Reel line recommendations

[Barbelbonce]

My stock of my favourite Ultima Power Plus line is diminished and I looked at re-stocking with some Maxima.
Maxima is about twice the price of the now discontinued Power Plus which suited me in all respects.
Is there any logical reason for Maxima to have been, over a very long time, rather expensive for a very workaday line?
Power Plus looked exactly like Maxima....!
Whatever did happen to Ultima? I haven't been keeping up with their product-line changes over the recent years.
Cheers,
Mike

[Mr B]

I have used Maxima but didn't really get on with it.
I have been using Suplex in 6, 8 and 10 lbs and find it nice line but a bit difficult to see when tying hooks on at 6lbs being a clear line.
The camo Sonic line in 12lbs seems a nice line with low memory and as I understand a small diameter for the breaking strain but I really am not an expert in these matters.
As said above, use what you like, horses for courses, all pretty good now.

Mr B

[Olly]

Daiwa Sensor: - ranging from 20lb for salmon to 3lb for trotting.
Line lengths: - 15lb/12lb for carp/pike at least 100yds - - - - - 3lb for trotting about 50yds on pin or closed face (changed every month).
Maxima: - - exclusively for waggler fishing 3lb - 5lb with a Mitchell Match.

I also use for pike/carp/barbel/feeder - - braid - but never on cane rods! Judged by diameter not breaking strain but some clubs insist upon a minimum breaking strain - esp, for carp/cats & pike.

[JAA]

I still use Stren Original for mainline - have to buy it on 'insert-internet-shop' duty-on-board, although Basspro will ship, but duty become a nuisance.

It's the same o/d as Maxima and much tougher, without being overly springy, at least up to 10lb b/s The knot strength and abrasion resistance is excellent, I consider it a better line than maxima tbh, although there seem fewer and fewer unstretched nylon mono lines about. I use 3lb maxima for hook-links from time to time.

For trotting I'll use Berkley Fireline, which floats and comes in easy to spot colours.

[Hovis]

Thanks all. Ended up going for supplex in the end. Time will if its the right choice.

[Velossembly]

Hovis,

Apologies for the late reply to this thread but I’ve only just joined the Forum.

As others have observed, Daiwa ‘Sensor’ is good honest monofil and as cheap as chips. There are few actual manufacturers of nylon monofilament but the difference between labels is usually the coatings. I’m old enough to remember the dreadful ICI ‘Luron’ and ‘Luron 2’, neither of which were as supple as Bayer ‘Perlon’, ‘Sylcast’ or Racine ‘Tortue’.

One of the best lines I ever used was Damyl. Even after 15, nay, 20 years of storage it retained its B.S. and was like silk, with no memory whatsoever. Would that I could replace it now.

Buy Maxima if you like but “The Line the Fish Can’t See” counts for very little. I often use a red line for hooklengths, using the argument that a fish is less likely to be spooked if it rubs against something it knows is there. Also, “Parrot Feather” weed has bright red stems.

Pre-stretched lines usually break very close to their stated B.S., whereas normal line may exceed that by as much as 25% and we tend to exploit this in a tussle with a big fish. Having said that, I’ve started using Drennan “Fly Leader” for my hooklengths - nice and thin and supple.

Above all, buy your line from a dealer that has a high turnover. Avoid all “ bargain basement” deals. Spools that have been on display for months hold line that will have horrendous memory.

BB.

[JAA]

Buy Maxima if you like but “The Line the Fish Can’t See” counts for very little. I often use a red line for hooklengths, using the argument that a fish is less likely to be spooked if it rubs against something it knows is there. Also, “Parrot Feather” weed has bright red stems.

Agree...

Pre-stretched lines usually break very close to their stated B.S., whereas normal line may exceed that by as much as 25% and we tend to exploit this in a tussle with a big fish.

'Normal' lines' stretch can help quite a bit with knot strength as well.

[SooperClooper]

Cheap as chips may soon be a saying that's out of date going on what I payed for them on Thursday evening !!

[Catfish.017]

Cheap as chips may soon be a saying that's out of date going on what I payed for them on Thursday evening !!

I'll second that although the portions in our local Chippie are huge!

[John Milford]

I use Daiwa Sensor for virtually every mono application below 10lbs b.s.

For pike fishing I use Daiwa 'Infinity Duo' in 0.37mm or Berkley 'Pro Spec' (red) in 0.38mm. The current Infinity Duo is I.G.F.A. rated at 20lbs (which means the b.s. does not exceed 20lbs).

Interestingly, Diawa Sensor in the same 0.37mm diameter is labeled at only 15lb b.s., but like most non I.G.F.A. rated lines is somewhat stronger than it's nominal stated strain. There are no circumstances where I would use less than 0.35mm mono for pike fishing. I have lost count of the number of times I have removed some misguided optimist's hook trace from a pike that had been lost due to horribly inadequate line.

Picking up on BB's nostalgic reminisces on 'Luron', the worst line I ever used as a kid was called 'Harelon' (it had a little hare on it's label which, judging by how curly and springy the line was, must have been a pubic hare)! The dreadful stuff wasn't even round in cross section.

The best in my youth was Sylcast. I once witnessed a pal of mine stop and turn a sailing dinghy with 11lb b.s. Sylcast!