Berkley NANOFIL fishing line

[JAMMER]

Im waiting till first ice to give it a shot. I do love the debate over line, i have been trying a bunch of different ones this season (some good/some not). Marketing is crazy.

[Gamma Fish]

Im waiting till first ice to give it a shot. I do love the debate over line, i have been trying a bunch of different ones this season (some good/some not). Marketing is crazy.

My suggestion would be to start using the line now and get familiar with its properties before ice season gets here.   I know it'll be different after ice up but educating yourself on a new product is always helpful.  No surprises !

   The debates are good ! If you can read between the lines, it's quite easy to figure out who's giving the straight scoop based on years of experience and who's not !
  Some people use the same line their whole life and never give other products a chance but they're the first to post negative comments because "they heard it somewhere" or "my buddy doesn't like it"
   Brand loyalty is a tough thing to break free of but in today's economy, it pays to go with a product that will cover more bases and last longer !
  Check out any of the Pro Walleye fishing sites and you'll see a ton of great info on lines, their capabilities, pro's and cons !
  I believe that you'll be very happy with Fireline or Nano-Fil as long as you understand it's properties and learn a few tricks of the trade and then how to balance it to your rod, reel .
 

[Skipper]

Have you guys tried the pressure treated braids yet? It is nothing like the braids of 10 years ago. No seriously...... I have spooled just about every one of them up at one time or another. The industry finally got it right.

[filetandrelease]

jammer if you use fireline without a warm shack you will not be happy it is a ice magnet , when i'm fishing out side the shack i use a different line just an ol buzzards .02 ,these days i mostly fish eyes and perch

[Gamma Fish]

jammer if you use fireline without a warm shack you will not be happy it is a ice magnet , when i'm fishing out side the shack i use a different line just an ol buzzards .02 ,these days i mostly fish eyes and perch

That is the nice part about the new Nano-Fil line.  It's not woven and porous like Fireline so it won't pick up or absorb water !    That factor alone will make Nano a super ice line !   
  With smaller but heaviar tungsten ice jigs coming to play more and more, Nano will allow you to use an even smaller diameter line that will get smaller jigs to the bottom much faster !
  On a tough bite, this factor alone may be the difference in taking home fish or going home empty handed !

[stripernut]

I too find the line debate interesting. I wasn't going to jump in on this one, but when the people that had a different point of view were put down, I had to add my 2 cents. I have been a fishing guide and outdoor writer for 20 years now and have been lucky to get handed many of the different lines to try out. As a rep in the fishing industry I have had the pleasure of working with reps from almost all the line companies. I am not going to far in saying that part of my pay check is "Tied" to how a line does its job. I have not had a chance to try out the Nanofil line yet and I look forward to it. I say all this so it is clear that if you read between the lines  you will know that I am giving the straight scoop, from my point of view... For me (and many others) the Berkley lines have been a real disappointment and even if you find one that you like, they change their formulations with out changing the packaging (with out letting you know), so one day you find a line that fits your needs, but the next package is a different line... This is straight from a Berkley rep. If they invest a bunch of money in a "Name", they are not willing to let you now they have made changes.  But that is what Berkley is best at PACKAGING & MARKETING and they are very good at it.
I have said this before, if you want to see what a line can do, look at what the Tuna guys are using... THAT IS A TEST. Most anglers will never really put there line to real test, but if you want to be ready to land the fish of a life time, then look at the lines that are used by anglers catching fish that test your line...

[filetandrelease]

so your saying to test out a line is to catch bigger fish on smaller #test cause you can't compare a tuna or a marlin to a steelhead and so on, don't believe many of us use 80-200# test lines, but some us have caught kings and steelhead on light lines that seems to be a test right there , and i to will be trying out the new nano, and i have a bud that use to be on the pro tour and now is a tackle rep so i get to try new stuff out some good and some not so ,and a jig builder that lets me try things out from time to time as long as i send pics

[Skipper]

Compare Ande mono to Berkley mono and you will see what he means.

Pure Fishing owns Berkley, Spiderwire, Stren, Johnson, Shakespeare, and others. They are nothing but a giant marketing machine now.

http://www.purefishing.com/our-brands

I used to be the the biggest fan of Trilene XT on the planet. The stuff has changed over the past few years and it is not nearly as good as it was. It is still good line, but it is just not a standout like it was.

I was in love with Berkley Micro ice, but it seems like they changed that in 2010.

It is frustrating to do the work and spend the money to figure out what works, then to have them change it on me.

I spooled my Abu Garcia C3 with Ande 20lb high vis for catfish last night. It was really great line that I will begin to use in other aplications... It is tough as hell, handles nicely, casts like a bullet and has incredibly low spool memory. It feels like the old XT before they goofed with it. I should mention that Ande is cheaper than compost too...

We BUTCHERED the kittys... nearly 50 fish before midnight. A few were over 8, two were over ten. Best catfishing trip of my life!!!

[stripernut]

Sorry I did not make myself clearer... Testing brands of line on fish like a tuna is what I am talking about, not the lb rating. 

[JAMMER]

Great input guys! Line is a personal deal and change,marketing,species and conditions make it vary to all. On the topic i am a fan of ande and powerpro. I have fireline on a couple poles and no problem. I will have nanofil on jig poles (tested).
This weeks findings was sufix did ok (i know) and pline was very good hauling in many large bass.

  Jammer

[filetandrelease]

let us know who ever tries it out first i'm in the hot seat helping get a couple of jobs finished up then it's back at it [fishing]

[Gamma Fish]

I too find the line debate interesting. I wasn't going to jump in on this one, but when the people that had a different point of view were put down, I had to add my 2 cents. I don't see anywhere that people were put down at all.   Can you point it/them out please ?
    I have been a fishing guide and outdoor writer for 20 years now and have been lucky to get handed many of the different lines to try out. As a rep in the fishing industry I have had the pleasure of working with reps from almost all the line companies. I am not going to far in saying that part of my pay check is "Tied" to how a line does its job. I have not had a chance to try out the Nanofil line yet and I look forward to it. I say all this so it is clear that if you read between the lines  you will know that I am giving the straight scoop, from my point of view... What makes your point of view any better than the next guy ?  It's an opinion.  Just like everyone elses !    Personally, I'd much rather hear the opinions of someone who has used a product for years and has become familiar with it through experience and many hours of testing in various conditions.  Several people here are or have been Reps in the fishing tackle industry and/or are guides, charter captains, Pro tournament fishermen or have worked in wholesale/retail.   Of all mentioned, I'd put my trust in the tournament fishermen and charter captains before any others !     Not saying that you don't have experience with Fireline or Nano-Fil but trying to convince people that your word is better than theirs because you're an industry rep just doesn't cut it !
  For me (and many others) the Berkley lines have been a real disappointment Please elaborate !    and even if you find one that you like, they change their formulations with out changing the packaging (with out letting you know), Seriously ?   How many times can this happens before a company looses their customer base ?     It may have happened with Vanish in the early stages and they did change the formula of Trilene a while back but as a Rep in the industry, these changes were announced long before they happened via the industry's trade publication !   It was no secret !   With technology constantly changing, there's going to be changes in lines no matter what !  so one day you find a line that fits your needs, but the next package is a different line... If you're fishing with mono, copolymers or flourocarbons, I highly doubt that the Berkley changes their lines by the time you wear out one master spool !    If you're a guide and you're not frequently changing lines, I don't see the line company (Berkley in this situation) as being at fault !
    This is straight from a Berkley rep. If they invest a bunch of money in a "Name", they are not willing to let you now they have made changes.  But that is what Berkley is best at PACKAGING & MARKETING and they are very good at it. As a Berkley Rep, it would be quite dumb to jeopardize his/her position by making comments like that !    Berkley patents their name brands just as other companies do.    After a certain amount of time, they analyze all aspects of the product(s) that fall under that name.    If there are problems with quality, they make every attempt to fix it !    It may mean that the new and improved line doesn't do what YOU want it to do but it's not about YOU or ME !   It's the "General Fishing Public" !   I've said it before.  We're a drop of water in the sea !
    I have said this before, if you want to see what a line can do, look at what the Tuna guys are using... THAT IS A TEST. That has absolutely nothing to do with this topic....unless someone changed it to a Tuna Fishing line topic !
    Most anglers will never really put there line to real test, That's absolutely wrong !    Most anglers who buy a balanced rod and reel  and a line that stays within the confines of the rod and reels line weight designation, puts the line to test every time they hook a fish !   That's why those numbers are on the rods and reels !   This is where people have problems with Fireline.    They see that they can get 20 lb test in 6 lb diameter and they put it on a rod that's rated for 4 to 10 lb line !   Usually ends up with immediate rod/reel failure !    but if you want to be ready to land the fish of a life time, then look at the lines that are used by anglers catching fish that test your line... I've got no comment for the last line other than

[TheDL]

Fireline is ok, try power pro, or better yet suffix 832. Fireline crystal was the worst mistake I ever made.  Seeing comparisons between nanofil and crystal....I won't evern give it a shot.

[Fat Boy]

I've used Fireline, Power Pro, original Spiderwire, Sufix 832 and Spiderwire Stealth, and Spiderwire Ultracast Fluorobraid.  I've had good results and minimal problems.  

For both braided and fused lines, here are the pros and cons:

Pros:
Great for fishing jigs and plastic worms, can feel everything from bites to bottom cover

Strong as heck with regard to pulling pressure, poundage.

A simple palomar knot works well for most applications.

Casts as good as mono in most cases, but not quite as good as Fluoro

You can take the line off and put it back on easily, reversing the ends for added durability

I lose less lures

They make great fly rod backing too!

Cons:  
The waxy surface stuff does wear off and the color changes in a short amount of time, not just on one, but all of them.  I'm still using all of them on my various reels.

The color stands out and is more visible than mono or fluorocarbon lines

After many uses, they all fray and become weaker, but still a lot stronger than mono.

Pike, pickerel, and musky teeth cut through all of them like butter.

When using certain techniques, some of the brands (in the smallest diameters especially) will get so called wind knots.  The rate of getting them is no more than getting line twists in mono.

When setting the hook on hooked fish, the line digs in and your next cast will be a short one (or after freeing a snag).

If you set the hook too hard, the line will break at the knot, especially in the smaller diameters, so a short snap hook set is best

Many knots don't work

Braided vs. Fused

Braided line is more round, and in smaller diameter casts a bit better than fused line, but tends to knot up more.  But the fused lines tend to be softer, but I haven't noticed an advantage or disadvantage.  Fused lines wear out faster than braid, but both last much longer than mono or fluorocarbon.  Neither twist, and backlashes can be easy to pick out if you're patient.  In other words, I haven't had to cut out backlashes near as much as mono.  

I feel that all of them have served me well when used in certain situations, and some don't cut it in other situations. Here are my thoughts on that:

All work well when fishing worms or jigs.

None good for topwater plugs, crankbaits, spinnerbaits or jerkbaits, but are OK for buzzbaits.  The lack of stretch seems to be a problem with fish ripping large holes in their mouths on the hookset.  But, more limber rods, or fiberglass rods can ease that issue.

Smaller diameter lines for finesse fishing are OK, except I've found that for soft jerkbaits, like super flukes, the twitching/reeling technique tends to cause tangles (the so called wind knots).  I rarely have it happen when jig fishing.

So, I like them all for jig fishing and worm fishing for bass, and will continue to use them.  I take reviews of brands on these lines, good or bad, with a grain of salt and let my own experience tell me.  If I had to rank the ones that I'm most confident in, I'd say it would be Power Pro, Fireline, Spiderwire Ultracast Fluorobraid, Spiderwire, and Spiderwire Stealth coming in last.  The only reason for that is that I had a lot of the "wind knots" but it could have been the pattern that I was using (tried using it fishing sluggos), but if I remember right, it worked fine when fishing tubes.

I currently have spooled up and use:
Powerpro on my musky/striper set up
Sufix 832 on my flipping/pitching rod
Spiderwire Ultracast Fluorobraid on one spool for my medium spinning rod for plastic worms
Fireline on one spool with my other medium spinning outfit.

I don't use monofilament any more.  When fishing clear water or if I get a feeling that the fish are finicky, I use Seaguar fluorocarbon line.  I use fluorocarbon for all of my trout fishing.  I see no reason to go back to mono.  But, I have one spool of PLine fluoroclear, which I also like.

As you can see, I'm not brand concious, and I know the superline limitations.  And, I will use braid in most situations first before changing to fluorocarbon unless I have a sense that the other may be more productive right off the bat.  There are bodies of water that run gin clear, and those are the situations that I start out with fluorocarbon.

I tried Fireline crystal and didn't like the feel for it, so I took it off my reels.  I honestly didn't give it a good chance though, so it's sitting there as a backup line in case I need to respool in an emergency.  I trust that it should perform as well as Fireline though.

So far, I'm very pleased with the Sufix 832.  I just bought it and tried it out on my flipping rod and a spool for my spinning outfit.  No problems to report, but I haven't noticed that much better performance than the others.  It may cast a bit better though.

I will try Nanofil because the extra casting distance intrigues me.  I will report my findings afterwards with an honest, unbiased review.  In summary, the superlines are not good for every application, but for those that it's good for, it far outperforms other lines.

[Skipper]

Gamma Fish is a super fan!!!!