What line for lakers?

Hi all,

I spooled up most of my ice rods with 8 and 6lbs test Trilene Micro Ice fluoro for fishing small to medium sized trout (rarely exceeding 5lbs). I am not happy with it. It has terrible memory and is very fragile.

What do you use? Heading into town soon and am looking to respool for the rest of the season.

I use braid during open water season and am a large fan of it but have had issues with freezing during the winter. Any new advents in braid that have helped with that in the past couple years?

Thanks

I've use Trilene XL 8 and 6 lb summer and winter. I've tried others but always go back. I've reeled in a 42" lake Trout through the ice with it and a 50"+ Muskie in the fall with the 8lbs. no problem.

I switched to the power pro ice stuff and like it. I don't have near the freeze up issues I did with the old suffix stuff. Mono didn't work for me at all.

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Originally Posted by WillieBeno

I've use Trilene XL 8 and 6 lb summer and winter. I've tried others but always go back. I've reeled in a 42" lake Trout through the ice with it and a 50"+ Muskie in the fall with the 8lbs. no problem.

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Trilene XL was my go to for pretty much everything before braid was wirespread. May go back to it for ice gear. Thanks

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Originally Posted by oaknut

I switched to the power pro ice stuff and like it. I don't have near the freeze up issues I did with the old suffix stuff. Mono didn't work for me at all.

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I'll give this a look too. Might go different directions and see what I like best. Power Pro is my goto on all my open water rigs

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Originally Posted by blasted_saber

Trilene XL was my go to for pretty much everything before braid was wirespread. May go back to it for ice gear. Thanks



I'll give this a look too. Might go different directions and see what I like best. Power Pro is my goto on all my open water rigs

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I tried braid once for ice fishing and didn't like it because it froze up. I also tried it in the summer and ended up breaking my favorite rod because it is so tough. I've got Berkley 8lb floro on my back up ice rod it is a bit more sensitive but a pain in the to untangle for some reason. I find the extra sensitivity isn't necessary for trout but comes in handy for whities. I prefer the mono for it's stretch and forgiveness as well as knot strength.

Another vote for 8lb Trilene XL.

I don't think braid of any brand will ever make a good ice fishing line because water can seep into all the cracks and crevices that braid has and will freeze there. You need a mono or maybe even a flouro with smooth outer finishes typical of mono where water will run down easier.
I once bought a mono that was dedicated ice fishing line and it was the worst stuff I ever saw. Stiff and terrible memory. Tossed it away after one trip and went back to my usual summer line which at the time could have been Stren or Trilene. To tell the truth I don't think one mono is better than the other when it comes to ice fishing.

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Originally Posted by Deer Hunter

Another vote for 8lb Trilene XL.

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Do you not find that stuff memories the spool real bad in cold weather? That's why I hated it, light bites were rarely felt.

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All my winter gear gets 10lb trilene xl works great outside the hut or inside the hut for quinte gold and the same can be said when I start looking for lake trout after quinte closes. Summer gear all gets 20lb braid and a 15lb flouro leader.

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Originally Posted by oaknut

Do you not find that stuff memories the spool real bad in cold weather? That's why I hated it, light bites were rarely felt.

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I don’t find it so bad on full size reels with a bigger spool which I use to jig.
Yes, it can be bad on those smaller ice reels, i use these for my still line, I put a couple extra split shot to get it down straight then take them off once I have the right depth.
I don’t think there’s a perfect line for -30. Haha
I tried all kinds and always go back to Trilene XL 8 lb.
I have a few with the micro ice and had no problems with it so far.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deer Hunter

I don’t find it so bad on full size reels with a bigger spool which I use to jig.
Yes, it can be bad on those smaller ice reels, i use these for my still line, I put a couple extra split shot to get it down straight then take them off once I have the right depth.
I don’t think there’s a perfect line for -30. Haha
I tried all kinds and always go back to Trilene XL 8 lb.
I have a few with the micro ice and had no problems with it so far.

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The first fish usually straightens it out.

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Originally Posted by WillieBeno

The first fish usually straightens it out.

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HaHa, exactly, problem solved.

Walmart around here is clearing out fishing line. Might be worth checking your local store. At least half the rack was on clearance prices of about 70% off.

I bought enough mono and braid to do all of my rods (hard and softwater).

I ended up going with Trilene Sensation for the ice rods and Sufflix 832 braid on the open water rods for this year. I have a hard time getting away from PowerPro, so we'll see how it goes. At this price point though its worth the risk.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deer Hunter

I don’t find it so bad on full size reels with a bigger spool which I use to jig.
Yes, it can be bad on those smaller ice reels, i use these for my still line, I put a couple extra split shot to get it down straight then take them off once I have the right depth.
I don’t think there’s a perfect line for -30. Haha
I tried all kinds and always go back to Trilene XL 8 lb.
I have a few with the micro ice and had no problems with it so far.

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Sorry, it’s not micro ice, it’s Trilene cold weather I have on a few reels. Just seen the left over reel in my tackle box. I have a roll of micro ice that I didn’t try yet. Darn. Memory isn’t what it used to be. lol

It can be a sign of age when your fishing line memory is better than your own.

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Originally Posted by sawbill

It can be a sign of age when your fishing line memory is better than your own.

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lol, no kidding.