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No fishing line sponsors for me! I cast over 400 times each day of competition. I spool fresh mono fishing line on both of my spinning reels every night before the tournament; and this ads up to about 80 times per year.
What I look for in a good mono fishing line is:
1. Casting distance. The more water I can cover with each cast adds up to more fish. This is why I use 10 pound test line instead of 12 or 15 pound. If you use your rod and drag right, you can land a 20lb fish with 10 pound line! When using an 1/2 ounce lure, the top 10 lines on the list will cast 15 to 25 feet longer than all the rest.
2. Limp with low memory. I need a soft line that handles well and behaves on the reel. Fooling with birdnest and tangles means less time catching fish. A stiff wire-like line does not cast so well either. All the fishing lines on this list are limp enough to work well on a spinning reel. However some are very limp with almost zero memory.
3. Abrasion resistance: When you catch a bass, it heads for the rocks, tree stumps, or under your boat. It is always the big one that gets away! All 25 fishing lines on this list have good abrasion resistance. There are 7 award winners that are above the rest.
4. Price: I am only an amateur! I can't afford to put more than $15 worth of fishing line on my reels each week. The super lines don't catch any more fish and cost too much.
Best Mono Fishing Lines
*Triple Fish Xrated is the longest casting 10lb line you can get! Even their 12lb line cast longer than most lines on this page. The new Triple Fish RX is suppose to be even softer and made for spinning reels. I have never tried it, but I hear that Xzoga TakaLon from Japan is the only line that will cast farther. Another long casting line I want to try out is the Lake Fork Powersilk. I hear Powersilk is really supple with low memory.
**Sea Striker is a low cost line that does work well. Sea Striker 10lb is very thin and cast like 8lb monofilament. It does have some memory, but is manageable enough to work on a spinning reel. You can get 1,895 yards of 10lb for under $4. What a bargain! For even bigger spools, buy the Bill Fisher brand.
***Gamma High Performance Co-Polymer test so high, you can use thin 6 pound monofilament line and still have 12lb test strength! The Gamma 8lb test at 14 pounds! Their 10lb line test at a wopping 17 pounds! I use the thinner 8lb line for longer casting and less memory.
****Ande Premium is the fishing line I compare all others to. I have used it for 15 years. Ande has low memory, cast very well, and is very strong. It takes a very outstanding fishing line to be better than Ande. I use the 8lb line as it test above 10 pounds and cast farther.
*****Cajun Advantage. Red color sucks for most Bass fishing. Most bass are caught in less than 5 feet of water. If red is invisable to fish, why do many lures have red eyes and gills? Cajun Advantage is a really good fishing line, and Shakespeare would sell tons if it was available in clear and moss green. I would rank it higher on the list if available in clear, green, grey, or camo.
My equipment consist of two spinning reels on 6'6" medium graphite rods. I have used baitcasting reels in the past, but always return to spinning reels as they are less problems and have more casting distance. However baitcasting reels are better when using mono over 15 pounds.
I use only 10 pound test mono line as the monofilament lines in the top 25 list all test above 11 pounds. The mono line colors I use are moss green, smoke, grey, and clear. For some reason red and blue colors don't catch as many bass.
Monofilament Fishing lines not on the list? These are either not so good on a spinning reel, or I have little or no experience with them: P-Line CXX Xtra Strong HI-VIS, Trilene XT, Transoptic, TriMax, Trilene MAXX, Lake Fork Powersilk Parallelium, World Wide Sportsman, Spiderwire EZ Mono or Spiderwire Super Mono EZ, Stren Super Knot, Asari Copolymer, Hi-Seas Quattro or Black Widow, Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft, Remington Express, Cabelas ProLine, Momoi Hi-Catch, VARIVAS, Momoi Diamond Illusion Nylon, PLine Evolution, Eagle Claw Lazer Strong, Silver Thread Excaliber, YGK, Mason Walleye, WSB, Shakespeare, CALYPSO PREMIUM, Zukibo, Mumujiuri, Raven Main Line, Shur Strike, Bill Fisher, Duel HARDCORE X-TEX SUPER LIGHT, Daiwa Megaforce, NITLON, Lucky Craft Iron Athlete, South Bend, Danielson, OCKERT CLIMAX from Germany, Toray Bawo Polyamide Plus, Izorline Platinum, Mustad Ultra Line Thor, MIKADO Japan, Abulon Excellent, Hurricane, KRYSTON SNYDE, Nuovafil, Asso, Sufix ProMix or Superior, Carbotex Coated Nylon, SEAGUAR Escort, JAG from Taiwan, PLATIL, ZEBCO Omniflex Lo-Vis, Bass Pro Shops BPS Excel, Bass Pro Shops BPS Tourney Tough, Ayaka, Triple Fish RX or Camo Escent Perlon, Xzoga RubyLon or Xzoga TakaLon Xzoga MasterLon and BusterLon, Cyclone, Ande Back Country Blue, and Ande Tournament.
The best fishing line I have ever used is DAMYL Tectan Premium Plus. The DAM Tectan 13.9 pound test line cast like 6 pound mono and has very low memory. DAM Tectan is so hard to find even though it is a hot selling fishing line in europe. It was priced reasonable too. I wonder if DAMYL Tectan Premium is rebranded "Triple Fish XRated" for the USA market? I ask this because both are made in Germany, plus they cast and feel the same.
Why I don't Use Fluorocarbon Line. Click Here.
The best knot in the world for attaching your hooks and lures to your line is the Jansik Special Knot (see video). The Jansik Special test at 110% strength on monofilament line! You don't have to tie this knot pretty like other knots! Other knots such as the palomar, improved clinch, Uni, San Diego jam, and trilene knots only test in the 85 to 95 % strength range. The Jansik Special Knot is very easy to learn. See the video. If you use fluorocarbon line, the jansik special is the only knot you should use.
The trick to save money is to have 60 yards of old line on your spinning reel, then tie it to your premium monofilament fishing line. This way you only need 100 yards to fill your reel. You can get 3 refills from an 300 yard filler spool. You will never use up 100 yards in a day of normal fishing! In fact some baitcasting reels only hold 105 yards! If you use a bigger spinning reel, just have more old line as back filler. Always keep only 100 yards fresh. A trip to a football field makes it easy to figure out how much old fishing line is on your reel.
Mono Line Memory. When you install fresh fishing line, it may not behave very well because of the memory from being on the filler spool for so long. The solution is run some hot tap water over your line for one minute while it is on the reel spool. You may still get some slight coils when casting, but will soon work it's way out.
If you still have problems with coil memory, tie the line to a fence post using a ball bearing swivel. Then walk about 40 yards with your rod and reel in hand. Pull the line tight, then take two or 3 steps backwards putting excess tension on the line. Hold it there for one minute. Reel in your line while walking towards the fence post keeping it tight. Your problem should be solved.
If you want to cheat line memory, put some Ardent Line Butter on your spool of fishing line the night before you go fishing. Ardent Line Butter will make Walmart Shakespeare mono feel and cast like Trilene XL. Ardent is the best line conditioner made.
Favorite Rod & Reel. I don't spend a lot of money. I have found that a $150 spinning reel will wear out just as fast as the $60 reels. My favorite reel is the Okuma Epixor size 40. The aluminum body Okuma Epixor is the best reel I have used at any price, and it cost less than $65. It comes with two spools, so I can keep one spool loaded with 20lb green Powerpro braid for fishing the weed beds. My second reel is the Eagle Claw Gunnison size 30. The Eagle Claw Gunnison is my finess reel for casting around tree stumps and rocks. Both are excellent quality, smooth, and last for several seasons if you keep them oiled. I do believe the $35 Gunnison is the same reel sold by brand "P" for $79. The aluminmun frame Daiwa Exceler is a great long casting spinning reel too.
My favorite rod is the 6 foot 6 inches Daiwa Triforce in medium. The low end Daiwa graphite rods are very good quality and a real bargain. The $26 Triforce is made of graphite with cork handles, and Aluminum Oxide guides....just like the $109 St. Croix!!! The Shimano Stimula is a great fishing rod too, and it cost less than $30. For bass fishing, make sure to get a medium (M) weight rod and not a ML.
Low cost Fishing Boats -CLICK HERE!
1. My best bass lure? Here it is folks. It is simple and sweet. A white or chartreuse Blakemore Road Runner spinner jig head with a Berkley Gulp 3 or 4 inch minnow. It works in clear, stained, or murky water. It works better than any spinnerbait, swimbait, crankbait, or rattle lure. The Road Runner spinner gets the bass attention and the stinky Gulp minnow keeps them hanging on. The spinner swims below the bait, so Bass see it better passing over them. The only drawback is; it catches everything....Crappie, Smallmouths, White Bass, Saugeye, Stripers, Muskie, Walleye, and hungry daytime Channel Cats. If you start catching everything but Largemouth Bass, move your boat to another location. I bet it will work on trout too. Make sure to Texas rig the minnow so it is weedless. Swap the Gulp Minnow out every hour for a fresh one. Put the old Gulp Minnow back in the container and it will recharge the stink. These work better than live minnows! Berkley also makes Gulp worms, frogs, leeches, and craws with the stinky formula.
You can get Gulp Alive, Yum Crawbug, Kick-N-Bass, and Road Runner Jigs at Bass Pro Shops Online.
2. Best Lure for inactive Bass. In the spring when water temps are below 56 degrees, and late in the year (Nov & Dec) when the Bass have their bellies full of minnows, you need a secrete weapon. The soft plastic YUM 2.5 crawbug in crawdad color with a shot of Kick-N-Bass crawfish flavor works the best. When Bass are inactive, they can not resist a easy and yummy crawdad meal. Texas rig the crawbug on a size #1 hook so it swims backwards through the water. Put a split shot weight 2 feet above your hook. This keeps the crawbug a few inches off the bottom. Cast near shore' then crank only one turn at a time; wait a few seconds then crank another turn. Repeat the process, crank-wait-crank-wait-crank-wait etc. The crawbug has some stink to it already, but you need more. The Kick-N-Bass crawfish attractant is many times stronger than the smell of a live crawdad and it last for about one hour on your lure. The garlic scent works good too. To keep from getting the attractant on your hands, squirt some in a zip-loc baggie, then you can dip the crawbug in the bag while it is on your hook. If you get it on your hands, they will stink for a few days. This is the absolute best bait for inactive fish you can use. The Kick-N-Bass crawfish flavor also works good on plastic worms and spinnerbait tails. There are other stink attractants that will work, but none stay on the lure as long as Kick'N Bass.
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