Is the new Berkley Trilene Fluorocarbon good?
i was thinking about purchasing this line for the invisibility, and for mostly finess fishing, is it good and stong enough to bring in some 5 lb bass?
I haven't used this line specifically, but this year I began using Berkley's Vanish Fluoro line and have been *very* pleased. My setup is spinning ultralight with a medium action 5'-0" ultralight rod using 2 lb. test Vanish, and I've pulled up some fish that were easily in excess of the line's rating, you just have to use the equipment as it's intended to be used, not hoist the fish up like a winch.
From what I've heard, fluoro makes a much better leader than a full line in the heavier weights, so I'd go as light as you can. For 5 lb. bass, I'd use 4-6 lb. test (duh!). From the research I did before purchasing the 2# Vanish, the biggest complaints with fluoro as a main line material were a somewhat higher amount of memory compared to mono, as well as increased brittleness. An interesting bit is abrasion resistance, where some people claim fluoro is much MORE abrasion resistant, and others insist that it's much LESS. I guess you'll need to determine that for yourself. In my experience, the biggest differences I've noticed while using Vanish (and that you can probably expect with Trilene) were:
-As the name implies, it's nearly completely invisible underwater. The 2# is to fine to begin with that when I first started using it, I was having trouble knowing where my lure was in twilight conditions!
-Stretch: fluoro line has almost no stretch, compared to mono that does stretch, moreso when the line is wet (which should be the only time you're concerned about it...). As a finesse fisherman, I love the instant response the no-stretch fluoro gives me for twitching lures and setting hooks, as well as instantly letting me feel the difference between current/lure action/bumping obstacles and a fish strike. In addition, I've gotten far fewer birdnesting issues with fluoro, possibly due to the lack of stretch when winding back onto the spool.
-Smoother casting: while this may not hold true for the heavier weights with the increased memory, the hair-fine 2# line I use casts like a dream, showing even less memory than the Stren 4# mono I had on my ultralight before the switch. This lack of memory translated into longer, more accurate casting for me, which is a necessity for trout fishing in streams...or bass fishing in weedy areas or in submerged structure.
Hope this helps!
San Diego Union TribuneTechniques from the 2009 Bassmaster Classic anglersESPNHis creature bait was the newly-released black and blue Berkley Crazy Legs Chigger Craw, which he fished on an 8-foot flipping stick and Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line. Depending on the wind, he varied his weight between a 3/16-ounce tungsten On Fishing: Califorian Reese wins at Bassmaster
Basszone.comFritts entered the winner's circle.again (Photo furnished by Basszone.com, OKHe used a 6’ 8” medium action All Star rod, a Pflueger reel and Berkley Fluorocarbon line. He switched between the Rapala X-rap and Rattlin’ Rap. “I used red when it was cloudy or the water was stained and a shad colored bait in clear water.
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