fishing line

[Guest]

If you could only have one fishing line to use for all species of fish what brand would it be and what pound test line. My preference is Trilene XL 8# test.

[traveler]

Trilne 6 XL

[Guido]

Trilene 6lb xl all day every day

[waterwolff]

my goto is trilene 6# xl

[Chev_trucks501]

I would take Spiderwire Stealth #20

[Bobb-o]

stren easy cast 6#, but this winter i used 4# trilene micro ice for everything.

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Diplomacy - The art of saying "nice doggie" while you find a rock.

[jparrucci]

Fireline in 6lbs test. I liked the Iron Silk, but i found it got very brittle after sitting just a week or two. Worst thing about fireline is that when you get snagged up..its almost impossible to break..you will snap a rod before you snap the line...I tie on about 4 feet of Vanish to whatever I'm using (hook/jig/lure)just to ensure I don't break a rod tip on a snag in windy conditions.

[Guest]

It seems as if the majority likes the 6#. Thanks for the input, I think I'll give a try and see what happens.

[Guest]

I agree with the 6 lb., but prefer Berkely Tournament Strength to the XL. Still extremely limp, but with better abrasion resistance and holds up better over all.

[Guest]

definately STREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......i hate berkley!!!!!!......stuff kinks and breaks all the time.....6 or 8 lb test.....

[LocalGuide]

To use for anything all the time. That would have to be 10lb Power Pro, Hands Down. Strong and a small diameter.

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AKA PikeEye 300

[Smokey]

For years I was a Trilene XL fan, but last spring I made an impulse purchase of a spool of Rapala Finesse. I liked it enough to buy more halfway through the summer and replace the XL on my other reels. It seems to stay kink and coil free more so than the Trilene.

[cartfan]

I had Trilene 6lb green XL put on 2 of my reels last year at Gander Mountain. Both spools would coil up very easily after using them for the first time and would make it almost impossible to tie a knot. Do you think it was the line and how it was put on?
I put 6lb XT on another spool and it never seemed to coil up and was much easier to tie knots with.

[Seabass77]

I started using fireline last winter and started using it on my open water stuff this past summer. It's hard for me to go back to anything else now. 10# fireline has 4 pound diameter, and it's extremely sensitive. I use trilene sensation for clear water and for panfishing.

I highly recommend giving a superline a shot. Especially for jigging and rigging. For rigging, I like to use a mono or floro leader.

[M.T. Bucket]

Seabass77:

I fish with spinning, baitcasting, and spincast reels. Do you recommend Fireline for all 3 types? Any reel type Fireline really isn't meant for? Thanks.

[M.T. Bucket]

I'm hooked on Rapala Finesse. Casts great, doesn't kink, coil, or tangle much. I use 8 lb as my 'generic' test, but I use six quite a bit as well.

I've never had a good experience with any line that isn't monofilament--tangles and breaking strengths much lower than advertised. I've tried Spiderwire and that Gorilla stuff, but superlines are too expensive to experiment with each brand.

[joshb]

my favorite line for the last couple has been berkley vanish in the 6 and 8 pound test. this stuff is amazing. i run 6 pound on the live bait rig and 8 on the casting rig, very little stretch, strong, and truly invisable. i even use it on the ice.

as far as superlines i used to use fireline exlusevly but got really sick of it fraying, fading, slipping on my spool, and digging in on a heavy retreive. not impressed, im giving spidy wires new stuff a try on the trolling gear this year. i got the stealth and the fusion which looks to be very similar to fireline but claims not to dig in under pressure. the stealth is an actual braid but very small.

we'll see how they work out i guess.

[knoppers]

floricarbon 8# for all the reels, spinning and my baitcasters. have had nothing but good luck with this stuff.

[M.T. Bucket]

Thanks. Come to think of it, that was one of the reasons I chucked the superlines--they would slip on the spool of my baitcaster. I've never used these lines on any other type of reel.

[fishermn]

My daughter and I tested several various lines rated at 8lb test last year (science fair project). These included stren, trilene XT, trilene XL, two gander Mt. competitors to the XT and the XL, and fireline.

The best performer for outright strength was the fireline by about a 2.5:1 margin. It held roughly 25lbs dead weight. The trilenes and Gander Mt brands held around 10lb, and the Stren was around 8 - 8.5 lbs. The only one that had significant stretch was the Stren. All other had minimal stretch even up to the point of failure.

However, outright strength was one one part of the analysis. We also did an abrasion test where we rubbed the line up/down 10 times with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper. This made a huge difference in the performance. After abraison, all of the lines were obviously weaker, but the one that suffered the most was the Fireline, it broke consistantly at around 6-7 lbs. The Stren, the Trilene XL, and the Gander Mt. brands all also failed at between 6 - 8 lbs. The XT consistntly held the full 8lbs + even with abraison. Made me a beliver in Trilene Xt, now its pretty much all I use...

[2dalake]

I just posted a similar result on the panfish forum last night. I switched to Trilene XT on rods that I use for slip bobbers because XL was fraying and breaking where I slid the bobber stop.

[Seabass77]

M.T. Bucket,

Fireline is not for all applications. I like it for jigging, rigging(florocarbon leader)and trolling. You can use it for casting but I don't like it as much for this purpose.

As far as slipping, you have to use a mono backing or tape it down to prevent this. This is the same for any superline.

With the fading. I really don't care what color my line is. Actually, I like older fireline that is broken in over new fireline.

For my spinning reels, I always have two spools for every reel. One with mono. One with fireline. I switch it up depending upon what I am doing and the conditions.

I will be trying power pro this year for my casting gear. I have heard good things.

[Blackstarluver]

Bass Pro Shops Excel. The best all around line I have ever used. All #tests.
God lyk!
JC

[upnorth]

Trilene 6# xl, casts easily, and if you match to the right rod with a smooth drag you can land surprisingly large fish with it.

[Corey Bechtold]

Walleyekiller... Berkley now owns Stren! Some interesting changes may be in the future. Personally I like Berkley XL, Fireline, and Sensithin. They discontinued Sensithin and baught a ton when it was on clearence. Berkley stands behind everything they sell so if you have a complaint about a line they would be happy to send out something different. they have done that for me.

[2dalake]

I tried Sensithin a couple of years ago but it got brittle after a few days. I could snap in two with barely any effort. I really liked that Trilene Premium Strength that they sold in the gold box, but I have trouble finding it now. As far as I know they don't make it anymore. I still find a few boxes in stores here and there but it's not on the Berkley website.

[LocalGuide]

Now I have had good luck with sensation. My not so favorite lines are Trilene gold stuff, Vanish and Stren. Also that Cajun fishing line is some good stuff to try.

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AKA PikeEye 300
And keep those hooks sharp!

[Northlander]

Fireline or Trilene XT in 8# strength.

[joshb]

hey seabass - what are your feelings on the whole FRAYING and DIGGIN IN on your spool?, i noticed you got the rest but missed those.... i feel that when the superlines dig on your spool it doesn't let the drag work as it should. i admit that the overall strength of superlines are FAR superior to mono, but the fishabilty of a superline is another story....a short story about fireline...when it first came out and me and my buddies were eager to try a superline, so we were out drifting on a local lake and my buddie hooks into something - after about 10 seconds or so we realize he had snagged something off the bottom but it was coming up, any way after about 20 minutes of lifting and reeling......we pulled to the surface a 12 inch diameter, 14 foot long water soaked log. that thing must have weighed over 200 pounds. i think it was 8 pound test if i remember right. my friend and i to this day are still in awe over the shear strength of fireline......we both have since switched back to mono. i believe that consitancy is far more valueble than than a circus act of strenght on the water.

[Guest]

Corey....thanks for the info.....i'm going to have to find a new brand of line then because i can't stand Berkley....they'll screw up making Stren line....any suggestions?????