I can't stop thinking about the "one" that got away. I went in with 20 mono and picked up some 14xt for some backup line. When I noticed some knot issues with the 20 I opted to replace it with the 14lb test. Big mistake when coupled with a stiff rod and big lures. I deserved to lose the fish and looking back my self talk includes the phrase "big dope" and "what were you thinking"?

My thinking now runs to 65 test braid loaded on a baitcaster. I went with a little bit heavier braid than I really need to help avoid backlash problems as well as less tendancy to dig into itself. Power pro can be a nightmare to untangle and more times than not I end up cutting my way out. For knots just double the line and use a four turn uni knot. Make sure your drag is right or you might find Mr. Big pulling you over. It can happen. Have some snips handy in case you get hung. I will probably just cut the line as close as I can.

There are some big honkin pike out there and if you throw lures that get their attention be sure you are equipped properly. I'm still not sure why I went with mono while throwing muskie lures. BTW, I noticed no drop off in strikes with regular sized pike whatsoever. Be extra careful with lures like Suiks which sport 3 sets of oversized trebles. Some of the big spinnerbaits and inline spinners might be a safer yet still productive choice.

Good hunting. 

with muskie lures running 15-20 bucks a pop there would be no way id run them on anything but heavy braid. jigs and plastics are cheap, so losing them is no big deal, but any hardbaits i run are on braid.

its interesting that you mentioned powerpro. i tried a spool of that stuff this spring and didnt really like it at all. it broke way to easily for seemingly no reason. i went back to fireline, but crystal this time, 20#, and had decent success. this years quetico trip july 6-11th, i ran only crystal. it wasnt by design. my brother broke his pole, so he used my spare, spooled with 14# smoke fireline. (i brought 2 baitcasters this year just for giggles). trolling similar lures, similar depths, the lines performed pretty close to identical. the only difference really was whatever line was in the front of the canoe outfished the back line. no idea why really because we let out different amounts of line each time, so there wasnt a consistent front rod/front lure pattern.

Interesting Jax that you have had some iffy results with PP. I haven't used it in lighter lb tests. But I have used 30 for backcountry snook fishing for over 20 years with great results. It is, in fact, the line of choice among the salt water crowd.

Despite rumors to the contrary it is not especially abrasion resistant and perhaps therein lies the crux of your missteps with PP. I always have a 3' section of 40 FC which is very abrasion resistant when I backcountry fish. Get that PP on a barnacle and it will blow up.

Fray a few threads on some rocks in the Q and it just might come apart. I also wonder what sort of knot you are using and if you are testing it sufficiently. Perhaps it is pulling off the lure? There would be no tell tale curly cue.

Your right about the muskie lures costing a bunch. I was quite bummed when I thought my tackle backpack was at the bottom of lake Superior. But there it was still stuffed under my seat when I rolled my boat upright. 

Any of you tried Suffix 832?  I put some 30 lb on my baitcaster and tried it out a few weeks ago and was very impressed.  The theory behind the stuff is that standard braid line often abrades itself which is to say the strands that make up the braid rub against each other and over time cause failure.  832 includes a strand of gore fiber which is supposed to act as a kind of lubricant making the line more durable.  That’s the theory anyway.  But as I say I found it a pleasure to use and relatively easy to manage on those oh so rare ;)occasions when I managed to make a nest for myself.

One last thought to those of you who might be fishing heavy braid. When you get hung the inclination is to lock your drag down to pull free. All well and good if you don't overdue it.

But remember to loosen your drag again. An easy mistake to make especially when your tired. At best it may cause you to bust off a fish at worst Mr. Big could pull you a bit harder than you are prepared to accept.