Michigan Sportsman Forum banner

Line for trolling

5K views 44 replies 30 participants last post by  Bay Outfitters 
#1 ·
Sorry if this has been covered I searched and couldnt find anything. I respooled all my trolling rods and 2nd trip I had a line break off my board. That is very frustrating as I have lost boards before gets expensive fast. I am thinking of going to fireline or some sort of braid. What do you all use?
 
#32 ·
What is sunline mono?? Never used it...just curious thanks
Relatively new mono. 16# is only .013" dia., 14# is .012" dia. I'm going to run some 16# this year and see how it goes.:) With the 16# VRS the 10# Trilene it will only be .001" larger in diameter. When I get rolling I'll be out there a lot and will report back.:)
 
#33 ·
What is sunline mono?? Never used it...just curious thanks
It has been out for awhile now, I have been running the 16lb Supernatural for the past 5 seasons. It is a very nice soft trolling line, your cranks will follow any chart that uses 10lb mono with the Sunline Super natural 16lb. It is not a hard mono like Big Game or Maxima, you should strip 10' of line off every couple of trips especially if you are running repeated leads often. Snap weight clips are great but, are hard on line if they run are the front of boards. The vise grip style are great and so are the super clips. If you are going to multi-purpose your rods for flatlines for coho, steelhead, or Kings run the 20lb Sunline. I also like this line for light line tip ups for ice fishing too!

You will like the low memory this line has as well compared to hard mono!
 
#37 · (Edited)
15lb Big Game is not the same diameter as 16lb Sunline Super Natural. Big difference in diameters/performance. We fish plenty of rocks here and have not encountered any issues on straight break strength. Its all we can do to snap lines when we hang up in the rocks so we can grab board on next pass. Now....It is a softer line and more supple. With that being said guys have had issues with planer board clips on the line. For example... If you keep attaching the board at 60 its going to get some wear. We usually pull of 10 or so feet if you start to notice wear just to change it up. The tournament guys as well as others will pull off 400-500 feet or "passed the used" of line mid season or when needed and re-spool just to keep it fresh. Which should be done with any line.

If you are not worried about diameters and achieving maximum depths/ performance or if your popping boards like EYEPOD mentioned...there is plenty of room to bump up the diameter.

I will be happy to send you a bulk spool of 20lb to try.....which will match what you are getting out of your 15lb Big Game.

Let me know. I am sorry if you had a bad experience with the line.

When you mention abrasion resistant... Are you trolling cranks in rocks?

Bay Outfitters - WOW, you're obviously you're affiliated with sunline...lol. I too have tried sunline, both 16 and 20 lb. My experience is also that it isn't very abrasion resistant. The two go hand and hand with mono...more supple the line the less memory and less abrasion resistant it will be as in Sunline and and Suffix for example. The stiffer the mono the more abrasion resistant it will be but it will also have more memory as in Berkley Big Game, Trilene XT, and Maxima. Memory generally isn't a big issue for trollers but abrasion resistance absolutely is. The fact that you mention when you break a snag you have to go back and get your planer board reaffirms that you aren't getting good abrasion resistance out of your Sunline. The only reason it's breaking there is because it's all chaffed up due to clipping your board on it. A snag should break at the knot as its the weakest point in the line, assuming it hasn't been compromised due to abrasion.

IMO hands down Maxima is the best monofilament for trolling applications but also the most expensive. Berkley Big Game and Trilene XT would be second with my personal choice being 15 lb test Berkley Big Game for walleye trolling applications. 20 lb Big Game for Trout and Salmon trolling. Hands down the best trolling monofilament line for its price point IMO.

As far as increasing the diameter of the line to improve abrasion resistance...well that's kind of a silly fix...the larger diameter will still chaff up its just take a little more chaffing to break it. Chaffed or nicked line shouldn't be used or trusted ever, unless you're ok with losing fish, baits, weights, planer boards and tournaments. 😄
 
#39 ·
Frank your going to really appreciate the Sunline. Very forgiving line when fighting fish. Works well with all knots as well.
Wally J, Thanks for the info. Give Big Wally a poke in the shoulder from me. Tell grandma I said happy Mom's Day. SEA ya on the pond.:)
 
#40 ·
You really want the best try Momoi Diamond 12 lb... 0.013" and true break strength is 20 lb.
A lot of you guys are getting mixed up with line tests and break strenghts, every manufacturer tests them differently, you really aren't comparing apples to apples. There are some sites out there that have did line testing and have compared like tests of lines and results are all over the place with true break strength compared to labeled strength. This topic comes up every year and the new fancy/cheapest line is always the"best ever", but in the end it's really just one guys opinion that really hasn't tested every brand out there,and put in extreme use on the equipment. Just remember, every has an opinion, and everyone has something else, and guess what? They both stink. .. lol
I run sufix 12lb right now, it's cheap and I can change a 150 yds topshot out every two weeks and it holds up just fine.
 
#41 ·
I just got word that Sunline will be providing line for the Walleye For Warriors Event. A big thanks to all the Sponsors, Captains, Workers, Organizers, and most importantly the Vets.:)
 
#42 ·
You really want the best try Momoi Diamond 12 lb... 0.013" and true break strength is 20 lb.
A lot of you guys are getting mixed up with line tests and break strenghts, every manufacturer tests them differently, you really aren't comparing apples to apples. There are some sites out there that have did line testing and have compared like tests of lines and results are all over the place with true break strength compared to labeled strength. This topic comes up every year and the new fancy/cheapest line is always the"best ever", but in the end it's really just one guys opinion that really hasn't tested every brand out there,and put in extreme use on the equipment. Just remember, every has an opinion, and everyone has something else, and guess what? They both stink. .. lol
I run sufix 12lb right now, it's cheap and I can change a 150 yds topshot out every two weeks and it holds up just fine.
I would like to try that 12 pound Momoi
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top