When is heavy mono too much?

[Geezle]

I have some 15lb Maxima UltraGreen on one of my reels...I'd planned on using it this winter for pike but never got a chance to go after said pike :o

This line seems *very* stiff and it likes to coil off the spool if there's no tension on the line, so it's kind of a PITA to work with. I hate to pull brand new line off my spool, but I can't see myself using this stuff for very long without losing patience with it.

So at what point does mono become too heavy to be practical?

[bubba 96]

I have had this happen to me with the 8lb as well, never had any luck with the ultragreen, and I also know of others who have had not so great experences with this line....If your going for pike get rid of the ultra green and get some braid....

[McDeth]

For average sized spinning reels (1000-3000 sizes) I wouldn't put much heavier than 10 or 12 # mono. Even the best quality mono in the thicker diameters becomes a little unruly on spinning gear. Larger sized spinning gear (3500+) seems to handle the heavy mono a little better (due to the larger spool diameter) but I still believe that if you need to go heavier, invest in some PowerPro or learn how to use a baitcaster. Baitcasting reels are magic with heavy line, not so much with light line. Although I still use braid on most of my casting reels, heavier mono can be cast with little frustration. If you prefer heavier mono over braid (god forbid), a "round" style baitcaster (like a Calcutta or Ambassedeur) is the way to go. The wide spool on these reels produces less friction during the cast.

[The Fisherman Guy]

x2 on the Power Pro.

Geezle, you really need to ditch the mono man! The benefits of braid are 10 to 1 over mono. Abrasion resistance, unmatched feel, longer casts, less birds nests, the list goes on. I will never fish plain mono for anything over 8lbs.

I run 20lb power pro to a bearing swivel. They have welded eye rings, that will not wreck your knot. Then I run a 15-20lb leader, about 20inches, of Flourocarbon clear mono. Your casts will gain 30% distance, and you can feel your lure. When trolling you can see the action of the lure as it moves thru the water, you can even tell when you get fouled with weeds. Can't get any of that with the stretchy mono!!

[mooseknuckle]

Got a go Braid dude. I have the firewire (red) braid 12lb it's awesome dude and I was puling out some decent pike with it last week.

[steve]

I spool all my tip up's with 60lbs. Tuff Line, caught alot of good pike on them never had break off.

[Funfishing]

I had the same problem b4. Looks like it is time to switch to braid.
Good advices!

[crazyfish]

most hardcore fisherman will change out the mono every year in spring. The good mono won't have as much "memory" , I still use both, but the power pro really is good stuff ! Personally IMO the ultra green is bad for "memory" ! if you like mono, keep using it, but put on new stuff and try a few different brands til your happy with what your using .

[Geezle]

Thanks for all the input guys!

I should mention, that aside from my one little ice fishing reel with 4lb mono on it, this UltraGreen is the only other mono I have. I read some reviews on it, and it seemed good, but now the consensus here is that it has some bad memory issues (which are painfully apparent to me as well).

I've got a handful of other reels all with different braids on them. I've got one with 50lb Spiderwire, one with 6lb Firewire, and one with 10lb Firewire Crystal. Can't say I prefer any one over the others yet. Maybe I should give that PowerPro stuff a shot since a lot of people seem to swear by it :)