i'm an ande monofilament man except when it comes to my float rod, a 10.5' spinning outfit, where i've used any of the popular braids. when fishing out of a boat i'm afforded the luxury of packing at least a few different rods ready to fish whatever technique the conditions or particular piece of water dictates. i also like to bank it a lot on many of the small streams i fish, cover lots of ground, thus making it ideal to take one rod i can use for anything; in my case it's a 9.5' casting setup. it works great, even bobber fishing thanks to a 3/4oz west coast float and matching egg sinker. and now to the question: how would p-line hydrofloat perform on an all-around setup? from what i've heard it's sweet for fishing floats but what about for drift fishing or hardware? i wouldn't use power pro(or any other braid) for anything but float fishing. is the "thermal fused spectra" similar to braid or closer to mono? or somewhere in between? i've never seen it out of the box or felt it so i guess i could just go buy a spool and check it out but first let's see what you all have to say. and btw, more pics like the ones in the recent gallery pix!

I bought some hydro-float in the fall for salmon float fishing, and I am still on the fence about its bennifits and drawbacks. I would use it for hardware if the lure is relativley heavy. #3 spinners tend to be drawn up in the water column due to the lines boyancy. It should drift alright, but the large diameter might act as a sail and drag your gear through the run. You may also wan't to add a 3' tag of mono to the end, say with a nail knot; knots will be simplified and it pushes the high-vis line a little farther from the fish. Some things to consider: Hydrofloat is sheilded in a plastic layer so moistening your knots prior to locking them down is essential. If you can stand it, just dunk the whole lot in the river while you tighten. If you don't the outer shell will sepparate from the foam core. In addition to the casting restrictions of its larger diameter it collects dirt a bit, so make sure to keep it clean. Your casts will thank you. I don't recomend the dacron style float stops, as they will chafe the line rather quickly, and it is a pain when they loosen and fall off. Use the Beau Macs rubber stops, or a simmilar product. I have heard that the line will break down due to UV exposure. I have not encounterd this, but then again I haven't put in the time yet. It will be interesting to see what you think.

Why braid for only bobber fishing? Braid works awsome for drift fishing and I've heard it performs good for hardware too. I used P-line frlouraclear for all types of fishing methods. It worked well and was pretty darn versatile.

i hate braid for drift fishing,but it's excellent for bobber fishing and jigging for kings.

i like stretchy stuff for drift fishing.

haven't heard much good talk about that hydrofloat. just doesn't seem to offer much over braid. it's got a thicker diameter, is more fragile, and doesn't cost much less.

My one experience with Hydrofloat was not good...lots of memory and poor castability.

Fish on...

Todd

Braid = Bobbers only !!!

Peace
Fly

I ran Hydrofloat on a new viento for a few months this fall and couldn't wait to get it off. In my opinion it is one of the worst inventions in modern fishing in quite a while. The diameter is too large to get a functional amount on smaller reels, the coating falls apart easily, creating major problems when doing things like tying knots, fighting fish, and adjusting bobber stops.

I thought he line behaved poorly on the spool while casting and that it stuck to the surface of the water much more the power pro.

I still have half a spool if anyone wants it.

What's a bobber?

Same as a "boober", but usually red and white

Fish on...

Todd

A woman that produces a hummer.

what your recomendations on the subject if you were ever to float fish dave?

Get a bobber. The kind Harly described.

Get a bobber - the kind goharley seems to know.

I tried a spool of and found that it breaks at less than the printed rating. I will stick with Power Pro.

You need to buy his two books to get that type of information. Duh. Man, everybody wants something for free these days.

JK, Dave. You give out a ton of info. Although, the books *are* a good read!

To me, hydrofloat seems like dental floss with a wax coating. Not at all pleased with the quality of the stuff though I am still a big fan of most other p-line products. Stick with mono for the all around....

I've read both his books. You can download them for free! Just kidding. I don't recall him specifying what line he recommends and besides those books are a few years old and quite a few fishing lines have come out since then.

Coley sums it up well, shiddiest invention in a long time. I know it wouldn't even be carried as a "novelty item" at Salmo World.