Posted on behalf of Orang. Please add all replies to this thread:

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I've used Sensor and Soft Steel. I now use Sensor or Maxima. Enough said.

From preference I'd go for Gold label Pro Gold from Eustace's or Krystonite (which is a fluorocarbon coated mono).

However, there are many more experienced and better anglers than me. All the lines I've mentioned were used on recommendation with the exception of Fox Soft Steel which came as a freebie with purchase.
I understand why it was free...they had to get rid of it somehow.

I'm a fan of sensor!

Unfortunately there's no one "best" line as there are many factors to be taken into account. For instance if you choose a supple line that has less memory you'll be able to cast further and the line won't spring off the spool. However the abrasion resistance will be relatively poor.

So if you're likely to be fishing weedy or snaggy waters, or ones with gravel bars I'd look at more abrasion-resistant lines even if they are a little more expensive. They may even save you money as you're less likely to get cut off. They're also less likely to leave a fish trailing line and a hook.

My choice of such lines is Gold Label ProGold. For my field test see http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/Tackle-And-Bai...ws/progold.html

Jim Gibbinson did a series of bench tests for Carpworld a while back. A summary of these can be found in an excellent article here on Angler's Net at http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/Miscellaneous-...mono_facts.html

As Jim pointed out bench tests are just a starting point. You can use them to draw up a short list of lines suitable for the type of waters you fish. However they don't always do as well in field tests, especially long term ones. A case in point is the Krystonite that Alan mentioned. In my own field test it started off very promisingly, but in the long term it didn't perform well, becoming very wiry. Not so important of course if you don't fish much, but it's not a line I'd recommend myself.

I'm glad you said that, Steve. I have never had a problem with Krystonite, but as you intimated, I don't get out to fish with any of the regularity I really want.

A good reason for my recommendation of Krystonite was that I came to it on recommendation after hating Fox's Soft Steel. In terms of suppleness it actually out-performed Soft Steel when I used it. However, I did have a couple of crack-offs, but at the time I put it don to my own incompetence. In hindsight, the failures were due to a) me being clumsy, and a decent carp taking the line over a sharp edged conrete step, which caused fraying.

However, the very guy that recommended it had a couple of bad losses when he had palomar knots fail when he was barbel fishing on the Ribble. I swear by the palomar when I'm not using a knotless knot.

He lost faith in it, but it meets my needs and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. The failure rate for me is at an acceptable level, but I can totally understand Steve's point. Frankly, when Messrs. Burke and Gibbinson speak, I listen intently.

And I reckon we should listen to Stubsy as well cause in my mind hes nailed it with reccomnending Maxima (Chamelion) or Sensor. Cant go wrong.Both have stood the test of time and been used by a lot of big fish anglers.A lot of the modern "carp" monos are just over hyped and over priced.If they were any cop carpers wouldnt always be panicing about which one to use!

Try either of the two reccomended ones and change them each season and you wont go wrong.

Sensor without a doubt.

Sensor has always been the best value line around for me, never lets you down

I went out this morning and a friend was using Fox Warrior 12lb. He loathed it. It was springy - coiling off the reel, full of memory and lacking any suppleness.

That said, his loading of the reels left something to be desired, which distorts the opinion about line memory. Nonetheless, I had a go at setting up a rig for him, and I vastly prefer either Maxima or Sensor.

I didn't catch, but lost two decent fish - certainly high doubles, at the net.

I know it's off-topic, but it seems that the feeding pattern I started using last year works. A combination of maize, corn and hemp blended and mixed with crushed tiger nuts and moistened with tiger nut juice, I 've been using tiger nut hook baits and home made spicy boilies. I may have to tweak this approach as I am getting more bream interest than I'm comfortable with - especially in the very anti-social hours of the morning!

I am not decrying what other people have to say but having used Big Game in both 12 and 15lb versions for a very long time both in the UK and abroad, I personally don't see any reason to change unless I am using braid. I have found it to be both reliable and also now inexpensive for a bulk spool. I also like to use the fluro green coloured line as it certainly helps to see where the line is at night when you have a fish on. I bought a couple spools of Sensor on the back of recommendations from others but as yet have not tried it.