The bad one
Well-known member
The only line I've ever had problems with was the Drennan double strength. Total crap, so I binned it all. My go to heavy line is Gold Label 10,12 lbs and Maxima in the lower poundage.
Stored mono.....should I replace?
- Thread starter stevejay
- Start date
Keith M
Well-known member
Its a shame that Gold Label Pro Gold is unavailable now as I used to use that for all of my Barbel and Carp fishing.
I haven’t yet found another line that has the same suppleness, low memory, abrasion resistance, knot strength and shock resistance properties.
Also It’s breaking strength was very under-rated (like Diawa Sensor) and 6lb bs Pro-Gold was actually closer to 8lb bs in independent line tests.
Keith
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I like the Pro Gold, too, in heavier strains, but I only tried it a couple of years back, so it's disappearing just as I got to like it.
Line choice is a funny business. What some swear by, others reject. Remember Pro Micron - new wonder hi-tech match hooklength? I couldn't tie a knot that didn't pigtail or crinkle and it broke if I looked at it. A friend who swore by some Berkeley line or other and caught tons of barbel recommended it. I had barbel snap me on the bite! Maxima is rubbish, according to some. I must have used miles of 2, 2.5, 3 and 4lb and can't fault it. And so on.
Line choice is a funny business. What some swear by, others reject. Remember Pro Micron - new wonder hi-tech match hooklength? I couldn't tie a knot that didn't pigtail or crinkle and it broke if I looked at it. A friend who swore by some Berkeley line or other and caught tons of barbel recommended it. I had barbel snap me on the bite! Maxima is rubbish, according to some. I must have used miles of 2, 2.5, 3 and 4lb and can't fault it. And so on.
I use 2.0 and 2.5lb Pro-Gold for stick and waggler, buying the 500m spools. I bought another one of each in 2021 but there was no 3.4lb in stock, which I'd previously bought 100m of and found it suitable for bolo fishing.
Speaking to Rob Eustace a few times since he said they were having trouble sourcing freight containers to import gear at a viable rate, as there was a shorage due to lockdown/pandemic and that the Chinese had virtually monopolised them.
If this situation hasn't improved it may have contributed to the decision to close the shop.
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
Maxima is a decent reliable line,not my first choice,I wouldn't say you have to use a line forever,however,some lines are really long lived and decent,so why change them cos you can,as soon as lines show signs of weakening,coiling,twisting etc they need changing,if they are sound they stay on for me at least...
Regarding longevity of line, I've been catching a few roach from the Trent in Burton these last few weeks and a couple of times odd chub in the 3lb bracket have shown up.
My standard roach gear is a light match rod, 2lb reel line, 12oz hook length and 24 gama black.
The hook length is Sundridge Force, which has been off the market for years and must have been lying in a drawer in my box for over a decade.
It handled the chub with no problems at all and is back on the winder along with the same hook.
Some people are dismissive of very small hooks but they're always sharper (when new) than larger sizes and penetrate better. There was no way either of the lip hooked chub were coming off. The only thing that seems to spoil them is when dragging on or hooking debris, which can easily knock the edge off the points, as shown when the maggots start bursting when hooking them.
Sadly it looks like the Trent fishing may be over for the season as some unidentified brown scum has covered the river and turned the water a horrible colour. The incident is under investigation but thankfully no fish deaths have been reported that I'm aware of to date.
My standard roach gear is a light match rod, 2lb reel line, 12oz hook length and 24 gama black.
The hook length is Sundridge Force, which has been off the market for years and must have been lying in a drawer in my box for over a decade.
It handled the chub with no problems at all and is back on the winder along with the same hook.
Some people are dismissive of very small hooks but they're always sharper (when new) than larger sizes and penetrate better. There was no way either of the lip hooked chub were coming off. The only thing that seems to spoil them is when dragging on or hooking debris, which can easily knock the edge off the points, as shown when the maggots start bursting when hooking them.
Sadly it looks like the Trent fishing may be over for the season as some unidentified brown scum has covered the river and turned the water a horrible colour. The incident is under investigation but thankfully no fish deaths have been reported that I'm aware of to date.
Nylon monofilament line will last for decades if stored in a reasonably dark place and not exposed to extremely high temperatures. But sunlight will damage it very quickly, especially if it's dry. So a good tackle shop keeps the new spools in the box until point of sale. Never buy a spool that's out on display, and especially never buy one that's in a shop window. And keep your spare spools and unused line in a dark place.
Absolutely! I still use spools of hook length line I bought in the early nineties. A while a go I did a lot of testing on all kinds of Nylon up to forty years old. Most of it is now pushing thirty years and only found one problem in a very specific, soft hooklength spool of 8/00. I liked it because of it's softness but had to stop using it. In fact the whole idea of testing started when I found this stuff breaking time after time. After testing it showed it only had a fraction of the original breaking strength left.
All others, cheap and expensive did not deteriorate below spec, if kept cool and dark. My testing was mostly on the thin hooklength Nylon but I think one can extrapolate the results to the thicker mono and never found proof for the contrary. The test results must be in another thread in here somewhere.
Looked it up:
Putting Line Through Its Paces
Does anyone have a routine that they use to test a new line to help decide if it's a good line or not? For those that have used their line for a long time, can you remember what made you think - this is the one for this type of fishing! Or do you just read reviews, buy some, use it on the bank...
www.fishingmagic.com
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@Clive
Well-known member
I spent some time in a laboratory part of which involved testing fibres. As a result I then started looking at my fishing lines more critically. The strength tests did not involve knots as the tying of a knot could influence the result. The fibre was wound around a round bar several times then held in place between two rubber washers using a screw tensioner. I don't have the technical equipment the lab had so I use a standard micrometer for checking diameters in several places to ensure consistency, and a high power magnifying glass to examine the line. The final test is to clamp the line in a pair of forceps leaving a 10mm tag. The tag is bent to 90 degrees and released. The higher number of vibrations it does, the stiffer it is.
From that I realised that many hook link materials were actually the same stuff rebranded. For example Greys tippet was the same as Supplex hook lengths at a much cheaper price. Same colour, same diameter, same breaking strain and same number of vibrations.
From that I realised that many hook link materials were actually the same stuff rebranded. For example Greys tippet was the same as Supplex hook lengths at a much cheaper price. Same colour, same diameter, same breaking strain and same number of vibrations.
wetthrough
Well-known member
This study https://www.autexrj.com/cms/zalaczone_pliki/2-06-4.pdf suggests that the effects of UV short of extreme exposure are minimal.
I've never regretted playing safe with mono, even if I'm replacing stuff with good life left in it. It's cheap. relative to the overall cost of fishing. That habit may date back to the prevailing styles when I grew up - when you spool up with 1.5 or 2lb for float and 2.5 or 3lb for leger, and hooklengths are 12oz to 1.5lb, there's not much margin for any damage or deterioration. Besides, I like to have fresh line on, although one or two brands I like aren't at their best til they've had some use.
I know it's old tech and taken for granted, but it still strikes me as amazing that skinny lines can be extruded and spun for miles in such a quality-controlled way.
I know it's old tech and taken for granted, but it still strikes me as amazing that skinny lines can be extruded and spun for miles in such a quality-controlled way.
Keith M
Well-known member
I haven’t used Maxima Chameleon for decades simply because I had some break at way below its stated breaking strain once. It used to be my first choice for float fishing until this happened.
I think it must have been stored in a light and warm place for quite a while before I bought it. I know it’s normally a good line and I never had any problems with it before but despite it being a good line normally ‘once bitten, twice shy’ and all that
Keith
I think it must have been stored in a light and warm place for quite a while before I bought it. I know it’s normally a good line and I never had any problems with it before but despite it being a good line normally ‘once bitten, twice shy’ and all that
Keith
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Alan Whitty
Well-known member
I am a turncoat,after bemoaning Daiwa Sensor I've come to the conclusion it isn't the 'best' line on the market,but it is strong,reliable and cheap,plus being available in bulk spools over 4lbs b.s. ,300yds in below that,in spite of what some say about its diameter,I find I can control it perfectly well,plus as its b.s. is above its stated strain if I wanted I could go to 2lbs b.s. and probably have 3lbs of strength....I use 3lbs for trotting and find that I can put 4.6lb hooklengths on if required and have never had it break on the mainline....
Steve Arnold
Well-known member
"Iron Silk"......wonderful marketing name to shift a truly awful product. I remember it well, thick for its stated breaking strain and poor knot strength. It had a fantastic "memory" too and once set to a shape stuck there!
Probably the worst mono fishing line of all time!
John Aston
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Amazed Maxima broke . I use 6lb Maxima for winter chub and have done for years . I'm convinced you could tether one of Elon Musk's rockets with the stuff ......
flightliner
Well-known member
Some years ago I bought a spool of Drennan floatfish line to load up my reel for Barbel.
After landing two nice fish the reel line turned into small tight coils with a small sign of fraying.
Checking every runner for tiny cracks and chips and finding none I came to the conclusion that the line was at fault so respooled the reel with with Daiwa sensor and carried on catching with no further problems.
Maybe the faulty line was part of a bad batch but I've never bought any since.
After landing two nice fish the reel line turned into small tight coils with a small sign of fraying.
Checking every runner for tiny cracks and chips and finding none I came to the conclusion that the line was at fault so respooled the reel with with Daiwa sensor and carried on catching with no further problems.
Maybe the faulty line was part of a bad batch but I've never bought any since.
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
I think that happens Mick,especially if they store it poorly,so any line would have issues if treated badly,these days as the price of 100m of line is prohibitive a badly kept spool costing £4-5 is a disaster,if my line shows signs of coiling or wear,which often coincides with a day bagging,then off it comes and a fresh line is spooled,with 100m working out at around £2 or so,far cheaper and it's sitting in my drawer waiting...I don't believe there is a perfect line,but there are quite a few very poor ones....
Steve Arnold
Well-known member
I have bought a few bulk spools of various mono lines mentioned on barbel forums for making hook lengths. None have been exactly brilliant and all are quite expensive!
As I have used braid as mainline for many years I have now chosen a braid for the hook lengths as well. I am sure I get a few more bites on mono or fluoro but the cut-offs happen too often on the stony river Lot. Now I use ESP tungsten loaded coated braid I have had no such problems, the coating has hardly been damaged and hook lengths last several sessions.
I use about five feet of the ESP as a leader as well, my braid mainline lasts forever!
Quality braid is rather expensive, but after the initial expense it lasts a loooong time!
So far I have caught carp, barbel, bream, chub and small silure on braid hook-lengths. All in a very clear river, so the sight of it does not put these fish off.
Braid is little affected by UV. It's difficult to cut and even when frayed there are usually enough strands left to pressure a big fish.
I appreciate that for many styles of fishing mono still has its advantages, but if braid will do the job I say go for it!
Where smaller fish are the target I do still use fluorocarbon hook-lengths. I have a little Fox Illusion XS (think that's it) left that has proven very tough, it has frequently been frayed over rocks but still landed good fish. Otherwise it's Seaguar AbrazX fluoro I choose, specifically for abrasion resistance, but it still gets cut!
As I have used braid as mainline for many years I have now chosen a braid for the hook lengths as well. I am sure I get a few more bites on mono or fluoro but the cut-offs happen too often on the stony river Lot. Now I use ESP tungsten loaded coated braid I have had no such problems, the coating has hardly been damaged and hook lengths last several sessions.
I use about five feet of the ESP as a leader as well, my braid mainline lasts forever!
Quality braid is rather expensive, but after the initial expense it lasts a loooong time!
So far I have caught carp, barbel, bream, chub and small silure on braid hook-lengths. All in a very clear river, so the sight of it does not put these fish off.
Braid is little affected by UV. It's difficult to cut and even when frayed there are usually enough strands left to pressure a big fish.
I appreciate that for many styles of fishing mono still has its advantages, but if braid will do the job I say go for it!
Where smaller fish are the target I do still use fluorocarbon hook-lengths. I have a little Fox Illusion XS (think that's it) left that has proven very tough, it has frequently been frayed over rocks but still landed good fish. Otherwise it's Seaguar AbrazX fluoro I choose, specifically for abrasion resistance, but it still gets cut!
flightliner
Well-known member
I have some 20 plus years old Damyll Courser in my garage cupboard that I use when stick float and feeder fishing the Trent.
It's 2-3- and 4lbs bs that I bought from a local tackle shop owned by a friend who was moving to new premises a few miles away.
All in bulk spools I hate to think of any of them will be empty in the coming future (it's not made anymore) as it's so good for what I need it for.
In its higher BS say 8lb +it's a truly horrid line but in the ones I have it's more than fit for purpose.
It's 2-3- and 4lbs bs that I bought from a local tackle shop owned by a friend who was moving to new premises a few miles away.
All in bulk spools I hate to think of any of them will be empty in the coming future (it's not made anymore) as it's so good for what I need it for.
In its higher BS say 8lb +it's a truly horrid line but in the ones I have it's more than fit for purpose.