Which mono? Yes, I know its an old one, but...

[mpbdsnu]

I realise this is one of those type of questions that get asked thousands of times, but - with all the new breed of lines now coming on to the market, I was wondering what make of mono you would now go for?

 

My reason for asking is this:

 

I have been using braid as a mainline for about 10 to 12 months, but a couple of the waters I'll be fishing this coming year have banned braid, and so I have ordered 3x new spare spools for my 'Big Blues' so that I can easily and quickly swop from one to the other.

 

I am after a mono that does not stretch too much, around 15lb bs, and about .30mm diameter.

 

So, I am after advice in this connection please - what mono would you buy if it were you in my situation?

[Woodzzz]

For low stretch try a flourocarbon. A lot of these break at the exact breaking strain though so you need to be careful, and also be careful of the really **** ones out there.

You cant go wrong with Daiwa sensor...good enough for the british carp record holder, and many other good anglers.

Fox soft steel is wonderful though, i had it on my old reels and want to get some more for the new year. The ESP stuff is top too.

I use Bayer Perlon...more famed for it's use on the match scene but it works well for me.

You might fancy the Infinity Duo stuff...although i'd recommend that in 20lb breaking strain.

[Newt]

I like fluoro lines myself. Low stretch like the braids but will pass for a normal mono. I have great luck with the XPS brand (BassPro house brand).

 

If you like the idea of a mono-mono (almost) the folks I've spoken to about experience with the new Berkley Iron Silk line have been happy with it.

 

Some user comments Here.

[Andy Thatcher]

I used Sensor for ages and never had a problem but changed to GR60 as it seemed to cast better and was much more abrasion resistant.

 

Would not complain about either nowadays apart from the fact they ain't PowerPro !

[Steve Burke]

Jim Gibbinson did bench tests on most of the popular monos for Carpworld. See issues 88 to 90, January to March 1998.

 

A shortened, updated version went into Jim's latest book, Big Water Carp.

 

Additionally Jim did an article for Angler's Net earler this year on choosing mono which you should also find helpful. See http://anglersnet.co.uk/authors/jim09.htm

 

On the basis of the above it might be worth looking at Nash Power Plus and Berkeley's Trilene XL for what you have in mind. Both have low stretch and are thin for their strength. However, Trilene XL has relatively low abrasion resistance.

 

One important point is that you're not going to get a mono with a true breaking strain of 15lbs with a diameter as low as .30mm - at least not according to Jim's tests, which I have no reason to doubt. As Jim points out both diameters and breaking strains are purely nominal figures. They're also interpreted differently by distrutors!

 

Finally, having tested a lot of flourocarbon and flourocarbon/nylon mixes during my time in the tackle trade I can't recommend any as a mainline with a fixed spool reel. However that might change as the relatively new technology develops.

 

[ 11. December 2002, 09:30 PM: Message edited by: Steve Burke ]

[Dunk Fairley]

I use Gold Label "Pro-Gold" almost exclusively, in all strains as a reel line. I love the stuff and couldn't reccomend it enough. But...

I recently spoolled one of my spinning reels with Berkeley "Iron Silk" and I'm very impressed. IIt'll take a lot to make nme change from Pro-gold, but there's now a rival.

[mpbdsnu]

Thanks for the comments and recommendations - I'm off shortly to buy some and will bear in mind what you have said and chat with the assistant and buy accordingly.