fishing line replacement question

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Hey Yall:
I have a question on when to replace monofilament line on trolling rods. I get to fish maybe 10 days a year. I last replaced my line a couple years ago with that monomoi line. So, how does one know when to respool ther line?

 

[Fishtales]

I think you will get many different answers on this question.
Some guys respool after every event if hard core fishermen. I change mono at least every two years but try to do it every year.
I keep my rods in a dry not too hot area and out of sunlight when not in use. Mono can dry out and it can retain the coil of the spool if on there a long time. Depending how and where you fish it can get nicked as well.
I change leadcore and wire less often (2-3 years) and braid every 3-4 as this stuff seems to hold up better and I fish it less.

 

[Doc Stressor]

The manufactures want you to change out line far more often than necessary. I go 5 years for mono, forever for braid. My heavy grouper outfits still have Dacron braid that I put on back in 1992. But I fish a lot and I often cut back the end of the line because of abrasion. I replace my leaders as soon as they show any signs of wear. That's often a couple of times each trip.

UV is the only thing that damages mono. If you don't fish much and keep your reel indoors, your line will hold up for at least 5 years.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Thanks guys. I don't bottom fish much and all of my trolling is in the warm clear waters off of Florida and in the Gulf Stream. My reels are stored indoors when not in use. When I was living in Fla I would respool maybe once a year. Now I fish a lot less and I am wondering about the time frame. Thanks again for the tips.

 

[eppem]

I guess I am the opinion from the other end of the spectrum! I taught myself how to do a finger splice and filled all my offshore rods with hollow core backing and a nice long topshot of mono. I generally replace the line on my 50s and 70 every year as those get used the most. I can get every other year out of my 30s but if needed don't think twice about replacing the mono. Oh yeah, nothing fancy, Berkley Big game, works just great for NE canyons, sharks and tuna.

I even went as far as to do the same for my larger inshore reels (for cow stripers). Filled 1/2 with hollowcore braid and filled with topshot. One of the local tackle shops takes the used line and recycles it so none hits the trash.

Catch em up!

 

[journeyman]

Eppem, are you saying that you replace the hollow core every year and not just the top shot? I was told by some very experienced people that hollow core is good for 10+ years. Even longer! Even to the point of unspooling it onto a spare roll twice so that when it goes back on your real, it's put on backwards, the end closest to the center is now at the fish end. Good for a few more years.

Lite tackle mono gets replaced every year. Cheap stuff. I recycle it also.

 

[Angler Management]

For NW salmon and bottom fishing I change Mono annually. Braid never.

 

[eppem]

Nope, just the topshot - that it the beauty of the fingersplice. The 50 and 70s hold a ton of line and it was killing me to see how much I was tossing whenever I replaced. Filling with hollowbacking not only allowed me to fill with mono and change whenever I wanted, it also gives us piece of mind if a blue-marlin crashes one of our baits or a huge mako - lots of extra line capacity and we have had a 70 out past to the backing with no issues.

If anyone has any questions PM me and I will give you my phone # or email.
EPPE

 

[Spawn Bag]

I fish mono, braid, lead core, copper and 19 strand wire. This has been my ongoing plan.

Mono - I strip and tie every trip meaning I strip off 10 to 20 feet and re-tie my terminal end. Mostly for the possibility of a knick. Once I get lower than I like (maybe 2 seasons) I re-spool. I keep my rods and reels out of direct sunlight when I'm not fishing.

Braid - braid lasts a long time however after a couple years I like to flip it. I simply reverse it so the bottom is now on the top. I did this 2 years ago and every one of my regular crew thought I changed it.

Lead core - I change this every two years. Main reason....I tie a Willis knot and the covering on lead core seems to collapse a little when it's stretched and older. Fresh lead core is way easier to work with in my opinion.

Copper - when low. Basically after a major tangle.

Wire- follow same rule as copper although the wire will stay to fray after some major use so it seems to need changing more often.

I fish only fresh water so I'm not sure how that may differ from salt water.

Jim

 

[Legend]

With big fish say tuna - I change out after every fish of after a couple of hook ups. With sharks there are lots of nicks in the line so you end up having to cut out lots of line each time.

 

[gulfcoastangler]

Spawn bag has it pretty good but a lot depends on your type of fishing. Big money tuna or fine dinner tuna 8) I would not sacrifice for the cost of the line especially if you spend a lot in fuel to go get them. Inshore day of fun with grouper, smaller tuna ect. I would do like spawn bag all depends on how much risk or how much you care about losing a fish. Most of the breaks will be from damage to the line from a fish or something else more than the age. All of my reel's require new line from stripping before age sets in.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Thanks for the tips. I mainly chase dolphin because it is what I like to eat (lol). If I am in the Keys I will rig for tuna either black or yellow fin. If I am lucky a Wahoo may be on the line. Most of reels are 25s and 30s. I have contemplated going braid with a top shot of mono. The real delima for me is I truly only get to fish maybe 10 days a year in ocean. Honestly, it is a national travesty and outrage. I envy you guys who fish weekly or several times a week.

 

[gulfcoastangler]

I am not a big fan of braid on those reels. I had about a 150 lb lemon shark take my bait and make a mess of the line. If you catch a good size fish and try to put some drag on him the braid kind of packs down in the reel and can wind up a mess. I am curious if other guys have had the problem using braid on these reels.

 

[Doc Stressor]

If you find that braid is binding on your reel, you are likely using line that is too thin. We run 65 lb PowerPro on Penn 3/0 and 4/0 Senators and Shimano Toriums all the time without problems. We lock the drags down solid when grouper fishing. I just boated a 150 lb bull shark after a 20 minute fight without any binding.

The only way that I can see 65-80 lb braid binding up is if somebody tries to winch fish up with a 2-speed reel the way they do it on too many TV fishing shows. If you pump a rod properly and reel on the drop, the line will not bind.

Back when I used to troll for brown trout in freshwater, I did have a problem with 20 lb braid binding up on the spool. Even with level wind reels, the line would sometimes bind when retrieving diving plugs from a moving boat. Switching to 50 lb braid solved the problem.