jimmyjoe

I've always believed in the "rule of sixteenths". IOW, a quarter-ounce lure is 4/16ths, so minimum line test to throw it is 4 lb. test. 5/8 oz. is 10/16ths, so use a minimum of 10 lb. test line to throw it. In the last few years I have come to kinda question this system, but I always figured it was roughly correct. Tonight one of my friends, who surf fishes in Texas, told me he throws 4 oz. weights on 15 lb. Big Game, and 5 oz. weights on 20 lb. Big Game. I couldn't believe it. A little leeway I understand, but this is so far beyond anything I've seen or tried that it's hard for me to accept. If this is true, I should be able to throw a 1 oz. lure with 4 or 5 lb. test line. And I can't. No way. Line will snap every time. He's not lying. He's not that type. So what gives? Anyone know? jj

If you eat real pumpernickel (not that fake stuff that they call pumpernickel), then you're a lot better man than I am! Although I admit a slathering of hot German mustard makes it more attractive. jj

How's your knot strength with Advance? Yesterday I caught a branch and my 14 lb. broke sooner than I thought it should have, and it broke right at the knot, which I don't like. The new Trilene XL does that, which is why I was looking around for a new line to use. (Some lines don't want to make a real tight bend, such as the turn or double turn around the hook eye. Forcing it weakens them.) This is the first time I got the opportunity to test Advance this way, so I'm not drawing any conclusions yet. But I'm watching it real close. Knot strength is important to me. jj

If you stretch fluorocarbon a little bit, it returns to its original state. This is called elastic behavior. Kinda like the elastic in clothing. But once it has become stretched to a certain degree, it no longer returns to the original state. That "point of no return" is called the elastic threshold. Behavior beyond the elastic threshold is called "plastic" behavior. In the lines I tried, the elastic threshold was fairly low .... at least to my wants and desires. To say that it irritated me is a huge understatement. And I was comparing it to Big Game, which has an enormous elasticism. That might have been part of the problem, IDK. It was also noisy going through the guides, which I didn't like. I might try it again some day, or I might not. Haven't decided. The only real reason I tried it in the first place was because it sank, and in certain applications I thought that might be a big advantage. jj

That's one I haven't used or seen used. If you don't mind, could I ask you some questions about it? 1) what lb. test? 2) Have you pulled it past its elastic threshold? 3) How's the knot integrity? Which knots do you use? 4) Casting or spinning reel? 5) How's line twist? I've used Vanish (horrible all 'round), FC Sniper (wiry, difficult knots) and one named "invisiline", or something like that. ,All of them, plus every FC line my fishing buddies have used, are hard to cast, hard to manage and hard to tie a good durable knot. It's worst on spinning gear. On casting gear, I had to increase the cast control and shorten my distance to control fluff and backlash. I got disgusted and went back to mono (and braid) 2 or 3 years ago. Have they improved FC lines since then? jj

There is such a thing? ? jj

Look at the Shimano Cardiff or Corvalus round reels. They're decent, they're strong, and they're salt-ready. jj

As far as I myself, no. I've heard complaints from other people, but I don't know what they did or didn't do. Unless it involves a lot of money, it's usually too much trouble to pursue the issue. I've tried to find out from companies about bogus line, and have never been given a straight answer. One person said that his PowerPro was fake. But I looked at his package and I could see that it was obviously fake ... and a poor fake at that. That's something you can see readily. I asked here because I figured I can get a better answer from fishermen than from company people. And I'd really like to know whether it's, as you say, "a thing", or whether it's something that's being over-hyped. When I see blurbs in magazines that U.S. companies are vigilant regarding bogus lines, that makes me think that it's "a thing" and not being over-hyped. I'd also like to know whether it's something that involves more than just braided lines. jj

True. Been there, done that many years ago. What I'm talking about now is line that appears legit in every way ..... including the price .... but isn't.

I've gotten "bad" line. I hear other people talk about bad line. I wonder --- what percentage of the line sold in America each year is bogus? In other words, the box looks perfectly legit, the label looks legit, but the line is a cheap, low-quality substitution. And yes, I would guess that the majority would come from the web. What do you guys think? 5%? 10%? 15%? jj

Slim Senko? Wasn't he a rapper? ? jj

^^^^ this ^^^^ Muddy water today. Levels receding from extreme highs. Single Colorado "thumper" worked. jj

Splatterback for me. I fish a lot in rocks, and the Fat Boy excels. jj

Fished it 5 days now. Basically, everything I said before applies; it's hard, fairly stiff and is similar to most of your average mono lines in other respects. I simply wanted to test abrasion resistance. From what I can see, it's reasonably resistant. Better than Big Game, that's for sure. Big Game had 2 nicks, forcing me to retie. Advance had none. One other thing I noticed about this line. It seems to "fish in". In other words, the stiffness lessens with use. And the memory . which is obvious when you start the day, drops out quicker and quicker each day. Maybe temperature had something to do with it, I don't know. But I like it better now than 5 days ago. I've been casting 1/2 to 1 oz. lures. If you go lighter, YMMV. A lot. I don't personally see this as a line for light lures. jj

Hmmmmm. In proximity to Fort Leonard Wood, Dixon is. To have you here, glad we are. About that gig line, you can now forget. Enjoy fishing, you may! Welcome!!! JJ

I don't consider any barrel or Crane swivel to be "quality". Not only that, but at least half the ball-bearing swivel brands I've bought have been lacking, usually resulting in about ten percent reject rate. The exception is Sampo, but Sampo is too expensive for me to use regularly. The reason is that when the fish are hitting spinners big-time, I can snag up .... well, way too many times in a day. ☹️ So I usually get VMC (easily available) and spin each one individually with my fingers, and throw away any bad ones. I get better luck than any other brand; about five percent or less reject rate. jj

Take the line off the spool, preferable by walking it out. Then reverse the line. That way you're working with "new" line. Clean your guides, too. If that works, it was the line. If it doesn't, IDK. jj

I oil the levelwind maybe once a week. I oil the spindle bearings maybe once a month, unless they become noisy. I used to send reels into the factory once a year for everything else, but I may .... just may, mind you ... do yearly maintenance myself this year. That's not because I'm mechanical. I'm not. It's because I'm cheap. jj

Weightless senko for me. The slower drop provides more "strike time". This is especially true in submerged timber. jj

Got some 14 lb. this AM, fished with it for 2-3 hours. It's fairly stiff line, with the hard sheen everyone describes. Knots are not easy, at least not for me. Once made and checked, however, they hold well. Casting distance is a little better than Big Game 12 lb., which is the same diameter. Not much, though. I was using a 7'1" MH/F Mojo Bass rod, and a Curado 200i. Sensitivity was nothing to write home about, but it never is with non-braid lines. So not great, and not lousy. This line seems so .... middle of the road. The only thing it might have going for it is that hard sheen, which might indicate abrasion resistance. Where I fished, I couldn't check that. I'll fish with it a few more days and see how well I like it. For now, however, it's not better overall than Big Game, just different. jj

I bought a Curado 70 last spring, thinking it was just a finesse reel. Wrong! I am still learning all the things this reel can do well. The big problem is matching line diameter and capacity on the spool to requirements fighting the fish. I fish where there are pike, so it can get nasty. jj

I do it, and I probably do it unconsciously. I do it on shorter casts to take twist out of the line. On longer casts it's of no importance. jj

Not kidding. Just asking. jj

After you guys drove me crazy last night, I went and made a PBJ out of toasted Italian bread, SUPERCRUNCH peanut butter and cheap jelly. Mmmmmmm...mmmm! Now today I read all this mayo and banana stuff. I'm gonna gain weight. I just know it. I'm gonna. BTW .... when you say "banana", you're talking plantain, right? Fried plantains? jj

I do it two ways; I use a VMC #00 swivel, and attach about 1 foot of leader material, or else I just put a good snap swivel directly on braid. The reason is that I'm experimenting to see whether there's any difference. I'll tell you next year. ? Good luck. jj