I have always used 6 lb test I fish a lot of Lilly pads and brush. I read where lots of people use 2 lb test. Will I catch more fish if I go to 2 lb test?
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I have always used 6 lb test I fish a lot of Lilly pads and brush. I read where lots of people use 2 lb test. Will I catch more fish if I go to 2 lb test?
Water clarity plays a factor with the clear lines here. Very rarely do I encounter crystal clear conditions while shallow water gill fishing. I have been getting away with the yellow 4lb mono for years, but have switched to braid the last few years, 2 and 3lb test in green and white and have not seen a fall off of bites. Get some Trout Magnet 2lb SOS at your local Walmart and give a whirl. It breaks at about 3.5lb and casts well. If you cast micro plastics, you will get better distances and bite detection with the lighter lines.
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Hey No Luck - I was a little concerned about it as well but made the switch to the 2-lb SOS last summer. I am pretty sure that we fish some of the same lakes and yes when the pads come up, it is a little tricky fishing with the light line. But it really is not that big of a deal. And yes, I think I catch more fish with the light line. I have fished with friends who were using 4-lb and even 6-lb line and I definitely caught more fish. I think it makes a difference. I’m about ready to start using some nano fill for my main line and tie on a light leader for better sensitivity.Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
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Clear water l use 2 lb but fishing stained water or lilies l would go with heavier line maybe 6 lb because of hangups and breaking off.
If you use lighter line you are going to get a lot more opportunities for fish. The lighter the line the more natural action the jig will have. This applies to any specie you are fishing for. I've had a lot of folks ask me to take them fishing and show them my method. They ask me what kind of gear to bring. I tell them Ul or L and...2# test line. More often than not they show up with 4-6 pound test line. Standing shoulder to shoulder I've caught fish every cast and my guests have caught few...or none many times. You can not work a micro jig to its best using 6# test line. If you're live bait fishing it is a different story. I am many times reluctant to answer this type of question on a forum. Folks will come back and say "I caught so and so using 6 pound test line". I'm sure thay did but they would have done a lot better using 2# test line. A few weeks back I was at Dale Hollow on a slow day. My nephew and I tied into several smallmouth in the 18-19 inch range. It was no problem landing those fish on light line. It is all I fish with. There will be a learning curve when you switch to 2# test for the first time...with many breakoffs. But you will soon get the hang of it. I love the SOS 2# test...which has already been said it is really 3.5# test. That would be a good line to start with.
Regards
The Nanofil has been great for me the last couple years. This winter I tried using it with a fluorocarbon leader, and just could not keep the leader from slipping. I have gotten better at tying the Triple Loop Surgeons knot, and with a JDM braided line I am having much better success. With our stained waters this spring I have just been tying straight to the 2lb Nanofil when using it.Quote:
Originally Posted by D10
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I generally use 2# since I like to fish jigs (1/64 - 1/32 oz) and need it to get casting distance. When I fish with crickets or other live bait I often use 4# since I share those rods with the wife and kids. I don't think it generally makes much difference and I doubt you'd be missing much with 6# if you're fishing in a manner that casting is ok with that size line. For a cricket under a weighted float with a split shot I doubt the difference would often be noticeable unless you are bank bound and need every foot of casting distance possible or are fishing in very clear water. I have had a couple of days where the fish seemed to be line shy, as shown by the difference between two anglers fishing identically, but with different lines, but the vast majority of the time the line doesn't seem to be critical. Heavier line combined with the right light wire hook will definitely help getting the rig back from snags.
I know there are lot of guys that like SOS - I've never used it. Last week I got to observe someone else fishing with it - not pretty. Jim lost (broke off) 3 big fish in one day (the day we were catching huge CNBGs) - 1 to Maxima and the other 2 to SOS. For extreme UL fishing I will fish izorline XXX or the Hybrid Yo-Zuri. I don't have any problems casting 1/48th, 1/32nd, or 1/24th jigs. Not trying to set line class records - just want to land big fish...
4 Lb Stren original clear blue florescent .
I am not super impressed with maxima... felt pretty fortunate to land a 14” crappie on it lol... are both of those lines smoke color?
Sonny, are you fishing those two brands in the 2lb test? I'm assuming you like them? I'm looking for a good 2lb or 3lb line for my new JDM setup.Quote:
Originally Posted by LedHed
VCM - I'm using izorline XXX smoke (.15mm/.0059") breaks ~3lb and the mist green Yo-Zuri Hybrid (.20mm/.008") breaks >4lb. Both cast well, and more importantly for me is the abrasion resistance. If your waters are relatively clear of obstacles you can have a lot of fun with the JDM lines. I'm talking about fishing in waters with submerged trees, brush & rock piles and you still want to use UL jigs.
Troy - that's all I've been using for ~15 years now. Use to fish saltwater with Hybrid blue & XXX smoke (4 & 10 inshore and 50 offshore), awesome stuff. Probably why I'm big fan. For me, both lines work great with the lower end Master Craft & Pro Marine rods.
Stren Original 4lb.
Ive been using Nanofil and a 5’ 4lb stren blue leader for about 2 years now. I started out tying direct and found that the Nano has no abrasion resistance to things like dead branches and crappie teeth. Had it break on both. Best so far is a 2 1/2lb LMB that had to have my 1/64 jig. Absolutely love its castability so i deal with its personality. Inconvenient to retie a leader when you break off but that’s the way it is. Had a monster gar take off with my jig Sunday, no weight but it was as big as my forearm. Never looked back and i was connected til he ran through a tree. Many 2lb Crappie have fallen to these rigs, i now have 2 and will change another soon. I had someone slip me some 1/80 jigs and i can still cast those a respectable distance. Have it in mind to try some of the braids sonny speaks of but haven’t done it yet. Crest liner likes the fireline crystal but all i can find is high priced or a 50 yd spool. One day I may try it also.
I think some lines get dry and brittle, especially after being in the sun. I've had problems with Tectan which I used to fish a lot with and now the SOS. I stripped off about 20 foot of line after breaking off two big fish and it still broke easily. Put that reel aside until I changed to the Yo zuri hybrid line later when we got back and had no further issues.
JJJ just curious if you had the sos on that spool for a while or not?
I bought the spool last year and put it on just before my flight. I keep all my line in a closet where sun can't get to it. If I buy line at a store I will get the spool way in the back, not the front. If there is a lot of dust on the top of the box I won't buy it.
Went to town this morning because it’s raining again no 2 lb test line of any kind any where typical for where I live. People think bass is the only fish in the water
I did the same thing around my house last week. Found nothing but the 2-lb SOS and I already had that. I ended up ordering some line online. About the only option I could find.Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
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If you can find anything in a store, it will most likely be 2# SOS and 2# Stren Crappie. My local Cabela’s carries 2# Trilene. If you can’t find those, online is your best bet.
Bates in Mayflower typically has the 2-lb SOS.Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
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Our local bait shop says they do not sell enough to stock it and requires payment up front to order it . They take no responsibility for brittle warehouse heated line . Walmart has the 2 lb. sos .
As no luck says, the bass guys have convinced everybody they need 60# braid to catch 2# fish.Quote:
Originally Posted by eagle 1
I don’t know how you guys do it
I tried some 4 lb line this past winter and had a tangled , kinked mess in 2 hours.
Glad my water is stained 99 % of the time , 10 lb line takes a licking and keeps on ticking!
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I don’t have any problems with it at all. Lost count of the number of 5-6 pound smallmouth I’ve landed using it. I don’t use it because of water conditions. I use it for the fun factor. Used a lot of different brands of 2# test but never had problems with any I used....just didn’t like some brands for one reason or the other.Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenLine
Regards
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The USA is years behind the rest of the world when it comes to ultra light angling.Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
Regards
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... and float fishing and fly fishing. (The fly guys are rapidly closing the distance, though.)Quote:
Originally Posted by Alphahawk
As Alphahawk says, it's just a matter of using it and understanding what UL tackle can do.Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenLine
After you get used to using 2-4# test anything above feels like casting rope, lures are so much easier to work on light line.
Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
I'm making a concerted effort to fish with 4lb line at the moment. Years ago, when I fished smaller lakes in Southern Indiana, I actually fished with 4lb line. When I came down here to Kentucky lake, it was recommended to use at least 6lb line, so I did.
I've just bought two spools of the SOS 2lb line and will try it out very soon. I tried the 2lb Trilene and it's extremely small stuff to work with. I could barely see it when trying to tie my snell knots on my hooks. I tie the traditional snell, not the knockoff versions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by redearhoosier
That problem will not get any better with time....LOL. I no longer use any clear line except when targeting white bass.....or maybe the Smallies at Dale Hollow. And in all likelihood this will be my last year to use any clear line. I will just get some 3# test hi-vis line out of Japan and make it my line when chasing bigger fish and just use a section of FC leader. I wanted to mention to the OP...no luck.....that all of us who have chimed in about lines and what we use was in all likelihood not our first choice in 2# test lines. The only way to find out about any line is to try it....and I am sure those of us who use 2# test lines have tried many before settling down to what we use today. I would fish with a brand of line sometimes as long as a year and then decide to switch.
Regards
This is my first experience with the nanofil 2lb test and to tell the truth, I can barely see it and for some reason these old fingers dont work as they once did when trying to tie a hook or jig on. It will cast a mile, but golly it is tough for this old man to deal with it. I don't have much patience to begin with and this stuff is driving me nuts.
I use nano and micro braids on all my spin gear. Works great. When fishing clear water we are fly fishing using small stuff. It's common to use 6x or 7x tippet. 7x tippit has a "break strength" of 2.5 lbs. The way i understand it, this is less than 2 lb "test". Often our flies are in size 20 hook range.
When i first started fly fishing clear water for trout with super light lines and small flies i had major problems. The tiny hooks would pull out or the line would pop easily. Add in the current of the river and it was land one fish out of 10.
A few years back i bought a 10'6" Czech nymph rod from Cortland in a 3 weight fly rod. The rod was much lighter and than anything i had ever felt. The combo of the length, ultralight, and sensitivity was incredible! Now, i just about can't shake a fish off. The rod bends from the top all the way to the handle and becomes one long shock absorber.
I liked it so much i have since had 3 other rods built to mimic it in spinning rods. Yesterday i was using one of them to catch white bass in heavy current. 1 to 2 lb fish in heavy current on a 10' uber ultralight Is a ball!
The take away... long sensitive rods project light lines. If you are fishing structure, or cover, or catching and releasing and need to land fish quickly you will be amazed at how much pressure you can apply with longer lighter rods and still protect the line.
I Love me some light lines and long rods.
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6 for gills and 10 for crackers.Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
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The biggest problem I have is setting the hook to hard, with 2# line, this happens when I am not thinking, other wise I love it. The SOS and Izorline are my favorites.
I fished this past Wednesday and Thursday with the Nanofil 2lb line at Dale Hollow. Fish gone from beds. Finding them on the bottom. Must have had 50 line breaks just from hanging on grass. Had to go to heavier line and rod. I can't hardly see that nanofil to tie a hook on.
Yeah... that stuff was way too weak for me, had take it off my reels.Quote:
Originally Posted by Quailtail
6 lb Nanofil with a 12 foot "shock leader" of 2 lb. SOS tied off with a double UNI knot.
I've been using 8 lb test KastKing SuperPower braid from Ebay for a few years. It's not only lb test that should be a consideration as much as lb test /diameter equivalent. 8 lb test braid is equivalent to 2# test diameter and still allows good hook sets on long distance casts of a 1/32 oz. jig/plus lure weight. I still use Gander Mountain 10# test braid that has the diameter of 1 # test mono - strange but true. I can't break even 8 lb test braid without my hand without getting cut.
As stated in previous replies, lure action is always better using smaller diameter lines. Line bow or arch - the primary enemy of strike sensitivity when working lures deeper is far less than for mono. I catch fish with or without a 6 lb test fc leader, but usually tie one on - again for better lure action and strike sensitivity on the usual slow retrieve.
Not to get off topic, but I often think of things my Dad taught me and my Brother that included not setting the hook too hard in panfish (Generally) and don't throw the fish into the live well, cooler, or back into the water too hard. "Ease them in, Son". Dad was a sportsman that loved and respected all game, as well as enjoyed them at the table!Quote:
Originally Posted by trypman1
As for our line discussion, I now use Mr. Crappie 4lb Hi Viz. Sure is easier on the eyes, and unless the water is crystal clear, it works fine for me. Kudos to folk like Richard Gene that regularly catch nice fish on 1lb line. I'm just not quite there for #1 or #2!