Im gonna try 12 lb Izorline, and 10 lb max this winter. You can turn a darn big fish with 12 lb Izor. Max mainline has too much memory for my likings, and trilene is just a tad to "soft". Found Izorline to be just right. Good knot strength too. =)

Bank, you find Trilene Big game soft?

UV is the worst possible thing for mono line. It breaks it down and if line has been subjected to large amounts of UV light it is very easy to notice and very easy to see that it has lost all its strength.

You would be surprised though how long mono can last if it is stored in a dry, dark, cool place. You can pull out line that is 5 yrs old and it is as good as new, as long as it was properly stored.

Bank walker,
Who nearby us carries Izor-line?? Its soundin kinda good :p

On my float rod, I use 14 lb green fireline.

On my drift and spinning rod, I use 10 lb Big Game.

I prefer 10 or 12lb maxima, depending on the river and river volume.
Keith

FishB, Traders in Monroe has it! They just started carrying it about 2 months ago. Izorline is a fairly new line. Definetly worth a shot.

Used the spectra braided lines from day one that they came out. My experience is that while they have many good qualities such as no stretch and fine diameter to test ratios there are some drawbacks. #1 is that they are harsh on rods/reels especially baitcasters. #2 is that they really like worm around your rodtip.

Maxima UG and Izorline for me. Ande isn't too bad either but I hit a faded batch that FJ referred to and was soured on the stuff.

Gooose

Gooose what does that braided line do to hurt your gear? Just curious because I was thinking about trying it.

~ Dr Pepper

Goose must be out with Salmonella again as he has not yet responded to your enquiry.

My .02 If you are overrating your rod, 1/2ing your stick if your heavy on the drag is eminant!

DP, we talked a while back about free drifting eggs on light gear for silvers on a river just to the west of you. Did you give it a shot? How did you fair?


FJ...out

No more salmonalla or flu for me! Please! Anyway a guys got to sleep sometime and when I'm awake and healty I'm out the door fishin or huntin.
Dr. Pepper one of the problems is that the line is naturally abrasive and tends to eat your guides. This is made worse by the fine grit that occurs to varying degrees in our rivers....it becomes embedded in the braid creating essentially a file running across your rod guides and the ceramic insert on your levelwind reels. Hours and days of cast and reel will eventually see your guides and sometimes that insert ruined.
I have zero experience using this stuff on spinning gear but suspect that the impact is much less severe...maybe doesn't occur? The float and jig guys seem to like it.

FJ I think your right on about overtaxing gear with this stuff. I went with the 30 pd spider then prolines on med heavy lamiglass rods....killed both in two seasons. Ceramic inserts were not eroded away they blew away. Crushed the supports on the first guides on both rods. I also suspect theres a fatal crack in the butt section of one rod. Really dumb mistake on my part and a lesson learned. BTW: I'm not heavy on the drags but I am real heavy thumbed.

Anyway I do love the good qualities of this stuff and continue to use it for halibut, bottom fish, and jigging for saltwater salmon where it can't be beat and the rods can take it.

Like anything I won't totally dis a product and leave it up to you to decide on trying it...just be aware of the dangers. Some of my friends are using Fireline on their baitcasters and seem to like it so far. I'll stick to good quality mono.

Cough..cough...oh no not again

Gooose

Almost forgot...what kinda bad experiences did you guys have with that new Maxima Perfexion line?
Brittle? Thats the problem I had with similar stuff back in the late eighties...thought it was going to be the big thing for summer-runs until I broke off a bunch that were for no other apparent reason than line failure. And all those fish were played very carefully..with the line parting as I was easing them up on the bank. Same problem?
I don't intend to try the stuff but the store I help advise stocked it this year and I don't want anything but top quality line on the shelves. If you don't want to discuss it on the board then e-mail me.

Cove RV Park & Tackle Prostaff(1)
Gooose

Gooose, What is your choice of hunting weapon? Are we talking large game? This is my 17th season Bowhunting for both Deer and Elk. Gearing up for a few weeks of Elk while local deer is open thru the end of Dec.

I just love the outdoor opportunities that this great state lends.

FJ...out.

FJ it's a rifle inherited from my great uncle and my father. Pre 64(the original good ones) Winchester Mod 70 .243 featherweight with 3x9 Leoupold. Sweet little 3/4 inch groups at 100yds always set 2 inches high at that range. Nosler 95 grn partitions at 3250 avg fps.....SWEET! For deer ..if I can put antlers on them its poison....plus I don't have to visit the chiropracter after every time I shoot the thing.

Haven't used it but once on elk...in fact the only time I've been elk hunting. Never fired a round. Wouldn't have either unless it was an under two hundred yard shot...that I knew would do the job. That trip was my one and only as I found myself to be the only guy in the bushes with the elk and every brothers mother had there scopes on us!

Haven't hunted deer the past three years as the last one bent my back so bad I was a crip for 3 months. Not to brag but I'm lookin at the 6x5 rack right now. I'd go if I could find a reliable huntin partner to help me pack the dam things out of the bushes.

Only hunting I do lately id waterfowl and a little roadchicken.

Gooose

FJ,

No I never did try it. Seemed like everytime I would go to that spot there were people there. I just used 8-10lb leader with some lead when I used eggs. Seemed to work pretty good. Most of the silvers I caught were on spinners. I love using spinners. You don't have anything to mess with. Just tie on a swivel and put on a spinner. The #4 green body/black blade Vibrax really got to the silvers this year . Do you think steelhead would sit in that hole you were fishing? I might try that tactic on them.

~ Dr Pepper

How does power pro compare to fireline?

Matt

Gooose: Re. your question about Maxima Perfexion...

I tried out 8 lb. Perfexion on summer-runs back in July. I was very impressed with the line at first: low diameter, limp, handled nicely. Great for a spinning reel -- or so I thought.

The first two fish I hooked this summer, both around 7 or 8 pounds, broke me off at the knot. I'm no expert -- and it's quite possible I've been flat-out lucky -- but I had NEVER had a steelie break me off at the knot until I used Perfexion. (That statement probably speaks volumes about the size of fish I generally hook, but that's another story.) Me -- I'll never use Perfexion again. If you do a search on this site, you'll find more disparaging comments about said line.

Lately I've been using the relatively new Rapala Finesse line to good effect. I really like it on my spinning reel.

DP, I believe Steel will sit in that spot under certain water levels. I did manage to get a chrome bright 35" summer bonus out of that spot while targeting Silvers it was sitting 4' out and at the very end of my drift. The buck was a strapping, bossy hatchery fish lying in broken surface water just deep enough to cover his body. To me it was a bonus for the plain fact that patience and the practice of completing a full drift paid off.
Should be good numbers of winter fish in that
river any day now. Have you been?

FJ..out.

PowerPro is stronger in relation to the diameter when compared to Fireline. 30# PowerPro is around 12# test mono where is 20# Fireline is comparable to 12# mono. Plus PowerPro holds a not better and is overall just stronger and takes to take abrasion much better.

That river is really high right now. It will probably be high for another week or so because it's pouring down rain today. I went there last Saturday and it was really high, but I still made a few casts to no avail. I can't wait for the steelies! My buddy is coming over this weekend and we're gonna have a hardcore fishing weekend. Hope the rivers are back in shape by Saturday.

~ Dr Pepper