Line

[evinrude19]

i am new to musky fishing and i bought a new pole and a abu garcia reel so im set up with equip. but the question i have is what line should i spool up if i want to cast alot and cover alot of area by casting?

thanks

zach

[Esox_Magnum]

I prefer 80 pound Power Pro.

[Rebel9921]

Zach... GET OUT of it while you can... once you get addicted... theres no turning back!!! Thousands of dollars are spent in search for the 50" monster... sooner or later... you'll be filing bankruptcy

All the kidding aside... welcome to the addiction known as Muskie Fever... getting a new pole and an Abu Garcia reel is just a beginning...

As for the choice of lines... there has been sooooo many recommendations made in the past postings... I dont know where to begin...

Many will recommend that you use Superbraid 80# or heavier... and I know few people that wouldnt think of using anything less than 100#... So thats a good start for you... just go 80# or heavier...

So far, the major players when it comes to muskies are: Power Pro, Cortland Masterbraid Bronzeback, Tufline XP... but some other lines are emerging as favorites such as Sufix Superbraid and Spiderwire Invisi-braid...

I took several advices and started the season with 80# powerpro... halfway thru the season, switched over to Tufline XP... and IMO, I like XP better than PP... but now more and more people are recommending Bronzeback... so I spooled a new 7000 with that... but havent tried it yet... so cant really say... but all the lines I've used has been 80#... Im thinking about spooling on 100# on my next reel... just to see if it feels or performs any different...

BEST advice I can give you right now is to browse through the old postings... you'd be amazed at all of those knowledge that has already been posted... and those infos sure can help you make a logical choice...

[cjac]

Power Pro, Sufix, and the Cortland lines seem to be the favorites. Depends a little on what your set-up is and what you're throwing for baits, but a 65 or 80lb test in one of these super-braids will work in most cases.

You'll want to start the spool with mono, both as a filler and a backer to avoid slipping on the spool. So, if the reel holds 150 yards of 20lb diameter, roughly the 80lb braided equilivent, you'll want 50 or so yards of mono backing, then use a uni-to-uni knot to join the braided line, and finish up the spool from there. The knot "how to" is on here in a reel post. I'll look for the link.....

You should end up with 100 yards or so of premium braided line. Saves you money on the braided line, and fills up the spool.

[cjac]

Check page 7 of this link, there's a link to the uni-to-uni knot. Read all 7 pages if you have time, that should keep you entertained for a while.....

Uni-to-uni knot "how to"

[b1gf1sh1]

if you are a beginner, i'd suggest getting stren super-braid, in 65# test, better distance than the heavier if your not to good at casting yet. if your expierienced i suggest 65# stren superbraid, better distance than the heavier stuff if you know how to cast really good.

[MUSKY18]

Been throwing the TUFLINE since I started. 80lb for my bucktails, cranks and topwaters, move up to 100# for my jerkbaits. That being said, I did give Power Pro a test run on one of my poles last summer. Didn't like it at all. Personal choice of course, as there are many that do like it. This season I am going to spool up a couple of reels with Cortlan Masterbraid, Bronzeback. Have heard many a good thing about it, and Aaron had some in stock at MTO.

As stated above, most of what you like will boil down to personal preference and what works best for you. 99% of the super lines out there today are very good.

[evinrude19]

ok thanks guys

it is addicting, i went to fleet farm the other day and thought i was gonna spend maybe 50 or so for some starter lures but then came the ones that you cant live without lol so i ended spending over 200 on lures but i can tell that it is gonna be a fun year on the water. so it sounds like 80# is a good starter line ? i think i am going to give power pro a try and see how that goes but if anyone elses has any other advice please let me know, the more the beter

thanks

zach

[Rebel9921]

Zach... sooner or later you'll find out $200 isnt even enough... take me for example... I know I've gotten plenty of ribbing for this one... but I blew $1000 at the recent MN Muskie Expo... and still am spending more and more each month...

Like Bret (Musky18) talked about Tufline... thats a good line you could start out with... I noticed that I have whole lot less backlashes with Tufline... but then again maybe I improved my casting when I switched over...

Easiest way to decide is to try your friends' reels that has those lines on and see which one you like the best... Hardest way to decide is to spend the $$$ and do the job of switching out the lines... like I did... LOL

[eyehead]

evinrude19,

I would defienitly go with #80. I used Suffix on all my reels last year and loved the stuff. Then my bro gave me some Spiderwire Ultracast and I like that even better. Super long distance, doesnt fray, isnt noisy going through the guides, and keeps its color. Cant beat the stuff in my book..... Good luck, musky fishing is a sick addiction

[Dano_the_jigasaurus]

Cortland masterbraid, Spiderwire Invisibraid, Stren Superbraid. Would be my top line choices, it is just going to come down to personal preference.

Good luck with the addiction

dan

[bonefish]

 Originally Posted By: cjac

Check page 7 of this link, there's a link to the uni-to-uni knot. Read all 7 pages if you have time, that should keep you entertained for a while.....

Uni-to-uni knot "how to"

Another good resource is the North American Fishing Club's HSOforum. Each week on their TV show they have "knot Wars" where they test 2 knots against each other. On the HSOforum they have videos of the best knots and how to tie them to get the most strength.

[Rebel9921]

Yeah I love to watch "Knot Wars" but they need to pit the Palomar against Bucher Power Knot...

For those who never heard of Bucher Power Knot... its sort of a hybrid knot combining both palomar and clinch knots... "best of both worlds"

[HugoBox]

Evinrude -

I'm excited for you as chasing the biggies is a lot of fun and the folks on this board are extrememly helpful. I guess one thing I would maybe recommend would be to stop in at one of the Musky shops in town and ask the guys there to help get you set up with the basics. Early on I bought a bunch of lures cause I liked the way they looked (who am i kidding I still do that!). The guys at musky shops are pretty knowledgeable though and they'll help you get the right lures to cover many situations. I've found that musky fisherman, more than any other group of fisherman or hunters, seem to be the most helpful.

Good luck - erik

[Bemidjifisher]

Good Luck on your choice...

I use 65 Power Pro on most stuff and 80 Power Pro on my heavy stuff.

[MuskieJunkie]

I don't like the Power pro because it has a coating on it that comes off, you can reverse it the 2nd year but the 3rd year of use is an issue.

I also don't like the Tuff line because it absorbs ALOT of water, it'll spray you and your boat when casting, on a hot summer day that's nice but in late fall cold water, not so nice.

[Rebel9921]

I didnt have that problem with Tufline XP absorbing too much water and spraying on anybody...

As for Tufline XP vs PP for me... XP cast smoother, further, and is prone to considerably less backlashes... I also notice that I can feel more vibration using XP... more sensitivity...

as for the backlashes... Like I said... it could be the line itself or it could be my skill at casting improving... hard to say...

[steffanf]

Am I the only one that preferrs using Spiderwire Stealth? I used it all last year and never had a problem with it. In addition, I also use only 50# test. Does anyone have any comments, good or bad, about my choice here?

-Gregg B.

[RK]

Hiya -

I've been using Cortland Masterbraid the last two seasons. I've tried most of what's out there, and definitely prefer the Cortland to any of them. It stays round, doesn't soak up water, is extremely tightly braided, doesn't fade... Love the stuff.

Steffanf - I used Stealth before I switched to Masterbraid. It's good line really. It did seem to fray a little more quickly than some others I used, but I did like how it handled. If it weren't for Masterbraid that's probably what I'd be using...

cheers,

Rob Kimm

[PDXFisher]

Stealth Ultracast. I can pretty interchangeably go between it, Cortland Masterbraid and Stren. The Ultracast seems to be thinnest diameter and farthest casting.

I agree with everything MuskieJunkie said about PP and Tuffline. I don't mind PP, but wonder why people like it so much. It frays on me quicker than anything else. It's what I use when I can't find the other three above (options are more limited out here on the left coast).

[Tippman]

I have Spiderwire Stealth on one of my setups and haven't had any problems. So far I do like it alot. I think its all Steve Scepaniak uses.

[b1gf1sh1]

 Quote:

Am I the only one that preferrs using Spiderwire Stealth? I used it all last year and never had a problem with it

i don't like it because that green teflon coating gets all over my reels and not very tough around sand and gravel/rocks.

[steffanf]

Hmmm... I never had any teflon coating coming off onto my reels. I didn't even know it had a coating that comes off. As far as durability goes, I've gotten the line all wrapped up around the teeth of fish and I didn't even notice any fraying. Then again, I do replace my line fairly often (every 3-4 weeks).

-Gregg B.

[b1gf1sh1]

stealth has teflon coating, i should say, ''had'' it when it came out. have'nt used it since the first year. i'd reel in and the water comming off the line getting on my hand would be green. pretty soon the line was barly green,and my reel would look like it was dragged through grass. had problems with it seperating at that point. when i say not tough, i guess i mean not as tough as superbraid. just not my line, but i'm happy for you if it works for you. it was originaly designed to help stop the hazard of braid cutting through rod guides. hence the teflon. nowadays rods are made to withstand it better anyway. does cast smooth. flat design gets more line on smaller reels. there are good things to be said.

[slipperybob]

Teflon is easily scratch off, you know the teflon cookware.

Teflon is only made to prevent excessive water absorbtion. Braid in general can spray a lot of water with a spinning reel setup. There is no doubt that the teflon will rub off, but the same as silicone treated braid, or whatever the wax stuff on PP is. Any braid with any kind of coating will rub off, as since the braid fibers are a lot more abrasion resistant.

I've got on reel spool with Stealth to try this year as since I want to see how much less water spray this will be.