Thread: Panfish Magnet and Casting Setup

I’ve used Sufix nanobraid, Berkeley Nanofil, and several Japanese braids. One from unitika called night game in 1.5 diameter, which casts and performs very well. No lees than 5 other braids on my reels come from Varivas and I’m pleased with everything about them. I also have some of Varivas nylon line also which performs better and is smaller than any of the domestic that I’ve tried. Some of the domestic li e I’ve tried is Stren crappie in 2 lb, trilene clear 2 lb and Sufix flouroclear. All of them do well for the domestic mono line. There’s probably a few others that I’m not remembering right now. I’ll also say that I fish different than most folks. I’m usually in tight quarters up near the bank pitching into pockets and stumps and between patches of grass and just junk in general. I like the full contact of braid and it’s lack of memory makes casting very easy unless it’s windy. The Nanofil is at the top of the list for castability but it comes with a few negatives also. No abrasion resistance makes it very easy to weaken the line by bumping a branch or rock or such and the line will break a long way from any knots for seemingly no reason. I no longer use it at all. The many braids that I now use from Varivas have greatly improved my opinion of small diameter braid. Some of mine are in .2 size that rates just over 5 lbs and will cast well with a 1/32 jig weight. My favorite jighead comes from a 1/32 mold but is a ball head and actually weighs 1/43 with a number 8 hook. If I can help shorten your learning curve, I’d say to look into Varivas twitchmaster for mono line, the three pound does very well for me and most folks. For the braid I would say the Varivas Master limited super premium PE line in the diameter you choose. I always use a leader of at least 4lb clear mono for abrasion resistance and flourocarbon also gets used. Uni to uni knots do very well for both size and strength. Braid comes with some personality too like wind knots or wrapping the tip. We all get it and just be patient. Reel loops also happen and warrant frequent checking as casts are made. I’ve had bluegill hit my jig that feel like someone just tapped the rod with a stick, and I love that. Hope this helps get you going, there’s lots better casts available than 6 lb mono can deliver.

Thanks Skeetbum, I will look into that line!

Originally Posted by skeetbum

I’ve had bluegill hit my jig that feel like someone just tapped the rod with a stick, and I love that. Hope this helps get you going, there’s lots better casts available than 6 lb mono can deliver.

I like the Braid, and as my old fishing partner says, "It's like hitting a brick with a lawnmower"