Your favorite line

Well with KT's last post on knot strength it got me thinking about what line I use. On almost all my reels I use Power Pro spectra and then some kind of mono/fluoro line as a leader. I've been happy with the results of Power Pro in most situations but would like to tryout another mono for comparison since I've used spectra for a few years now. For my leaders I've been using P-Line's fluoroclear for freshwater and the CXX copolymer mono for salt. I've been pretty happy with the results of the fluoroclear but was thinking to try and find a less visible line for the salt. Maybe a Seaguar fluoro, I dunno.

Anyway, just wanted to see what y'all spooled up with, why, and what you think of them.
Thanks,

Z

Fireline has been a berry berry goood to me!

Chameleon Leader has been a berry berry goood to me!

Powah pro, has been a no goood to me!  Esta too limp!

Fireline floats!
Fireline transmits feel berry berry goood!
Fireline cuts thru water berry berry good!
Fireline est no bueno on rocks.....

have been spooling everything with suffix mono this year. i like it's smoothness and it's limpness. in the weight ranges i've been using , 8-30, it's done very well for me.

what really attracted me to it is that i am able to actually see the darn line because of the colors in it. with some of the more traditional lines like trilene, stren etc, i've kind of lost that ability..add in the fact my eyes are getting worse as i reach middle middle age, and i'll take all the help i can get.

also, this being my 1st real year back fishing, i'd looked at the old standby's from when i lived in the south east and wondered if the MFR. had lost it's mind or sense of direction. not to steal your thread, Z, but if someone here could help me decipher the hype around stren /trilene and their "new ideas" regarding line visibility, i'd be real grateful. [ PM me about it plz.]

meantimes, i'll stick with the Suffix, with a strong lean towards P-line

I am pretty much a Power Pro guy all the way with the exception of my ultralight setup (which is now at the bottom of Banks Lake).

I haven't ever used a leader... honestly, I don't understand the purpose other than to make the line less visible and sacrificing line strength.  Isn't a leader the weakest link?  Why would I use a braid/superline only to have it's strength and feel undermined by weak mono?

The mono is the weakest link and sometimes that's the point. Think of it like a fuse. I've been hung up with 30lbs powerpro and had a REAL hard time getting loose from the kayak. I also use it as a shock absorber as pp has no stretch. I was fishing Jack Cravelle once and they kept popping 30lbs powerpro like it was the thread it looks like.
But mostly I use it for looks. I usually have a light mono tippet or leader just because I think fish can see braid.
Does that mean they can? I dunno? But I get lots of practice tying uni to uni knots.

I haven't ever used a leader... honestly, I don't understand the purpose other than to make the line less visible and sacrificing line strength.  Isn't a leader the weakest link?  Why would I use a braid/superline only to have it's strength and feel undermined by weak mono?

FFTW nailed it. Here's my .02 as well.

You can increase your hookup rate by adding a few feet of leader. Also for a lot of fish spectra is just too stiff and will either rip the hook out of a fish's mouth or break the line. Spectra nicks and breaks pretty easily so having something to absorb shock is a good idea. I usually inspect the last 10 feet of my Power Pro line every now and then to check for them. And lastly, like FFTW said, if the line is going to break anywhere, you'd want it to happen at the leader. That will leave the least amount of line hanging out of the fish's mouth or stuck to the bottom and the most on your reel.

Z

hey we almost always used andy line back home...but we were shark fishing lol

im pretty sure andy is good line but may not suit this type of fishing

and we were using anywhere from 20-50 pound line so

tried braid a couple of times and i like it cause u can get so much of it on the reel but at that price and for my fingers sake i stick to mono

plus i hate tying the leaders lol

Thanks guys- I'll give it a shot.  Here's a follow up question; what's the difference between line sold as leader material and normal line assuming the two are the same weight rating?  Is this just a marketing thing or is there more to it?

what's the difference between line sold as leader material and normal line assuming the two are the same weight rating? 

size of the spool (?)

what's the difference between line sold as leader material and normal line assuming the two are the same weight rating? 

size of the spool (?)

Exactly. If you are only going to be tying leaders then there's no reason to be carrying around 300 yards of it. Plus, a small spool is easier to throw in the tackle box.

Z

In the lakes, I use 15lb spiderwire (4 lb mono diameter)with a 4lb Maxima ultragreen leader. I try to keep the leaders at least 4ft, and use a small barrel swivel for the transition. The swivel is small enough to ride through the eyes if needed. When fishing 40 to 50 ft deep, the sensitivity of the the spiderwire is a must. I imagine the same can be true for rockfishing in the ocean. I also love the visibility of the braided line. When dropping down, any small bump can be seen. I use the same outfit for trolling for trout. By the way, this is on a very ultralight outfit. Makes for a lot of fun  when catching 14 inch or bigger trout!

I also only use size 8 bait hooks, with a small split shot for weight. Caught my biggest bass(4lbs, 18 1/2 inches) and my biggest trout(4lb, 24inch brown) on the same setup.

Dave

I'm just curious since Berkly Big Game for example is ~$6 for 55yds of 20# leader mat'l and ~$9 for a 1/4# spool of the same 20# test   I am just picking this one as an example, but all of the "leader mat'l" seems to cost quite a bit for the significantly smaller quantity.  Seems fishy...

When fishing 40 to 50 ft deep, the sensitivity of the the spiderwire is a must. I imagine the same can be true for rockfishing in the ocean.
Dave

Ohmagoodness!  Last week I dropped down to 400'+ with 20# mono and a big weight (and big bait). It felt like fishing with a rubber band (But hey, beggars can't be chooser's)  I have become completely spoiled by PowerPro.

I still like 20 or 25# mono for salmon in the salt.  Have tried the ultrabraid for mooching but find it irritatingly noisy in the guides, and got a nasty cut from it trying to free a snagged sinker.  I have a Shimano 100TD loaded with the new Berkely stuff but haven't used it yet.
   Maxima chameleon or clear is great, as is Trilene Big Game (very stretchy) and I still like Ande for an inexpensive line.  Tried Seaguar fluoro and had problems with knots breaking as it is brittle and nicks VERY easily.  Rather stiff, too.  I could see it in the water, it's less visible than copolymer but not really "invisible".  I like P-line, ties well and seems very durable.  Stronger then rated test, though---the 15# breaks at around 25.
  The Berkely rep said the fluoro leader material is different than the stuff spooled  for mainline, he said "If your're buying for leaders, but the leader stuff". 
   If all I was going to catch were kings in the 25-50# class, I'd spool 25# Maxima or Big Game.
   The Japanese super copolymer lines are interesting, but too expensive for me.

   

BTW---I use braid for halibut.  And have not fished for salmon much below 120 feet, if I were trolling 250 feet down there might be a different choice!!