Abrasion & Mono

[Steve Walker]

I lost a decent fish last night, probably a good tench, though it could have been a carp. The end of the line came back with the last 2-3 inches roughened and abraded. I'm annoyed that I didn't get the fish, but more annoyed still that it's now swimming round with a #8 in its chops.

 

This was from a fairly shallow and fairly flat-bottomed gravel pit. It doesn't have the dramatic gravel bars that some pits have, but it clearly has something capable of cutting line. I lost a fish there to line abrasion last year, but that was at close range due to old abrasion , my own fault for not checking my line post-Wingham. This time, I was using new line.

 

I'm using 8lb Daiwa Sensor. I'm reluctant to fish heavier than that for tench. I think I remember some posts about tougher mono recently - has anyone found anything significantly better than Sensor?

[Steve Burke]

I use and recommend 8lb Pro Gold for Wingham. It's very abrasion-resistant but still supple. See my review at http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/tackle-and-bai...ws/progold.html.

[Anderoo]

I lost a decent fish last night, probably a good tench, though it could have been a carp. The end of the line came back with the last 2-3 inches roughened and abraded. I'm annoyed that I didn't get the fish, but more annoyed still that it's now swimming round with a #8 in its chops.

 

This was from a fairly shallow and fairly flat-bottomed gravel pit. It doesn't have the dramatic gravel bars that some pits have, but it clearly has something capable of cutting line. I lost a fish there to line abrasion last year, but that was at close range due to old abrasion , my own fault for not checking my line post-Wingham. This time, I was using new line.

 

I'm using 8lb Daiwa Sensor. I'm reluctant to fish heavier than that for tench. I think I remember some posts about tougher mono recently - has anyone found anything significantly better than Sensor?

 

Yes. Pro Tough: http://www.fostersofbirmingham.co.uk/pro-t...lb-1000m-p22277

 

I use Sensor a lot as you know, but decided to try something different this season for the gravel pit fishing for exactly the reason you describe. Sensor is tough old stuff, but it doesn't stand up to the bars very well.

 

I've now had 4 sessions with the Pro Tough and had quite a few hard fighting tench, a few of which have taken me around bars and got stuck behind bars, and the line is still unmarked. It's quite remarkable to be honest! It is also nice and supple and casts very well and I feel I can recommend it on the strength of only a few sessions. Way better than Sensor.

 

I use 10lb line for tench, which might sound heavy, but I can't see any advantage in going lighter.

Edited May 9, 2011 by Anderoo

[Dales]

I like Sensor but have been using Fox Soft Steel for my Tench Fishing, it seems to have good abrasion resistance and is also very supple. Like Anderoo I like to use 10lb. The only hesitation I would have with recomending it, is that I don't tend to fish over bars and so it has not had a full work out yet, but I have had fish go over bars and it's stood up well. I used it all season last year and touch wood did not get cut off once.

 

I am planning on giving Korda Kontour Flurocarbon a try and have loaded a few spools. It's supposed to have good abrasion resistance if you believe the advertising but I think I will be the judge of that. But I do like the idea of its sinking properties to pin everthing down and can see how it could prove a very good line for fishing in certain swims.

[tincatinca]

I am another advocate of the Terry Eustace pro series line but in my case I use pro-clear in 10lb b.s. which is slightly thinner than pro-gold or pro-tough and is very supple. It has stood up to abrasion surprisingly well even though there have been a few hairy moments with the gravel bars at Wingham. I always use a metre of anchor tube both to pin down the line and protect the bottom end and this has tended to work well. The biggest difference that I can see between the pro-clear and the other pro lines is that it breaks very close to the stated breaking strain and not a few pounds over.

[Tigger]

I like Sensor but have been using Fox Soft Steel for my Tench Fishing, it seems to have good abrasion resistance and is also very supple. Like Anderoo I like to use 10lb.

 

 

I have soft steel and fox camo on several of my reels and use it in a river with lots of abrasive rocks and it's been fine. Another line that I use in the river and is very tough is nash bullet.

[Steve Burke]

 

The biggest difference that I can see between the pro-clear and the other pro lines is that it breaks very close to the stated breaking strain and not a few pounds over.

I agree. 10lb Pro Clear is equivalent to 8lb Pro Gold or 8lb Pro Tough. The latter two seem very similar except for colour (Pro Tough is flourescent).

I use Pro Clear in 16lb for heavier work. It's thinner than Pro Gold/Pro Tough for a given breaking strain, but I don't think it's quite as abrasion-resistant.

By the way, Pro Gold is hard to find in the lighter breaking strains as most shops cater just for the carp market. I get mine from Birmingham Angling Centre (tel 0121-373-6627), that used to be Terry Eustace's old shop before he started Gold Label. Edited February 23, 2013 by Steve Burke

[Dick Dastardly]

Over the years Ive used 8lb mono mainlines a lot on gravel pits for carp (long range work),bream and tench. Never had a problem...but then in 90% of these situations Ive used a 15-20lb Amnesia leader! simple

[Dales]

I have soft steel and fox camo on several of my reels and use it in a river with lots of abrasive rocks and it's been fine. Another line that I use in the river and is very tough is nash bullet.

 

Soft Steel and Fox Camo have become my main lines over the last few years for almost all my big species fishing situaions and so far no snap offs, breaks or cut offs that seem to get posted about on these forums. I do like Sensor though for my small species fishing, it's cheap and cheeful and a good line for the price point.

[John Weddup]

I used Terry Eustace pro gold when it first came out maybe 15 years ago.

 

It was only availeable in 10lb upwards to start with and then lighter weights were added. It was my main line for a number of years.

 

I did however find it aged. I was stalking chub one day and felt the line was very rough. Not abrasion but consistent along its length and also on the reel below were it was used. I did not worry as I would normally have changed my line quicker.

 

I always thought the pro gold was very similar to one of the berkeley range. Lines of which I have always thought very good.

 

For my general work I am using Tubertini gorrilla feeder which at 8lbs is 0.235 diameter. It casts very well for feeder work and is thin for its weight. Diameter is very important to me when fishing feeder rods up in the air beachcaster style on large stillwaters. Cross winds affects larger lines much more.

 

 

For larger stillwater use and bigger fish I am now using Korda adrenalin in 10lbs bs.

 

I am about due to put fresh on again and will probably buy the same again.

 

That is unless reading this thread changes my mind.

 

Regards

 

John