Is there a perfect line for light spinners?

[amk]

I mostly use a mono 4 lb test. The main gripe is its memory which significantly limits the casting accuracy and distance. On the plus side is its stretching which comes handy battling a big trout.

I have tried Berkley’s “nanofil” no stretching uni filament line. Since there is no memory, the accuracy and distance is better, but it breaks very easily at knots. Besides it is only available in white color, so it is more noticeable to wary fish. No stretch means great sensitivity but also less amortisation of a trophy fish strike.

What do u use?

[horsetrader]

I use TecTan premium plus 2lb and 4lb from germany I order it from the states no memory and ill not freeze up use it in winter for perch to

[honker_clonker]

Big fan of the 2 pound test fireline, It breaks well above 2lbs. It does take a bit of break in time to get really supple but once broken in it cant be beat. Put on some 4lb test tippet as a leader and your in business.

[The DragonSlayer]

Geez, I have always used 6 lb XL, and have no complaints. Better to stick with one, and know it's limitations, than trying something New Every time out.

[amk]

Originally Posted by honker_clonker

Big fan of the 2 pound test fireline, It breaks well above 2lbs. It does take a bit of break in time to get really supple but once broken in it cant be beat. Put on some 4lb test tippet as a leader and your in business.

Not sure if I understand this set up. A leader stronger than the main line means the line will break anywhere, most likely at the rod end, a bit of waste? Or I am mistaken?

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by amk

Not sure if I understand this set up. A leader stronger than the main line means the line will break anywhere, most likely at the rod end, a bit of waste? Or I am mistaken?

The leader takes most of the abuse so some people like to run a heavier leader

[stc77]

8 pound power pro. Has the diameter of 1 pound mono, no memory and no stretch. You'll feel everything. That's what i use. Run the braind to a swivel then tie on a few feet of mono or fluoro as a leader and you are good to go.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by amk

Not sure if I understand this set up. A leader stronger than the main line means the line will break anywhere, most likely at the rod end, a bit of waste? Or I am mistaken?

No, the weakest point would be the knot attaching the leader.

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

No, the weakest point would be the knot attaching the leader.

A properly tied knot is stronger then the line itself.

[Daceminnow]

Originally Posted by amk

I mostly use a mono 4 lb test. The main gripe is its memory which significantly limits the casting accuracy and distance. On the plus side is its stretching which comes handy battling a big trout.

I have tried Berkley’s “nanofil” no stretching uni filament line. Since there is no memory, the accuracy and distance is better, but it breaks very easily at knots. Besides it is only available in white color, so it is more noticeable to wary fish. No stretch means great sensitivity but also less amortisation of a trophy fish strike.

What do u use?

berkley trilene XL. red box. red labeled spool. very good mono.

Dace

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

A properly tied knot is stronger then the line itself.

Anyone care to add to this? I don't believe it myself.

[BeeGuy]

A good resource on the effect of knotting line on line strength.

LINK

[6.5swede]

i like the spiderwire invisi braid in 10lb test super good for caster 1 and 0 size mepps

[amk]

Originally Posted by Daceminnow

berkley trilene XL. red box. red labeled spool. very good mono.

Dace

That is the one I use. It too has memory, especially after some time.

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

A good resource on the effect of knotting line on line strength.

LINK

You link is on rope knot strength I have yet to break off on a properly tied knot but have broke off before and after the knot.

[Kokanee9]

Originally Posted by Daceminnow

berkley trilene XL. red box. red labeled spool. very good mono.

Dace

I used this line for years and found the stretching matched the weight of the spoon or spinners I used that day. The heavier the spoon the more stretch. Makes sense. On some days I would have to strip off the first 15 ft of line to get some fresh line by the spinner, other days, I had to do that twice in the same day. Once the line is stretched, it is not reliable. Elasticity is non existent and the only way around it is to cut off the stretched portion and carry on. 6lb test was a good all around choice from pike in a lake or trout in the bow. I had too many trout snap 4lb test in the current of the bow. 6lb seemed perfect.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Kokanee9

I used this line for years and found the stretching matched the weight of the spoon or spinners I used that day. The heavier the spoon the more stretch. Makes sense. On some days I would have to strip off the first 15 ft of line to get some fresh line by the spinner, other days, I had to do that twice in the same day. Once the line is stretched, it is not reliable. Elasticity is non existent and the only way around it is to cut off the stretched portion and carry on. 6lb test was a good all around choice from pike in a lake or trout in the bow. I had too many trout snap 4lb test in the current of the bow. 6lb seemed perfect.

sums it up nicely.

one issue with running trilene xl 6lb in the bow is that browns have a tendency to roll in the line. A big brown rolling on 6lb can break it quite easily.

I always run a 10lb leader of the same to avoid this situation when hunting for big browns.

[AK47]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

I use TecTan premium plus 2lb and 4lb from germany I order it from the states no memory and ill not freeze up use it in winter for perch to

Great line, I concur.... which website you are getting it from? One I used to get it is out of stock now.

[Serengeti Charters]

P-Line hands down. Used to use Trilene but ever since using P Line's mono it is unmatched in strength! I know their lighter lines are extremely good casting lines as well. P Lines 30lb test literally breaks at more strength/pull than trilene 40lb test and maxima's 40lb test etc...there are numerous studies and reviews online that also show this for their 8-15lb test line as well.

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by AK47

Great line, I concur.... which website you are getting it from? One I used to get it is out of stock now.

http://www.fishusa.com/tackleshop/


this should get you there.

[freeones]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

A properly tied knot is stronger then the line itself.

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

Anyone care to add to this? I don't believe it myself.

You shouldn't, because it's not true.

There's tons of info on knot strength out there, just Google it if you want to see for yourself.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by freeones

You shouldn't, because it's not true.

There's tons of info on knot strength out there, just Google it if you want to see for yourself.

Check out the link I posted if your interested. It sums it up pretty well.

[AK47]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

http://www.fishusa.com/tackleshop/


this should get you there.

Thanks a lot!

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

You link is on rope knot strength I have yet to break off on a properly tied knot but have broke off before and after the knot.

Guess ive just been lucky.

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

sums it up nicely.

one issue with running trilene xl 6lb in the bow is that browns have a tendency to roll in the line. A big brown rolling on 6lb can break it quite easily.

I always run a 10lb leader of the same to avoid this situation when hunting for big browns.

But according to you tying on a leader weakens the 6 lb line at the knot so why use the leader at all.

[freeones]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

But according to you tying on a leader weakens the 6 lb line at the knot so why use the leader at all.

Line breaks for more reasons than weakening it at the knot.

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by freeones

Line breaks for more reasons than weakening it at the knot.

Care to elaborate?

[honker_clonker]

Originally Posted by amk

Not sure if I understand this set up. A leader stronger than the main line means the line will break anywhere, most likely at the rod end, a bit of waste? Or I am mistaken?

I would say you would be mistaken but I will explain. The 2lb fireline will break at around 6-8 pounds from most of the literature I have come across so there is little worry about mainline breaking. The mainline has SUPER thin diameter which will equate to long casts with small lures. The leader material is for shock absorption, ease of knot tying and being less visible to fish. It is way easier to tie knots in mono than superlines. I use a blood knot with 7 turns and it has held strong for me so far. The leader takes the brunt of the abuse and the mainline is usually untouched. I use 5 feet when fishing for trout since they are quite wary most of the time.

When fireline is new it has a coating on it, which has some memory but once it wears off it is really supple. It took me about 3 trips to get to this point.

I use this setup on all my icefishing rods and have caught pike to 10 pounds on 2 lb fireline with 5lb Rio powerflex tippet material. I have a great trust in this combo.

[freeones]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

Care to elaborate?

I didn't think it was necessary, but if it's not as obvious as I thought it was.

The line is constantly being damaged by contact with everything from the rod guides to rocks to things in your boat or the back of your truck. This is especially true for the last few feet in front of the lure that see the most contact with the bottom and debris in the water. Any abrasion will weaken the line.

Fish have teeth, sharp gill plates, sharp fins and rough scales. Having a stronger leader protects against these things.

[horsetrader]

Fishing Line Knots - The Weakest Link






There are too many fishing line knots to list them all. The hassle of knot tying has always been a pet peeve of mine. Fortunately I am a freshwater fisherman, where one knot is all I need for 90% of all my applications. I am a procrastinator and I always hesitated when it came to retying after catching a fish or to try different baits when fishing was tough. All that changed after learning the Palomar knot. It’s simple, fast and the strongest fishing knot you can tie. After learning how to tie it and performing the test described below, I think you’ll agree.
Before covering the Palomar knot, I want to talk about joining two different diameter lines with a fishing line knot that has the lowest profile without giving up line strength.

Line to line

This is the fishing line knot you will use to attach braided line to monofilament fishing line both when attaching braided line to backing and leader to braid line. Make sure the knots are uniform and smooth. Moisten the line between the knots before pulling them together. I also tie 3 overhand safety knots on the tag end of the braided line for insurance. Braided line has a tendency to slip so you want that extra insurance.

Looking at the illustrations, line A will be the one on the left and line B the one on the right. 1) Overlap about 12 inches of the ends of two lines. Form a Uni-Knot circle with the tag end of line "A."

2) Wrap line "A" five times to form a Uni-Knot around line "B."

Snug the knot by gently pulling on both ends of line "A" with enough tension to close the wraps, but not so tight that it actually grips line "B." While pulling the line, hold the knot between your thumb and index finger to keep the wraps uniform. You may need to roll the knot gently to keep the loops from over lapping each other. If you just try to pull it tight, without any assistance, it tends to ball up creating a big ugly wad especially with heavy monofilament fishing line. Of the two fishing line knots described on this page this is ,by far, the toughest one to master. The good thing is you only have to tie it when your leader gets shortened from retying hooks. I only need to do this every couple of days.

3) Form a new Uni-Knot circle with the tag end of line "B" and wrap line "B" five times to form a Uni-Knot around line "A." (Use only four turns for 60’, 80’ or 100-pound-test monofilament.)

4) Gently pull line "B" with one hand and line "A" with the other to slide the two Uni-Knots together until they jam…then pull tight. Then tighten the wraps around the standing lines by firmly pulling the tag ends of each Uni-Knot.

5) Snip the tag ends.

This is what your knot should look like after you pull it tight. Notice the ball at the tag end of the braid line to the left of the knot. This is the triple overhand knot I tie as a safety knot incase the braided line slips. To the right is the snipped off end of the monofilament fishing line.
Leader to hook

The Palomar Knot is the most widely used of the fishing line knots for almost any application. I use it for tying hooks to my leader for shiner fishing. Any lure, clip, swivel etc. that I tie on for artificial, I use the Palomar Knot.

1) Double about four inches of line and pass the loop through the eye.

In figure one it says “pass the loop through the eye”. When you do this never pinch the line when feeding through the eye. When you pinch the line, it creates a weak spot and can cause it to break. To avoid that from happening, I feed the end of the line through the eye, pulling enough through to make a large loop and then feed it back through the eye. This eliminates any chance of weakening the knot.
2) Let the lure or hook hang loose and tie an overhand knot in the doubled line. Avoid twisting the line and don't over tighten.

3) Pull the loop of line far enough to pass it over the lure or hook. Make sure the loop passes completely over this attachment.

Now look at figure 4 below.

4) To tighten, pull the tag end while holding the standing line. Clip the tag end.

Look at this picture closely. This is what the knot should look like when you pull it down tight. If the line in the eye is not lying side by side, like in the example, start over. If the line is over lapping it creates a weak spot causing the line to cut itself. This is the strongest, simplest, fastest and least bulky of the fishing line knots you can tie. If not tied correctly, it becomes the weakest.
One very important thing to remember is when tying a swivel in-line exp; Carolina rig, always tie the swivel to the leader first. Remember step 3 where you pull the loop over the lure or hook? In this case the first step, tying the swivel on the end of the line, no problem, you just pull the loop over the swivel and cinch it down. In the next step when you try to tie the leader onto the swivel what happens? You not only pull the loop over the swivel but remember you’ve already attached it to the end of the line which includes your rod and reel…OOPS! I had to learn this the hard way and after calling myself a few choice names, I cut the swivel off and started over.

There are two solutions:

Cut the swivel off and start over by tying the swivel to the leader first.
Use fishing line knots such as the clinch knot or improved clinch knot.
I recommend the first since my experience tells me that the Palomar, tied correctly, is the strongest and least bulky I can use.

Test:

Tie a light line such as 8lb. or less to a hook with the Palomar knot. Check your knot to see that the line going through the eye of the hook is not over lapped. Stick the point into a secured board. Pull the line until it breaks. Now look at the hook. Is the knot still intact? This shows you that the knot is stronger than the line. After performing this test, I was convinced that the Palomar was the best of the fishing line knots I could use. It gives me confidence that I can eliminate one of the weak links between me and the fish.
One of my faults was not retying enough. Whether it was to change lures when I knew the one I was using wasn’t catching fish, to retie after catching a fish or fishing abrasive heavy cover. With the Palomar, because it’s the fastest and easiest fishing line knot to tie, I don’t hesitate to change baits or retie whenever necessary.