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Ice Line


EC1

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Good Afternoon everyone! Hope you guys have started your ice fishing / softwater adventures for the weekend!

 

I just had a quick question for everyone that is ice fishing. Is there really a need for ice line, or what type of line could I get away with? I used Sufix Elite in 6lb last weekend, and that line has pretty much turned into a slinky. Would ice line actually stay supple even in the extreme cold?

I just wanted to make sure before I go spend anymroe money on ice fishing. :P

 

Thanks In Advance!

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good question, i got 4lb trilene spooled onto my ice rod, but i havent used it yet. and i have a full spool of 8lb trilene extra tough. so, who knows. thats the line i rely on my whole softwater season! it works fantastic and i hope it holds up when i finally get out on the ice!

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Thanks Bigredneck. I am a little weary for using summer lines, but I don't know if I can get away without buying ice line, that's all.

 

No tips from anyone else? What does everyone else put on their reels on the ice?

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No tips from anyone else? What does everyone else put on their reels on the ice?

 

Would be nice to hear from some of the ice fishing regulars on this one....going for the first time since I was a kid tomorrow...already have the ice line, but, curious as to what others think.

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I wouln't reccomend braid in any situation, unless there's some kind of ice braid I don't know about that isn't completely useless in cold weather.

 

I started using P-Line's ice flourocarbon recently and it's great!

Edited by Joeytier
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i find just regular monos work great, i think ice lines arent much different, in fact i find them to be pretty crappy, i've tried a few different brands and so far they all suck. im gonna stick with my regular summer mono hasnt failed me yet and isnt to bad for ice build up, no worse then ice lines.

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The only time brad will work is if you're in a heated hut all day. Can be good for feeling hits when fishing deep. Always use fluoro leader though!!

 

I've tried a couple ice lines and wasn't sold. I use regular Trilene, 8lb XL for walleye and 10lb XT for trout. Works for me.

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I use 20 lb trilene wrapped around a board. I hang it off of a limber willow gad cut from the side of the trail on the way in to the lake.

I use a 10 lb snelled hook hanging off the flasher.

I change the line out about every 5 years.

 

When the hole ices over I stomp my heel in it to break the line loose and re-open the hole. Thats why I use 20 lb...it can take the beating of winter fishing and bouncing around in a sleigh.

 

The fish I catch specs, lakers and eyes don't seem to care.

I have been ice fishing for 40 years now and I think somebody started calling it ice line about 2 years ago so people would buy special line for winter fishing.

 

I wouldn't use 6 or 8 lb line in winter. You get a decent fish rubbing it against the side of a hole and you may go home pretty depressed.

Edited by Dara
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Oh Will! Where are you going to be? Is Ms. Smith going to be out too?

 

And now all my rigs are set up with a cheap mono backing, tied to ~30m. floroice, with a 1.5ft FC leader. Hoping for the best! Thanks everyone for the input. :)

Edited by EC1
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I used braid most of last season, and found it pretty good. Any line will work though, and any line will freeze. There is no getting away from it. I find the braid has more positives than negatives.......especially in deep water. I always use a seaguar fluoro leader.

 

S.

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I hate fluorocarbon of any sort. All of the independant tests on the internet say that it is just as elastic as most monos, is not more abrasion resistant than most other monos and it sure has terrible knot strength and shock resistance. It's also stiffer than most other monos.

 

If I'm just using some whippy branches that I cut on the way to some distant lakes for walleye and pike, I use rather large mono (15 to 20 lbs) and a finer leader of mono for the walleye or 12 lb 54 strand steel leader material that is about the size of 4 lb mono (expensive stuff) for pike. I use the large main line because it is a hand line.

 

For cod, flounder, halibut in 300 to 600 feet of water many years ago, I used to use 100 lb test mono as a hand line because of the stretch factor. With a large trolling reel and rod, I use 30 lb test braid now.

 

For places where there are just walleye and I'm using a rod and reel, I use 6 lb good quality mono ...like Sensithin (no longer exists).

 

Ice line....that dark blue mono ice line....plain junk. It may be ok where it's -20 or -30 but the water is nowhere near that temperature. It's way too elastic and soft. It even is thicker than ordinary mono of the same lb test.

 

Fluorocarbon and co-polymer lines....have always disappointed me. I tried 25 and 15lb test fluorocarbon leader material (Vanish and Seaguar) and it was terrible. Luckily, I had won those spools in a contest so I did not waste any money.

 

However, I'm glad when I see fishermen using fluorocarbon line....it means more fish for me.

 

Sure...ice builds up on the line. If the line is old....the build up is worse. New slick lines have less build up. In any event, it takes a second to push it down the line into the hole where it softens up. Ice on the rod tip is another problem. I prefer using the thin titanium rod tips but I don't mind removing the ice on the rod tips....it's part of icefishing. It only happens when you reel in fish and you let the water freeze up.

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