Ive always used Berkley Trilene XL monofilament line. Either 8 or 10 lb test. Recently, I've noticed that my line is snapping a lot more often than not when i get a hit. I just re spooled my line and the first time i took it out, out of about 10 bass, i only brought 5 into the boat, due to the line snapping. Most of the ponds i fish in are weedy and i tend to stay shallow in and around the Lilly pads. Ive never used any line but the Trilene XL. Whats the best line for my conditions? By the way, i have a Shimano 3000FE reel. It says the max line should be 10lb test. Should i switch to braided? Thanks
Well if braid is what you want my personal preference is Power Pro, heres the link to BPS they have 10lb three colors, Moss Green probably being the best choice, the stuff is durable.
http://www.basspro.com/PowerPro&-x00ae;-Braided-Spectra&-x00ae;-Fiber-Micro-Filament-Line--300-Yards/product/44283/-1029656?cmCat=CROSSSELL_THUMBNAIL
Besides that I'd try Seaguar AbrazX or Berkley Vanish I use all three religiously with out a problem
http://www.basspro.com/Seaguar-AbrazX&153;-Fluorocarbon-Fishing-Line/product/104165/-1557337
http://www.basspro.com/Berkley-Vanish-Fluorocarbon-Fishing-Line/product/20390/-691613
http://www.basspro.com/PowerPro&-x00ae;-Braided-Spectra&-x00ae;-Fiber-Micro-Filament-Line--300-Yards/product/44283/-1029656?cmCat=CROSSSELL_THUMBNAIL
Besides that I'd try Seaguar AbrazX or Berkley Vanish I use all three religiously with out a problem
http://www.basspro.com/Seaguar-AbrazX&153;-Fluorocarbon-Fishing-Line/product/104165/-1557337
http://www.basspro.com/Berkley-Vanish-Fluorocarbon-Fishing-Line/product/20390/-691613
I use 20# power pro on my spinning rod for fishing around the lily's. It has the same diameter as I think 8 or 10# mono. I use it on a Berkeley Shock that is designed for braid. The braid will eventually cut a groove into the top eye of your rod. I like the green or the red.
zukauskas- if your breaking off that much with 8 or 10 lb trilene then something is going on. Do you have a good fishing knot for terminal tackle connections that you can comfortably tie the correct way?? if not a couple good suggestions for light mono would be either an improved clinch knot or the trilene knot (google search em and you'll get plenty of help).
if the knot isnt your problem then either the line you used to respool is damaged/weakened or some part of your tackle (rod guides, terminal tackle eyes are a couple possibilities) is weakening the line.
now, with that being said it still might not be a bad idea to switch over to a braided line. with braid the pros certainly outweigh the cons in my opinion but do keep in mind that there are definitely a few cons. when choosing a braid i would probably select one that is somewhere between 15-30 lb test for your reel. 20 probably would be the most logical as others here suggested. Also, it should be noted for those who are unaware of this but when looking at the rated strength (in lbs) of any braid you can usually count on the actual breaking strength of that line being somewhere in the neighborhood of 50% stronger than the rated strength. sometimes even more. for example, most 20lb rated braids have an actual breaking strength of somewhere in the neighborhood of 30lbs at least. dont ask me why this is the case because i cant figure it out either and it drives me nuts.
PowerPro is a good choice for braid if you plan on staying away from the premium priced braids such as daiwa samurai or toray super braid. Personally, i prefer the teflon coated spiderwire stealth over the powerpro. both are priced similiarly but the main reason i prefer the spiderwire stealth is that it tends to be softer and more supple in my opinion. the powerpro has a bit more stiffness to it although it does lose most of this stiffness once the line is used a bit and wears in. if you do choose spiderwire make sure it is the stealth. some of their others suck....spiderwire ez braid is the name of one i believe that i tried once and was disappointed.
one last tip. a major drawback to using braid can be the increased visibility of this line compared to other types such as mono and especially flouro or copoly. opinions on this vary greatly and some people dont believe its as much an issue as others might. generally, a good time to be concerned about this is if you are fishing clear water and/or targeting species that may be more wary than others (carp and trout, especially brown trout) come to mind. if this is the case then use a leader (preferably flourocarbon but a copoly or mono will do). i like to use a long leader....at least 8-10 feet and attach it without using a swivel. instead using a good line to line connection. the best one in my opinion is a modified albright knot also know as an alberto knot. this knot is also pretty easy to tie once you practice it a few times.
sorry for the long post but hope it was helpful. good luck. take care all.
if the knot isnt your problem then either the line you used to respool is damaged/weakened or some part of your tackle (rod guides, terminal tackle eyes are a couple possibilities) is weakening the line.
now, with that being said it still might not be a bad idea to switch over to a braided line. with braid the pros certainly outweigh the cons in my opinion but do keep in mind that there are definitely a few cons. when choosing a braid i would probably select one that is somewhere between 15-30 lb test for your reel. 20 probably would be the most logical as others here suggested. Also, it should be noted for those who are unaware of this but when looking at the rated strength (in lbs) of any braid you can usually count on the actual breaking strength of that line being somewhere in the neighborhood of 50% stronger than the rated strength. sometimes even more. for example, most 20lb rated braids have an actual breaking strength of somewhere in the neighborhood of 30lbs at least. dont ask me why this is the case because i cant figure it out either and it drives me nuts.
PowerPro is a good choice for braid if you plan on staying away from the premium priced braids such as daiwa samurai or toray super braid. Personally, i prefer the teflon coated spiderwire stealth over the powerpro. both are priced similiarly but the main reason i prefer the spiderwire stealth is that it tends to be softer and more supple in my opinion. the powerpro has a bit more stiffness to it although it does lose most of this stiffness once the line is used a bit and wears in. if you do choose spiderwire make sure it is the stealth. some of their others suck....spiderwire ez braid is the name of one i believe that i tried once and was disappointed.
one last tip. a major drawback to using braid can be the increased visibility of this line compared to other types such as mono and especially flouro or copoly. opinions on this vary greatly and some people dont believe its as much an issue as others might. generally, a good time to be concerned about this is if you are fishing clear water and/or targeting species that may be more wary than others (carp and trout, especially brown trout) come to mind. if this is the case then use a leader (preferably flourocarbon but a copoly or mono will do). i like to use a long leader....at least 8-10 feet and attach it without using a swivel. instead using a good line to line connection. the best one in my opinion is a modified albright knot also know as an alberto knot. this knot is also pretty easy to tie once you practice it a few times.
sorry for the long post but hope it was helpful. good luck. take care all.
If your looking to stay with mono, try out Trilene Big-Game. I've used it for years saltwater fishing and just found out it was availible in 8 and 10lb tests. I have it on both my trout (8lb) and bass (10lb) setup and just switched my carp/catfish rod (was cajun red) to 15lb big-game. its cheap and works great.
I've been using Berkley Trilene 10lb, 8lb Mono, and most recently the the Trilene "Extra Tough" 8lb, which is basically the same thickness as the normal 10lb, but a little stiffer.
I haven't snapped a line once with those. I actually caught about 6 fish in a row without retieing the knot on my hook. That stuff held up no problem.
It seems it's something else. The knot, fishing technique, weak or old line. Unless you're pulling in huge lunker after lunker, that stuff should be fine.
Nice user name btw (My name is Erik Zukauskas). Small fishing world.
I haven't snapped a line once with those. I actually caught about 6 fish in a row without retieing the knot on my hook. That stuff held up no problem.
It seems it's something else. The knot, fishing technique, weak or old line. Unless you're pulling in huge lunker after lunker, that stuff should be fine.
Nice user name btw (My name is Erik Zukauskas). Small fishing world.
Yeah, to me it sounds like your knots may be the problem. What kind of knot are you using? I'd recommend testing the strength of your knot before baiting your hook. I use the Berkeley Trilene 8, 10, and 12 pound test. My reel says it can only handle up to 10 lb, but the 12 lb trilene xl seems to work just fine. The nice thing about this line is that it casts smoothly, far and is sensitive and its cheap, so I'd recommend sticking with it if you can.
Ive always used Berkley Trilene XL monofilament line. Either 8 or 10 lb test. Recently, I've noticed that my line is snapping a lot more often than not when i get a hit. I just re spooled my line and the first time i took it out, out of about 10 bass, i only brought 5 into the boat, due to the line snapping. Most of the ponds i fish in are weedy and i tend to stay shallow in and around the Lilly pads. Ive never used any line but the Trilene XL. Whats the best line for my conditions? By the way, i have a Shimano 3000FE reel. It says the max line should be 10lb test. Should i switch to braided? Thanks
My only Mono choice ever: Suffix Siege in "Camo" color! I use a palomar knot and when this stuff snags, seriously, it feels like steel cable! Can't tell you how many times I have used the 12lb and literally have had to use my clippers to cut the line
again, make sure it's Suffix Siege and not the "Elite" line.
Tight Lines!
For night time, I have a rod with 30 lb power pro... I usually will tie a 30-40 lb. mono saltwater leader for 2-2.5 feet to the end of it. I know it sounds crazy, but when you can't see anything, it helps you cast further, keep your lures and rip out those big boys when they hit!
For daytime, I like to use lighter line tied onto the braid... 10+ feet of it (if I'm not in the weeds or pads). There is definitely a bigger bite ratio. I'll have to look at the spool later on, but I think it's Sufix. I think it's 12 lb. test. I've never had a problem...
For daytime, I like to use lighter line tied onto the braid... 10+ feet of it (if I'm not in the weeds or pads). There is definitely a bigger bite ratio. I'll have to look at the spool later on, but I think it's Sufix. I think it's 12 lb. test. I've never had a problem...
I was using Berkely Transoptic on my spinning rods. I went to bait casters and loved them , except for the line issues. Once I got comfortable with the rod and reel setup, I tried many lines (and spent alot of cash)........ braid didn't work well for me, would jam on the spool, especially with anything that wanted to take it for a ride. I tried some of the florocarbons, like vanish......hated it.
Tried the 15lb Transoptic and stuck with it. No snags.....if a backlash occurs it comes right apart and it's strong. I was using 8 on my spinners and a few people had recommend going bigger with the baitcaster....... Works great.
Tried the 15lb Transoptic and stuck with it. No snags.....if a backlash occurs it comes right apart and it's strong. I was using 8 on my spinners and a few people had recommend going bigger with the baitcaster....... Works great.
