I use graphite rods for most of my Quetico fishing, though my kids, who are MUCH more likely to drop, stumble over, step on, or otherwise mistreat a rod use fiberglass Shakespeare Ugly Sticks. The Ugly Sticks are very durable, though not as sensitive as the graphite rods.

I've never tried the braided "superlines", but I think I'll give FireLine a try this year on one of my reels. I've heard the complaints that it's not very abrasion resistant (like Quetico Fan has said), but for vertical jigging or trolling for lake trout, with a 6 ft mono leader, the line shouldn't come into contact with many rocks, and I think the no-stretch feature would be a big help in detecting strikes and setting hooks in deep water.

Posted by Harry on February 21, 2000 at 14:31