Posted: 8/9/2011 3:50:30 PM EDT
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Water filled with sunken tree's and other junk. Also to be used on pike/salmon. Have used spider wire with good luck but the last time i bought some was about 6 yrs ago.  Any other suggestions? |
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God knows I could write a book on fishing lines.
The trick to obstacles is what system you use, either power through it or allow for breakage using leaders. That being said, lb test is lb test. What you are talking about there is how thick for a given lb test and if honk on thinnest most poundage was and still is braided Spiderwire. Now if catching fish is your thing, that's how invisible your line is. Its why over the years ultra-lights (besides just being damn fun) have become so popular. There's two ways to address invisibility that's either color to match the light and water conditions or invisible thin or material selection. Like the old braided Spider is the hands down lb rating to thin, the hands down invisible is Florocarbon. Florocarbon is for all practical purposes for a given thickness as invisible as you can get in a fishing line. Its simply an amazing fish catching line. Now that being said, its not cheap neither is it the easiest line to use. Where Spiderwire braid is a little too limber, Florocarbon is the opposite a little too stiff and wants to stay straight which means you have to be a little more careful with you spooling. The good news is it does seem to really last. Yes, I know what the literature and advertising says but I'm telling you from experience with both those lines compared to the old standard nylon monos. This one stretches, this one gets brittle, stuff like that. Where I could write a book on the different Nylons and who's I like best, I really can't on Florocarbon. To me anyway, the all seem to work about the same. I typically buy Trilene or Stren. The Stren seems to be a tad limper (like all their products are compared to Berkely) but its just a tad costlier too usually. Tell you how much I like the florocarbons, I've even switched from using the Stren Original florescent black light night fishing. Tj |
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If you go with fluorocarbon buy a good line conditioner to spray on. It's not a gimmick product. It works and makes casting easier. You didn't say what type of reel you are using. Stay away from fluorocarbon if what you are using are spinning reels. If you are dead set on using it though , P-line makes a makes a fluorocarbon coated line that might work okay on spinning reels. Also make sure when tying a knot you wet the line and go very slow when cinching it down. That is the weak link in it if not done correctly. You can also fish straight braid if you want. As long as there are not a lot of rocks it would work fine. Or as was said you can tie on a fluorcarbon leader to braid. Just make sure it's not the same break strength as your main line. I pretty much have stopped using mono unless I'm using a specific bait where I need some stretch and the line to float. ( top water swim baits). I don't like the stretch in most applications. hope this helped. tightlines  |
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Quoted: ThanksIf you go with fluorocarbon buy a good line conditioner to spray on. It's not a gimmick product. It works and makes casting easier. You didn't say what type of reel you are using. Stay away from fluorocarbon if what you are using are spinning reels. If you are dead set on using it though , P-line makes a makes a fluorocarbon coated line that might work okay on spinning reels. Also make sure when tying a knot you wet the line and go very slow when cinching it down. That is the weak link in it if not done correctly. You can also fish straight braid if you want. As long as there are not a lot of rocks it would work fine. Or as was said you can tie on a fluorcarbon leader to braid. Just make sure it's not the same break strength as your main line. I pretty much have stopped using mono unless I'm using a specific bait where I need some stretch and the line to float. ( top water swim baits). I don't like the stretch in most applications. hope this helped. tightlines Lots of tree's where ever we fish. To expensive to boat up to where the rivers clear up.  We use the flip the lever and push the button on the back reels.  Cannot remember what their called.  We use salmon eggs alot on single and triple hooks. Getting any hazmat out here is $$$. |
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I think what you're using are spincast reels. I still have a couple of those somewhere. I just noticed you're in Alaska. I really don't know much about fishing the rivers or lakes there. I have never been there but from the videos it seems like some of the best fly fishing a man can do. I can't help you on fly fishing though. I'm more of a bass fisherman , fresh and salt water. ETA or they are spinning reels with a lever or bail in front. What confused me is the button in the back unless it's a baitfeeder reel. Some spinning reels have those. If that's what you are using I wouldn't use fluorcarbon line. It's more of a hassle than what it's worth. |
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I have to agree, I wouldn't even dream of putting fluorocarbon in spincast like the old classic Zebco 33, however I will differ on using them on a spinning reel what we use to call "Bail caster" because of the wire bail in front. On the spinning reel using fluorocarbon you are best off not loading it with near as much line as a nylon and pay a little attention to keeping it under tension when reeling in, but it does work.
Now I say that tongue in cheek, I'm not one for cheap reels and what spinning reels I have fluorocarbon on are better reels. Now I'm not necessarily talking a $200 plus reel here but at least on a Pluegher President level, multiple ball bearings, Titainium spool, very smooth and precision action. I bought the entire combo for $60 or under, I'd say forget it. You'll be cleaning out bird nests instead of fishing. I cut my teeth on baitcasters back when all we had was braided line. You get pretty good about keeping tension on that line. You backlash an old Penn 209 holy hell do you have a mess on your hands.
For a spincast, I'd serious stick to mono and most likely Stren Original Florescent. Its a middle or road mono, not so expensive. What I would be concerned with most on the type fishing you describe is what rigging I use. First salmon and trout that means very clear cold water so they can see. Next if you are using a straight line hook, split shot, and slip sinker, every time you snag, your stretching the hell out of that line. That's probably why you been using the braided, to hoss it out of there, and even maybe using brass hooks that will bend to get out of a snag. BTDT. Unfortunately that gives you a high line visibility issue. A rigging I like is use your favorite fishing line for most of your fishing, then mount your weight system, what's your thing from just pea split shot to hell a big sinker split shot combo, then tie off a very small hook swivel. The more torpedo slim shape you make your weight system, the less chance it has of snagging. Now you can tie a leader line at least half the pound strength of you main line. Set you drag now to the half poundage leader line light enough you get good pull strength but not break the line. This gives you control of when you break that line by simply grabbing the pole with one hand and pull straight back. It will snap the thin leader without losing a lot of your main line, stretching it as bad, or losing your weight system. Now for some hints on the type fishing you are doing. There's not much we can do about hooks other than type, shape, and material. We can cover them with bait as much as possible. On clear cold water, I'd avoid the factory leaders, instead opting for a simple half hitch to the swivel and line straight to the hook making sure when you tie that knot, you both pull it taught and then careull snip the excess, check again pulling it taught to insure your snip isn't going to let it slip. What you are after is invisible and NO sharp edges. When that fish feels something sharp, its the barb on your hook and by then its in its mouth and you are setting the hook. You don't want them feeling the sharp end of that line on the knot. A big smart fish will shy from that. Now keep in mind, the more distance you leave from your weight system to your bait hook the more invisibility you have. This is such an issue, I quit using factory leaders, which are expensive anyway, years ago. Better to just make your own on the run so to say. It takes a bit longer when you lose a hook, but well worth it. A few more inches of length and you will catch a lot more. Tj Story Time "Da Blue" The first time I ran across this sacrificial leader approach was in the 70's, my first time offshore on an oil platform. Because those platforms were so high up from the water, the technique saved the guys a lot of money on fishing line. They also developed an idea if you can't haul it in straight up without a net, you don't want it. Obviously then on the ocean, they have some honking main line, big thick stuff but then a thinner break leader and that break leader determining how big a fish they could pull up that platform. The way I learned of this was quite amusing. I had taken all these safety classes this whistle means this and this one means that, go here, grab a mask, kiss your butt goodbye, things like that. I'm working along and suddenly this whistle just starts blaring in a pattern I had not studied. It seemed like everyone just dropped what they were doing and ran like hell. The new guy, I was in panic not knowing what the hell to do. I grab this Cajun cook coming up from down below with both hands by the shoulders and demand to know what's happening. "Da Blue, Da Blue, Da Blue." He screamed. "Da Blue what damn it?" I screamed as I shook him. "Da Blue fish are running!" 
Tj |
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We do use the old zebco reels alot. The women don't mess them up much. Also the sand/glacial silt does a number on reels. Also been using Daiwa triforce 150i with good luck. Also reels where you flip the lever to cast. At times we fall back to old reliable. The old line on a good stick.lol Would love to fly fish but my arms will not take it. We do lose a lot of lures with the way the women fish. They will not listen when we tell them to not cast near the snags.  On a side not we have over 30 silvers in the freezer right now. Fished the easy way with a drift net.  |
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Quoted:
God knows I could write a book on fishing lines. The trick to obstacles is what system you use, either power through it or allow for breakage using leaders. That being said, lb test is lb test. What you are talking about there is how thick for a given lb test and if honk on thinnest most poundage was and still is braided Spiderwire. Now if catching fish is your thing, that's how invisible your line is. Its why over the years ultra-lights (besides just being damn fun) have become so popular. There's two ways to address invisibility that's either color to match the light and water conditions or invisible thin or material selection. Like the old braided Spider is the hands down lb rating to thin, the hands down invisible is Florocarbon. Florocarbon is for all practical purposes for a given thickness as invisible as you can get in a fishing line. Its simply an amazing fish catching line. Now that being said, its not cheap neither is it the easiest line to use. Where Spiderwire braid is a little too limber, Florocarbon is the opposite a little too stiff and wants to stay straight which means you have to be a little more careful with you spooling. The good news is it does seem to really last. Yes, I know what the literature and advertising says but I'm telling you from experience with both those lines compared to the old standard nylon monos. This one stretches, this one gets brittle, stuff like that. Where I could write a book on the different Nylons and who's I like best, I really can't on Florocarbon. To me anyway, the all seem to work about the same. I typically buy Trilene or Stren. The Stren seems to be a tad limper (like all their products are compared to Berkely) but its just a tad costlier too usually. Tell you how much I like the florocarbons, I've even switched from using the Stren Original florescent black light night fishing. Tj Swordfisherman around here don't use flourocarbon line at night because it reflects all other light more than mono. How is it working for you at night? My two favorite florocarbon leaders are Seagar and Ande |