Mad_Birdman wrote on Apr 24^th, 2011 at 12:44am:


I like co-polymers in general and I like P-line but I'm picking out a few items that don't seem to go together that well;

8lb test
baitcaster
big baits

Just trying to help........just my opinion
want to talk it through?

MT

Mad_Birdman wrote on Apr 24^th, 2011 at 12:44am:


Cold Canadian shield lakes, baitcasting rods, large lures, large Pike that may have never been caught before or ever have seen a lure before.  I'm gettin' the shakes!!!!

I'm heading to WCPP and giving 8-lb. P-Line a try for the first time. I went with the FloroClear, with the idea that it has a bit of the FC's invisibility but the strength of a copolymer. I'm bringing a short baitcaster with a few big baits to go after a toothy critter or two.

Ouch!..........you got me!

mastertangler wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2011 at 3:19pm:


Good to know you're not seriously considering reducing your meds. Keep on keepin' on.

Here is another aspect of line classes for consideration. And that is.......how the lure operates given the type of line involved.

For example.........For a good many years I have had huge success throwing a j-11 original rapala in the perch finish on 4lb green xt. The balsa lure is really able to strut its stuff on the 4lb line. Not only does it look like nothing is attached it has an extra little kick in its wobble. Throw in being able to cast a light lure which is not particularly aerodynamically friendly a very long way because of the 4lb and you have a winning combination.

Sometimes you want a lure to fall slowly. One way to achieve that is to fish thicker line. It catches more water and thus slows the descent of the lure.

One thing to keep in mind with FC is that it is stiffer and heavier than comparable test mono. Lures will sink a bit faster and may have a bit less action (but who knows......less action may be the ticket that day ). One way to compensate is with a loop knot. There are many different loop knots and I am not a fan of most of them. The perfection loop is an exception. It works especially well with FC.

Speaking on FC, FWIW, most of the bass tournament pros I know despise vanish. Surprisingly they have good things to say about bass pro shops brand (Of course bass pro doesn't make it). I have never heard them talk about P-line BTW. I have always been a fan of seagur FC leader material and I like the original best. The harder thinner diameter premium seems tough to work with.

I'm getting a little happy.........I get to go fishing soon. Maybe after a mega-dose of fishing they can cut back on my meds. (I'M KIDDING!)

i always carry two rods. the jig rod with mono for any sort of finesse stuff and a baitcaster with 15lb fireline/powerpro. anything that costs more than a few cents (your chatterbait, topwater, or cranks) goes on the baitcaster where im not afraid its gonna break off if i get snagged. i have a tight budget. all the finesse stuff gets done with the mono.

Hmmmm.......not sure I'm with you Jax on line change applications being mostly unneeded.

I can think of tons of applications where I routinely change my lb test.

Finesse presentations with a j-11 rapala or a slider and 4lb xt come to mind.

How about a chatterbait in the weeds.........better have 10 or 12#

8# for topwater smallmouths

6# for trolling deep cranks (yea, I know I'm daring.... The 9' steelie rod lets me get away with it)

And then of course I never hit canoe country without a selection of big baits. Baits pushin 9" require 15 or 20# test just to be able to toss without breaking them off on the cast itself.

If I'm in the Q and it's a fishing trip more than a travel trip I will have on hand 4, 6, 8, 10 and 17 lb test. Two identical spinning reels with 2 spools each and 1 baitcaster to handle the big stuff.

Of course each trip is different. This summers WCPP trip is a travel trip and although I intend on running a line as often as possible (weather permitting) I don't want to get bogged down playing fish on to light of tackle. So I will likely "up" my line test considerably to make the battles a bit more of a down and dirty slugfest than what might be otherwise.

first off, welcome aboard! its always nice to expand with new people! 

i am an XT guy through and through and this year i changed it up a bit. i moved up to 6lb from my usual 4lb and changed from clear/low vis green over to red. this is mainly because at the end of may i will be graduating college and moving to my new home with my lovely new wife (in august) along the wisconsin river. the red line really blends into the water well because the red spectrum disappears first because of the lack of light penetration in the stained waters of a river. first outing there with the new line i pulled in a 44 1/2" muskie on my ultralite rod. was quite the adventure!

one of the lakes my group frequents up in the Q, jesse, is quite stained as well. our favorite lake, oriana, is a bit more clear but i feel the red line wont really hurt me there either, seeing as most fish we pull out of that lake are in the 8-12' deep range.

i know a lot of guys that change their line all the time and use different stuff for different lakes, applications, etc. i usually go 2-3 years on one spool of mono and i just replaced the fireline on my baitcaster after 9 years and i still catch lots of fish. i never really have an issue with breakoffs, even at the 4lb test level. if you use the same line, you have a better knowledge of how it reacts in certain conditions whereas if you are always changing lines, you have to be constantly changing how you fish it.

my personal opinion has always been and always will be that if you have to change line for every application, then you arent fishing right. if you break your line off in big fish, you arent doing your best job. im a huge backreel kinda guy and i really dislike the drag, so its a style thing maybe. all the new lines that are coming out that are better for this style or that style, remember that people used to catch huge numbers and big fish back in the day with super thick mono/braids. if you are using the right lure and presenting it properly, im a huge believer in the fish will bite no matter what line you have.

so the bottom line is, use what you are most comfortable with because then instead of worrying about your line, you can worry about which lure and how to present it. but up in the Q, in the famous words of our own solotripper, "For the casual/meal fisherman, just keeping a line in the water as much as possible will do the trick 99% of the time. " you cant catch fish if you are always changing spools of line or tying new stuff on because you listened to someone else and used line that you arent comfortable with.

I've been using 6# low vis green XL for decades...but this year will get some Tuf Line Duracast 10 or 12# and test before the Q. Will pack some XL as a backup.