Printable View
I've been using Trout Magnet SOS for a number of years. It seems to get too many twists in it as of late; I'm constantly fighting the kink while fishing. I do lots of drop shots using a slip cork and absolutely no bobber stopper. This allows the bait to sink directly to the bottom which is needed for redear.
Wouldn't a braid be smarter in this situation since there's no line memory? What's a quality ultra light braid? Preferably something I don't have to tie leaders to...
I've only tried one jdm braid and it was really thin and wasn't that great. The daiwa jbraid in 6 pound test is really thin and phenix makes a thin 3lb braid. I quit using braid on my ultralights though, thin blanks and tip wrap are a problem with braid.
My recent experience with 2 different braids, 6# and less, was that it is a poor performer in the wind. Ice fishing or fishing over the side of a boat it performed well.
I am not sure that you will find any 3# test braid that actually tests out at 3 pounds. For me if I am buying any line it will be Varivas. Their Infinity PE X8 is a great line and comes in a 5.6# test and a 7.5 pound. A true 3# test braid would only have a diameter of around 0.04mm. Not sure that one can even see that.....LOL. If you have not tried Varivas Twitch Master nylon you should. I had pretty much stopped fishing nylon lines until I tried it.
Regards
I've got three spools of Varivas Twitch Master 3lb line. I tried it several weeks ago and was iffy about it. I think I'll give it another run as everyone speaks highly of it. I just have to be careful because some of these redear I get into can pop small line in a New York second. I do tend to have a loose drag setting and will gradually adjust the drag as I bring in the fish. Thanks, Randy!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Alphahawk
I loved using 2# P-line Floroclear line , but had too many break offs after I landed a fish or while trying to drag them up a hill if where I was fishing at a high bank .Quote:
Originally Posted by redearhoosier
I’m talking about fish that were under a pound .
Fishing from a boat or having a net wouldn’t be as big of an issue , but I’m a 90%+ bank fisherman now . And don’t want to carry a net .
That’s why I started using Daiwa X8 J Braid using a 4# Floroclear leader about 8’-10’ . I use a variation of the surgeons knot to join the two lines . Six turns instead of the normal two. I haven’t had any issues with the knot passing through the micro guides on my Abu Garcia MB3 JDM rods .
Using leaders is one reason I struggled using braid at first , but I’ve gotten use to it .
By using a four pound leader , if I get hung up , the leader line usually breaks at the jig . I can add leader material with a surgeon’s knot like I’ve always done fly fishing .
The Daiwa J braid is 6# test , but 1.5# test .
I have seen issues with wind blowing the braid , but I think that’s because I can see the braid better than I could my 2# flouroclear. I’m not sure it gets blown any more than a mono .
I do have to be more conscious about making sure the line is strait after closing the bail . I think what people call wind knots are the result of not checking the braid before starting your retrieve.
Since I started checking as I close the bail , I’ve had almost zero problems unless I forget to check .
I tried the VARIVAS PE Line, Super Trout Area 4x in 6.7# , and it was nice braid , but it’s $38 for 75m .
I like the Daiwa J braid x8 just as well and right now it’s $28.36 for 300 meters , enough with backing to fill three reels .
I like being able to rod lift most fish now without worrying about break offs as much .
Tried UL braid once - immediately took it off. Wind knots galore, and I fish in all weather. I stick with Varivas Twitch Master 3 lb and sometimes 4 lb. When it was on sale, I bought 20 spools of it. Before starting with JDM line, I really liked K9 hi-viz 4 lb copolymer, still do - for dock shooting where I might need to straighten a hook. I don't think a 'cracker could break it, but I'm not catching 2 lb+ fish (yet).
Edit: lately I've been spraying automotive silicone lubricant on a rag, and reeling the line thru that when I re-spool. Seems to slide easier and last a lot longer, with less memory.
Berkley Fireline 4 pound might fit your criteria. Stiffer than other braids when new because it's fused, so it rarely gets wind knots and doesn't require a leader. Stronger than it's rated line strength, so it can handle your big Redears. The FishN'Fool knot works great for tying braid to a lure. It's just a Uni knot with two passes through the hook eye instead of one. The Varivas braids are the best, but i wouldn't use one without a leader. They are the most expensive, but a lot cheaper if your buying a reel on Digitaka! Double Cross is my favorite. Handles and sinks better because it's a braid/ester hybrid line.
I’m kinda partial to the Varivas braid also. I have several reels spooled up with it. My little rods get the 4 lb and most of the others are 5.2 or something close to that. They do blow around some but I think it’s no worse than the 2lb mono I’ve used before. You know the sensitivity is way good and I make some allowances to get that. The twitchmaster is also good but very different from the braid and I dont use it much. Where I fish is full of junk and the toughness of the braid helps a lot. I still have a few rods with mono and nylon but more often than not there’s a rod full braid in my hand.
Varivas Avani with a leader is all I use on my UL setups, great stuff, as small a diameter as I would ever want. I use the .2 and .3. Comes in 150m spools.
Depending on what style slip float your using I'm wondering if braid would cut into the hole in the bobber, causing issues with the bait sinking.Quote:
Originally Posted by redearhoosier
I've had issues with the cheaper bobbers that just have a hole in the plastic with even mono cutting into the hole and not letting the bait drop smoothly. I've mostly gone to the Thill slip bobber that has the brass insert in the top of the bobber.
If your not using a bobber with an insert look at the hole under magnification, maybe your line is cutting into the bobber material causing the issue.
This video talks about the issue. link goes to Thill facebook page
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...u&opi=89978449
Varivas super trout area braid pe 0.15 4.5lb works good for me. Just wish they had longer spools
I’ve used Varivas PE lines (Infinity x8 0.3#, Area Master Limited Super Premium 0.175#, and their BFS PE line 0.6#) and Daiwa Gekkabijin PE 0.2# (I think rated to 3.8 lbs). All of them, other than the BFS PE line, are hair like thin. Never had a single wind knot on spinning gear in 2 years of use. Never broke off.
Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com
Didn't know anyone made 3# line. I found 2# over near Portland, 2# impossible to find in Central Oregon. When I was stationed in Germany, 1967-1970, I fished the rod and gun club lakes for trout and got crystal sewing thread from the BX for line. Tested out with a fish scale right at 1#. try setting a hook in a bigger fish and had to be gentle to avoid breaking it. But loved using it!
Suffix Nanobraid is the best I’ve used.
I have tried 10 or different UL braids. The Varivas stuff is fine, it just bleeds its color off quickly and becomes white, which isn’t an issue really, the suffix Nanobraid I like is white to start with. I haven’t tried the Infinity PE from Varivas yet however.
I’ve not had issues with wind knots on any of the premium braids.
Sorry to bump a kinda old thread but I'll echo a couple others here and suggest Varivas Area Super Trout Premium x4 or whatever it's called because I had a lot of trouble finding a good braid myself after dealing with tip wrapping issues or just casting poorly with other lines, and I really believe in this stuff. I use .2 size. I know the price seems stiff for a 75m spool but realistically that spool should last you 2+ seasons. Keep in mind this .2 PE rated at 6.5lbs likely has lower breaking strength than a USDM 3lb line as well. Hair thin and casts smooth as butter.
So it took nearly 3 seasons but I finally killed (the top half of) this spool of line. It fought the good fight and caught a ton of fish. A couple recent trips I was finally experiencing occasional tip wrap and I knew it was the line's time to go but ignored it. Today I broke off 3 times just holding the line while lipping a fish with its head barely out of the water which has only happened 1 time ever before. I reverse reverse reverse spooled it back on when I got home so its a "fresh" spool but afterwards I spooled up my Ned setup with a spool of 13lb (0.8) Sunline Almight that I got recently and it has a really great feeling to it. Very thin and supple relative to the Power Pro it replaced and it's a 4+1 strand sinking braid. The lightest is a 0.4 Gou with about the same breaking strength as the Varivas 0.3 so I think I'm going to try a spool of that next to see how I like it because I feel like it might be great for minijigs. Also happens to cost less than half as much as the Varivas. I'm super picky with my line and terminal tackle and such, so I'll let yall know if it gets a yay or nay from me.Quote:
Originally Posted by shong
With many of you using these very thin lines, I do not, do you use a leader, flouro/mono/ or something else?
Always use an FC leader with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by fiveeyes
Regards
Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com
I stopped using a leader last year just because leader knots don't play well with micro guides and it certainly doesn't feel like I'm getting fewer bites. My hands sure do get cut up from the thin braided line while I'm holding it trying to lip/grab fish though. When I get rods that are more leader knot friendly, I'll go right back to using a leader. I would definitely recommend using a leader even though I don't.Quote:
Originally Posted by fiveeyes
I always use a leader with think PE and ester. My most frequently visited reservoir has murky water so I get away with Trout Magnet SOS 2 lb line. I have used 2 lb fluoro but on several occasions the fish have broken the line while hauling them up to the dock. For stream trout I use 4 lb fluoro with 0.6 PE.Quote:
Originally Posted by fiveeyes
Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com
What knot do you use?Quote:
Originally Posted by shong
I have some rods with absolutely tiny guides and can easily pass a three turn surgeons knot through the guides. It does click going through, but has never gotten stuck and doesn’t seem to affect cast speed. Make your leader long enough to be between reel and stripper guide on the cast so it gets some velocity before getting to the tiny guides.
I much prefer mono for a leader. Currently using a 4x or 5x tippet and really liking it.
Crazy Alberto. Truth be told, I last used leader when I was using braid that I hated that had terrible tip wrap, and that easily could have been the issue. Never went back to a leader just because I haven't felt like I've had any issue getting bites and it gives me the ultimate in sensitivityQuote:
Originally Posted by Yodie
The braid I hated is the Unitika Night Game PEII in fluorescent yellow 0.3. Far and away the worst fishing line I have ever purchased. Very bad tip wrap within an hour of using it. Weird paper feeling on the finger and significantly worse sensitivity than Varivas. I respooled my UL with it and fished with it today because both ends of my Varivas spool were dead. Had an awesome day of fishing despite the line, but I was fighting against it the entire time. The 0.4 Almight will be here tomorrow and I can't wait to throw the Unitika right in the trash. I recommend everyone stay far, far away from the Unitika. Hopeful for the Almight as I've been enjoying the 1.0 on my Ned setup with 7lb leader.
Had a couple days to play with the Almight 0.4 (rated at 7.2lbs max). Maybe it'll improve a bit as it breaks in but the 0.4 is surprisingly a bit stiff compared to the very supple 0.8 I have on my bass setup. I did go with the olive camo on the UL vs pink for the bass reel, maybe that makes a different. I do feel the stiffness detracts from the line's sensitivity a bit. Without wind, the sensitivity is very good, with wind, the line has average sensitivity. The extra (I assume polyester) strand seems quite effective in getting the bait down to my desired depth quickly while fishing vertical. Looking forward to giving it some time with a drifting presentation. I have just been fishing vertical, but in the few casts I made to test, castability is excellent. Overall of the 4 braided lines I've put time in with on UL in the past few years, here's how I'd rate them:
Power Pro (5lb): 1/10. Trip wrap, poor castability and line lay on the spool, significantly thicker diameter than competing PE lines, sincerely just a step above unfishable
Unitika Night Game PEII 0.3 (3lb): 1.5/10. Bad tip wrap, below average sensitivity, weird papery feeling, loses its color fairly quickly
Sunline Almight 0.4 (7.2lb max): 7.5+/10. Review above. I think it may break in and feel better and I think purchasing camo instead of pink may have been a mistake. Very cost effective compared to other options.
Varivas Area Super Trout Master Limited 0.2 (6.5lb max): 9/10. Exceptionally supple and sensitive. Performance wise, this line is really just about perfect. Very pricey, but the spool I had lasted either 2 or 3 seasons of regular use including some saltwater.
2 weeks in now with the 0.4 Almight. It broke in and feels great, very similar to the Varivas. Sinks a little better than Varivas which helps when you're using a 1 gram or lighter jighead or with any wind. About half the price and readily available at Tackle Warehouse. I couldn't say for sure which is more sensitive between this and Varivas. Call me crazy but I prefer the 0.4 over 0.2 for roughly the same breaking strength just because it's a little easier for me to see the line to tie knots. Time will tell how durable it is and if it holds up to use in saltwater, but I've quickly become an Almight fan. Would definitely recommend it for anyone looking to make the switch to braid to leader or just try a new braid.
It seems that we fish with similar gear and method. My first pe braid was Unitika night game and I went head over heels for it. I couldn’t find any to buy and that first spool was given to me by another member. Begrudgingly, I went to Varivas for my next purchased line and found that it was not only as good to my inexperienced skills at the time but sensitive beyond my experience. I’ve always used a 4lb mono, usually clear blue Stren til lately, and probably won’t change unless I go heavier for a given setup. All of what I’ve been given and bought since had been Varivas with a couple of different heavier lines for a different setup. No disappointment in any of the lines and I see wind knots and tip wrap as the nature of the beast. I’ve adjusted my casts to almost be engaged when the lure hits the water which helps a lot. Last trip out I had a harder time with the nylon than the PE. I use a double uni to join them and keep the length a litttle shorter and keep it out of the guides. I’ve heard of guides being pulled out by knots by guys with heavier lines and bigger knots. I now wrap my last three or four guides differently to help prevent this rod happening. The majority of my PE is .15 or .175 with some being .2 on my UL stuff. I’m thrilled with its strength and castability. I also use a shooting presentation frequently to get under tree branches and hanging moss. I’m always willing to try or learn something new but I’m pretty stuck on my current gear.