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I am getting ready for Ice season and am definitely excited. [  ]I just got a new marcum fish finder and am ready to try it out.
I am looking for some advice about what type of line to put on my ice poles. What type, brand and pound?
I mostly fish for perch, white bass, trout and a few bluegill. Any advice is greatly apprciated.
I am currently attending Utah State as for college and am doing alot of my papers in advance so as soon as the ice comes I am ready to go.
Thanks,
Hope
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Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon. My favorite by far. I prefer the high vis type as well. I would probably use six pound for the type you are describing, however if the trout are large I would upsize to eight pound.
I think Fluorocarbon is tons better then Mono for ice fishing because it basically has no stretch. But, that is just me.
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I will second on the VANISH fluorocarbon line. That is all I use on all my poles for ice fishing. I usuallu use between 4 and 6 lb test. I prefer 4 lb as I get more bites and I have good reels and poles to handle extra tension. It has been a long time since I broke one of due to light line.
I have 4 poles ready to go. 2 of the 4 have two spools. I have 1 spool with 10 lb, 1 with 8 lb, 3 with 6 lb, and 2 with 4 lb. I make beginners use thicker line due to inexperience and in an attempt to prevent break offs. The better you get with landing large fish while ice fishing, the lighter the line you can get away with. The only reason I have 8 and 10 lb line is for Henry's Reservoir in Idaho for this upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and for Fish Lake and Flaming Gorge. I might use the 8 lb at Strawberry, before it gets to bright out, but even then, I will probably start with the 6lb and then go down to 4lb when the bite slows.
6 lb is always a safe bet for most lakes in Utah.
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Perch and gills like a light presentation some days. Much more then 4lbs and the jig doesn't always work as well as it could. You don't have to change out your heavier line, just add a couple of feet of 4lb at the bottom.
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I prefer HIVis line for ice fishing. I cant count the number of fish I've caught because I saw the line start to move in the water long before I saw a tap on the pole.
-DallanC
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I used to use the Vanish 4lb fluorocarbon.. Followed the advice of TubeDude and switched to Excalibur Silver Thread.. Will never buy another Vanish Fluorocarbon for ice again. Been very happy with Silver Thread.
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Which marcum model did you get? LX-1,3, or 5
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You have already had several suggestions on the brand / weight of the line. The two major brands mentioned are ones I would say as well. I would also second the mention to stay away from mono line. Not only does it stretch a bit, but it does tend to have a lot more memory. If you are using a very light jig the memory in your line can make it almost impossible to detect those very slight bites. You want your line to be dead straight all the way down to the jig. Then you can watch the water surface for that slight side-to-side movement of your line that indicates a fish is there.
On that same note, and because of memory, I would suggest changing the line on your ice poles every season. All line will get memory eventually.
However, remember that there are plenty of fish caught with full-size poles, cheap zebco reels, and the cheapest line the guy can find. The key is persistence and watching the line and water very closely. The single best thing to have for ice fishing is the fish finder. If you are 8" too high or too low you may never see a bite.
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Thanks for the info!
I had an LX-2 last year, but something went wrong with the transducer. Cabelas awesome customer service allowed me to trade in my LX-2 for a VX-1. They are new this year I think and Cabelas no longer carries the LX-2.
I will say that I experienced the greatest customer service I could have ever imagined at Cabelas and plan to purchase items there more often because of this.
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I love flashers.. I have a love hate with mine. I love to use it, and hate that I can't use it more often.
vx-2 Looks cool. I didn't know about that model.
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I can't wait for ice fishing either. I have not used all the lines mentioned here and I certainly don't want to ruffle any feathers, but I can tell you what I use.
I have used braided lines and mono lines while ice fishing. I use braided lines when I am in my ice house and mono lines when I am without my ice house. I have found that the braided lines tend to freeze up and are difficult to work with on the ice (unless it is a warm day).
I also get laughed off the ice for using a long pole. I really don't understand why. I can play the fish better, and pick up any slack faster with my trusty 6 foot pole. This is especially important when using mono line. It will have memory and that slack needs to be picked up.
Anyway, I would be interested if anyone knows of a braided line that does not freeze up.
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Spray your braided line with WD40 . It won't freeze and it atracts Trout .
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Does that make a mess of your pole, or does it pretty much stay on the line.
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It soaks into the line , You will see a residue on the water that won't hurt anything . I use it during the summer also . It makes your casts about 25% farther . Curt G.
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Is silver thread a fluorocarbon? What makes it better than the 4lb vanish. Personally I bought some of the Vanish and thought it was weak (litterally). I could take a piece and pull it apart in my hands? I like the idea of fluorocarbon but don't feel comfortable with it's strength. I used Power pro for a long time and felt like fish could see it and couldn't ever get a knot that would keep leader mono on at a reasonable tension. (the knot would break?) So I've just stuck with 6lb trilene, and like it, but I don't love it? Didn't mean to go off.[ ]
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It's Copolymer.. TD will have to chime in to tell us what that means.. All I know is if you get a 1 foot piece of the 4lb test and wrap it on your fingers.. you can break it but it will surprise you how hard you have to tug to do so. If you do it with the 6lb test.. it will cut you. TubeDude showed me that trick ..
TD: "Becareful, that's strong line, it will cut you"
Me Think: "Nah, it's just 6lb test..."
Me Think: "Ow! Crap, it cut me"
TD Think: "This guy's dumber than I thought"
Anyway, there isn't too much stretch in the Silver Thread.. and the ProLine, as you know, has no stretch. You might try a double Uni knot to bond your lines. That should hold mono, to braid.
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[cool][#0000ff]I have been a big fan and proponent of the Excalibur ever since I discovered it while living in Arizona several years ago. I was looking for a low vis, low memory, abrasion resistant mono for catching flathead cats and other line shredding toothy fish. It worked both for fresh water and salt water applications.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After using it almost exclusively...between trials of many other lines...I can honestly make the claim that[/#0000ff][#0000ff] I have never had a fish break off on it...even when the fish rubbed the line against rough ice or underwater obstructions. And, the knot strength is the best I have found, of all lines. Same claim: If I tie the knot right, fish do not break it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Excalibur is equal or smaller in diameter to other lines of the same rated strength. It is very clear and I never suffer from lack of strikes. To the contrary, I usually outfish those around me using other lines. No problem with fish shying away from a visible line...even in super clear water beneath the ice. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I use 4# or 6# for most fishing...including ice fishing. I spool with 8# for catfish, with a slightly heavier leader. While fishing from my tube, I have a tough time breaking the 6# when I get a snag and I really have to work to break 8#. Anything heavier and I have to cut it if snagged because I can't get enough pull from a float tube to break it without breaking a rod.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The abrasion resistance has always been one of the biggest positives for me. Starting with the flathead cats...I had been losing a lot of them to having them take the lure inside their mouths and rub through the line with their abrasive teeth. Never lost another one after switching to Excalibur. I have also landed lots of walleyes and some northerns on it, without using any special leaders...even with the lures or hooks inside the toothy edge of their mouths.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Okay, I have had some "bite offs" on the strike too. But even wire can be cut by the teeth of tigers and pike if they get it just right. However, with the Excalibur, if the line survives the first few seconds it will usually bring the fish in.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I do not own stock in this line company (wish I did), and I do not care what anybody else uses. All I can say is that I have tried everything from fluoro to braids and for the type of (light tackle) fishing I do mostly, it is the best line I have ever had on my reels. I still occasionally try other lines, but after the first fish breaks off...or the first knot fails...the spool of that line usually ends up in my "top shot" box...to be used only as a base for top shotting my spools with Excalibur.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The big downside to my favorite line is that it is hard to find. The only place you can find it on display is at Cabelas. Sportsmans does not carry it. I buy mine online through Cabelas, Bass Pro or Barlows. But, the only place that has 4# is Cabelas. The lightest you can find elsewhere is 6#. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
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I like the Berkley XT lines in the lightest weight possible. It survives scrapes against the ice hole quite well.
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+1 for Excalibur Silver Thread. Just a couple weeks ago, my mega-spool of 4 pound Excalibur arrived from Cabela's.
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How long will a Mega spool stay good if you keep it indoors, away from sun and the likes?
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