Berkley FireLine

[Jigfishn10]

I never used fireline and know it’s different than braid. I know it’s been around for a long time and I’m thinking about trying it out next season so I was wondering if you all could help?

How is it for casting reels?

Stretch? Low stretch like braid?

How is it for holding knots? I’m assuming a Palomar knot would be a must? Finally, is it thinner than mono like braid?

 

Thank you

[OkobojiEagle]

Think of it as braid.  I didn't like it on baitcasting reels... I have used the original Fireline on my spinning reels since the mid '90s.

 

oe

[Scott F]

Fireline is made from the same material as other “Superlines” but instead of being woven like braided line, the fibers are fused together. No stretch, like braided lines. I always liked Fireline but have gotten away from it lately.  New, out of the box, it is relatively stiff, but softens up within a few hours. Two other things about it is that the black line will lose its color turning gray which has no affect on the way it fishes. It also gets a bit frayed but again does not affect its strength. Works just fine on both spinning and baitcaster reels.

[FrankN209]

Very strong. I've had it on casting, but likes to dig. Using it on spinning setups eliminates wind knots all together. 

[newapti5]

Although it's originally designed for spinning reels, I mostly use the Fireline Ultra 8 on baitcasters. 14# Fireline 8 is as strong as regular  20# braid, about the same diameter as well. But it's thinner than mono for sure. Low stretch as braid, and it cast very well on baitcasters. I am quite fond of it. 

Abrasion resistance wise, it's very good. Like others' said, it may fray and get a little fuzzy, but that won't affect its performance or durability. 

Knot wise, I only tied it in FG knot with a leader, and it held up very well.

[FishTank]

One of the worst lines I have ever used.  Bought a bunch of it years ago and was too stubborn to not use it but in the end I gave up and threw a large portion of it away.  If you can name an issue with this line (braid), this stuff had it.  

 

Maybe it's been reformulated and is better. I have since moved on to other lines. 

[bulldog1935]

I tried 10-lb  on Penn 4200SS that my daughter made her go-to reel for salt and lakes (she went to fly in FW rivers). 

Catching sheepshead one day out of the cut from the deep channel to the flat - if you've ever caught sheepshead on the flat, they want deep water yesterday. 

The hard-working part of the line extruded to a smaller diameter from the morning's work-out, and dug into her spool, locking up the reel and ending the morning - we were fished out and had a nice meal of specs.  May have been affected by the lack of BB line guide, but never tried it again. 

[roadwarrior]

On 12/15/2021 at 8:34 PM, FishTank said:

One of the worst lines I have ever used.

 

Great filler for an empty trash can.

 

[Team9nine]

Great trolling line with better than average knot and overall strength vs other braids from the data I've seen (from what I recall), but I've never been happy with it as a casting line. It just never softens up enough for the type of fishing I do most often. Might be OK as a moving bait line though. I eventually eliminated it from my setups after trying it.

[PressuredFishing]

On 12/15/2021 at 4:08 PM, Jigfishn10 said:

I never used fireline and know it’s different than braid. I know it’s been around for a long time and I’m thinking about trying it out next season so I was wondering if you all could help?

How is it for casting reels?

Stretch? Low stretch like braid?

How is it for holding knots? I’m assuming a Palomar knot would be a must? Finally, is it thinner than mono like braid?

 

Thank you

Nor the biggest fan on Berkleys line products, I feel like there are better options at the same price

[Jig Man]

I used it until I tried some Power Pro.

[MN Fisher]

I tried on my spinning reels not long after it first came out. It'd have to improve 1000% for me to even consider trying it again.

 

I'll stick with 832 - and when I can afford it, Smackdown.

[Jigfishn10]

19 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

I used it until I tried some Power Pro.

That's basically all I use when I was using braid. I did try Tuf-Line Sprectre (SP) when they were a sponsor here. I'm not even sure that line is even produced any more. 

 

The reason for the thread is because I was reading that it was a fused line in lieu of a woven line as @Scott F points out. That concept really got me curious.

 

@MN Fisher, 832? I'll have to research that.

 

@Team9nine, I was planning on using it for a 3-way rig and drifting over structure. Glad you posted that. Thank you.

[gim]

3 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Great trolling line with better than average knot and overall strength

I have never used the stuff.  My parents use it regularly for that purpose though, trolling crank baits for walleyes.  It knifes through the water better and the crankbait gets down there quicker with fireline.  It is a ***** to tie knots with though.

[Jigfishn10]

19 minutes ago, gimruis said:

It knifes through the water better and the crankbait gets down there quicker with fireline. 

That’s really good to know. I was losing a good chunk of line due to current fishing deep water.

 

Thanks for the post