# Favorite type of line for most conditions



## castmaster00 (Oct 23, 2007)

There are a lot of preferance threads going around and I thought that I would start one of my own. My favorite is Berkley Vanish. It is a cheap and all around good line.


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## JF1 (Mar 25, 2008)

Depends on what I am throwing. I like Trilene XL mono, Vanish flouro, and Power Pro Braid. Depending on what I am throwing will determin which one I have spooled up. I like Flouro for my shakey head, senko, worm and sometimes jig or trap fishing.
I use braid for the obvious thick stuff...punching grass, jigs around cover, etc.
And unlike most most pple, I like using mono for my crankbait fishing instead of flouro. I also use the mono for all my topwater.


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## CARP 104 (Apr 19, 2004)

Not trying to cause trouble, but vanish is complete junk...I recommend any flourocarbon but vanish if you're going to fish for money...a lot of guys will tell you the same.

my best flourocarbon has been Bass Pro XPS, with P-line 100% coming in 2nd. The new stren flourocarbon and trilene flouro are also good. 

The worst from my experiences is vanish (by far the worst) and seagur invisix (regular seagur carbon pro was awesome, but invisix was terrible....behaved like vanish)


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## castmaster00 (Oct 23, 2007)

CARP 104 said:


> Not trying to cause trouble, but vanish is complete junk...I recommend any flourocarbon but vanish if you're going to fish for money...a lot of guys will tell you the same.
> 
> my best flourocarbon has been Bass Pro XPS, with P-line 100% coming in 2nd. The new stren flourocarbon and trilene flouro are also good.
> 
> The worst from my experiences is vanish (by far the worst) and seagur invisix (regular seagur carbon pro was awesome, but invisix was terrible....behaved like vanish)


Why don't you like it? What problems were you having with it?I myself can't find anything wrong with it.


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## JF1 (Mar 25, 2008)

CARP 104 said:


> Not trying to cause trouble, but vanish is complete junk...I recommend any flourocarbon but vanish if you're going to fish for money...a lot of guys will tell you the same.
> 
> my best flourocarbon has been Bass Pro XPS, with P-line 100% coming in 2nd. The new stren flourocarbon and trilene flouro are also good.
> 
> The worst from my experiences is vanish (by far the worst) and seagur invisix (regular seagur carbon pro was awesome, but invisix was terrible....behaved like vanish)


Everyone has their own opinions.... Kinda like chevy, ford and dodge. Some guys will swear by one and tell you the other two are garbage! 

I hate P-line, don't like the memory it has, the way it casts, and fell it isn't as abrasion resistent as the Vanish is. I also like the Trilene 100% flourocarbon Line as a close second. XPS flouro is good line too, but don't want to always have to order my line. 

And I do fish for money, and I've even won some $$ fishing w/ Vanish!


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## leeabu (Apr 10, 2004)

I use Cabelas florocarbon and love it. I use it for everything but topwater, buzzbait and frog.


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## CARP 104 (Apr 19, 2004)

castmaster00 said:


> Why don't you like it? What problems were you having with it?I myself can't find anything wrong with it.



Basically it breaks way too easily, I have had it break while casting several times, break on snags, and worst of all break on fish. I check my line more frequently than anyone I know for knicks, probably every 10 casts or after every snag.

My tournament partner was using it for a while without any issues and I kept telling him to switch. He stuck with vanish and it wasn't long after that he broke off a nice fish on it in a tournament and began having similar problems. He has switched to BPS flouro and we both do not have these problems anymore. He even called the company about it and they told him that Vanish was a recreational line and they don't recommend it for tournament anglers. I personally don't know many recreational anglers that want to break fish off or lose their lures....found that humorous. Sounds like they get a lot of complaints.

Anyway, I will never use it again but I just thought I'd throw my experiences with it out there.


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## wtrprfr1 (May 1, 2009)

I've tried just about everything through the years, but I always seem to come back to 12# Trilene xt. Good line for my Curado baitcasters.


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

Berkley XL smooth casting lo vis green and trilene flouro


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## lordofthepunks (Feb 24, 2009)

CARP 104 said:


> Basically it breaks way too easily, I have had it break while casting several times, break on snags, and worst of all break on fish. I check my line more frequently than anyone I know for knicks, probably every 10 casts or after every snag.
> 
> My tournament partner was using it for a while without any issues and I kept telling him to switch. He stuck with vanish and it wasn't long after that he broke off a nice fish on it in a tournament and began having similar problems. He has switched to BPS flouro and we both do not have these problems anymore. He even called the company about it and they told him that Vanish was a recreational line and they don't recommend it for tournament anglers. I personally don't know many recreational anglers that want to break fish off or lose their lures....found that humorous. Sounds like they get a lot of complaints.
> 
> Anyway, I will never use it again but I just thought I'd throw my experiences with it out there.


i agree with this whole heartedly. i used vanish for about a year and i really gave it a legitimate chance. i never broke off more fish on hooksets then i did with vanish. and it was always on hooksets and it was completely random, i could catch 5 fish in a row flippin and sure enough the sixth fish, the line would break during the hookset with no resistance ( i too check my line often and retie often) then i could go out 5 trips in a row and not have any issues and then on the 6th trip my first two bites would break on hooksets. i got tired of it, the constant retieing and the constant wondering of how big those fish were that i had lost (never seen any of them, hopefully they were channel cats) i use p-line exclusively now but its the copolymer not the 100% floro. i know of at least two tournaments that vansih may have cost me a check. i was stupid for staying with it so long.


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## lordofthepunks (Feb 24, 2009)

i shouldnt say exclusively, i use power pro braid when im fishing topwater or pads


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## Buckeye1955 (Jan 30, 2007)

Trilene Max. Used the XL for quite a while and then tried the Max for the heck of it. Haven't had one complaint with it. No tangles and no break offs. And I've had some biguns on there. I had the Vanish on one rod combo I picked up at the Columbus fishing show and I never had so many tangles in my life. Didn't take long to string some Max on it.


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

Braid: Daiwa Samurai braid
Non-braid: Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra-soft

Those are the only two lines you'll ever need for bass.


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## bassin101 (May 16, 2005)

castmaster00,
Once upon a time I thought I would try the Berkley Vanish (10 lb. test). I took the line out of the box and spooled up my reel. When I tied a lure on (using the palomar knot), the line kept breaking. I tied the knot with wet line and dry line but it still kept breaking. I would test the knot by pulling it with my hands. This line should have cut my fingers. I was so upset I sent Berkley the line and a letter telling them the line was not fit to put in my garbage. A short time later I got a spool of Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon in the mail which turned out to be better. I was so dissatisfied with the Berkley Vanish I refuse to sell it and removed it from my website. After some research I found Seaguar InvizX to be my favorite.


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## Fish G3 (Jul 16, 2008)

Sufix for mono 
Seaguar for fluoro
Power Pro for braid


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## fishingwithjohnnyjohnson (Jan 2, 2010)

I started fishing Berkely XT 20lb test in Alaska for Kings and other salmon. Never had my line snapped in 5 years other then twice being wrapped around a log. In Columbus Ohio I drop down to the 6lb berkely XT for jigs and 10 lb for my bait caster. It is super abrasion resistant and I will use nothing but this line forever. John.


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

CARP 104 said:


> Not trying to cause trouble, but vanish is complete junk...I recommend any flourocarbon but vanish if you're going to fish for money...a lot of guys will tell you the same.
> 
> my best flourocarbon has been Bass Pro XPS, with P-line 100% coming in 2nd. The new stren flourocarbon and trilene flouro are also good.
> 
> The worst from my experiences is vanish (by far the worst) and seagur invisix (regular seagur carbon pro was awesome, but invisix was terrible....behaved like vanish)


I agree!!!

Even Hank Parker (who is sponsored by Berkley) stated that Berkley has problems with their flourocarbon line. He said anglers experience un-explained/un-expected breaks in their line while using Berkley flourocarbon.

In 2008, I must have gotten a bad batch of this line also. I lost several lures using Berkley flourocarbon line. Hell man, I had un-explainable line breaks 10ft. to 50ft. from the knot! And lost several fish before giving up and throwing it away.

Now I use Vicious flourocarbon line. It's reasonably priced. And it's made in America of all places.
- mono for spinnerbaits/buzzbaits/small cranks
- flouro for cranks/finesse fishing/worms/clear water
- braid for JignPig/muddy water


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## Tiny Tim (Sep 19, 2006)

Must say with my limited budget I use Berkley Big Game Line. The only time I stray away is with a Flippin Stick. Then I go with 20-25lb Berkley XT on them and the only other line I use is P Line florocarbon on my crankbait rod. No Braids for me either. I always seem to snap it on the hook-set and believe me I have tried several kinds.


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## bobby (Aug 1, 2005)

I used the Trilene 100% Flourocarbon last year exclusively for dropshotting (6# test). I liked it a great deal. Can't tell you whether it made a difference in number of fish catches as I didn't use mono. Never had a break off, and I abused the line pretty good, dropshotting in pretty good cover. DOn't like the cost, though.

Overall, I've gone back and forth and I always come back to using either Stren Clear Blue or Berkely XT. Braid has its place for me, but I find myself using it less and less. I may try 6 lb. mono for dropshotting this year and see if I notice a difference. I know about the invisibility of line and all with flourocarbob, but I have consistently caught fish in clear water regardless of line color, though I prefer a less visible line. I am not sure how much it really makes a difference in the end. My biggest problem with braid has been that I seem to pull the bait away from fish more often than not. I do like it, though, when I cast a senko long distance on a casting rod. That's probably the only place I really use it. Maybe real deep water dropshotting, too. 

As for vanish, I have only used it as leader material and have not experienced any problems with it. I like Berkely's Trilene 100% though so I don't buy vanish much.


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## Bass_Hawg (Apr 12, 2004)

If I was to only have one line for all applications it would be Gamma Copoly in 12lbs test. Gamma makes a great copoly. 
But as eveyone knows there is not one line that will handle everything. You half to find what works for your fishing style, your equipment, and your presentations.


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## norseangler (Jan 8, 2009)

Mono -- Bass Pro Shops Excel in sizes from 4# to 20# for most applications, especially crankbaits and surface lures (other than slop lures and buzbaits)
Braid - Spiderwire Stealth in 30# and 50# for spinnerbaits, carolina rigs, buzzbaits and frogs


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## donlon88 (Oct 16, 2009)

JF1 said:


> Everyone has their own opinions.... Kinda like chevy, ford and dodge. Some guys will swear by one and tell you the other two are garbage!


I agree with JF1 100%, i have used vanish, and won money with vanish...i fished a tourament useing p-line floro 2 years ago and have never broke off so many times in a tourament in my life. Needless to say use what you feel most comfortable with.


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## Tee (Apr 5, 2004)

My favorite is Bass Pro Shops XPS Fluorocarbon. Good strong line. I've never had a problem with it.


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## bferguson (Jan 19, 2010)

Mono -- Bass Pro Shops Excel


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## josh617 (Jan 28, 2005)

I think 90% of the issues with fluorocarbon come from human error, if you dont completly pick out a backlash and there is one little loop still on the spool, the next cast will chew the heck out of your line, sometimes even break it, no matter what brand you use. Also, when tying palomars with it, if the knot doesnt lay properly it ll have a tendency to break. Another thing, i think fluoro is made up of tiny it crystals and through regular use the stretching breaks the crystals down, leading to a brittler, less shock resistant line which could explain the the 5 good trips and the bad 6th. this all merely observation and conjecture but i have been fishing fluoro for a long time now and have fished with a lot of different brands and this is what i ve noticed.


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

josh617 said:


> I think 90% of the issues with fluorocarbon come from human error, if you dont completly pick out a backlash and there is one little loop still on the spool, the next cast will chew the heck out of your line, sometimes even break it, no matter what brand you use. Also, when tying palomars with it, if the knot doesnt lay properly it ll have a tendency to break. Another thing, i think fluoro is made up of tiny it crystals and through regular use the stretching breaks the crystals down, leading to a brittler, less shock resistant line which could explain the the 5 good trips and the bad 6th. this all merely observation and conjecture but i have been fishing fluoro for a long time now and have fished with a lot of different brands and this is what i ve noticed.


I will agree that FC is not very "forgiving". You really, really need to watch how the knot ties, keep it lubed and draw it slowly.

FC is a polymer. It is made of long chains of carbon and fluorine. In keeping with your observations, FC suffers from plastic deformation. It doesn't return to the same shape after being stretched. I think that is the driver behind the "5 good and 6th bad".


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## lordofthepunks (Feb 24, 2009)

Tokugawa said:


> I will agree that FC is not very "forgiving". You really, really need to watch how the knot ties, keep it lubed and draw it slowly.
> 
> FC is a polymer. It is made of long chains of carbon and fluorine. In keeping with your observations, FC suffers from plastic deformation. It doesn't return to the same shape after being stretched. I think that is the driver behind the "5 good and 6th bad".


like i said before, it was random sometimes it would be the 6th day, sometimes it would be the first. all i know is since i switched to p-line, havent had any issues. my problem is not with floro in general, only with vanish. i happen to believe floro is the most versatile of the line types


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## sisezz73 (Mar 9, 2007)

If you like GAMMA you better stock up. They are no longer making fishing line. Just a fyi for ya..............


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## Carver (Jan 20, 2010)

I use YoZuri for everything. I use 6# and 8# on my spinning gear and 10 and12# on baitcasters. It has all of the good ptoperties I look for. It is soft enough not to recoil off of spinning gear yet it has good abrasion resistance and it is great on casting gear, it also has low memory. If you have not used it you will be pleasantly surprised.
I do have one reel spooled with braid for flipping but I can't remember what brand it is.
Flourocarbon just has too many issues for me, you have to be very careful with it. If your knot isn't perfect or if it kinks a little in a backlash it is going to snap sure as heck.


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

I like trilene XL smooth casting 8# for mono. For flourocarbon 6# trilene 100% or p-line leader material. 17 pound of either for baitcaster


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