Fishing Line

[Lips]

I know there was a discussion about this a few years back, but I can't find it. It's time for new line on the muskie baitcaster. Any opinions/advice about PowerPro? Moss Green or Phantom Red? Is there something else you'd recommend? Thanks.

[Mark Benson]

Me??? 80# or 100# would be my choice for strength. Moss green for sure over the red... Why??? both lines bleed their color when they are wet... the red is far more noticeable...

Cortland Masterbraid in the bronze/brown color would be my first choice though, though I personally don't think there is much difference.

Mark

[ToddM]

It depends on what reel you have. 80lb is a good choice. Power pro is good but backlashes can be severe. Masterbraid works well on garcia 5500 and 6500 reels but I have had trouble with it on levelwinds with the hole instead of the wire guide. Tuff line is a great line and works very well. If you don't fish in the cold, it would be my choice. It unfortunately is a very wet line. Spiderwire invisibraid works well on the level winds with the hole. Don't worry about the invisibility, it's not. I think it comes in green too.

[Musky Mauler]

Wow! Using 80 lb and 100 lb line is great for marlin, sailfish and sharks. Or, maybe for hauling snagged stumps out of the Flowage. Perhaps I'm outta tune these days, but I never used anything more than 30-lb test, and even then it was often thought of as overkill. But then I caught my first musky a bit more than four decades ago, and haven't changed my ways since then. Perhaps there's a new trend these days. I wonder how many musky hunters actually use such high-strength fishing rope nowadays? Weigh-in guys. Let me know if I'm really that far out of synch with the modern world.

[DonH]

I agree with you Musky Mauler. I have 2 rods loaded with 30 lb test and it hasn't cost me a fish yet. The only big fish I lost was due to it being 25 degrees and after a whole day of fishing, my hands were so cold I could no longer tighten down a knot. Figures that the fish would hit then rather than earlier in the day when I was still warm and good to go. Maybe they are smarter than we figure?

I don't musky fish nearly as much as I walleye fish, but that's my 2 cents.

[LundAngler]

Let me start by saying I am not a musky fisherman. In June, I went up to Canada and tried a new line on my heavy baitcasting reel (my northern rod/reel combo). It was Suffix 50# test (green), but it had a smaller diameter feature like some other superlines. I have to say I was very impressed. The line had great castibility, and really held up well to some very large fish.

Getting the added insurance of a 50# line that felt more like 12#... I would take that any day over standard braided line. You could feel the hit instantly, and when you set the hook there was no give. All in all a very good line for the money.

[Nick Kanauz]

Okay...two more cents worth. I tried quite a few braids until Stren came out with their Super Braid. They now have renamed it, but it is still the same line. I use 80# Super Braid (just used the last of the spool and will be getting the new one). It has the diameter of 20# test. And yes it bleeds green, and will stain your fingers the first couple of times you use it. It has super knot strength and like zero stretch. When a Musky or Pike hits, it usually hooks itself. I prefer this weight due to the types of new lures on the market. Cowgirls have two huge blades on them and drag heavy on the water. My son was using 30# Courtland, and watched his eighteen dollar lure travel out of site when the line snapped. He switched over to mine and has not had any problems since. This line is forgiving too...blacklashes are usually a quick fix. Also...don't buy new line each year. Simply hit your reel release and walk the line off the reel to it's end. Cut the line off the reel, walk to the used end and rewind...hello new line again. Also, the new superbraids don't break down as quickly as the older braids, and can be used for more than one year if taken care of...I usually only use it for two years with the reversal practice. Learned this from one of the Hayward Guides. Good luck with your choice.

[Musky Mauler]

It's good that you mentioned the "super line" stuff. It is stronger, but has less diameter than "regular" lines of the same strength. The original "knock" on this stuff was that it had no stretch compared to regular line. Supposedly, this stretch was necessary to absorb the srike of a big fish (musky?). But, if you've caught large northerns without suffering from a lack of this "stretch factor," then I guess that old theory can be put to rest.

One of the most important things in musky fishing - regardless of the line being used - is to always cut off a couple of feet of line before baiting-up for the day. This is the part that gets "whipped" at the tip-top with each cast, and is the weakest link (other than the knot, or course).

And , always, ALWAYS do that figure eight!

[Nick Kanauz]

MuskyMauler...you are right...I forgot to mention that...however...I don't always have to cut and retie, I always run my tail end to the wire to check for abraiding...since I tie with the overhand double snell, and use a solid stainless steel leader of 12 to 18", all the lure abuse is taken by the leader. With the line doubled, I have never (knock on wood) lost a lure. One other thing I do is to use a lighter on the cut tag ends. It fuses the braid and also stops slippage of the knot should you not get it tight enough...but be careful to hold the main line away from the lighter...I've had to retie a few times due to not paying attention. Hope this helps everyone. Line stretch is overrated as well. I have really gotten to like the superior hook set you get with this line. Most of my fish have all three trebles in them when they hit. Best fishes to you all.

[BlueRanger]

If you know a surgeon or a nurse, ask them to get you a couple battery-powered cauteries - they look like a penlight with a sharpened soldering iron tip. They cut through any kind of line like butter and leave a fused end that won't unravel. Many are disposable and get thrown away after one use. If you don't have a medical contact, Berkley sells a fishing version called a Hotwire Superline Cutter for just over $25. Unlike the lighter method, you don't have to worry an errant flame weakening your knot or line.

Unless you also use your reels for trolling, you can cut the cost of refills by half or more by filling most of the spool with equivelent diameter mono, and finishing it off with about 100-150 yards of braid depending what you're going to be casting - then you can fill 2-3 reels (or replace your line 2-3 times) with one 300 yd. spool of braid. Here's the easy method I came up with to get the right amount of braid on the reel. First, fill the reel all the way with the mono, then tie on the longest casting lure you have and go out to a dock, shoreline or open field and throw it as far as you can. Then strip an extra 25 yards or so off the spool, cut it, tie the braid to the end of the mono and fill the spool. You only have to do this once - I never replace the mono because it's just there to fill space.

If you do fill the whole spool with braid, unless the spool has holes to tie the line to, make sure you start with several wraps of electrical tape - minimal stretch means there's not much stored tension to lock the line in place on the spool, and if you pull hard it will spin. Lack of tension is also why any braid is going to produce more frequent backlashes than mono - although I agree that PowerPro seems worse than average in this regard and will be trying something different for my next refill.

On the topic of 80 lb. superbraid as gross overkill, I remember asking Bob Mehsikomer about that one of the first times I fished with him. According to him, strength had nothing to do with it - it was only necessary to get the correct action with jerkbaits like his Pigs. At the time the superbraids came out, most people were using 20 lb. mono, and the jerkbaits had been designed with that in mind. The musky fishermen involved in early field testing discovered that 30-50 lb. braid with the equivalent diameter of 8-12 lb. mono didn't provide enough water resistance to control the side-to-side swing of jerkbaits, causing them to produce excessive action and get tangled up in the line frequently. Upsizing to 80 lb. solved the problem. But I think average musky fishermen just assumed that higher must be better, and ended up buying 80 lb. for everything. That's sad, because they're missing out on many of the advantages of braid.

Personally, I use 80 lb. for my jerkbait/Jackpot rod and 30 lb. for everything else - it casts much farther, is less affected by wind, cuts through weeds better, allows lures to run deeper and enables faster retrieves (less reduction in effective spool diameter on the cast, which means more line retrieved per handle turn, at least at the start of the retrieve). Strength is a complete non-issue, as long as you're cognizant of the lack of shock absorption and choose your rods and drag settings accordingly. Sure, a backlash or accidental midcast handle engagement will occasionally cost you a $15-20 lure and leader when the line snaps - but if it happens on 80 lb. braid with a 6 oz. soft plastic and cold or wet hands, enjoy watching your $300 rod and reel get yanked out of your hands and into the lake.

[Lips]

50 lb bronze Cortland MasterBraid on my Abu 6500C. Very pleased with it! But never had the chance to test it against a musky. Maybe next time.

[JayandCade]

Its not the fish its the lures. They get bigger and bigger every year. I tossed a brand new lure into the drink in the late 80's. It snapped off and went half way across the lake. I switched to heavy line that year and haven't lost one yet. I use 80 lb power pro. It is thin (like a 20 lb mono) and I have backlashed it bad a few times. You have to watch the weight of what your throwing. Sometimes I miss the old braided stuff because you have to lay up on the bucktails. Heavier the lure the better. If you throw big it's great, if you throw smaller bucktails, spinners and small spoons I'd stick with the 30 lb fluor/mono.