Quinte Fishing

Hi Everyone. I was just wondering what everyone's favourite line for ice fishing is. Has anyone tried the new Fireline MicroIce Crystal? Its a relatively clear super line. I used the Power Pro ice line that is blue last year and really liked it. I'm having difficulty finding it though.

Normally I use just plain ol Trilene mono. This year I think I'm going to try one of the braids or fusion lines because you can feel everything with them. Just have to remember to tone down my hooksets so I don't rip any faces off.

20# test Stren Superbraid, with a 3 foot leader of gamma fluorocarbon in 12 to 14# test, if the water is very clear, as small as 8#.

Hey Jeff, I got set up from a local guide up there with 14lb. Iron silk. It fished excellent. When first spooling it on, it seemed to handle best wet. He sold me on it when he said he fished it 100s & 100s of hours without any failures. I used a standard 5 wrap Trilene knot with out any problems myself. I used to fish the braided lines, but am going to fish that again this season up there.
As Wiggler said, you have to tone down the hook-sets with braids for sure, but more importantly the braids have more drag and lure spin in the bays current for a less natural presentation. Enjoy............

I usually use just basic Trilene or 10#Berkleys Fireline. But I have a question for those who use flurocarbon. I've experienced a lot of breakoffs when using it in the winter and figure it gets more brittle the colder it gets so I've stopped using it. I was using 10# berkley fluro. Anyone else experience this sort of thing??

I switched from mono to Fusion last Christmas and found it made a substantial impact on my hooking percentage, let alone on simply noticing a subtle bite on a cold afternoon. Hopefully.... I will be doing this when I am home over Christmas.

Lunker Larry- I have heard of this happening, but have no supporting data nor enough personal experience with your product to comment. I would like to know myself as cold weather certainly takes its toll on many products.

Donald Stokes

Larry,
Your not alone with the Berkley break-offs but let me assure you that its not JUST from the cold. From my experience Berkley makes the absolute worst fluorocarbon on the market. Last winter I switched over to Seagar for my 5 foot leads and never had a single issue with fish breaking it or the cold making it brittle. There are lots of other good makes as well, but dont let Berkley turn you off of fluoro.

BERKLEY VANISH IS THE WORST FLUOROCARBON ON THE MARKET. I THINK THEY NAMED IT "VANISH" BECAUSE WHATEVER YOU HAVE ON YOUR LINE SOON VANISHES, USUALLY WITH THE LURE TOO. THIS STUFF DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN WARM AND COLD WATER FISHING - IT'S TERRIBLE EITHER WAY. I'VE PERSONALLY SEEN IT FAIL AT LEAST A HALF DOZEN TIMES. OF COURSE, WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM A LINE THAT COSTS $6 FOR 250YDS. I HAVE USED FLUORCARBON SINCE ITS INCEPTION ALWAYS WITH EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS. I NORMALLY USE BASS PRO BRAND, SEAGAR, OR GAMMA. THEY ALL WORK WELL. THE TRICK IS TO KEEP IT FRESH. BUY A NEW SPOOL EVERY YEAR AND THROW AWAY THE OLD. I USE ONE OF THE SUPERLINES WITH A SECTION OF FLUORO ON THE BUSINESS END CONNECTED TO THE BRAID WITH EITHER A BACK TO BACK UNI-KNOT OR SMALL BARREL SWIVEL (SPRO BRAND BARREL SWIVELS ARE VERY SMALL AND WORK WELL). HOPE THIS HELPS.

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LIFE'S TOO SHORT TO PUT A PRICE ON FUN!!!!!
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Glad to hear it's not just me then. I bought it wondering what all the hype was about and was using it for leader material. You'd think a brand name like Berkley would be half decent. Live and learn. Into the trash it goes and I'll get one of the brands mentioned above and give it another try this winter. Thanks