mono or super lines

[Gordie]

what do you guys like in fishing lines? strecth or no strecth? what pound test ? I like 30lb fire line over mono but its always a battle if your snaged up .

[hanson]

80lb Power Pro for the Flatheads

[bgreen82]

what diameter mono does the 80 lb. powerpro match up to. i have always just used cabelas big game 20lb. mono in green.

[Gordie]

Hanson is power pro super braid and do you use it all the way to the hook or a mono dropper ?

[Larry FlatCaster]

Hanson and I have had this debate before

Hanson has experienced some tough breaks with 50lb pp.

I use 50lb power pro with 40lb mono leader. The mono is much more abrasion resistant and takes some serious wear and tear, with a little give. Though if my PP ever failed I would move up to 80.

So far its performed outstanding.

Hanson you still have the "I told you so" pass when I break off on a biggie, piggy.

thanks

Larry

[Dennis Steele]

For me, line choice depends on the application or even the type of cat I am after.

For flatheads, I prefer using Power Pro or Spider Stealth in the 80lb. If its particular snaggy, It wouldn't be over kill to move up to 100lb.

If its rock I am fishing, especially sharp rock, I think mono is the better choice. Seems to be a bit more abrasion resistant, or at least its less easily cut. 40lb is more than a guy would need in that situation. The stretch in mono allows you to get away with less lb test. But one should always remember the closer the fish gets to the boat the less stretch the line now has and the more gentle you have to fight the fish.

When using circle hooks for either cat, mono always gets the nod. The stretch just helps the hooks do what they are designed to do.

When fishing channel cats I most often use circle hooks, so 3olb mono is a good choice. On a good limber rod, I however might still use some Power Pro, just because I think its more manageable than mono even though it doesn't lend itself to circle hook sets.

Jigging for channels, I'll always go with Power Pro. You just can't beat the sensitivity especially when using non senstive cat rods.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Quote:

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what diameter mono does the 80 lb. powerpro match up to. i have always just used cabelas big game 20lb. mono in green.

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18 lb mono.

[daruoho]

All you need is 40lb Triline Big Game !!! never had it break even when there has been some abrasion on it

[hanson]

Hey Larry-

The 80lb has been working out just fine ever since that agonizing day a year ago.

I honestly love casting 80lb PP. It'll go a country mile with a bullhead and a 5oz weight on it. No backlashing unless the operator messes something up. Knots are really easy to tie as well.

Another advantage of the PP is line diameter. Its a thinner diameter line than say, 40lb mono, and has less resistance in the water. Only drawback is it "sings" to you sometimes.

I should find a picture of the 10/0 Gamakatsu I straightened out trying to free it from some timber. The swivel took a good beating as well but the line never broke.

[rushing]

I go with the 65lb power pro. I would use the 80 but the price takes a hike between 65lb and the 80lb. The 65lb has severed me very well.

[nitefisher]

i use the power pro 80lb with 17lb diameter and 40lb at the end of the line, works great on my penn model 209 reel, the only problem i have with it which don't happen often is if you get a back lash it's a good one. but can be untangled by useing a ink pen so you don't nick the line. little costly for the line but works well for me.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Quote:

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I go with the 65lb power pro. I would use the 80 but the price takes a hike between 65lb and the 80lb. The 65lb has

severed

me very well.

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Little Freudian slip there?

[rushing]

) possibly....it was also a long 11hr shift I worked last night. served served served

[nitefisher]

what diameter does the 65lb have i would like to try it on my penn model 155 reel.

[rushing]

16lb dia for 65lb PP and 18lb dia for 80lb PP

[Ralph Wiggum]

I see Rushing beat me to it, but just for kicks, Power Pro size conversions:

8 lb test (1 lb diameter)

10 lb test (2 lb diameter)

15 lb test (4 lb diameter)

20 lb test (6 lb diameter)

30 lb test (8 lb diameter)

40 lb test (10 lb diameter)

50 lb test (12 lb diameter)

65 lb test (16 lb diameter)

80 lb test (18 lb diameter)

100 lb test (20 lb diameter)

150 lb test (30 lb diameter)

200 lb test (50 lb diameter)

250 lb test (80 lb diameter)

[Flaco651]

Last season I started running the super-braid lines on my Rigs. On my spinning reel I went with 65lb Stren super braid, on my 6500 C3's one has the same 65lb Stren w\ a 17lb dia. and the other 50lb spiderwire stealth. I like both lines, the castabilty of the super braids is unbeatable. It is hard to get out of tough snags though, have bent a few hooks back also. When the line would break it was most likely caused by sharp rocks.

[nitefisher]

thanks this will be a good chart to go by when i have to respool my reels.

[Random guy]

I like to set up my cat rods somewhat situation specific.

For Channels I use a 10' rod and 20-30lb Hi-Vis mono. This works great for circle hook aplications. The spongey rod and stretchy mono do all the work. Just reel the fish in and take a picture. Plus the mono is very abrasive resistant.

For Flatheads I am using 65-80 lb Spider Wire Stealth. It is a thin line that holds its shape well and does not fray out like the power pro. The stealth works well for cutting the current remaining very sensitive to the lightest taps and the hooksets are solid. Although any super braid will cut off on a rough edge. Have to take some bad with the good I guess.

Captain Stubby McStickum: This is my heavy cover winch the bugger out rod. It is a 6'3" rod that has the action of a telephone pole. I spool this guy up with 40lb Berkely Big Cat mono. The abrasion resistance works great in the timber and rocks plus the strech alllows room for human error. I also like the bright mono so I can see where the line is at when trying to work a fish out from under a tree. Two bad things about this set-up, one if you are a ways out the hookset is not very solid and you take the chance of the wieght and hook snapping back at you or others in the boat

[Gordie]

the only problem I've had with mono as my dropper line is it tends to break with the hook set and thats 80lb fireline and 40lb big game (green) dont know if it just was bad line or what. I swithed to 30lb fire line and no mono and really haven't had any problems.

[MachineHead]

Quote:

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the only problem I've had with mono as my dropper line is it tends to break with the hook set...

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Ditch the dropper then. I rig with no swivel at all and use a bead for a stop. One loop around the bead and it keeps sinker right where you want it. If it gets hung it'll sometimes slip enough thru the bead to snap loose. Or just split the bead. Guess they don't make those in heavy test yet.

Another nice thing with the bead is you can change the leash length in an instant. In faster flowing water it is short. In lazy currents or an eddy I give it a bit more freedom.

And as for the line question: 65# PP on one rod. 50# Gorilla braid on another. And on the kids Reflex & Okuma spinning rig I have some 35# Gorilla.

[DARK30]

I'll stick with the 65# power pro, the 30# big game...oh and the 8# trilene XL for giggles. Catching catfish with lighter than normal gear is a blast.

[MachineHead]

I feel the same about the 65#, so far. Most of the time I don't even fish the nasty snags. I find areas that, well, look like a nice place to sit and drink beer while fishing all night. And I catch fish. Some are so non-fishy looking, it amazes me I get anything at all. Though most areas are near some key (my thought) places. Deep holes. But I don't always fish the hole itself. I like the beach area either up or down from it, and sometimes there is a snag within say 100 yards. Other than that, I guess it would be that a blind pig gets lucky sometimes.

Oink. Oink.

[Dennis Steele]

Quote:

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I find areas that, well, look like a nice place to sit and drink beer while fishing all night.

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That makes you a true catman.

[Guest]

Quote:

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For me, line choice depends on the application or even the type of cat I am after.

For flatheads, I prefer using Power Pro or Spider Stealth in the 80lb. If its particular snaggy, It wouldn't be over kill to move up to 100lb.

If its rock I am fishing, especially sharp rock, I think mono is the better choice. Seems to be a bit more abrasion resistant, or at least its less easily cut. 40lb is more than a guy would need in that situation.

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It all was said.

LFC.. you will have the day you seriously regret your #50 power pro. I have seen it snap countless times on the hookset into big fish, seen big fish snap it in a dead run(twice in just a few minutes, right hanson), and I have seen it snap many times on operator error just trying to cast when they backed off the bushing and got a backlash mid cast.

#50 power pro is pretty tough... until it is under load and it bumps anything abbrasive, then it will cut like butter. I used the stuff at 1st and I lost a lot of tackle to sharp structure and most was lost with so little of resistence it wouldnt have broke 6 pound mono.

Mono is a much better line for abbrasion resistence. I used to use mono primarily and I saved a lot of rigs because of it.. but I would end up re-tying 20 times a night. To meet the same abrasion resistence of 20# big game mono, you will need to have 80# power pro.

I just stepped up one of my rods yesterday to #100 power pro, it cast great, I caught plenty of fish.. but I didnt get any snags. The line diameter is equivelent to #20 mono.. I will report in the future how it compares to #80 power pro on abbrasion resistence. I know there is a huge difference between #65 and #80 in sharp snags.

If you want to try testing your #50 in harsh conditions, join me fishing tonight... bring lots of tackle!

As for the guy using a mono leader.. unless you are fishing toothy fish, you arent doing yourself any good. The weight(especially no rolls) have a tendency to get wedged between rocks which will leave your main line(not leader line) scraping against the rocks as you try to power your line out of the snag. I dont ee any point on putting a mono leader on when any of the heavy line most of us are using is at the least going to destroy the hook point.. no point in saving a hook that will be no good.

Using a 3 way swivel with a mono dropper to the weight can save some hooks, and some fish at the same time.