Fireline Crystal

Who has tried the new Fireline Crystal? What are the pro/cons of it?

I bought a bunch on sale a month ago and I love it!!
No cons found yet.

I bought the micro ice crystal… Loved it. I found no cons to it at all. Then again… I did not see where it out fished the smoke fireline that I have used in the past. Guess I am sitting on the fence on this one.

I am casting blades with it and absolutely love it!

Ditto with the above.

Thanks for the input guys. I was hoping that was the response I would see

So far so good, good stuff by me

I have been using Crystal this year on my jigging rods as well as my trolling combo’s. I prefer 8/3 for jiggind and it worked great on the Detroit river, tied direct to the jig. I was really impressed with it.

I also switched over my ice leaders to Crystal on my tip-ups and it seemed to work fine this winter. I have yet to find anything I don’t like about the line.

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I have been using Crystal this year on my jigging rods as well as my trolling combo’s. I prefer 8/3 for jiggind and it worked great on the Detroit river, tied direct to the jig. I was really impressed with it.

I also switched over my ice leaders to Crystal on my tip-ups and it seemed to work fine this winter. I have yet to find anything I don’t like about the line.

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Scott: you don’t have issues with using Crystal on your jigging poles, in terms of the fish feeling the line too quickly? Do you use a pole with an extra-fast tip? I used regular fireline all of last year and I believe I missed quite a few fish because there wasn’t any ‘give’ in the line but I certainly liked the durability and the ‘feel’ the line gave for me. I’m thinking about respooling all my reels with Crystal so I don’t need to tie on fluoro leaders (although I probably still will most of the time…).

I used to jig with pure Flourocarbon and said I would not switch until there was a superline that I believe fish could not see. The Detroit river was SUPER clean two weeks ago when I started prefishing. I use one rod with Crystal and one with Vanish. I caught as many fish on the Crystal as I did Vanish and I was sold. That night I spooled up 8 more rods of 8/3 Crystal and that is all I used for the tournment. I am sold on Crystal for jigging. You can easily pull out of most snags and you can feel everything. I do not like using leader material with fireline because of the about of pressure put on that piece of line. As I said earlier, I am very happy with Crystal so far.

In addition I used Crystal for trolling on Lake Oahe last year at the championship. I tied it direct to my cranks and it worked great

Good to know Thanks for the info. I have some 10lb to spool on the new baitcaster for bass fishing on Minnetonka it will be nice to not deal with a Florocarbon leader.

awesome… thanks Scott. Now I have a bunch of Vanish that will take years to use up tying lindy rigs and bottom bouncer rigs! Going out tonight to buy a jumbo spool of Crystal. I’m thinking the 14lb test – still only 6 lbs diameter or maybe the 10lb (4lb diameter)…

I have been using smoke Fireline for years. I think it is one of the best jigging lines out there for most applications. I have some crystal spooled up to try. The one thing I see a lot is people talking about using 10lb-14lb test fireline for jigging. Let me tell you you will have a tough time breaking 6 lb fireline!! I think one of the big advantages of a superline is the thin dia. I do not see the need to jump up to a heavy lb test. I say you might as well take advantage of the thin dia. and stick with 6lb-8lb for walleye fishing. What do the rest of you think?

I’ve used the smoke fireline for years as well. Pulled up a LOT of big timber in the river with the 10/4. I don’t think you would have to go any bigger. I think the 10 vs 8lb is more a mental thing. I feel soo much safer with a double digit number . I pulled up a snag on pool 4 earlier this year with two rapals and a couple of jigs on it. All had mono tied on. I figure thats one small spool of crystal paid for.
As far as the fish feeling the line quicker. It may be that you are feeling the fish sooner. It does take some adjustment. Not much of a swing needed for a hook set. Even in 25 fow. I use it as well for ice fishing. I just add 3′ of fluro leader. I like the crystal even better, much easier to see next to the river water.
Dan

I haven’t used it yet, but the two other guys in the boat with me last week in South Dakota were both using it. I was using smoke fireline. I was also in front and running the boat. I caught more fish than they did, but I attribute that to my superior skills , as well as the above-mentioned boat position. In all seriousness, both the other guys liked the crystal. I would have bought some at Gander, but they only had 6/2 in smoke when I was there. And when I say that I caught more than they did, it was on the order of, I got 70-75 per day and they “only” got about 60 each.

I just spooled up crystal on my reels… bought the 14/6. I like the feel and look of this stuff over the smoke. On each reel, I spooled on about 50-75 yards of inexpensive 6 lb mono and then finished it off with crystal. This does two things: one, it provides a non-spin backing and two, it saves you a few bucks…

I was trolling Green Bay this last weekend and granted it was not the clearest water but I had one spool with the crystal and it caught me all of my fish. Did not catch a walleye on any other rod. I would have loved to have been able to spool my other reels with it at that time. I will definitly be using it more. Great stuff

Scott: you don’t have issues with using Crystal on your jigging poles, in terms of the fish feeling the line too quickly? Do you use a pole with an extra-fast tip? I used regular fireline all of last year and I believe I missed quite a few fish because there wasn’t any ‘give’ in the line but I certainly liked the durability and the ‘feel’ the line gave for me.

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I’ve been vertical jigging when there was a light bite and missed fish. Now I usually carry another rig with mono for those situations but do think it depends on the person. I don’t feel bites as well as some of the guys I fish with.

I do use a rod with a light sensitive tip when fishing braids.

Once upon a time there was a rod called “Easy Touch”. I don’t remember who made it, but it was a great jigging rod for some of the first non stretch mono line available, namely “Prime” line by, I believe it was Berkley. The first braid that I ever used was fireline. This “Easy Touch” rod was great for the fireline too. What the deal was, was that the first foot, or so, of the rod tip was about as limber as a sensitive ice fishing rod, and then it got stiff real quick for great hook sets. With the tip so limber, more often than not, I was able to feel the presence of the eye before he/she felt me. I was doing this while doing a controlled drift down the river, vertical jigging in as shallow as 4ft of water. I really wish that rod was still around, but I did a little experimenting. I took an old rod that I wasn’t using much anymore- a cheapie, and married it to an ice fishing rod (cutting off the handle first) by wiring it to the end of the cheapie rod. Believe it or not, it works great, and I still use it . About the heaviest jig I can use is about 1/4oz, any heavier and the rod tip is no longer in play. That’s how sensitive I’m talking about. It’s strictly a vertical jigging rod, no way can you cast with it. That’s probably what caused the demise of the “Easy Touch” rod, people were probably breaking them left and right trying to cast with them. Anyway, if you feel like experimenting, and you got an old rod laying around that you don’t mind messing with, and an old sensitive ice fishing rod you don’t mind cutting in two, give it a try.

Good Fishn to Ya!

I don’t recommend using Vanish Flourocarbon from a filler spool as leader material. As far as Flourocarbon lines go, Vansish has very little strech when compared to the others. Using a piece of Vanish Filler as leader material with a superline will put all the stress in your system on that little piece of line that is meant to have some strech but very minimal.

I really like Vanish for trolling in clean water. It does not strech as much as other Flourocarbon lines and is virtually invisible. It works really well for pulling cranks and spinners on the great lakes when the water is super clean. If it is stained or dirty, I use Crystal

Gave the Crystal its first try this weekend at the Croix opener… the stuff works great – used it jigging and rigging and even pulling some cranks.