Berkley Fireline Ultra 8 Review ~ (video)

[A-Jay]

 

A-Jay

 

 

[BankBasser]

It's interesting that 8lb is as heavy as I care to use of both the original and crystal Fireline. Original does limber up after some use. Hopefully this does as well. Thanks!

[FishTank]

Thanks for the review.  Good info. 

 

In general, I have never been a fan of Fireline and have not used it in years.  The original was not bad but it seems each rendition has been hit or miss, I will stick with Power Pro or Suffix 832. 

[J Francho]

@A-Jay can you restore this video, please?

[A-Jay]

15 minutes ago, J Francho said:

@A-Jay can you restore this video, please?

Done 

A-Jay

[Glenn]

Thanks for your honest feedback!

[Todd2]

So..almost a year later..is the 8lb still on the reel? Asking for a friend..lol

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, Todd2 said:

So..almost a year later..is the 8lb still on the reel? Asking for a friend..lol

Nope ~

Moved on.

The 10 lb Black was not for me right off the bat and while the 8lb was decent - after a while I started hating the 'white'.

Stuck out too much - may not have mattered to the fish but it mattered to me.

So mid-spring, that's off as well.

Currently running Sufix 832 Braided Line Lo-Vis Green - 10lb on both those rigs.

Additionally, I've only got a short time with it, but the Power Pro Maxcuatro Spectra Braided Line Moss Green is on two of my topwater rigs and it's pretty sweet so far

A-Jay

 

[JediAmoeba]

I never cared for fire line.  Back when it first came out my friend got it and loved it, so I bought some to try.  I previously was only using Spiderwire.  On my first cast I backlashes so bad it took me hours to dig it out.  Finally after fixing it I tried it for a day and ended up taking it off the spool and letting it sit.  

 

I tried it on my friends rod one day and noticed it was a lot better for me after it had been used for a long time.  Frankly, I dont want a line that I have to fish for a long time to break in...it should be manageable from the get-go.

[Tizi]

I use the 30 lb for light frogging.  Stuff is stiff and noisy.

[OkobojiEagle]

Fireline can be an aquired appreciation.  It has a passive memory (stiffness) that gives it a mono"esque" quality.  It's breaking strength is far greater than that listed on the package.  I've been using the original on spinning gear since the mid-nineties, put one spool of 20lb test Ultra 8 on a bait caster last season and another 20lb spool on a second bait caster this Spring.  After I spooled each of the Ultra 8 spools I spent an afternoon throwing a heavier spinnerbait and the line "broke in" nicely.

 

As to Ultra 8's larger diameter... considering angler's proclivity to use 50lb and 65lb braid for spool management, being a little larger diameter doesn't seem to be a negative quality.

 

oe

[Todd2]

2 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

Fireline can be an aquired appreciation.  It has a passive memory (stiffness) that gives it a mono"esque" quality.  It's breaking strength is far greater than that listed on the package. 

Yeah, that mono stiffness is why I'm thinking about pulling the trigger again. I tried the original 14lb ( I think) a on spinning reel and didn't care for it though. Thinking about the Ultra 8 in 8lb. We have a lot of wood cover here but any Bass over 4lbs are few and far between. I don't think the white will bother me or the fish, so I guess I just need to decide between the 8 and 10lb. It's not cheap, and I try to stay somewhat frugal....ok I'm cheap.

[craww]

Been using in 6lb on an ultralight rig for a couple months and really like it. It seems to cast a bit better than other <10lb braids, doesnt tip wrap as bad, nor have I encountered any of the occasional weird main line knots from line twist some thin braids give. My 8 yr olds used it the last two trips and its been much less of a headache than comparable PP/J braid diameters that like to wrap around the rod tip or foul the bait.

 

Not sure how Id like it in the thicker diameters w/it being stiffer...But its an improvement over other braids in the really thin diameters IMO.