Changing Monofilament On Ultralight

[Green Trout]

On average, I fish 2 times a week with my ultralight 6lb mono. I change it 3 times a month. Is this to often? I don't catch a lot of big ones but I fish around lots of grass.

[J Francho]

Id say that's quite frequently. I have line on a drop shot setup - 6# Invisx - that's three seasons old. It gets used a ton. I treat with KVD L&L after every trip. My advice: get a better quality line.

[SirSnookalot]

I'd go with 5-8 or 10# braid, more line capacity, no memory (even more so with a small spool) and won't have to change it near as often.  That's what I use with my ul.

[Choporoz]

I don't think I've ever changed out a spool of line before the line told me it was time...lost more more than 1/3 a spool, or more generally via breaks or memory issues.

[tomustang]

Why are you changing it?

[F14A-B]

Ok, 2 times a week = how many hours?

Point is, if your fishing 12 hour days ( I did ) i would change more often than that myself.

Plus, factor in cover types, etc.. Inspect your line for the wear and tear indicators.. I change mono, & copoly types, way more often than most. That's my decision to do so, if your having great results, why change your line replacement strategies. Is this merely a economic issue? Mono & copolys are not exspensive in the grand scheme of things.. Why not reap the rewards of fresh line changes, it's what's between you & the fish..

[ChrisD46]

I'd go with 5-8 or 10# braid, more line capacity, no memory (even more so with a small spool) and won't have to change it near as often.  That's what I use with my ul.

^^This^^ ... You can add a fluoro or mono leader to braid and be set for quite a while ! If you are going to stay with mono - put cheap 4lb. ~ 6lb. backing on first (do this with braid as well !!) then run about 50 yards of a good quality mono (i.e. Sufix Elite, Sunline Super Natural , etc.) in 6lb. as a top coat with a double uni or knot of your choice . Then when time to add fresh mono you don't have to respool the whole reel . With braid you should be good to go for at least two seasons !

[A-Jay]

Reasons why I change out the entire spool of mono line ~ in no particular order.

 

- Had to break off from snag and spool is less than say 2/3's full

 

- line becomes extremely frayed or damaged in the middle of it's length where simply pulling some off would result in less than 2/3's of a spool.

 

- at the start of each new season (if I hadn't changed it out recently)

 

- and finally, regardless of it's condition, after every single days fishing while on Lake Baccarac - because fishing around 15 pound plus Bass . . . . . makes me neurotic !

 

 

A-Jay

[F14A-B]

Reasons why I change out the entire spool of mono line ~ in no particular order.

- Had to break off from snag and spool is less than say 2/3's full

- line becomes extremely frayed or damaged in the middle of it's length where simply pulling some off would result in less than 2/3's of a spool.

- at the start of each new season (if I hadn't changed it out recently)

- and finally, regardless of it's condition, after every single days fishing while on Lake Baccarac - because fishing around 15 pound plus Bass . . . . . makes me neurotic !

A-Jay

Exactly, most especially on the last point! I learned the exact same philosophy in Florida Fishing.. It's served me well over the years...

[J Francho]

Florida, Bacarac... We're talking about UL, though 6# hardly qualifies as UL. More like light.

[A-Jay]

Florida, Bacarac... We're talking about UL, though 6# hardly qualifies as UL. More like light.

 

Point taken J - though the main reasons for changing out line for me remains the same; revolves around damage. 

 

btw - I'm also a KVD line conditioner user & abuser.

 

A-Jay

[J Francho]

I do a shot of it after every trip. Keeps my lines nice and spiffy.

[rippin-lips]

Reasons why I change out the entire spool of mono line ~ in no particular order.

- Had to break off from snag and spool is less than say 2/3's full

- line becomes extremely frayed or damaged in the middle of it's length where simply pulling some off would result in less than 2/3's of a spool.

- at the start of each new season (if I hadn't changed it out recently)

Pretty much my thought process exactly.

[I.rar]

I had a thing with changing out mono too frequently as well. I've since switched to braid with leaders on all my set ups. I only change the braid once the spool gets low from Cutting and retying which isn't often at all.

I have 15/4 power pro on my UL and plan on going down to 10/2.

[SirSnookalot]

Re reading the initial post I'm wondering about the grass, is it light floating grass or something more substantial?  I'm not so sure I'd be using a UL regardless of line choice.  I fish UL often but in open water.

[Sam]

J, 6-pounds on an ultra light is the maximum line test.

 

Does your rod and reel allow up to 6-pound test? Please double check the rod and reel's line limits.

 

Changing line on an ultra light is done more often that other setups as the line is very low test (2, 4 and 6 pounds) and it can get damaged easily, plus the problem with light line line twist must be addressed.

 

You can change your line as often as you wish to match your confidence level.  Or you can run the line between your thumb nail and forefinger during your fishing adventure or when you get home to note any nicks, cuts, abrasions, etc. If you feel any cut them out and continue to use the set up unless there is not enough line on the spool.

 

As for line twist, you can take the setup outside, tie the end to an unmovable object, walk off about 50 yards and stretch the line a few times and hold the pressure for about 15 seconds each time you stretch it.  Then walk back and untie the line and respool by running the line through the KVD Lure and Line Conditioner.  No bait or other weight is to be attached to the end of the line when you perform this process.

 

I caught a three pounder on an ultra light throwing a one-inch whit grub. She hit the grub at my feet and I don't know who was surprised the most: the bass or me.

[WIGuide]

I used to fish a lot more with my UL when I was in college. Even then I only bothered to change my line on my UL once a year. Still never had an issue. It's up to you if you wait that long, but 3 times a month is a pretty quick turn around.