For years I've been an Ande mono guy when it comes to line.
Out of habit I always seem to use it without trying anything new.
The Ande just seems so stiff anymore.
I'm off to fish Mexico. Baja, Loreto BCS in about five weeks and want to try something new.
The fishing is stand up panga. I've never seen any of the local striped marlin over 200#, so I'm dropping
down in class from 6.5' 30-80# that seemed to much in the past.
I'll be taking these three rods/reel set ups.
6' 20-50 -- TLD30II with 50#
Offshore trolling for billfish and maybe bouncing the bottem for pargo
7' 20-50 -- 113h (Tiburon Frame - narrowed/speeded) 30#
Inshore trolling/casting for dorado, roosterfish, barracuda
7' 15-40 -- Penn Battle5000 #20 sight casting to school dorado and off the beach in early AM or sundown
Back up reels:
501 20#
113H (Tiburon frame) 30#
113HW (Tiburon Frame) #40
What line do you use that you like? I just want to spool up with mono or maybe try some braid.
Not really sure. Just getting excited and overthinking my options and looking for opinions.
Thanks -gary
Gary -
I just discovered Izor and Jinkai mono. Both are very supple compared to the others I've been using: Trilene Big Game, Ande Tournament, Cuda. For braid I use TufLineXP and just spooled my Penn 50 with Izor 135# hollow. The Tufline goes on well, holds its green color (so far), and doesn't have a coating to come off.
The search begins .......... ;D ;D
Rob
Izorline (First String) is very strong and tough, a very good choice for your 50#, but not as flexible as . . .
Momoi Hi-Catch is strong and very supple but hard to find
Jinkai breaks within 10% of label! Buy it by diameter not labeled #
Doesn't look to me that your planned fishing calls for braid, and getting up to speed with that whole thing takes a while.
Good luck on your trip!
I just want to try something other than Ande or mono in general with less stretch for my 50# trolling outfit. I'm rethinking and maybe drop down to 40# line.
I get the idea or application of mono being more forgiving on big fish making strong runs, but also making it harder to set the hook.
My trolling set up will be a 6' 20-50 so I should get plenty of forgivness from the rod on small billfish.
Using a TLDII 30 will holds 450yds of 40# mono should be way more than I need and smaller diameter is not needed but it's just the way it is with the newer type super lines.
I can just change out my leaders or top shots everyday.
The only braid I've tried is PowerPro, and getting some oil on the line ruined it quick.
Thanks for the inputs. I'm looking into Momoi and Jinkai.
-g
Mono 60lb and under I use Izorline XXX, give it a shot I think you may like it, for braid Jerry Brown's Line One. If you do decide to spectra back some or all of your reels may I suggest that you don't go cheap on the braid. Once you fish a higher quality spectra you will never go back to the lesser grades and over the lifetime of the spectra the cost increase of higher quality lines really doesn't add up to too much.
Edit: I use to fish alot of Trilene Big Game and it is fine line but it does have alot of streach. In a pinch if I cant get the triple X I will go back to the Big Game.
P.S. I Also fish Loreto alot, as a matter of fact I head down on the 19th to fish the Tripui tourney.
Sweet deal SCA. Have a good time.
Were going to be there after the two or three July Loreto tournaments are over.
Last week of July. 24 - 31.
Be sure and take some pictures and post them.
-g
General purpose and filler mono I use Big Game, cheap and works good..
For extra duty (when I go lighter for bigger fish = touchy bite) If I dont have fluoro to top shot with. I used the Izor XXX Great stuff, pretty limp and strong as heck!!!!
Quote from: Nessie Hunter on June 17, 2011, 02:34:53 PM
General purpose and filler mono I use Big Game, cheap and works good..
For extra duty (when I go lighter for bigger fish = touchy bite) If I dont have fluoro to top shot with. I used the Izor XXX Great stuff, pretty limp and strong as heck!!!!
Plus 1 on the Berkely Big Game, I just landed a 7-1/2 foot sail on 15 pound big game. I will never switch from this line in the 15 and 20 pound range, but I am not familiar with how it works above 20#. I tried Berkely vanish staying within the Berkely name, but I am going back to the Big Game. When I was young I used nothing but Ande when pier fishing (they make it about five miles from here) I used to love the way the pink looked on my reels, and the white was nice too, however it gets powdery in a couple months and brittle much faster than the Berkely. When pursuing record fish the big game does not conform to IGFA tournament rules, Ande does. The 15# I just landed the fish on had caught about 30 fish in about six trips and I was going to respool just to be safe, but it came through this fight very well.
Berkley big game for me as well... What exactly about the line doesn't conform to igfa regs?
for the last 10 years, it's always been big game. i used ande for years before that.
I was an ande guy for many years too, then trilene big game, now i have been using the momoi diamond mono for the past 2 years, very soft in comparison to ande, casts VERY well and compared to other mono's very strong. If your a braided guy, this year i started using momoi's diamond braid, it seems a bit thicker than power pro, but at least so far it is much more abrasion resistant too, I also like the western filament tuf-line xp on spinning reels and the regular salt and pepper tuf line on my conventionals.
Quote from: Cowbass on June 27, 2011, 04:41:57 AM
Berkley big game for me as well... What exactly about the line doesn't conform to igfa regs?
Usually when a line doesn't conform it's because the diameter is larger, therefore stronger, and the company is downrating it. For example, every one else's 40# is their 30#.
Quote from: norcal pescador on July 01, 2011, 02:50:22 PM
Quote from: Cowbass on June 27, 2011, 04:41:57 AM
Berkley big game for me as well... What exactly about the line doesn't conform to igfa regs?
Usually when a line doesn't conform it's because the diameter is larger, therefore stronger, and the company is downrating it. For example, every one else's 40# is their 30#.
So true.......
Well one of the guys took it upon himself to buy the trolling line for the trip.
Berkley 50# Big Game it is in the Mega spool! -g