Northwest Fishing Reports

I need to replace the line on some of my rods and coming from Europe most of the brands for sale here are not known to me. I recently purchased some 15lb line for my kids rod and after just one trip know I am going to replace it. Looking to you folks who know the brands to point me in the direction of a good one.
I plan on loading the downrigger rods with 15-20lb line.

I dont own any DR rods myself but in recent history every down rigger rod I have touched has been spooled with 50lb power pro braid. The guys that owned the gear swore by the braid.

chrome_chasin wrote:I dont own any DR rods myself but in recent history every down rigger rod I have touched has been spooled with 50lb power pro braid. The guys that owned the gear swore by the braid.

If you go with braid on your downriggers, just be aware that it has its own issues with releasing from the clip. There are clips made especially for braid. Someone will prob. jump in here and tell me there is no issue, but it really isn't as plug/play as non braided line.
Maybe can you say what species you are fishing for? 50lb braid is WAY over kill I would say. If you are salmon in the Sound, 20lb, if you are cutthroat in Lake WA. 8lb-10lb.

20 lb crystal ivory maxima, or bump up to 25 if you feel the need.

Trilene big game 20 or 25lb.

3footvis wrote:Trilene big game 20 or 25lb.

I 2nd the above, been using Big Game 25 lbs for about 25 years. The last few years I've noticed it slips out of my clips prematurely though... might be the scent sliming the line or something has changed with the line.... tightening and replacing clips didn't solve the prob BUT a chunk of paper towel around the line prior to shoving it in the clip did.. I troll 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 mph and 200' deep at times, lots of drag.

I use 35lb or 50lb Tuf-Line XP for salmon, 15lb for cutthroat trout. As for downrigger clip issues, I just double up the line, twist it a few times and stuff it into the Scotty clip, no problems. There is probably a video out there to demonstrate this technique. I prefer the way the braid cuts through the water, and jellyfish, and it isn't something you need to replace regularly as it doesn't age like mono does.

G-Man wrote:I use 35lb or 50lb Tuf-Line XP for salmon, 15lb for cutthroat trout. As for downrigger clip issues, I just double up the line, twist it a few times and stuff it into the Scotty clip, no problems. There is probably a video out there to demonstrate this technique. I prefer the way the braid cuts through the water, and jellyfish, and it isn't something you need to replace regularly as it doesn't age like mono does.

I like that idea! Might be time for me to catch up to the times and go to tuf-line xp!

The best way to fish braid on a downrigger rod is to add a 30 ft. or so monofilament topshot, which you you can use to clip into your release. It seems like people are using braid more and more for this application, and it makes sense considering that there are a few advantages to it, i.e. less drag and better sensitivity. You can really tell what is going on with your gear and even detect a shaker on the end of your line when you have 150 ft. of cable out. However, running braid in puget sound with barbless hooks is just a recipe for lost fish. The fact that there is no stretch in the line makes it so easy for a fish to throw slack into it and spit the hook. I have found this is especially true with chinook. I have gone from mono to braid, then back to mono, then back to braid and then mono again and found that my hook to land ratio is much better with mono than it is with braid.

And you can't go wrong with maxima or trilene big game in 25.

MarkFromSea wrote:

3footvis wrote:Trilene big game 20 or 25lb.

I 2nd the above, been using Big Game 25 lbs for about 25 years. The last few years I've noticed it slips out of my clips prematurely though... might be the scent sliming the line or something has changed with the line.... tightening and replacing clips didn't solve the prob BUT a chunk of paper towel around the line prior to shoving it in the clip did.. I troll 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 mph and 200' deep at times, lots of drag.

That's a great tip!

30 pound Maxima. Been using it since the early 80's on my DRs and never had a problem. These fish aren't really leader shy, particular not the mainline. Even 25 mono sounds light to me if you are in the salt. I use 40 pound fluorocarbon behind my flashers. Never tried braid on my DRs, I don't see the reason. I use it on my bottomfish/halibut rods.