berkeley fireline

[manxlad]

i'm sure this topic has been covered in the past but can anyone give me advice as to what fireline breaking strain you would use for plugging / spinning for bass from the shore. i have always use mono but have recently been advised to try fireline for better hookups at distance. last year i seemed to lose quite a few fish using mono when i got takes at my maximum spinning range.

an angling buddy of mine was using herculine braid and he seemed to have much better success with distance hookups but then after two sessions had awful problems with knots and tangles in the line (even with swivels etc)and now he has gone back to mono!

anyone had any experiences with fireline?

any advice would be appreciated.

cheers

[fishy1]

manxlad,I use a braid it's called "Whiplash" I think, I've been using it for beachcasting with a fixed spool reel.early on I had trouble with end tackle getting taffled with the braid (no shocker) trying to use pulley rigs,different riggs now works a treat. My point is I intend to try spinning with braid this year on holiday and have been wondering about "line twist" which you get with mono, I've thought of trying those small paravane things fresh water men use,whether they will work I don't know till I try.anyway I'd like to hear how you get on.I'm on holiday 14-28June03 at Port Erin perhaps you can give me some info. tight lines fishy1

[peterseafishing]

I fished with firewire for bass and pollack from the shore in scotland last year. The major problem I had was snapping off on rocks :mad: , the braid only just has to touch a rough object and it seems to part vey easily. I was useing 15 lb I think it did cast well when spinning but think I will stick to a good quality mono this year :cool: ,

 

Peter

[great white]

I HAVE TWO MATES WHO DO A LOT OF SPINNING FOR POLLACK FROM THE SHORE,THEY USE 20LB.FIRELINE AND SWEAR BYE IT,THEY WOULD NOT USE MONO FOR SPINNING AND HAVE HAD POLLOCK TO 10LB.THE BITE DETECTION ON THE FIRELINE IS BRILLIANT THEY CAN FEEL EVERY PLUCK.HOPE THIS HELPS,CHEERS JOHN.

[gilbertron]

i've used fireline quite a lot for spinning for pollack from the shore in scotland, i bought 20lb (stronger than i need but i was seduced by the thin diameter!) but after i'd spooled up i noticed the spool said 30lb, while the box said 20, but as i was leaving the next day i couldnt return to theshop so i thought i would live with it. its fishes quite well, you can indeed feel everything, but whenever i got snagged the line would bed into the spool and get into a bit of a mess

[Newt]

For abrasion resistance, you need to match the diameter of your usual mono rather than the b/s.

 

I'm a dedicated PowerPro user (prefer it to fireline after using both) and if I were switching from a 20lb mono, I'd go with the 100lb PowerPro - same diameter as the 20lb mono, not quite as stiff, and no memory.

 

The reason the "super braids" like fireline and powerpro and others are good if fishing at distance is the amount of stretch.

 

They also have lots better "feel" so you get a better idea of what is happing at the rig end. Great feature for still water. Interesting in heavy river current. Can be frustrating in the sea.

 

Conventional mono will stretch 20-25% in use. So, if you have 100 yds of line out, it will stretch to 120-125 yds before you get really good tension on it for a hook set. No way a rod will allow you to take up that much slack so you gotta make a fast run back away from the water.

 

Super Braid is more like 3-5% so the same 100yds will only stretch to 103-105 yds before you get good tension.

[gilbertron]

newt, any ideas on how to prevent the fireline/powerpro bedding into the reel when you get snagged? i've had to re spool it a couple of times, because with 30lb fireline you're not going to snap it and the harder you pull, the more it digs in!

[Alan Taylor]

gilbertron:

newt, any ideas on how to prevent the fireline/powerpro bedding into the reel when you get snagged?

Couple of things here, firstly, to avoid the line digging into the reel when snagged, simply pull the line by hand from the snag not using the rod, just pull by hand or take a couple of turns around a priest. Before re casting after a snag up, tie the end of the line off and pull off the line until it runs smoothly from the spool.

 

Line twist, there is a small lead weight on the market that works a bit like a paravane, it is called a "spin doctor". You simply tie the lead directly to the line and cast out as far as you can. When you wind in the lead spins in the opposite direction to the twist. It can take a couple of casts to get all the twists out.

 

Casting, when I used fireline I found that the wind picked up the line a lot affecting the cast, wetting the line and rod rings did help a little bit as did a bit more weight.

 

As for knots, take a spare spool or 2 with you , seriously though, the only way that I managed to get knots out was by soaking the line and using a PLASTIC comb.

 

Good luck

 

Alan(nl)

[gilbertron]

thanks for the advice alan, when i've been piking in the winter i wrap the line around my elbow and wrist to free from snags (wearing a thick coat), instead of pulling with the rod, but in the summer wearing a t shirt i nearly cut my arm off doing that, fireline is like a garotte if you pull hard enough!

i've never tried using a shock leader when spinning with it, would it help in anyway?

[Alan Taylor]

gilbertron:

i've never tried using a shock leader when spinning with it, would it help in anyway?

To be honest I don't know but I think you could end up in a bit of a mess unless you are using a fairly heavy spinner. Lets see what the lads come up with

 

Alan(nl)