Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Product sources Fishing line life?

I use Suffix and love it. I'm basically a BG and Crappie kinda guy - nothing big like some on here, but the braid is awesome when you GET ACCUSTOMED to it. You get NO strech, which means you get an ultra quick 'feel' on the bite. Had to learn to be a little more patient with the hook set. Some say that using braid with a leader for my style fishing is ok, but my experience is that with just a leader of mono you don't get the strech you're looking for, so basiclly a waste. I use 20# Suffix and it has a 6 diameter. FYI - Braid will wrap around the tip of your rod in wind, and sticks to the rod on occasion. Just know that before you get disgusted with it. It's gonna happen. It can be a little $$ for some, so some folks will use mono as a backing then fill with braid. But again, I'm catching 1 1/2 Bream, and 2-2 1/2 crappie. My .02.

Polamar. Period.

Every time I read that, I see less and less of a problem.

Noob here, when you say braided line are you referring to the stuff called spider wire or something different?

Spider wire and PowerPro are the two most popular braided lines out there these days... They are made of Spectra. I am personally a fan of PowerPro.

Thanks that helps me understand what you guys are talking about now.

You guys were right, after using Power Pro on my Revo for a season, it is great line. I am using 20lb on a 6.6 BPS medium trigger rod. I liked it so well I bought a spool of 10lb to try on spinning equipment. I have gotten so I glance down about every 6-12 casts when spinning and notice more wind knots developing then when I use Fireline. So baitcasting great, spinning not as well. Has anyone had any experience with the Suffix 832? I have read mixed reviews on it.

Hey Stick...I've got some of that 832 spooled on a baitcaster I'm using to pitch/flip jigs and a 2500 class Shimano spinning reel I'm using for cranks...so far so good..definately recommend spraying both with some of KVD's line conditioner night before and during use. On any given day however I may have 8-10 outfits in the boat...most with mono(sufix) and a couple with flouro (Trilene 100%). I like the thoughts of braid but except for flippin in really heavy cover or frog fishing in the same jungle I never really liked it...we'll see.

Never been a fan of braid line on spinning reels except for drop shotting, jigging and some flipping applications. I do some Power Pro and use it exclusively and have tried several other brands.

What line, 6 or 8 lb test, do you guys use for spinning reels? Why?

Dave, I use 2# to 12# depending on what I'm fishing for. Bg to LMB or Carp.

CJ, I like the braided line on my rods that I use for steelhead. I use a 4'-5' fluro leader. Great sensitivity, and no stretch like mono. I also used it on a spinning reel with a green colored braid when worm fishing for LMB in a lake that had a pretty good bloom going and visibility was only 12"-18".

I really like 6 lb Fireline on my ultra light. Lots of feel. Saw the Linder's talking about fishing line a year or two ago and they said day in and day out they use a lot of 6-8 lb Berkley Trilene XT. They liked it for it's managability and strength. Everybody has an opinion about line. I guess that's why their are so many choices.

4# Trilene XL blue for finesse work like 4" wacky worm 8# suffix for crankbaits. Why...I fish the 4# with light tackle for spooky fish in clear water where long casts and subtle presentations are key. 8# mono helps me get better action and more depth= more bites on cranks.

Scott, that is why I use the Power Pro for drop shotting and jigging. That no stretch added sensitivity is great. One thing nice about having multiple spools for the same reel. You can load different lines on each one. Fluorocarbon doesn't stretch much either but Power Pro is tops for that. I use a lot of Trilene XL, more so than any other type.

You and me both. But, I really like the chameleon colored 3# Maxima if I can find it for a good balance between 2# and 4#.

I spooled up a bunch of different reels 2 years ago with different brands of Flurocarbon. Of all the choices out there, for my usage I'm leaning towards Vanish. P-Line has too much memory, and there was one that really seemed to twist badly no matter what I did to untwist it, and no matter what lure I used.

I'll have to look at that #3 Maxima. There is a huge difference between 2 and 4 pound tests. Maybe 3 pound is that happy medium...

With arthritis in my hands, I have trouble tying the 2 and 4 pound stuff.

With spinning reels, using Stren, I have trouble with it coming off the spool in several messes. Not sure what you call that.

Crappy line...

The best way to eliminate that spooling effect is to stetch out the line behind a boat with no terminal tackle on the line. Get the boat moving and let about about half the spool dragging the line through the water. Keep moving and wind in slowly, and there won't be any twist in your mono. Dwight, our dad, and I used to do that every morning before we went casting. Now we are more into braided line.

"MESS" is exactly what you call it.
Someone said to drag it out behind the boat and that is an excellent way to fix it after the fact but heres some tips to avoid it in the first place.
#1 Don't overfill spool #2 Use quality line in the size that matches the specs for the reel your spooling #3 Spool the line on under moderate tension and in the proper rotation..I have found the best way to tell if you're putting it on in the right direction instead of creating line twist by the very act of spooling..is to lay filler spool on the floor with the label up then reel 10-20 times and put slack in your line ..if it starts to twist turn spool over and continue.#4 OR take the tag end of the filler spool and walk it out across the yard the length you're going to spool on and then lay it down..wind on the reel SLOWLY under tension.#5 Never reel against a slipping drag #6 manually close the bail after every cast while quickly looking down at your reel for loops...now is the time to fix that by closing your bail loosen the drag and pulling the line off the spool until the loop clears # Look into Doug Hannons Wave Spin line of spinning reels...very innovative and affordable.

Thanks, I'll try a bunch of these things.

OK Travis; crappy line. What is the best line for 6 pound spinning reels? I prefer tools to work with, not work on.

Dave, I still use stren 4lb line, I don't have any problems with it. I would love to find a date on a spool of line, so I would have a way of telling how long that particular spool had been coiled up. I would think the shorter time, the better. I second the recommendation about closing the bail manually on a spinning reel. I believe that does help. I also don't use the smaller, "pony" spools. I think their smaller diameter lends itself to line twists. When I spool up a reel, I first determine the direction of reel rotation as I turn the handle. Then I lay the fresh spool on the floor so the line comes off in the same direction of rotation as my reel. You don't want to try and put line that comes off in a clockwise direction on a reel turning counter-clockwise, or vice-versa. It works for me.

FFF, great tips. That's the same procedure that I use. With P-Line, I had to keep flipping the spool over because no matter what side was up, I got line twist show up in the line when I dropped the rod tip as I was spooling it. I knew then that it'd cause problems all year, but I had to try it to see how it'd work.

Dave, Trilene XL in 6# test would work for ya. I find the XT keeps more of a memory on spinning reels.

Scott Thanks and heres a tidbit even most expierenced spinning reel owners don't know or have forgotten. The line guide in the corner of the bail is designed (quality ones) around a ball bearing that allows it to spin very freely, and if it doesn't.....well it MUST.

One thing guys can do is run a Q-Tip around the inside of your rod guides. If a strand of it gets caught in the guide, the guide is bad and it'll ruin your line quickly.

Best line I have ever used on my ultralight spinning setup is Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft 4lb test. I swear that stuff breaks closer to 8lb, and has almost no stretch. Trilene XL used to be my go to line and I still highly recommend it, but the hybrid ultra soft has it beat in my opinion.

I use it for everything from bluegill to bass, and it has never let me down. Pretty good abrasion resistance for 4lb line, and it is water / UV resistant so the line easily lasts a full season without getting weak like you see with traditional mono.