Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Your favorite 4-lb test fishing line?

Around here, I've always used 4# line for stream trout when using spinners.

I tried 2# and it would break if you looked at it the wrong way. 6# is too heavy. Our trout in SE MN usually run 10-18 inches with the occassional freak whopper. Some dude caught a 16 pound brown out of a tiny stream just last year.

They make 4# fishing line? Lol.

Learn something new everday.

I'll be using 12lb Maxima UG on Monday for King Salmon up to 40lbs.

4 lb was the standard in the southern Rockies creeks and rivers I fished a lot back in the day. Then again you could usually wade out to get a snagged Panther Martin.

I can like 6 lb but my light trout rod/reel works best at 4 lb. And I'm not gonna cry over a lost fish.

I'm a big DuPont Stren guy. Mostly because way back when I fished the bass tournaments, they were one of the few sponsors who stuck with me, even when I was having a hard time placing in the top ten.

My favorite 4# mono is 6#. I used to use 4# on my ul rods, but the slightest snag and snap, there goes another lure. After switching to 6# I rarely loose a lure, and I haven't given up any casting distance or sensitivity.

I like mazima but it's not carried in the lighter weights up here, it's actually pretty tough to find anything lighter than 10# up here. I've used a variety of brands and haven't seen much difference. The main thing is to respool every season as those small dia spools make for some horrendous memory and air knots if you try and get another season out of the line.

your set up will not know that the Berkely Vanish 6# isn't 4lb line. It is the same diameter and limpness of 4lb monofilament line.

To prevent knot slipage, use what I have heard called a double improved clinch or fishermans knot. Two loops around the hook eye or spinner loop to begin with. the line, after the required seven times around the line then goes back through BOTH of the original loops that you made at the eye and then you run the tag end through the loop you just made when you brought the tag end down to those two loops and run it throught that large loop as well. Clear as mud? Takes another few seconds to tie it up, but it does not break or slip easily. Be sure to wet the knot with saliva or water before trying to snug it all up or it wont snug easily or be the small strong knot you need.

Good luck and good fishing - and hunting.

That knot makes sense- I use the "single" version.

I'll see if there's any Berkely Vanish around. If not I may go Maxima.

Got a cool pic of me & some Steens redsides strapped to my mountain bike somewhere around here. Me and Cyn mountain biked across the desert to a creek in the sage on the Alvord side... I was just REEFING them out of there when I thought, hmmmm..... this is too easy.... must not be legal!

I'll see if I can dig up the pic. It's from my long hair phase so it'll be sure to get the wolves a'howling..... grin....

Yep, even on light rods. I throw 15-20 pound that is super thin and casts much better and further than mono. I still run a couple of foot mono leader.

I used 4lb Golden Stren with a 6 foot splice of clear Stren tied in at the point as the core of an ulta light rig for LGM bass for years. 7 foot ultralight rod, Penn UL reel with fnger pressure for braking runs, and 4 inch Brewer "Do Nothing" plastic worms. Cast them a mile with 1/16th oz red, Texas rigged, crappie jig heads and the bass could not leave them alone. Handled some big ones too -- to 8 pounds-- in local lakes. The Gold stren exposed the lightest hits and the tip got changed every two or three big fish.

No use on trout as fly gear gets that call.

1B

Looks like every brand made is mentioned here. Stren is worst crap in the world though....

I can't see 4# mono any more.

My favorite 4# test is 10# Fireline Crystal. Clear water? Tie a flouro leader.

Use what ever line you like, just plain Stren from wally world works fine. The trick is to tie in some Berkley Vanish 100% fluorocarbon on the last 4 feet. Just a high wrap barrel knot works great. 8-10 turns on the wrap each way. Then just the tinyest dap of super glue on the knot.

brilite,

Ultralight fishing can be more frustrating that trying to stop a women from using credit cards.

I will use 4lb line for throwing top water lures under certain conditions. I use it for casting distance and when fish are in the 2 pound & under range.

Generally, our lightest line is 6lb. We will also use 8 & 10 pound line.

Years ago we fished an outfitter at Lake Tahoe. He furnished our outfits. He had 65lb braid topped with fairly heavy mono. I asked why he used such heavy line. He told me that most nonresidents have no clue of how to fish Tahoe. He said they fish using too light line & every year big dead fish wash ashore with their mouths treble hook sealed and lures dangling from them.

He said there are really huge fish in Tahoe, and if one wants to land them they ought to be using heavy line.

Small line, small lures, small fish; big line, big lures, big fish.

When we fish the Eastern Sierra in areas we know big fish roam, we're good with 6lb minimum and 1/4oz lures minimum. Lots of locals troll Rapala 9's & 11's. Big bait, big fish.


Good fishing,

R

Jeff,

KISS and go with 4# Trilene XL clear. It's my # 1 choice for 4 lb test on a spinning reel. It has the all properties that a quality monofllament should have.

I really hate to disagree with Samonela's recommendation of Maxima Ultragreen but it's way down my list for use with spinning reels. Don't get me wrong, it's excellent monofilament and it's my number one choice for leader material unless I'm using fluorocarbon. I have spools of 4#, 6#, 8#, 10#, 12#, 15#, 20#, 25#, 30# and 40# Maixima. I like it ... a lot. With that said, for filling up spinning reels, I have bulk spools of XL in 4#, 6#, 8# and 10#.

Maxima is super abrasion resistant, it has excellent knot strength, reasonably low stretch, low visibility, it's breaking strength is higher than it's rating and it's slightly stiff (memory). This all makes for an outstanding leader material but the one downside is it has too much memory for my tastes for use on a spinning reel.

I'll add one caveat. I haven't bought any Maxima in the last five years so unless they've changed the formula I'll by stand by what I've said. I just don't fish as much as I used to since moving to Colorado.

On the subject of knot slippage there's several issues that come into play. If you're using hooks or swivels with large diameter wire and knots that use only one wrap on the eye the line can slip and bite into itself and cause knot failures. Chrome plated or smooth stainless steel eyes don't have bite and can also contribute to the problem. Matching the line diameter to the wire diameter, when possible, alleviates this.

One knot that will not slip or bite into itself is a palomar knot. With very slipery lines or eyes and large diameter wire a double palomar works exceptionally well. It was my preferred knot when fishing for halibut with really big hooks and smallish diameter braid.

Mono is far less likely to slip than lines with a slippery coating like braids or some hard fluorocarbons. Conventional small diameter mono won't slip when using small wire hooks, swivels or small spinners. My knot choices, in order of preference, are a palomar, trilene knot or an improved clich ... depending on the mood I'm in. They all work good enough with XL 4 lb test when properly tied and lubed.

Fluorocarbon has advantages and some disadvantages. I don't like light small dia braids at all for stream fishing. It has far too many issues. I've been happy using Trilene mono and have nothing but confidence in it. My best fishing buddy is pro bass fisherman that's earned well into six figures and XL is his choice of mono. Is it the absolute best state of the art mono fishing line for streams? I can't say for sure but I've found no reason to change. I settled on it long ago and it still works for me.

Tight lines to ya.

Maxima was always too hard for my liking.

I've always been a light fisher. My favorite line out in the ocean back in the day was 12# pink Ande, a notoriously soft line, but man did it flyline live bait like a dream.

I'm happy as a clam with 2# in the fresh water.

Jeff-I'm kind of old school and still run Stren Golden.

Gotta get you into a light fly rod though my man. As fun as it is to fish a light spinning it's still too much like cheating to me...

Dober

The only rods I keep mono on are crankbait rods. Some cushion (that superlines lack) is a GOOD thing for that, and a lot of the time a quick "guitar pluck" will free a lightly hung up crankbait on mono. That doesn't work with Fireline.

Stren is the .270 of fishing lines. It works but ...





Pink Ande ... that's just gay.