "copolymers", I tried the Berkeley TriMax and loved it. It was good strength per diameter and it casted like a dream. I could get several trips out of each "top shot" before having to stip off that sixty yards or so and respooling.

I continued to experiment with most of the new lines that came out, including Magnathin and the different lines in the Fenwick arsenal. All had their positives and negatives. I still use the leftovers to wind on the base of my line spools, before top shotting with my working lines.

I have also used (and still use) fusion lines and fluorocarbons. They are excellent for the uses intended...heavy fishing with small diameter and low stretch...and clarity for leaders on the latter. But, for my light tackle pursuits I have used Silver Thread Excalibur almost exclusively for at least five years.

Excalibur is small diameter, ultra clear, casts well, does not have memory (springy coils) and is the most abrasion resistant mono I have ever used. I have landed large flathead catfish on 6# Excalibur that had my jigs well down inside their mouths...which sport some nasty teeth. (I have lost many smaller ones, on heavier line, that did not last more than a couple of head shakes.) I have also landed bass and catfish over 8 pounds, on 4# Excalibur, after they had mowed an acre of rough edged water weeds with the line. Oh yeah, I have beaten up on some big carp that did the same thing, and rolled in the line to boot. And, if I snag up on the six pound line, I have a tough time breaking it off from a tube.

Excalibur stretches more than fusion lines, but not as much as most monos. I have never had any issues with the sensitivity or positive hook setting qualities. Since most of my fishing is in water less than 20 feet, and seldom with any long casts, the stretch factor is not as serious as it might be with trolling long lines, or dropping over fifty feet deep. In such cases, I would either use larger diameter Excalibur, or something else.

I'm not on a soapbox for my particular choice of lines. I offer my observations strictly as a matter of persona preference. I have always been surprised, however, at how few other fishermen I know have tried the line, before I suggested it. Most have sung it's praises once they tried it, in the strengths they customarily used it. It is difficult to find in retail outlets anymore. It did not have the big advertising bucks spent on it, like many of the Berkeley and Stren products, so a lot of anglers have never heard of it...or tried it. About the only place I can find my 4# Excalibur now is Cabelas.

See, Tomegun. You shoulda left well enough alone.
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#11
The kind of fishing that I do most often is for trout in high mountain lakes, such as the Uintas. My technique is usually fly and bubble, or dunking a worm from shore. This requires long casts. For this I use Berkley Trilene XL, 4 lb test. Several times I have tried other lines that were supposed to be better. I always go back to Trilene XL. I get a much better casting distance, fewer tangles, and smoother retrieve. For my leader behind the bubble I use Trilene XL 2 lb test. It really does the trick.

I do other kinds of fishing sometimes as well. So I have 2 spools for my reel. A I mentioned I put 4 lb on one of them, and on the other I have, you guessed it, Trilene XL, but in this case I use 8 lb test. To some 8 lb may seem too light but even for bigger fish it does very well when the drag is set right. And I still get a reasonable casting distance and good performance. Just my 2 cents worth.

m
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#12
Somehow my last post got posted twice. I just removed it.
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#13
Hey tomegun...

The McCoy Mean Green ROCKS!! I'm always testing out new lines and such and ever since I tried McCoy 3 years ago, it's STILL my favorite on the market. I've been using the 10lb test to throw my crankbaits on here in the CA Delta where most guys prefer to use 12, 15, and sometimes even 17lb line because of the tons of very hevay cover found throughout the Delta. When I first tried cranking with the 10lb test, I got a good solid 5-6lb largemouth bass on and it burried me thick into some weeds. I was afraid that the lighter 10lb test wouldn't be able to hold in the thick cover with the fish, and when the fish suddenly came off I assumed that's what happened. However, I reeled it in and found my crankbait to still be tied on, but the gammakatsu hooks on my crankbait were straightened out!!! The freaking gammies straightened out before that 10lb test broke! It's great all around...less abrasion, less line twist, low memory (lays out flat on the first cast almost every time!)...this stuff owns!!!
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#14
My personal preference right at the moment is spiderwire I could only find it in 8lb but for the amount of time I spend with something stuck in the bushes you can't beat this stuff. If you tie a good knot you won't be losing you rig to some hungry bush, you might have to sharpen or straighten a hook or two but the rig is coming home to papa.

That's one reason I like it, another is it doesn't have a memory, most mono's I've tried seem to remember they were coiled up and when you get into trouble you wind up with a mess at your feet and end up trashing everything on your reel.

The only complaint is it is bear to cut and if you're not careful you will cut your hands trying to get un-hung-up.

I wish I could find it in 4lb because thats my preference, but I haven't looked for awhile. Still go 800 yds spiderwire to go and still fishing.

Just my 2 cents is anyone cares
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#15
Stren in original green. I recently tried Trilene XL, but I moon balled too many expensive buzzbaits when it would simply separate for no reason. Never will use Trilene again, total crap. In the ocean, it's PLine braid with a flourocarbon leader.

Good Shopping, Kayote
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#16
[size 1]I tried Silver Thread Excalibur this spring at Lake Powell, and fell in love with it. It cast easily and seemed to have a little less stretch to it than I have experienced with mono lines. I was dredging the bottom with a lure that frequently snagged in the rocks down there. Despite repeatedly pulling every direction imagionable, to retrieve that lure, on countless occasions, the line never weakened where it was tied to the lure, and it never showed any abrasion marks on it at all. When I got home I ordered a huge spool of it from Cabelas. For vertical jigging I like to use Fireline with fluorocarbon leader. I have also found that Fireline works well on my downrigger. I tried PLine last year and didn't like it.[/size]
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#17
Several years ago when Fireline and Spiderwire Fusion first came out, I gave them a try for Channel Catfish at Utah Lake, when I would fish in the cattails and submerged tamarisk trees, where snags were common, especially when a big cat would take the bait and dive directly into a pile of weeds/trees. Using 12 lb. test (or 14 but I think it was 12), I could muscle them back into open water. The strength and abrasion resistance was great, however if you ever snagged, it was nearly impossible to break it off, and I suffered several line cuts trying to do so. Sometimes I ended up cutting the line where I was at the tip of my pole. One huge complaint I have against it is how it floats. If any sort of wind came up (and it ALWAYS does on Utah Lake), the line would be blown all over the place into the weeds, resulting in more snags. Now, I like to use 8 lb. test Trilene XL. I use it for everything I fish for, from catfish to bass to panfish to trout in the Uintahs. I'm sure I could do better, but I really don't have enough knowledge about line to make me go buy anything else.
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#18
Where, oh where to begin.

I have mainly used the Trilene Tournament Pro Photochromic for the last few years as far as spinning reels go. Great above water visibility, and almost no underwater visibility. I tried the Excalibur and I must say I was impressed. The two are about 6's in my book. I generally use lighter lines (4-8lb) since I'm usually out for Walleye and Trout. I noticed a dramatic increase in bites when I switched from Stren Blue to the photochromic in the same line strength. Lower stretch, better abrasion resistance, and last but by far not least, both are stronger than the same diameter line in everything I've tested except for Stren Magnathin. That brings me to my next section.

I really like the Stren Magnathin for Ice fishing. It seems to handle the wonderful weather we have here in the Utah winters better. Trilene lines seem to get a little brittle in our harsh climate.

Superbraids. I have tried every one I am aware of on the market. I like the no-stretch although I bet the first fish I tried to set a hook into with the stuff would disagree, since it is now a lipless perch. I thought it was a Splake, Laker, or Bow at 45 feet down, so I gave it my "usual" mono hookset. Poor fish. I too have had to find some driftwood or knife handle to wrap the line around so I could break it off without severing one of my limbs. I did like it for Pike. If I fished for them exclusively, year-round, I'm sure it would be all I used. Viability was my main problem with it. Even with a 2-3 foot leader, I noticed I didn't get as many bites from Trout, and I got practically no bites from Walleye. I do still have both of my trolling reels spooled with 30lb. mono under Fusion. I have found that all of the supers and fusions will slip and spin on a graphite, composite, or aluminum spool when it gets cold out. Just spool at least 20yds of mono under it and use a surgeons knot or a blood knot to join the lines and it will cure this problem.

Flourocarbon, good to great leader material. Worked well for stitching up that tear in the back of the sofa also.

I'm always looking for better line. Thanks for the tips on some others to try. I'll have to give the Mean Green a try.

[Tongue]I know that all lines have a place and time that they shine. I just have my "comfort" lines that I have had resonable success with for where I fish, how I fish, and what I fish for. Please, feel free to disagree. There's my 2 cents for what it's worth.(which is probably less than 2 cents) Hope it helps.[cool]
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#19
My favorite fishing line is: "Man, you should have been here yesterday! Right where you are, I caught a bunch!"[laugh]or "Gee, you must not be holding your mouth open right!" Sorry, I couldn't resist.
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#20
Funny creatures we are. Very dedicated to specific things. You would think that any line with a fish on the end of it would do, but we all have our opinions. I find it interesting that some only fish with berkley, and some only fish with stren, others only fish with manyh other brands of line, and everyone has thier reasons for this. Somehow each individual feels that his choice in brand or even line type helps him catch more fish than if he were using the same type of line in another brand.

I myself am victim to this trend. How many pros fish day in and day out with berkley lines? And here I am fishing on the weekend and I wont touch berkleys monofilament lines. Seems pretty stupid to me, but thats the way it is. Stren likes it that way. Guess I must have fell for one of thier marketing gimicks along the way.
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