Line Reviews?

[jimmyjoe]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

What amazed me is bass anglers bought into “thick” line marketing.

 

   Yes ...... for years now, with both FC and with nylon. I mean ........ why?         jj

[Cigarguy]

2 minutes ago, jimmyjoe said:

 

   Yes ...... for years now, with both FC and with nylon. I mean ........ why?         jj

We are fisherman/woman, always thinking that the next catch will be a 20lb bass hooked in a bunch of weeds the size of Everest that will need to be sawn and moved.  We must prepare for that 0.00001% possibility rather than the 99% 2-6 pounders.

[jimmyjoe]

7 minutes ago, Cigarguy said:

We are fisherman/woman, always thinking that the next catch will be a 20lb bass hooked in a bunch of weeds the size of Everest that will need to be sawn and moved.  We must prepare for that 0.00001% possibility rather than the 99% 2-6 pounders.

 

   ??????   True, true and true!  Most human frailties make sense if you just consider them in the correct light!  Thx.                      jj

[roadwarrior]

11 minutes ago, Cigarguy said:

We are fisherman/woman, always thinking that the next catch will be a 20lb bass hooked in a bunch of weeds the size of Everest that will need to be sawn and moved.  We must prepare for that 0.00001% possibility rather than the 99% 2-6 pounders.

The Tennessee River offers the potential of producing the next World Record

Smallmouth. That's my dream and I am prepared to make the most of that

opportunity if it ever presents itself (again).

 

 

[ironbjorn]

35 minutes ago, Cigarguy said:

We are fisherman/woman, always thinking that the next catch will be a 20lb bass hooked in a bunch of weeds the size of Everest that will need to be sawn and moved.  We must prepare for that 0.00001% possibility rather than the 99% 2-6 pounders.

I share that thought with you. I've never caught a bass so big and so mean, in cover so gnarly, on a heavy rod with 20lb line and thought, "No way could this have been caught and landed on a medium heavy rod with 15lb line." But I do fish in the north. We truly fish for the "what if" and not for the "what is". 

[Boomstick]

I sometimes browse reviews on tackletour, but I found a couple of their reviews to be somewhat inaccurate from personal experience. For example, they really liked P-Line fluroclear, which I gave to one of my kids a few years ago. He instantly had all sorts of casting problems, which is not normal for him and the way that it would birds nest made it harder to pick out. And they did not like Yo Zuri hybrid, which I thought was pretty all around solid. I've talked to others with same exact experience with both lines. If I asked some forum users, they probably could have saved me the money on the Fluoroclear in the first place.

[A-Jay]

Caught on 10lb Seaguar InvisX FC line ~

Just saying. 

A-Jay

[Glenn]

Reviews are a PITA to make.  You do all you can to put the product through several tests under a variety of situations, using your own style, and report your actual experiences, trying to be detailed but not boring. 

• If you leave out specs - even the ones written right on the packaging - people complain you're not thorough and say you don't know squat about the product.
• If you leave in specs, people complain you're not providing any useful information and you're just repeating marketing-speak.
• If you like the product, people say you have a "hidden" motives (e.g. "You must be sponsored by them").
• If you don't like the product, brand fans jump all over you for not liking their beloved thingamajig.
• Either way, most people say your review is a bunch of bull no matter what you say.

All I can say is that my reviews are accurate to the bone. I don't want lead anyone astray, so I tell it like it is.  If it helps people, great!

 

But I ignore the negative comments that follow.

[Boomstick]

@Glenn I said it a few weeks ago on a Zoom call but I'll say it again, thanks for taking the time to do reviews and I appreciate them.

[Glenn]

53 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

@Glenn I said it a few weeks ago on a Zoom call but I'll say it again, thanks for taking the time to do reviews and I appreciate them.

Well thanks, I appreciate that, really I do. But I'm not fishing for compliments.  I know there's a lot of cheesy "reviews" out there, and that waters down the better reviews out there.  Comes with the territory.

 

1 hour ago, Boomstick said:

For example, they really liked P-Line fluroclear,...And they did not like Yo Zuri hybrid,

I switched to P-Line Fluoroclear when Andes went off the market.  Hated it.  Abrasion resistance was terrible and I had several failed knots. 

 

I tried Yo-Zuri because RW really liked it. It's been a good all-purpose line for me.  No complaints here.  That said, the Seaguar lines take it to the next level, hands down.

 

Should've asked me first. 

 

[Gary_Snyder]

Quote

What amazed me is bass anglers bought into “thick” line marketing.

- yup, and thin line too. 

 

A couple of lines I use - Vanish Transition 12lb, and Trilene XT 8lb. - They are the same diameter and close in strength - but one says 8lb. on the box, the other says 12lb.!! I suppose that's lesson number one - always compare lines of equal diameter. Line diameter plays a big role in physics/science, and line manufacturers can't change physics.

 

And what kills me is...... Vanish is cheap fluoro, don't use it. But Vanish Transition is a totally different, premium fluoro.... they should have never used the word Vanish in the name, it's a completely different line, it's not just colored Vanish!!

The problem with line reviews is, people use different sizes, different techniques, different reels (spin, baitcasting), don't compare diameter to diameter and apples to apples, and everybody ties different knots - so results are all over the place.

 

I've become somewhat of an expert on mono lines but it took test articles, inside manufacturer's info, trying many lines, and over a decade to get there.... and I still don't know much about most mono lines out there. 

 

Fluorocarbon was easier, because I don't care about easy handling - as long as the line won't break, I'm happy, lol 

 

It took me seven years to develop the best terminal knots - and what kills me is, one of the knots I read about previously - it just took me seven years to prove to myself that it was great, lol. 

 

It took me way too much time to get a good handle on line. But now I'm pretty confident I'm fishing the best lines for my needs, and I don't feel the need to try other lines.

[roadwarrior]

10 hours ago, Glenn said:

I tried Yo-Zuri because RW really liked it. It's been a good all-purpose line for me.  No complaints here.  That said, the Seaguar lines take it to the next level, hands down.

 

Yeah, I am Mr. Seaguar now, too.

 

 

 

[Junk Fisherman]

The main places I look for reviews on line are on threads on different forums, Facebook posts on the various fishing pages I belong to, Tackle Tour, and Tackle Warehouse.  There is no magic formula I use rather than reading many reviews and making a general consensus.  This season I am trying Smackdown, Tatsu, and Fins braid primarily on recommendations from this forum and a review on Tackle Tour.   I am also more apt to try different lines from manufacturers that I have confidence in.  But that doesn't always work either.  8 lb P-Line fluorocarbon was a staple for me for years but the 8 lb Tactical I tried and was a poor performer for me. 

 

But the OP is right in that you'll always find some negative reviews on line.  For example, several people in this thread do not like Fluoroclear but I absolutely love it for a few specific applications.  At the end of the day, you have to just get the lines and see if it works for you.  

[Diggy]

Reviews be like:

 

Comments: Best Line Ever, invisible in the water and super strong!

From: Anthony: California 2/27/20

Comments: Absolutely the worst line I have ever used. The knot strength is horrible, no matter what type of knot you tie. I casted this 5 times and lost 2 crankbaits to thw line breaking at the knot. Spend the money and buy some fc sniper.

From: Kaleb: Bunn NCAA  2/11/19

[Catt]

13 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Caught on 10lb Seaguar InvisX FC line ~

Just saying. 

A-Jay

 

Every double digit bass I've caught was on Berkley Big Game 15#. This one was caught in matted Coontail/Hydrilla in 8' of water.

 

My belief is rod, line, & reel's drag working in unison.

 

 

[Deephaven]

It's the web.  A review thread is tough, but like the link in here where you list what you use and what you had problems with and why creates a realistic situation.  Sure the problems may be user error.  Really easy to put the wrong line in for the right situation and have it not work out well.  Even more so if you don't go through all sorts of A/B testing...but again being the internet if you read all the comments as that then you can still draw some conclusions.  Personally I like to look for negatives on the net and weigh those, the positives are dubious quite often...so are the negatives, but if they include experience you can utilize them in your own shopping.

 

Obviously there are also reviews that are completely helpful.  I joined here because Glenn's approach is akin to how I would behave if I had a forum and it is great.  The wealth of knowledge and desire to share on BR is stellar.  Keep that up and thank you all.

[roadwarrior]

5 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

 

That's a beauty!

[Catt]

7 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

 

That's a beauty!

 

Merci Beaucoup ?

 

That was the longest bass I've ever caught, for prospective I'm 6' tall.

 

If I want a review of something I go to bassresource, I've been here 15 yrs, I've seen the fish y'all have caught.

 

When I review something i like to have used it for a year. Last spring I put 17# InvizX on my jig rod, it's still there. This year I spooled my worm rod with 15# InvizX. Only thing I can say is the 15# in offcolored water & overcast skies ya can't see it!

[EzyEric]

20 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Caught on 10lb Seaguar InvisX FC line ~

Just saying. 

A-Jay

Woah do you have a video of this catch?

[A-Jay]

1 minute ago, EzyEric said:

Woah do you have a video of this catch?

Yup ~ 

A-Jay

[ChrisD46]

On 2/5/2021 at 1:14 PM, roadwarrior said:

 

Well, I think most guys would like a starting point or comments from people

they trust. I'm using Tatsu, Smackdown and for treble hooks, Sunline Defier

Armilo. However, these are some suggestions for less expensive alternatives:

 

Fluorocarbon: AbrazX and InvizX

Copolymer: Yo-Zuri Hybrid, Izorline and P-Line

Monofilament:  Trilene XL

*I add Trilene Sensation to the Mono line list