Fireline Reel Abrasion

[JohnF]

I just put some Fireline Crystal on my Quantum PT (Titanium Whatsit Something or Other) spinning reel and it sure is noisy. I thought I had bad bearings but when I'm not winding in line it cranks whisper quiet. Apparently the noise is from the line passing over the line guide on the bail. Some of it may also be from the large eye. My question is how long before it chews right through that guide. It sure sounds vicious. Anyone else had this experience? Is it just the Fireline that does this or is it all braid type lines?

 

Thanks

 

JF

[Mike the Pike]

I don't know how long John but my recent experience with this stuff is well I think its crap.

 

No Matter how many times I spool it tightly it tends to slip. tying knots with fireline is to slippery.

 

I will stick to Stren Super Braid better than the Power Pro On my other rods.

 

Only good thing about the crystal is it is noy very visible.

 

MTP

[forrest]

I was about to put fireline on the same reel. I want to know too!

[limeyangler]

I find its very noisy too, but i like the stuff, casts well and knots have not been an issue.

[Greencoachdog]

I've never been impressed with Fireline, it lacks durability!

 

I find Spiderwire and Power Pro to be much better line, you get what you pay for!

[JohnF]

I don't know how long John but my recent experience with this stuff is well I think its crap.

 

No Matter how many times I spool it tightly it tends to slip. tying knots with fireline is to slippery.

 

I will stick to Stren Super Braid better than the Power Pro On my other rods.

 

Only good thing about the crystal is it is noy very visible.

 

MTP

 

I haven't had any trouble with slippage using a Palomar knot.

 

I put Superbraid on my new baitcaster and I like it so far.

 

This Fireline was just sitting in a box here at home. I'm not even sure when I bought it, or why I bought it, but I figgered I might as well try it since I had it.

 

JF

[JohnF]

I've never been impressed with Fireline, it lacks durability!

 

I've already noticed that it frays quickly. And the hooks get stuck in it if one isn't careful. Don't ask how I managed that.

 

JF

[aplumma]

John I am a power pro fan it seems to not have the memory that the Crystal does.I have 30# crystal on my shimano mag reel and it is noisy and stiff even after 10 hours of use. I am going to give it a few more hours before I strip it off if it doesn't quiet down and lose some of its memory. I did just spool up with some 50lb Red powerpro and have found it to be really nice to use and cast. The red is the first color to absorb out of the water column and turn black so in stained water it might be a better choice than the crystal anyways. I guess if it becomes an issue I will put a leader on it of floro or mono as needed. As far as the guides go if you have fuji or ceramic guides it should not be an issue cheaper rods with softer guides are usually the ones that get damaged by the super lines.

 

Art

[kickingfrog]

I find all braided lines noisier than mono and I hate the sound. I've never had the same pound test of different brands on the same outfit so I can't accurately compare different brand's "noise" factor. Quality guides are usually not much of a problem, just make sure to check them a little more often. On most reels some sort of backing needs to be used to prevent slipping and some knots don't work as well as others.

 

Braid in not mono, if you treat braid the same way as mono you will have problems.

 

Good luck. Tight lines.

[JohnF]

John I am a power pro fan it seems to not have the memory that the Crystal does.I have 30# crystal on my shimano mag reel and it is noisy and stiff even after 10 hours of use. I am going to give it a few more hours before I strip it off if it doesn't quiet down and lose some of its memory. I did just spool up with some 50lb Red powerpro and have found it to be really nice to use and cast. The red is the first color to absorb out of the water column and turn black so in stained water it might be a better choice than the crystal anyways. I guess if it becomes an issue I will put a leader on it of floro or mono as needed. As far as the guides go if you have fuji or ceramic guides it should not be an issue cheaper rods with softer guides are usually the ones that get damaged by the super lines.

 

Art

 

Fuji guides. I wasn't as worried about them as about the line guide on the bail. It's replaceable though so even some wear there shouldn't be a big issue. But the noise bugs me. It sounds like grinding bearings. Might be more pronounced because I'm usually standing knee to hip deep in water with the reel barely above the water so the sound's being bounced back at me there too. Mebbe now that I've determined that it's not bearings I won't notice it so much.

 

JF

[kickingfrog]

The line guide should spin, so there shouldn't be much friction/wear.

[Mike the Pike]

I haven't had any trouble with slippage using a Palomar knot.

 

I put Superbraid on my new baitcaster and I like it so far.

 

This Fireline was just sitting in a box here at home. I'm not even sure when I bought it, or why I bought it, but I figgered I might as well try it since I had it.

 

JF

 

It slips on the spool John.

 

I manage to tie the knots but its like springy like a slinky

[JohnF]

It slips on the spool John.

 

I manage to tie the knots but its like springy like a slinky

 

Yeah. I noticed that with mine too. Lays on the water in small loops. I hoped that was just due to newness and that a few fish would straighten it out. I was casting very light lures in a lot of breeze so I was getting a pretty good belly in the line on casts, even sidearm. Fair bit of takeup before I could even twitch the lure.

 

I was told to tape my line when I put it on the spool. No slippage probs that way.

 

JF

[Dabluz]

I love Fireline. Been using it since it came out about 10 years ago. I am still using my first spool of the stuff but I did change it "end for end" last year due to the fraying.

 

However, one day I bought some 20 lb test Fireline and yes....it's like fishing with a very long slinky. It casts ok but is very noisy. I now use it on a large baitcaster when I am bottom fishing in over 200 feet of water. Even the 14 lb test Fireline has a bit too much memory for my tastes. But when you know that 10 lb test Fireline breaks at over 20 lbs....why buy Fireline that is over 10 lb test. The 10 lb test Fireline is great. It's about the size of high quality 6 lb mono or cheap 4 lb mono. Fireline is still the strongest line for it's size on the market.

 

I've had very few problems with fraying. Yes....I often tie a small swivel to the end of my Fireline and then add a mono leader when I'm jigging for walleyes but in water full of snags, I will use the 6 lb Fireline tied directly to the jig. I've even tested with other people if 6 lb test Fireline will catch as many walleye as a high quality 6 lb mono. So far, there has been no difference at all except for the fact that I loose far fewer jigs with the Fireline. A lot of my walleye fishing is in the Peribonka River which was the last river in Quebec that was used to float logs. The bottom of the river is littered with logs. The 6 lb test Fireline is strong enough to straighten the lightwire hooks on my jigs.

 

6 lb Fireline is as quiet as mono.....anyway, I haven't noticed any noise. Yes...8 and 10 lb Fireline does have a bit of noise.....but about the same as using Mason Tiger Braid or Power Pro.

 

I use a double palomar knot when using light Fireline. The double palomar knot.....you go twice through the granny knot before putting the lure through the loop.

 

My next purchase will be 4 lb test Fireline. Since it breaks at around 8 lbs it is strong enough for me for most situations. However, it sure is thin....lol. When fishing with mono, I always use 2 to 6 lb high quality mono. I haven't used 8 ou 10 lb mono in over 40 years.

[jace]

Like most have said, the braids are all noisy which is why most of the companies offer fusions. you might want to give that a try. Instead of being braided like a hair braid, the gel spun fibers are held together in a straightened bundles, sometimes with an outside covering. If i remember right, it was first made specifically to reduce noise. Plus- it's cheaper. Minus-it's a tiny bit fatter.

 

For wear, gel spun lines will slice through the bail rollers on older reels so i don't recommend use on them at all. Most older spinning reels have chrome plated phosphor bronze rollers and these are useless for braids. Later on, they switched to ceramics, and now most use a hard material for their rollers along with a hard plating such as titanium nitride and these are all good to go.

 

Most modern inserted rod guides are good to go. The only ones you have to worry about are the older wire guides, certain models of cheap guides with metal inserts like some Berkeley's. The new PacBay titanium plated wire guides and the very light RECoil solid titanium alloy wire guides will also groove and cut with gel spun lines..

[JohnF]

I love Fireline. Been using it since it came out about 10 years ago. I am still using my first spool of the stuff but I did change it "end for end" last year due to the fraying.

 

However, one day I bought some 20 lb test Fireline and yes....it's like fishing with a very long slinky. It casts ok but is very noisy. I now use it on a large baitcaster when I am bottom fishing in over 200 feet of water. Even the 14 lb test Fireline has a bit too much memory for my tastes. But when you know that 10 lb test Fireline breaks at over 20 lbs....why buy Fireline that is over 10 lb test. The 10 lb test Fireline is great. It's about the size of high quality 6 lb mono or cheap 4 lb mono. Fireline is still the strongest line for it's size on the market.

 

There's at least part of my answer. I'm using 14# Fireline. Probably more than I need for 1 1/2# bass, huh? That's about all I use this rod for. Perhaps the odd hammerhandle that thinks it's a bass. But I wanted something to haul lures through the weeds. My 4# mono kinda limits where I can toss lures. I'll leave the fireline on for a while longer but will likely replace it with something lighter eventually.

 

Thanks for all the advice folks.

 

JF

[jace]

tape makes a mess IMO and it can still slip. Using a mono or dacron backing is the standard even for lines over 100#.

 

gel spun lines do not hold certain common knots so you need to pick and choose the ones that do no slip. For example, the clinch knot, probably the most common knot, slips and comes undone.

[Dabluz]

There's at least part of my answer. I'm using 14# Fireline. Probably more than I need for 1 1/2# bass, huh? That's about all I use this rod for. Perhaps the odd hammerhandle that thinks it's a bass. But I wanted something to haul lures through the weeds. My 4# mono kinda limits where I can toss lures. I'll leave the fireline on for a while longer but will likely replace it with something lighter eventually.

 

Thanks for all the advice folks.

 

JF

 

CT has a sale on Fireline this week. I'm positive that you will be very satisfied with 8 lb Fireline. It breaks at over 16 lbs yet is very quiet and supple.

 

The reason I say that it breaks at about 16 lbs is the fact that there was an independant test done on lines a couple of years ago using a bunch of 20 lb test mono, fusion and braided lines. The 20 lb test Fireline breaking test averaged out at 47 lbs.

[JohnF]

CT has a sale on Fireline this week. I'm positive that you will be very satisfied with 8 lb Fireline. It breaks at over 16 lbs yet is very quiet and supple.

 

The reason I say that it breaks at about 16 lbs is the fact that there was an independant test done on lines a couple of years ago using a bunch of 20 lb test mono, fusion and braided lines. The 20 lb test Fireline breaking test averaged out at 47 lbs.

 

I'm a gearpig. I'll probably try some. My wife's very happy I gave up diving. Dive toys were very expensive. Fishing stuff is perfect (in her mind). If I tell her a $15 spool of line will keep me amused for a while she's all for it. Used to be $2500 drysuits, $1000 regs and $200 tanks. Fishing is good.

 

JF

[Guest buick14]

I had the same problem except it wasnt with fireline. It would reel nice and smooth when there was no line going through it, and once the line was going through it, sounded like a cement mixer. I was sooo stumped and tryed everything............

 

Turns out there were tiny grains of sand/dirt caught under where the eye runs over the wormshaft...........again it would reel fine without line going through it............So when I applied some small hand pressure to the eye on the wormshaft, it would grind like crazy!!!

 

The fix was running the wormshaft/eyelet portion under the tap while reeling (only took like 5 seconds) and it was back to normal (then i greased it after)

 

 

maybe this was said already, I didnt read all the other posts, and maybe this wasnt the problem but I hope it helps

 

ps if you think the eye is getting worn out from braid/superlines you will wear a groove which will fray your line

[The Urban Fisherman]

Got 14lb fireline from my brother for christmas last year. I've got it on my Abu 502 and it is very noisy compared to Super Braid. I love the fact that it doesn't stretch, and that it has a smaller diameter than mono (like braid) but I find it to be way to stiff for my likings. I'll most likely finish off the season with it but re-spool with 12 or 14lb Stren Super Braid in the spring...unfortunately John, my future wife frowns upon purchasing $20.00 spools of line when they aren't necessarily needed. She know's the Fireline is still new! Last week it was either re-stock my senko's and buy a new deep dying x-rap, or pick up a spool of line.....the baits won out.

 

Cheers,

UF

[JohnF]

Got 14lb fireline from my brother for christmas last year. I've got it on my Abu 502 and it is very noisy compared to Super Braid. I love the fact that it doesn't stretch, and that it has a smaller diameter than mono (like braid) but I find it to be way to stiff for my likings. I'll most likely finish off the season with it but re-spool with 12 or 14lb Stren Super Braid in the spring...unfortunately John, my future wife frowns upon purchasing $20.00 spools of line when they aren't necessarily needed. She know's the Fireline is still new! Last week it was either re-stock my senko's and buy a new deep dying x-rap, or pick up a spool of line.....the baits won out.

 

I've got 35# SuperBraid on my baitcaster and it's more pliable than the 14# Fireline. The Stren gets my vote too.

 

JF

[Rich]

I used Fireline when it first came out (there is a new formula now so I'm not sure if it's the same) and it completely wore through the roller after a season.

 

Keep in mind it was a cheapo reel (I was like 12 years old), Quantum Vector or something. I didn't like my experiences with Fireline though, some people swear by it. Maybe the new stuff is better. I'm too cheap to try it again. lol

[Dabluz]

Even mono can cut grooves into rod guides and reel guides. I remember changing the reel guides on my Mitchell 300 every year because my 4 lb test mono would cut grooves into them. The reel guides did not even turn....had no bearings on these reels. The 4 lb test mono would also cut into the rod guides too.

 

This was real noticeable when you changed line size. One time I put on 8 lb mono and the grooves cut by the 4 lb mono really sliced my 8 lb mono. After that incident, is when I started to regularly inspect my line guides. I haven't run across any line guides getting cut in many years except in one incident. My wife's uncle insists on using very cheap reels. He does a lot of bottom fishing in the Saguenay river. Since he is always getting stuck on bottom, I told him to use one of the new braided lines. A couple of days later he told me that the line was useless and broke easily. Not long after, I noticed that he was using a very cheap reel. One of those reels that you could buy about 20 years ago for 3.98. The line guide had long ago disapeared and the line was rubbing against the bottom of the deep bend at the start of the guide where the reel guide used to fit. There was a good sized groove in the metal that was fraying the braided line.

[spooner_jr]

tape makes a mess IMO and it can still slip. Using a mono or dacron backing is the standard even for lines over 100#.

 

I had trouble with the line slipping on the spool, and from then on I put silicone pipe thread tape on the spool before filling it. Its cheap, doesn't make a mess and it works.