Fishig Line VANISH by Berkley

[Maryjl]

Has anybody tried this new VANISH line by Berkley? I read an artical on it and thought I'd reline a couple of my poles with it. I just read the article on fishing line on the home page here. Now I'm not wondering if I should'nt have bought it. I'll probly try it any way since I alresdy have it, but does anybody have advise on this? Thanks Mary

[GullGuide]

Mary,
I personally love the stuff, but whatever you do, do not spool your entire reel with it. It is a lot stiffer than normal mono, and comes off your spool poorly. What I have found to be the best application for this, is to make all my snells out of it, and also I splice it, about 6-8 feet of it, on the end of my trolling rod. It works great to splice onto fireline as well. One thing that is VERY important, is to wet the line before cinching down a knot or splice. Just stick it in your mouth and surround it with saliva as you pull the knot or splice taught. The reason for this, is that because of the nature of the line, the friction caused by cinching the knot or splice while dry weakens the line immensely.
Use it for snells and leaders, but do not use it to spool your reel.
Good luck
GullGuide
>"////=<

[Guest]

This new line sucks! BIG TIME! The line does not have much strech in it therefore it breaks so very easy. I bought a spool of 6# test and I my 2# test maxima is stronger. BY FAR!

[GullGuide]

Cisco,
I can't disagree with you more. When used in the context of what I posted earlier, Vanish line is AWESOME!!
The line breaks VERY easily if not wetted before cinching the knot tight. If you follow this simple procedure the stuff works fine. Yes, there is no stretch to the stuff, that's why you need to splice it to regular mono or use a rod with a lot of give when splicing to fireline. I have caught 10lb walleyes with it as well as some pretty big pike and have not had it break on me yet. It all comes down to how you use it. Another application that I LOVE Vanish for is ice fishing for spooky fish such as lake trout or cautious bluegill and crappie. The invisibility of the line outfishes regular mono any day.
GullGuide
>"////=<

[Paul S]

I changed all my reels over to Vanish when it first came out and would never go back to mono. I did just what Gullguide suggested you don't do on the first couple of reels and he is right - don't spool your whole reel with it. I use it both in winter and summer, and on my tipups for Pike - it is plenty strong ( actually I've been told it is stronger because it does not absorb water ). Just make sure you keep the knot wet when tying.
Paul

[Guest]

I agree with GullGuide, it works great for snell rigs. The line disappears in water. It is a must to wet the line when tying the knot. I have not spooled any on my reels yet. Maybe this year.

[Maryjl]

In the box of Vanish line that I bought there was that little paper telling you about the line and it has an e-mail address on it so of course I had to go check it out. You can submit questions and of course I did that also and my response was that I should'nt have any trouble with it because they just got an e-mail from a man that said he just loves the stuff. I think I'll do what GullGuide sugested. Heres the address if anyone wants to check it out. www.berkley-fishing.com

Thanks Again for all the great Advise Mary

[Guest]

GullGuide,

I always wet my line before I cinch the knot. The vanish that I have breaks along the length, not at a traditional weak spot (i.e., knots). I may have just got a bad spool. I don't think so though because I have heard similar complaints. Nevertheless I am spoiled with maxima, no line compares to its strength!

Spooling vanish would be a joke! It would be like casting 20# test out of a zebco 202!

If it works well as a tippet, snell, or leader for some, so be it. I think I will pass. Also I think the fluorocarbon hype is a product of good advertisement and not scientific. I will have to look into this further. I have used this line on lake superior's ultra clear water along side regular mono and have not noticed a difference in fish catching ability.

Has anyone else tried this sort of experiment?

[GullGuide]

Cisco,
I've heard a lot of negatives about Vanish line, both from this forum and others. But, I can't figure out why. I have never had any problems with it. You're not the only one who complains about it, maybe there are a lot of bad batches out there, or I have gotten one of the few good batches, who knows.
I do agree that anyone who spools their entire reel with the stuff is wasting money, it's place is for leaders and snells, I never use more than 6 feet at a time max.
GullGuide
>"////=<

[Guest]

Paul,

I was 8 years old once! I had a zebco 202 with old thick gnarly mono. That is how I know.

You think a Berkley rep is going to supply you with good info about one of their products? I wasn't born yesterday!

I will stick with my maxima line.

[Guest]

Berkley has added more silicone to make knot tying easier. It has been a problem. Gull Guide is right about getting it wet with your saliva. If you pull it tight dry it creates friction and heats up and weakens it big time. Also, make sure you're using a good knot.

Super Ron

------------------
Ron Anlauf's Guide Service http://fishingminnesota.com/ranlauf/ Phone: 320-396-2133

[Maryjl]

Has anybody tried other brands of Fluorocarbon besides Vanish from Berkley? Is there any difference ? <><Mary><>

[Guest]

the line really blows i had it snap about every 5-6 fish

[jkrash]

Has anybody tried 100# floro for muskie leaders? if so what kind of knot do you use?

[mrmillelacs]

try this experiment with vanish or other fluorocarbon line- fill your kitchen sink with water and take a 2 foot section of this line and another section of line and submerge them both. it really does disappear. however walleyes dont neccessarily see things the way we do underwater so it may not be as invisible to them...just a thought.. i have heard good reports from people using flouro line for tying up spinners, but most say you must use much heavier pound test than you normally would due to the tendancy of this line to break... i have tried this line (6# test) on lindy rig type presentations and have had it break off a couple of times when i thought it should have held...........

[Guest]

I have been trying many fluorocarbon based line's for 3 years now, they all have a place in fishing and they do work well in warm water.

The biggest negative aspect of fluorocarbons is there flexibility and spooling characteristics.

In cold weather they are a mess, too brittle and stiff for spincast reels is what I have found. Long stroke spinning reels tend to do a tiny bit better job managing the spooling problem.

I only use the fluorocarbon based line as a leader option these days and stick to my Berkley XT, XL, 4-10 FireLine, and 4-6 lb Magna Thin if fish are spooky.

The manageability issue in cold weather was it's biggest negative point along with the knot strength.

------------------
Backwater Eddy...><,,>

Backwater Guiding Service
><ED ON THE RED>
[email protected]
(701)-671-3079

[Guest]

I use the Bass Pro brand XPS fluorocarbon as a leader and have not had any problems with knots,although like others have said I spit my knots.The stuff works great in clear water.In stained or turbid water I think it is not needed.

[huskminn]

Ciscokidz,

Flourocarbon line has been around for a number of years--mostly just used by fly fisherman for leaders. The "new" line is a little more flexible than the original stuff, but it certainly doesn't handle as well as mono. However, there is science behind the line....it's not just advertising. Flourocarbon in extruded form has light refractive qualities that are very similar to water. Once submersed, the somewhat-reflective outer surface "merges" with the water and the line "vanishes".

I can understand your dislike of the line, but I don't think it generally has the tensile problems that you're describing.

I use it, of course, for fly tippets, but I also use it for walleye spinner rigs and Lindy Rig snells. I haven't had problems with breaking, but I tend to fish light lines anyway and have the equipment to match them. But, as a number of others have said here, you've got to be diligent about tying proper knots.

I've never had the stuff break when it shouldn't have, so I've been happy with it's performance. And, more importantly, I think that it really is nearly invisible in water. That's why fly fisherman have been using it for years!

However, I've got no problem if you'd rather not use it. For some odd reason, I feel the same way about Trilene......I've got no justification, just don't like it. I'm sure I'll get a bunch of people riled up now!

Good luck.......

[This message has been edited by huskminn (edited 04-04-2001).]

[Guest]

I don't like trilene either. Sten is even worse.

Maxima makes great line. The stuff is twice as tough as the comp and it casts well.

I will have to give my vanish another try and see what I conclude, it is made by Berkley though.