1/2 pound test

[B-man715]

Anybody use 1/2 pound test(8oz)?

Lately I have been toying with the idea of going super ultra light with 1/2 pound test fluorocarbon line; thinking it may help when the sunnies and crappies come up for a look but don't take.

Is it too light? Do you break off often?

I currently use 2 lb, but want to go to 1 lb or 1/2 lb to see if it makes a difference.

[OnAFly]

Who makes 1/2lb test?

As long as you have a decent drag and a very soft rod, you should be golden. Might need a microscope to tie those knots though

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I cant imagine using less than 2 lb. I find I have to be extra cautious even with 2 lb, tie knots more often, I even have knots break when just tightening the line.

[TruthWalleyes]

Yeah WOW. I just put 4 lb on my reels last night and STRUGGLED tie'n them knots!!

As stated above...Light GOOD drag, and light rod and you should be golden....But i want atleast 4 lbs of line between me and my >$1 1/100oz jigs or $7 darters!

[reinhard1]

i tried the 2lb test. now 4lb. test is the smallest i use. i used trilene line which i use on most of my reels. but i have a tough time with the knots [getting a little older] and they did break off and twist more. maby i should start using fly reels. go for it if you want but why? good eyesight, proper rod 2lb is fine for pan fish, but half pound i would not. i even use 4lb on walleys on clear lakes but 6lb is what i use most. 4lb. i think is best for panfish in my opinion. good luck.

[OnAFly]

you pay more than a dollar for 1/100th oz jigs? I think I paid 2.99 for 25 plain jigs then painted them and threw plastics on or tied on calf tail. In the end cost less than $15.

I should get into the tiny jig selling business!

[DTro]

I went with the 7oz line and had much better success than the 8oz line. Probably try going with 6oz next year.

I also will be using some backing next time instead of spooling 3000 yrds.

[topcat3820]

I went with the 7oz line and had much better success than the 8oz line. Probably try going with 6oz next year.

Who even makes anything that light, dtro

[DTro]

Couldn't tell ya...I was just goofin.

Never found a reason to use less than 4.

[Chef]

dtro--that was FUNNY!

[slipperybob]

ASSO Fishing line...order it form yourbobbersdown.

[hydro]

As someone who has used 1 lb line both in summer and winter, I would not see any advantage to 1/2 lb line. While it may get a couple more strikes, it will break often as the fish come up through the hole, will be a PITA to tie, will cut on anything sharp, and will be almost impossible to see when tying. I would bet you will spend enough time fixing the rig to offset any advantage.

I still use 1 lb on the ultralight in the summer, but I use a net on most of the fish, and the line still breaks off several times a day. For ice fishing, the lightest I use these days is 2 lb, simply for management issues.

[topcat3820]

Couldn't tell ya...I was just goofin.

Never found a reason to use less than 4.

Ahhhh, sooo (like SlippersBob, says ).

I use 4 lb on cats up here in the summer and was just looking to downsize for some added "sport" .

[TruthWalleyes]

you pay more than a dollar for 1/100th oz jigs? I think I paid 2.99 for 25 plain jigs then painted them and threw plastics on or tied on calf tail. In the end cost less than $15.

I should get into the tiny jig selling business!

I've bought some in bulk...but anything in a bait shop is generally more than a buck.

But Where did you get teh 2.99 deal for 25?

[Jack Peterson]

I tried some thread from Wal-Mart that was less than a 1lb test.

it. was. horrible.

Hope that helps.

Jack.

[Northlander]

I use 3# on my panny rods. I have found I can tie it easier and its strong enough for them stray eyes or pike. Key is low vis and limpness.

[OnAFly]

TruthWalleyes - At Cabela's. Price was actually $3.99 now that I check. They had 1/100th, 1/80th, and 1/64th oz micro jigs. Calf tails were $2.99 but they didn't have pink.

I've found the jigs on the electronic Bay site for ~$8 per 100 jigs.

[Surface Tension]

We think of light line as from a visibility point but IMO, line dia should be considered with jig weights.

When you start getting into the small and light jigs, small dia mono is needed to make it fishable and to mention pretty hard to force line down a hole. That leads into rate of drop. It is possible to free fall a jig too fast which goes back to line dia. Yes you can manually slow that drop down but now your taking away any free fall action away and the drop is straight down.

For that reason I have a few rods rigged with 2-4 lb mono for gills and crappies. Depth comes to play with line of drop as well. I haven't tried any thing under 2 lb but I do have some jigs that would work better with a smaller dia line especially in deeper water.

After observing the bite on camera, the times when pannies are on the feed they will inhale a "normal size" jig.

When the bite isn't of fierce, that same jig will still get hits but the gills will pick at part of it.

Downing sizing makes their target smaller and instead of picking at a bigger jig they take it whole.

That is a time when too fast a rate of drop will spook them.

Match the lure weight to the line dia. and its rate of drop.

[Farley]

I tried 1lb. line on one of my rods last season. Never again. Maybe in a nice warm house with good lighting, but in the little clam portable, and a headlamp, not a chance, because you WILL be tying lots of knots. And if you fray it just a tiny little bit when sinching up, might as well break it and start over.

[B@ssmaster]

Several years ago I found 3/4 lb test mono. (I have no idea who made it.) I caught more pannies that winter than ever before! Light is definitely the way to go to get more hits on the finicky days!

But as many others have said, there are some major trade offs. But it is worth it if you are running into very finicky fish all winter. I keep one rod rigged with 1lb mono now, just for those days (haven't stumbled across the 3/4 lb lately.) In my case with older eyes, I need a lot of light to tie it, need my reading glasses in the house too. It breaks all the time, any snag loses hooks/jigs, and is so light the thermal air currents in the flip over make it difficult to get it to sink with any kind of a reasonable speed if the fish happen to turn on. And you will end up in a rubber roon if you try to hole hop outside the house with it.

But under certain situations, light mono definitely is worth it.

You'll have to decide if the drawbacks are worth the benefits to you.

[Surface Tension]

One word,

Cheater Glasses

[kg2]

I tried 1# probably 20 years ago. I broke off too much just from the line rubbing on the ice around the hole. If you try it I would definitely do it from inside a nice warm shelter and make sure you clean all the ice from around the edges of the hole.

[skillet]

light line works. In the past I would use 1/2 pound and 3/4 pound test. I caught my largest pan fish of all time using that stuff. I have not been able to find it for a few years now. "Mason" was the name of the company that used to make it. I still have some left but its too old and unuseable now. No problems with break offs, just had to be careful with the big gills. I now have to settle for 1 pound test.