Fishing Line Dicsussion in this thread

I've made a slow switch to the Huckabee pro series rods. Very nice I might add. However, I've been using Power Pro Hi Vis braided line on my Wally Marshall's for years and this voids the warranty on the Huckabee rods. Yes, I used the braided cause I'm cheap and didn't want to have to keep retying every time I got hung up. (still waiting for Ranger to tape his "rubber band" method of jig retrieval) I've had some Hi Vis P-Line which I've used with good success so I strung some on my reels for now. Plus I've switched to Timmy Tom Weedless jigs and I don't hung up nearly as often as I used to.
Anyway, what is the goto line now? Co-polymer? Monofilament? Still braid? Fluorocarbon? Rope?

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Originally Posted by CHECrappie

Yes, I used the braided cause I'm cheap and didn't want to have to keep retying every time I got hung up.

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I with you on the cheap part. For fishing brush I have a dedicated rod with braid with a snap swivel tied on. I have several rigs pre tied and if I break one off I can grab another one and be back to fishing quickly. With the braid I'm not respooling and I even go so far as to use mono for backing and only have a few yards of braid on at a time. I really like the Stren Sonic hi-vis yellow, very soft compared to some, but they don't make it anymore. Found some on line when I heard that it was discontinued and stocked up. Should last quite a while this way.

I'm using 20lb power pro braid on mine.

I use a variety of rods, including the Huckabee Pulling Rods and a Pro Series. I had a Meat Draga but just preferred the others so sold it. The only gripe I have about the Huckabee Pulling Rods are they seem heavy compared to others I use. The Pro Series doesn't seem quite so bad. I use the Huckabees for specific techniques but fish many different ways so also use other rods. Favorites are the inexpensive Pro Angler rods in 8 and 10' lengths. I probably use them as much as the Huckabees. The Pro Anglers are strong, yet light and sensitive. I also use many others rods I have accumulated over the years fishing for Walleye/Saugeye and when I fished for Bass. Probably my favorite brand of those is Falcon in both the BuCoo and LowRider series. I also use about a 50/50 mix of spinning reels and baitcasting reels. Most of my baitcasters were picked up on Ebay and almost all have a flipping switch. That comes from years ago fishing bass tournaments in the Tommy Biffle style. It works extremely well on Crappie rods such as the Huckabees. Now, about line...

I have used braid for over 20 years but it is still not my favorite line, except for certain applications. I have it on some of my spinning reels but only one baitcaster on a 7' All Star rod that hasn't been made in many years. I almost exclusively use that rod, reel, line combo for fishing bridge pilings. When I use braid I use primarily Power Pro 10/2 Yellow. I started out years ago heavier but found I prefered the light line. My Go To Crappie line is Viscious PanFish Yellow. I use it for brushpiles, traditional long lining, Cranking, strolling (what some Okies call long lining), casting, spider rigging, corking (both fixed and slip float) and the float and fly technique. The Viscious is a co-polymer and is used in different weights between 4 and 10lb depending on the technique I'm using. I have used almost all the yellow mono or co-polymer lines and have never found one that I preferred to it. It's inexpensive and I keep a supply on hand all the time. I like Power Crappie fishing as much as anyone but I also prefer many of the traditional techniques of the South Eastern US...

But , then, I still use tubes so I'm different.

I've started using Gamma / Panfish co-polymer line. Bright yellow. 10 lb diameter has a break strength of 17.5 lb. It has been molecularly altered for super strength. If interested: gammafishing.com

The reason we voided the warranty on the Huckabee rods is due to braid wrapping around the rod tip and setting the hook. It cuts into the graphite and then may break on a big fish. Braid can be extremely abrasive and when it causes tips to break...it's not due to a manufacturing flaw. We aren't trying to tell anyone what line to use or not use. We just don't want to be responsible for breakage caused by braid. By all means use whatever line you like.

I just switched 100% to braid on all rods for a better feel on the thump.

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Originally Posted by Frank300

I just switched 100% to braid on all rods for a better feel on the thump.

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What size are you using?

I use 10lb power pro braid on all my Huckabees. Hung up a thousand times, I look for rod wrap and try not to stress the rod to break or pull out of the snag. That's why if I'm hung, I make sure there is no rod wrap, the crank the line in until the rod is inline with the snag. I then wrap the braid around my reel handle about 4 times and pull straight inline with the snag to not stress the rod in any way.

Seems like everyone is using braid these days. I'm still stuck on using hi vis 6lb mono. Guess I need to try some. Should I stick around the 8-10 lb braid if I go that way?

That Gamma line was interesting....until I saw the price tag! It's outta my league.