Low stretch mono options

[DN3]

Looking to spool up a do everything baitcasting setup....I'd like to put mono on it, and am wondering what some of the lower stretch/more sensitive options are out there???

 

..I'd get Fluorocarbon but this setup will throw a lot of topwaters, and braid is out for the moment until I get better at tying leaders, and I'll have other rods with braid

[hoop12]

I love Berkley Tri-lene mono. Its really good stuff, and they have a few different versions of it. I typically throw the XL Casting Tri-lene in low-vis green and normally use 12# test. Works great for pretty much any lure you wanna throw. I like the green for the lakes and rivers I fish in Texas because they are all pretty stained water.

[PECo]

14 minutes ago, DN3 said:

braid is out for the moment until I get better at tying leaders

Get better at tying leaders. 

[Tywithay]

It's a little pricey, but Sunline Defier Armilo is the lowest stretch mono I've used, pound for pound. Toray Bawo Superhard Polyamide Plus (mouthful of a name) is a very close second, though it's pricey as well. After that, I'd probably look at something like XT or Big Game. I usually pick a couple lb's lower when I use those kinds of lines because the diameters are really thick compared to the actual weight rating. They under rate them to make it seem like they have the strongest lines on the market.

[CroakHunter]

P-line cxx is as tough as nails. Virtually no stretch, down side is that it's thick and that it doesn't handle the best over 15lbs. If I had to pick one line to frog and punch with besides braid, it would be cxx. And if you have some 25Lb cxx laying around it makes great weed eater string...yes I've done this

[KP Duty]

X2 on p-line cxx.  AND the moss green filler spools are buy one get one free right now at TW.

[smalljaw67]

Spider Wire Ultra Cast Ultimate Mono, I'm really liking it. I fished it side by side with Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon and Sunline Defier Armilo mono to see how good the line was. The Sunline handled better but got nicked up faster fishing through rocks and it felt like there was more stretch and the InvizX  had similar handling properties but wasn't even close in knot strength. The only knock on the Ultimate Mono is that it handles like fluorocarbon but a couple of spritzes of KVD line and lure conditioner and it is great!! It has excellent knot strength and the abrasion resistance is outstanding, it makes me wonder why more anglers aren't using it. I'm on my 4th full season with this line, I usually try at least 1 new line per season but I didn't go with one last year, the first time in a long time as I don't know if I'll get better than the Spider Wire. I know a lot of guys like Sunline and it convinced me to try it and perhaps I got old line but I tried the Super Natural and the strength wasn't good, it handled better than any other mono I ever used but I had more break offs in one trip than I did in 3 years combined. The Defier Armilo was also good but I suspect that whatever Sunline does to make their line supple ends up hurting the abrasion resistance and with a lot of my fishing being done in an extremely rocky environment it makes for a lot of trouble. The Ultimate Mono as I said, isn't the best handling line but the low stretch, knot strength, and abrasion resistance makes it the best mono I've used so far, 1 break off in 3 years and that was on a snag, still haven't had it happen on a fish which is something I can't say for any other mono I've tried.

[PatrickKnight]

31 minutes ago, smalljaw67 said:

Spider Wire Ultra Cast Ultimate Mono, I'm really liking it. I fished it side by side with Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon and Sunline Defier Armilo mono to see how good the line was. The Sunline handled better but got nicked up faster fishing through rocks and it felt like there was more stretch and the InvizX  had similar handling properties but wasn't even close in knot strength. The only knock on the Ultimate Mono is that it handles like fluorocarbon but a couple of spritzes of KVD line and lure conditioner and it is great!! It has excellent knot strength and the abrasion resistance is outstanding, it makes me wonder why more anglers aren't using it. I'm on my 4th full season with this line, I usually try at least 1 new line per season but I didn't go with one last year, the first time in a long time as I don't know if I'll get better than the Spider Wire. I know a lot of guys like Sunline and it convinced me to try it and perhaps I got old line but I tried the Super Natural and the strength wasn't good, it handled better than any other mono I ever used but I had more break offs in one trip than I did in 3 years combined. The Defier Armilo was also good but I suspect that whatever Sunline does to make their line supple ends up hurting the abrasion resistance and with a lot of my fishing being done in an extremely rocky environment it makes for a lot of trouble. The Ultimate Mono as I said, isn't the best handling line but the low stretch, knot strength, and abrasion resistance makes it the best mono I've used so far, 1 break off in 3 years and that was on a snag, still haven't had it happen on a fish which is something I can't say for any other mono I've tried.

 

Sounds like a good leader material for me to try!

[Hulkster]

Im a sufix Siege fan in 10 and 12 pound tests. 

[Scott F]

11 hours ago, DN3 said:

.. and braid is out for the moment until I get better at tying leaders, and I'll have other rods with braid

Leaders are not required when using braid. I've been using braid for a very long time and have never used a leader.

[WRB]

Maybe someone can offer accurate "stretch" comparative test data; Force applied over 1 second of time, wet, controlled length. If I was still working it would be a easy test to perform. 

Tackle Tour may have some current data?

My point is mono doesn't stretch ( yield strength) any more then any other single filament line including Fluorocarbon and copolymer lines of the same diameter. There is differences in tensile & yield strength between various brands and this will show up under controlled tests, my educated guess is the variance will be within 10%.

Sunline claims* Defier Shooter Nylon has the lowest % of stretch, Defier Armillo being very close. I use Defier Armillo for other reasons; small diameter per pound rated test with high tensile strength with lower memory then other mono line. The combination of high tensile strength, small diameter, high abrasion resistance and low memory is very difficult to achieve.

Tom

* intellectually honest unlike most line companies.

[FryDog62]

I did a line stretch test a couple years ago, tested 20-30 lines... mono, co-polymer and fluorocarbon.  The lowest stretch lines were Trilene XT and Yo-Zuri Hybrid.  However, once wet the mono soaks up water and stretches more.  Yo-Zuri Hybrid does not soak up water and was the lowest stretch line in the test once all the lines were wet.  

[Log Catcher]

7 hours ago, Hulkster said:

Im a sufix Siege fan in 10 and 12 pound tests. 

I agree 100 per cent with this.

[WRB]

28 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

I did a line stretch test a couple years ago, tested 20-30 lines... mono, co-polymer and fluorocarbon.  The lowest stretch lines were Trilene XT and Yo-Zuri Hybrid.  However, once wet the mono soaks up water and stretches more.  Yo-Zuri Hybrid does not soak up water and was the lowest stretch line in the test once all the lines were wet.  

Post the test results and test methods.

Yo-Zuri Hybrid is one of the largest diameter line per lb test on the market, diameter matters and should be how line is grouped for testing, not advertised lb test.

Tom

[fissure_man]

Loosely relevant info from an intellectually honest line company

 

Sunline Shooter Defier Armilo (SDA)

“Designed by Morizo Shimizu to be a nylon with characteristics similar to fc products, especially low stretch for better hooksets.”

17 lb diameter = 0.0134 inches

 

Sunline Shooter Defier (SD)

“Designed by Morizo Shimizu to be a superior nylon specifically for use with hard baits. Has minimal line friction with allows easy, long distance casts. It has high abrasion resistance and knot strength for good strength going over rocks and wood.”

17 lb diameter = 0.0134 inches (note: exactly the same as SDA)

 

Consider the following chart published on www.sunlineamerica.com:

 

No labels or units; judging from scale I assume this “SS” (stress-strain) curve shows load (kg) on the vertical axis, elongation (%) on the horizontal.  Don’t know the loading rate, or the test conditions (dry/wet, temperature).  Maybe this is all published elsewhere.

 

Anyway, according to my interpretation of this chart:

- 17 lb SDA tested stronger than 17 lb SD: 9.8 kg (21.7 lb) vs. 8.4 kg (18.6 lb)

- 17 lb SDA stretched considerably less than 17 lb SD for any given load (including loads far below breaking strength).

 

Over the course of these tests, depending on the load, SD appears to elongate 30-80% more than SDA.  At 2.5 kg for instance – SDA stretches ~6.9%, SD stretches ~9.3% (33.6% more). 

 

No real point to make, just that the above does appear to demonstrate significantly different stretch characteristics of two nylon lines from the same manufacturer with ostensibly identical diameters, under the same testing conditions.

[WRB]

That is good comparative test data. Would be interesting to know the applied force rate and wet vs dry, with other mfr.'s line tested the same controlled method for comparison.

note, 2.5K = 5.5 lbs.

Tom

[Josh k]

Hands down sunline shooter defier armilo. This stuff rocks

[Brad in Texas]

Great information here.

 

One technical point: There is a difference between elasticity and plasticity.

 

Traditional monofilament lines are more elastic usually. The most elastic line I have ever used? the Red Cajun line reeled up on many Zebcos. That stuff stretches a mile.

 

Back to elasticity. This would be analogous to a rubber band where after it is stretched, it retreats to its original length. It can be stretched over and over . . .though it does weaken by repeated stretching and it definitely is weaker when it absorbs water.

 

Plasticity? Something that can be elongated, has some rebound back to its normal length, but its structure changes after a stretch. Think, here, of something like a stick of juicy fruit gum. You can pull on each end of it, it'll stretch, but it never returns to its original length. According to some really good testing over on TackleTour, fluorocarbons stretch about the same as monofilaments, I recall this surprised the testers, but only on the initial tug.

 

I'm sure, just like the stretchy red line I mentioned, there are examples of lines that have very high plasticity characteristics, others that are somewhere in-between the extremes.

 

*** For mono, I am a fan of Sufix Elite, use it on a reel or two. 

 

Brad

 

[WRB]

When a line yields or stretches, taking a permanent set, the diameter is reduced. Line like Flurocarbon takes a permanent set, the diameter is reduced or deformed and severely weakened, i.e. Knot strecth compromised. This factor has spawned dozens of new knots trying to reduce the weaken knot problem. 

Keep in mind nylon is a hygroscopic polymer, water absorbsion doesn't tend to weaken this polymer within ambient temperature the line is used and a primary reason monofilament line is made from nylon compounds.

Tom

[FryDog62]

3 hours ago, WRB said:

Post the test results and test methods.

Yo-Zuri Hybrid is one of the largest diameter line per lb test on the market, diameter matters and should be how line is grouped for testing, not advertised lb test.

Tom

Yes, but the 6 lb YZH stretched less than the 8 lb counterparts in my testing as well.  And doesn’t soak up water and stretch more over time.  Trilene XT is thicker and soaks up water affecting its stretch too.  

 

I’d take 6 lb YZH in a stretch test over any 8 lb 100% fluorocarbon.

[WRB]

Every plastic monomer or polymer will creep or stretch over with force or strain over time. It takes close to 30% of the lines tensile stretch to start to yield point where stretching begins to occur until it reaches it's ultimate strength and breaks. If you apply 30% of the line strength over a few seconds like a hook set, how much stretch occurs? Answer; very little. If the force is applied very fast it becomes Impact strength, the line breaks before it can stretch.

Yo-Zuri is a fluorocarbon jacket extruded over a nylon polymer core, therefor water proof. My issue with Yo-Zuri is their lb test labeling doesn't come close it's diameter and tensile strength misleading anglers to believe it is stronger then other line with equal lb test labels. What amazes me is bass anglers accept this type of marketing and call it thick line. Yo-Zuri 6 lb Hybrid is .010 D, Sunline Armillo Nylon 11lb test is .010 D.

Anglers believe mono line stretches because the read it does.

Tom

 

 

[zell_pop1]

Yo zuri hybrid 10lb diameter is the same as Stren, Suffix, McCoys, and Gammas mono/copoly lines, cxx and xt are larger. So really the line diameter of Yo Zuri is the norm and it is stronger at its diameter than most. My only problem with it is like any fluro have a backlash and you will most likely get a break in your spool which is why I went to Gamma or McCoys. 

[The Bassman]

3 hours ago, WRB said:

Every plastic monomer or polymer will creep or stretch over with force or strain over time. It takes close to 30% of the lines tensile stretch to start to yield point where stretching begins to occur until it reaches it's ultimate strength and breaks. If you apply 30% of the line strength over a few seconds like a hook set, how much stretch occurs? Answer; very little. If the force is applied very fast it becomes Impact strength, the line breaks before it can stretch.

Yo-Zuri is a fluorocarbon jacket extruded over a nylon polymer core, therefor water proof. My issue with Yo-Zuri is their lb test labeling doesn't come close it's diameter and tensile strength misleading anglers to believe it is stronger then other line with equal lb test labels. What amazes me is bass anglers accept this type of marketing and call it thick line. Yo-Zuri 6 lb Hybrid is .010 D, Sunline Armillo Nylon 11lb test is .010 D.

Anglers believe mono line stretches because the read it does.

Tom

 

 

 

Good point.  I don't know how many times I've stressed that one should shop diameter, not stated strength. Then consider physical characteristics of a given product.

[Bluebasser86]

HI-SEAS Grand Slam has really impressed me. Really good abrasion resistance, good knot strength, and low enough stretch to use with jigs and plastics. Plus I can get it anywhere and it's very reasonably priced. 

[Team9nine]

If you want sensitivity with nylon lines, keep your casts short and your diameters small. Beyond the fancy graphs and technical terms, brand is largely irrelevant...they're all nylon based, they all absorb moisture and they all suck (relative to subject matter)