Fireline vs Power Pro

[Jonny]

Bass Pro Shops is a great place to read customer reviews on products, including fishing line. Last night I went throught the comments about Fireline and Power Pro.

 

There were lots of postive comments about both but there were more negative points about Fireline. I didn't copy out all the positive stuff. I thought any perceived negatives would be more interesting.

 

Here's some of what I found:

 

FIRELIINE

 

"i believe this line is junk! i have 4 of the bantam curados i fish with and they are the best pieces of equipment i have. never had a problem with them until i spooled this line. it digs into itself worse than any braided line, or stays spooled very loosely,or backlashes easily when you try to pitch with it. i have been bass fishing for a long time and this is without a doubt the worse i ever fished with. its already taken off my reels."

 

"I could not believe the strength and abrasion resistance that we encountered from various types of objects like boulders, trees and the like along the way using only 6lb test (it is very difficult to break and like another reviewer wrote, it will cut your hand and fingers). Shortly after that trip I switched all of my Crappie rods over to it and now find myself regularly bending jig hooks out of fish attractors all over the lake. When I put it on my baitcasters (6lb test) it was fine for a while and then "snap" as I watched a $6.00 spinner bait sail through the air on a cast with no line attached and it landed in Percy Priest Lake! After two more attempts to cast a spinner into likely territory, and two more lost $6.00 spinner baits, I decided to quit and go home. I immediately got on Berkely's website and filed a complaint. They recommended that all casting be done with a minimum of 14lb test if you are going to use it that way and 'walla' no more throwing away expensive baits. "

 

"The line is certainly strong, but has few other redeeming features.It may cast better than braided super lines, but not as well as monofilament. The sound and feel of this line going through the guides is almost as cringe-inducing as nails on a chalkboard. Tying a knot that will hold is still a problem. Even using the knots recommended in the packaging doesn't guarantee the knot will hold for any length of time. In the end, I've gone back to monofilament exclusively. It may not be as strong as the super lines, but, hey, that's why reels have drags."

 

"i spent close to 30 bucks on this line. i lost 6 lures and 2 15+ lb jacks in tampa. ill never buy it again. stick with power pro"

 

"I BOUGHT 30LB CRYSTAL FIRELINE (THIS LINE IS NOT CHEAP) I SPOOLED 5 BAITCASTERS AND 2 SPINNING RODS AND COULD NOT WAIT TO TRY THIS LINE OUT FIRST OF ALL I WENT OUT BEFORE I UNLOADED THE BOAT I PICKED UP A ROD AND MADE A CAST IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS CUTTING MY GUIDES SO (SOUND IS JUST IRRITATING) SO I THOUGHT WELL THE LINE IS NEW I JUST NEED TO BREAK IT IN THE LINE IS VERY STIFF SO I THOUGHT AFTER A WHILE IT WILL LOOSEN UP SO I WAS FISHING WITH A 3/4OZ CRANKBAIT AND FISHED WITH THE SAME ROD I KNOW FOR 2 HRS TRYING TO GET USE THE LINE I COULD NOT CAST NEAR AS FAR WITH THIS LINE I MADE ONE MORE CAST SOON AS I LET GO OF THE SPOOL MY LINE SNAP MY LURE WENT FLYING THREW THE AIR AND AND ONE THE WORST BACKLASHES I HAVE EVER HAD SO PICKED UP ANOTHER ROD WITH A 1/2OZ CRANKBAIT AND ABOUT THE 11TH CAST ANOTHER BACKLASH SO I STOPPED FISHING WENT HOME AND PULLED THE FIRELINE OFF OF ALL OF MY REELS AND PUT POWER PRO BACK ON I WILL NOT USE THIS LINE ANYMORE STICK WITH POWER PRO"

 

"If you backlash it, there goes a 14 dollar spool of line. Makes gritty noises as it moves through the pole. it gets the smoke color all over your hands. is hard to tie knots w/o cutting your fingers up. Does however hold up to big fish but not worth it at all go with Trilene or PLine"

 

"This is a great product for hook set and winching fish out of lilly pads or other thick cover. I use 10 lb and have not had a line failure yet. If you get hung up it will straighten a hook before it breaks. The only drawback is if your rod has ceramic guides the rod tip will eventually be cut thru. This summer when fishing on the red river in bossier city we caught 75-100 sandbass, barfish, white bass bank fishing and by the end of the day my and my friends rod tip insert had been cut and it started to nick the fishing line. If your are going to fish this line use a rod without inserts in the guides. Very strong, minimal stretch and very high hook-up ratio when compared to standard lines. Also cast easily"

 

POWER PRO

 

"PowerPro is in my opinion the best stuff on the market. It is very strong, very smooth, highly abrasion resistant, and does not stretch. It also has absolutely no memory making it easy to work with, easy to cast, and less susceptible to line twists. Its lightweight and thinness allows you to cast considerably further then you would with mono. The only downside is it can get twisted up, hurting its strength, so consider using a good swivel (ball bearing). If the color fades, this is normal as braid cannot be permanently colored. It will not hurt the strength of the line; I have PowerPro that has been on my reels for over five years and it is still kicking strong. When using PowerPro, it is important to remember a few things. Use a mono backing when spooling as PowerPro doesn't stretch. Also, don't grab the line directly as it can cut you. Most importantly, when setting the bail, set it on the lighter side as the small diameter of PowerPro can bury into the spool, causing a backlash. To remedy this, I set my bail at about 1/3 the weakest component's strength."

 

Good knots of course are important, especially with non-monofilament lines. Here's a very good site for that:

 

http://videofishingknots.com/basic-fishing-knots.html

[fish-miester]

I didnt read all of the quote but i do agree , as i preffer Power Pro , or Stren Super braid over fireline.. fire line seems "crusty" and have had it break off on me numerous times

[JohnF]

I have limited experience with either but for what it's worth, I'll take Power Pro over Fireline. The Fireline gets frayed too fast and seems to have a little more memory than PowerPro (or the heavier Stren I have on some of my reels). Granted I've only used lighter weights (15#) in the Fireline and PP.

 

JF

[jediangler]

I like the Fireline for spinning rods. I use 8lb on my ultra-light and 15lb for my medium set up. I use Power Pro for baitcasters. I have 65lb on two musky rods and 40lb on my heavy bass set up. They both wear with time but still stand up longer than mono. I've become spoiled with these no stretch superlines and couldn't see myself going back to mono.

[Whitespinnerbait]

Power Pro....

[Whopper]

I agree with jedi

 

I have had the same 8lb Berkley Fireline on two spinning reels for over three years now and absolutely love it and have never lost a fish due to line failure period. The line itself now almost looks like thread. I've caught everthing from small walleyes and bass to 40" pike with this stuff.

 

I do run power pro on my bait casters and like it too 30lb & 80lb but for the smaller braid I'm sticking to the fireline

[Jonny]

I have never used Fireline, but the comment I see frequently is that the light tests will "tuck under" on your spool if you're fighting a large fish. So if you use a light test, do you always find that you have to back off on the drag to avoid that? In other words, try to avoid "horsing" a fish?

[Hooked]

I've used both, including the new Fireline Braid. I like PP but I did experience issues casting PP with my spinning reel, wind knots....even when there was no wind, but I do use it trolling quite abit. Found the regular fireline a little noisy going through the guides, and a little stiff, but still a pretty good line. I was however extremely impressed with the new Fireline Braid. Smoothest line I have ever used and casts great so far. I would check it out.

Edited June 22, 2009 by Hooked

[Fisherpete]

I used 8lb Fireline on my spinning setups for a few years, and found that it tended to get frayed very easily, leading to breaks. I have since switched to 20lb Powerpro on my light spinning, 30-50lb on the heavier spinning outfits, and LOVE the stuff. I also have 80lb on the baitcasters. Last year CTC had the Fireline Crystal on sale, so I could not resist and bought a couple spools of the 14lb, and same deal - it frayed very easily. I still have it on one of my reels, but find myself having to cut off the frayed sections and retie several times in the course of a day of fishing. I'm sticking to PP from now on.

[Rich Clemens]

I prefer Power Pro as well. I spooled one of my bass outfits with Fire Line and had all kinds of trouble with it - a lot of fraying and it wasn't due to dragging across rocks and such. This just could have been a bad batch or something. I've never used it since (Switched to Stren for my bass outfits). Now, my step-mother uses Fireline on her bass and ultra-lite outfits and just loves it .. and doesn't want to use anything else.

[backbay]

I have 15 lb Fireline on my spinning rig, and have not had a problem with it. I love the stuff, but haven't tried Power Pro, which does seem to have a great reputation.

[salmon]

None

Sufix SPB Braid

[ecmilley]

when the money's on the line it's power pro all the way

[Burning Babies]

I like them both. I've been using Fireline for over ten years on all my spinning rigs, without any issues. It can start to look frayed quickly, but the multifilament design retains waaaay more strength than mono when it wears. When I started using it and couldn't afford frequent line changes, I got a lot of mileage off frayed Fireline with virtually no break offs. Since I started using mono and flouro leaders, I get a lot less fraying. I've used Power Pro a bit for muskie fishing, and I like it fine. It doesn't seem to have the abrasion resistance of Fireline, but I'm using totally different weights of line for totally different applications, so that may be an apples to oranges thing.

 

Lol at some of the reviews. Many of the clowns posted have no business reviewing anything.

[JohnF]

I like them both. I've been using Fireline for over ten years on all my spinning rigs, without any issues. It can start to look frayed quickly, but the multifilament design retains waaaay more strength than mono when it wears. When I started using it and couldn't afford frequent line changes, I got a lot of mileage off frayed Fireline with virtually no break offs. Since I started using mono and flouro leaders, I get a lot less fraying. I've used Power Pro a bit for muskie fishing, and I like it fine. It doesn't seem to have the abrasion resistance of Fireline, but I'm using totally different weights of line for totally different applications, so that may be an apples to oranges thing.

 

Lol at some of the reviews. Many of the clowns posted have no business reviewing anything.

 

 

Sometimes us amateurs experience things differently from you pros, and since we have to pay for our gear, perhaps our opinions are at least as meaningful to the manufacturers. It reflects on how good a job you guys are doing fronting for their products.

 

JF

[Burning Babies]

I wasn't referring to the board members posts, but rather the reviews the OP highlighted. I mean, 6 lb fireline on a baitcaster, throwing spinnerbaits? Come on.

[JohnF]

I wasn't referring to the board members posts, but rather the reviews the OP highlighted. I mean, 6 lb fireline on a baitcaster, throwing spinnerbaits? Come on.

 

Even I wouldn't do that.

 

JF

[Dara]

I dunno

I put PP on my baitcaster for jigging whitefish in 80fow. Thats what the guys said to do. I like that fine.

I put it on my new spincast outfit and I'm not thinking a lot of it. After 50 years of strictly trilene mono, its hard to change. I'm going to spool up some 8lb mono on the other spool just to be comfy again.

[Spiel]

I have reels loaded with Fireline from the first year it came out, I also have reels with PP and of course mono. Bottom line, used in the right application they're all good, get it wrong and it's all bad.

[Garry2Rs]

Fireline has two distinctly different products.

One is fused and the other is a braid.

The fused line is quite flat, the braid is made with eight strands and is round.

Both lines are made from a fiber called Dyneema, a Dutch company called DSM is the source. Chemically it is the same or very simpler to Spectra, the fiber used for Powerpro. Spectra is a Honeywell product.

Spectra fans believe that it is a superior fiber...I agree, but what do I know?

 

Spectra lines have generally been made to a smaller diameter per pound test than Dyneema lines. The way I heard it, the line making process was stolen and the thief only had first generation product knowledge. Anyway the information was sold to the Japanese and they are the source of the non-Spectra lines.

 

There are several basic problems with Spectra/Dyneema lines.

1: Although the braids are super strong on a straight pull, the fiber is soft and will abrade easily.

2: The fiber is very slick, so it is hard to knot.

3: It is not anything like mono, so there is a learning curve.

4: Ten years ago, the major line companies spread lies about the new line because they were scared to death of it when it was coming to market.

 

The cure for #1 is to forget about pound test and use a line of the similar diameter to what you would have used in mono, until you figure out what works best for you.

 

Problem #2 requires learning a couple of good knots.

 

Problem #3 requires a little common sence... Ten pound braid (or fused Fireline) is between 2 and 4 pound test mono diameter. This means that it will cut off just as easily as two or four pound mono...see cure #1. Braids are also very limp, so they handle differently than mono, which has a natural springiness.

 

Problen Four, the lies, is tough. You still hear them all the time.

Braid will cut the line guides...false

Braid will dig into the spool...Not if the line is properly spool, and that means tightly spooled.

Braid will slip on the arbour...False. Leave a long tag end on your arbour knot. The first row of wraps will anchor everything...and the list goes on.

 

The new Fireline braid is a very nice product. But I have found a west coast source for multi-strand braid...I'm talking 12 to 16 strand braid...And it is cheaper than Fireline or Powerpro, plus it is made of Spectra fiber. I like this new line better than either Powerpro or Fireline. The only disadvantage is I have to buy it in 600 yard spools.

[Jonny]

I wasn't referring to the board members posts, but rather the reviews the OP highlighted. I mean, 6 lb fireline on a baitcaster, throwing spinnerbaits? Come on.

 

Well, it sounds like the guy DID learn... the hard way!

 

"Man on the street" opinions can be amusing, but there are sometimes things to take from them anyway. I like the fact that some guys are just as dumb as I am when trying something new!

[Dara]

Fireline has two distinctly different products.

The only disadvantage is I have to buy it in 600 yard spools.

 

 

Lets you troll a long ways back and you get to reel em in longer

Edited June 19, 2009 by Dara

[Greencoachdog]

As far as I'm concerned, fireline is pure crap!!! If you don't go fishing more that twice a year and have never used anything else it may seem like great stuff.

 

... but compared to Power Pro or Spiderwire it sux hind teat big time!

 

Spool up a reel with the fireline and cast it all day, that black coating comes off quickly... and guess where it goes?... on you, on your rod, on the boat!!!... you look like you've been charred by a fire at the end of a day of using it, I'm sure that's where they got the name!!!

 

When the black coating comes off the line, it weakens very quickly!!!

 

Do yourself a favor and avoid the fireline... or you can learn the hard way, like I did.

[Garnet]

Try Spider Thread it's the latest in braid technology, way ahead of anything mentioned.

 

Garnet

[richyb]

Power pro all the way !!!!! I have only spooled up with fireline once and it wasnt pretty. I had one of my largest pike on with fireline and it took a big run and the line cut into itself and cut off. So I sat there all pissed off, big pike broke off , big rapala gone, black crap all over my reel and rod guides, and i decided it was time for a change. Ever since ive used power pro for my heavier set ups and it hasnt let me down yet.