I'm Done!

[Gundog]

So fishing season is about to kick off here in Northeaster PA and I was getting my gear ready as I always do. Started with spooling up my new Pflueger President XT reel with Trilene XT 12# mono like I always do. Only problem is this year its far worse than its ever been. I'll always struggled with fresh mono off the spool because of line memory. But its never been this terrible. Not only is there a ton of memory but also serious line twist. Normally I'm use to some memory but after a little prodding I can straighten it out and get it useable. How I do it is string the line out for about a day till the memory disappears but now I'm on day 4 and this line shows no sign of straightening out. Also the twist in the line has a mind all its own. I'm thinking its time for braid but I hate the idea of putting another knot between me and the lure. Also I'll have to learn to ty a Alberto knot or Crazy Alberto or whatever. And I'm gonna have to carry line with me so if I break off I can replace the leader. This complicates something that use to be very simple. 

[KP Duty]

Hmm.  Line memory should be at its lowest point coming off of a fresh spool.  Maybe it was a spool that had been sitting on the shelf several years.

[mrpao]

Have you tried Berkley XL?

It is much easier to handle on spinning reels.

On my spinning reels, I either have braid or berkley XL.

Berkley XL is thinner and more limp than the XT that you are using.

[lmbfisherman]

Yes it can be annoying to replace the leader.  I use a leader moreso because it saves me money.   I'm surprised about the Trilene but I use XT 10lb and don't usually have an issue.  I guess maybe the 12lb has issues?  

[J.Vincent]

Haven't used XT since the late 90s....when I did use XT , the one characteristic I liked was its very good abrasion resistance , but it still wasn't good enough to offset the line memory issues. Once I was spooled up with XT, I would often have to tie off to a fence or dock post and walk out 100 feet of line and stretch the line with my hand it helped greatly. Spray a shot of Line conditioner and then reel in 20 feet, spray another shot of line conditioner and reel in another 20 feet...etc etc until I was fully spooled up. This works but it's not a perfect solution.

[Gundog]

1 minute ago, mrpao said:

Have you tried Berkley XL?

It is much easier to handle on spinning reels.

On my spinning reels, I either have braid or berkley XL.

Berkley XL is thinner and more limp than the XT that you are using.

The extra thickness is why I use XT. My first fishing trips in the spring are going to be along a rocky river throwing spinnerbaits, crankbaits and other lures that will get hung up. Using thick mono did two things. First it was abrasion resistant, and the second was it did allow me to break it off when I did get hung up. 

4 minutes ago, J.Vincent said:

Haven't used XT since the late 90s....when I did use XT , the one characteristic I liked was its very good abrasion resistance , but it still wasn't good enough to offset the line memory issues. Once I was spooled up with XT, I would often have to tie off to a fence or dock post and walk out 100 feet of line and stretch the line with my hand it helped greatly. Spray a shot of Line conditioner and then reel in 20 feet, spray another shot of line conditioner and reel in another 20 feet...etc etc until I was fully spooled up. This works but it's not a perfect solution.

I have had it stretched out and after 4 days its still not straight. Worse part is the twist. Stretched out it feels like the line is nicked up but when you loosen it you can see the twist. Tried to get the twist out before stretching it but couldn't. Even unspooled it into a bucket of water and pinched the line between my pointer finger and thumb while reeling it slowly in. No luck. 

[Log Catcher]

If you want to stay with mono I would recommend Sufix Siege. I've had very good luck with it including abrasion resistance.

[J.Vincent]

Sounds like you have covered your bases , maybe it's a Bad batch of line or maybe it was stored for a long time....also the nicks in the line you are talking about was something I remember getting often with XT, it was like the line would get micro abrasions after being stretched or weathered and then absorb water but when it would dry out the line would feel chalky or scratchy....this happened consistently with XT but usually only after a few outings or if the reels were left on the deck of the boat exposed to sunlight for too long. After I quit using XT, I went to Pline, then went to Spiderwire Mono, then quit using Spiderwire Mono and went to Cajun Line Red Lightning. Yes it's red (although they do make green and blue) and yes it's considered budget line, but every problem I had with XT is gone. The best part about it , it's affordable and it casts better than XT while still maintaining a similar amount of abrasion resistance. I use it now for 80% of my fishing and it's great; oddly enough the reviews are either Love it or hate it 

[Joshua van Wyk]

I fish braid to leader on most of my rods and I've never had any issues, learning the Albright knot was actually easier for me to learn than most other knots. I've broken off a few times and I've NEVER broken at the connection knot, always at the lure. I make my leader around 6 or 7 feet long because I retie quite a bit.

[Scott F]

Contrary to popular opinion, using braid does NOT require using a leader. 

[kjfishman]

After I spool a reel I go outside and tie the line to my mail box and walk the line out and stretch it then reel it back in.

[NYWayfarer]

I use Trilene XT for baitcasters, Trilene XL for spinning reels. Since I use spinning reels for finesse and light lure presentations I won't spool anything greater than 8 pound line on them. Any line 10 pound and above is going on a baitcaster.

 

I use a Piscifun line spooling station. It rotates the spool the line is on as you are loading it on your reel. Once you get the hang of it, those line twist issues are solved. 

 

Some line conditioner might help in this case.

 

 

[J Francho]

18 minutes ago, NYWayfarer said:

Some line conditioner might help in this case.

KVD L&L.  Always.  Any line.

[Derek1]

I decided to just go strait braid this year. 

[NYWayfarer]

55 minutes ago, Derek1 said:

I decided to just go strait braid this year. 

I am also going to try straight braid again. I bought a spare spool for one of my spinning reels just for that purpose.

 

[microotter]

Do you guys ever go straight braid with high visibility colors?

[Jcj90]

59 minutes ago, Derek1 said:

I decided to just go strait braid this year. 

 

2 minutes ago, NYWayfarer said:

I am also going to try straight braid again. I bought a spare spool for one of my spinning reels just for that purpose.

 

I do it with my spinning reel when the grass comes up with my senkos. Although wind and weightless plastics with braid is the worst

Just now, microotter said:

Do you guys ever go straight braid with high visibility colors?

No I always use green just a confidence thing tho

[Dwight Hottle]

2 hours ago, Gundog said:

The extra thickness is why I use XT. My first fishing trips in the spring are going to be along a rocky river throwing spinnerbaits, crankbaits and other lures that will get hung up. Using thick mono did two things. First it was abrasion resistant, and the second was it did allow me to break it off when I did get hung up. 

I have had it stretched out and after 4 days its still not straight. Worse part is the twist. Stretched out it feels like the line is nicked up but when you loosen it you can see the twist. Tried to get the twist out before stretching it but couldn't. Even unspooled it into a bucket of water and pinched the line between my pointer finger and thumb while reeling it slowly in. No luck. 

Trilene XT is thicker in diameter than any other line manufacture pound for pound in a comparison test. You could use Trilene XL which is more manageable or pick another quality mono of your choice known for its limpness. Take the rated diameter of your 12 lb XT which is .015 in & compare it to an equal diameter of a different line in a higher pound test & use that instead of the XT. For example Trilene XL in 17lb test is the same diameter .015in. This will give you the extra thickness you want but with a more manageable line. 

[Gundog]

2 hours ago, Scott F said:

Contrary to popular opinion, using braid does NOT require using a leader. 

Fishing a rocky river from shore when you can't wade around (spring time the river gets between 5 and 7 feet where I'm fishing) makes running straight braid impossible if not extremely expensive. Sometimes I get hung up on multiple casts in a row. 

2 hours ago, Joshua van Wyk said:

I fish braid to leader on most of my rods and I've never had any issues, learning the Albright knot was actually easier for me to learn than most other knots. I've broken off a few times and I've NEVER broken at the connection knot, always at the lure. I make my leader around 6 or 7 feet long because I retie quite a bit.

@Joshua van WykDo you ever have problems with the knot getting stopped at the rod eyes? That's another reason I'm not to excited about going to a leader. 

[Scott F]

1 minute ago, Gundog said:

Fishing a rocky river from shore when you can't wade around (spring time the river gets between 5 and 7 feet where I'm fishing) makes running straight braid impossible if not extremely expensive. Sometimes I get hung up on multiple casts in a row.

Throughout the summer, I fish nothing but rocky rivers, but never from shore.  2 things, first, if you use lighter braid, you can break off the lure without losing almost any line at all. Second, if you are getting hung up that often, you need to change what you are doing. How many casts do you lose while you are trying to get unsnagged and then retieing? How much is it costing you in lures? There are plenty of ways to catch bass that don’t require you dragging the bottom where you are getting hung up. Plenty of baits that don’t get hung up too.

[fishballer06]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

KVD L&L.  Always.  Any line.

This. 

 

 

Also, since it's a cheaper mono (notice I didn't say low quality), try replacing it. Perhaps you just got a bad spool, which does happen from time to time. Go buy another spool from a different store than the one you bought your current spool from, and spray that line with Line & Lure immediately. You'd be amazed what that $7 bottle does to line. 

[Brad Reid]

Back to using straight mono for a comment.

 

I might suggest that if you plan to use 100 yards or more of it, just drive to a park or another large open area, maybe a shopping center lot when it's not busy. Carry along your new line spool, tie the line end around something, a mirror on your car maybe, then just stroll off unwinding line off the line spool some distance longer than you will put onto your reel and just stretch it really thoroughly repeatedly. Don't overdue it but just give it a good stretching. You could do it as it is now, all spooled onto your reel, too, then reel the line back on.

 

While I don't use any, I suppose if you have spun out the line from a reel to stretch it, you could apply a line conditioner to a hand towel and retrieve the line under a bit of pressure through the towel to apply it. Some swear by it; I have never sensed the need to apply it.

 

If not this or other ideas, time to head to straight braid or braid to a fluoro or mono leader! If you don't like mono, you will likely hate straight fluorocarbon main lines I suspect!

 

Hope it works out for you one way or another!

 

Brad

[JLBBass]

4 hours ago, Gundog said:

So fishing season is about to kick off here in Northeaster PA and I was getting my gear ready as I always do. Started with spooling up my new Pflueger President XT reel with Trilene XT 12# mono like I always do. 

12# XT on spinning reels!

[Jaderose]

If I can tie an Albright with my arthritic, sausage-like fingers, so can you.  Pull off 3/4 of that mono and get some 8lb Sufix 832 and tie it to that mono with this fancy new knot you've learned.  Make sure the spool is flat and label is up.  Fill up your spool.  Enjoy fishing.  I literally just finished doing this.

 

https://www.***.com/fishing_knots/albright-special

 

I also like the Alberto.  Another easy and strong knot.

 

https://www.***.com/fishing_knots/alberto-knot

[Joshua van Wyk]

40 minutes ago, Gundog said:

Fishing a rocky river from shore when you can't wade around (spring time the river gets between 5 and 7 feet where I'm fishing) makes running straight braid impossible if not extremely expensive. Sometimes I get hung up on multiple casts in a row. 

@Joshua van WykDo you ever have problems with the knot getting stopped at the rod eyes? That's another reason I'm not to excited about going to a leader. 

If I'm using micro guides then I feel the knot go through but it almost never hangs up.