Ice Line

The Fall Colors are blooming here in South West Michigan and we have had a couple of mornings in the low 30’s already It’s getting to be that time to pull out the ice fishing gear and inspect everything and take an inventory of items needed and maybe some new things to add to that list. I want to talk a little about ice-line and more importantly since my favorite brand Gamma is no longer making that fine copolymer. I decided to do some field testing of some of the other manufactures lines last season. The old standby 2# P-Line floroice is my Number one choice as it has the same diameter as the Gamma and the characteristics fit the bill for finesse style fishing seem to be very similar, including memory and knot strength. I have used P-line for many years before switching over to the Gamma a couple of seasons ago and will be used extensively this season too. The .008 diameter is perfect for these natural gin clear lakes that I fish here in Michigan. The line stretch seems to be very little, resulting in solid hook-ups in 30 FOW. Overall rating was 5 stars. On a 1-5 scale.

I spooled up a rod with Suffix ice line in 2# and the first thing I noticed was the memory in the line. Thought maybe after rearing on a couple of Magnum’s it would stretch it out a little. That was not the case; it seemed to get worse the more I used it. The line stretch was horrible. Even in shallow water situations it seemed to be a second before you could really feel the fish. Knot strength was another issue. When I would re-tie I would break the line at times. This was a mono 2# test that I was using. I’m not sure if Suffix makes a copolymer. Overall rating on this line was a 1. Availability locally was easy as all the stores carried it.

Vicious was the last line tested and I was very impressed with it. Memory, nearly none out of the box. Superior knot strength and it edge out both the gamma and P-line in abrasion resistance. All though it was a little stiff I thought for finesse style fishing it still managed all those presentations fairly good. Avalibity was excellent with all local stores carring it. Also to add the line stretch was nearly identical to both the P-line and Gamma. I tended to favor the Vicious over the other two lines for minnow presentations at night fishing for those Big Blacks. Vicious is a copolymer line too. Overall rating 4 stars.

The copolymer lines are all fair in price and outperform all the monofilaments I have ever used. Finesse style fishing is the norm for me on the ice and I need a line that will perform under the situations. The P-line and the Vicious will be spooled up on all my rods this season and I’m looking forward to rearing on some big ol slabs in the near future. These results are what I saw with my own eyes. I know there are other lines that are out there and this could get into a huge debate. These were the lines that I used solely based upon local availability and to match the style of fishing that I do. Good Luck this season

G

Phenomenal post. I’m still using Berkley Vanish with only awesome things to say about it but that doesn’t mean I don’t try new lines every year “just in case” one of these new lines turns out to be a major improvement. I’ve not tried Vicious. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for that one and I know I’m going to have to give the new Northland ice lines some ice time as well.

Great post… I had a horrible time with 12# Vicious Flouro on my baitcasters this summer…MEMORY UP THE YAZOO!
Good to hear good things about the ice line…

Great post!! Thanks for the info, can’t wait to get out on the ice

Just to add my experiences to those already stated, I recently bought some 1 pound fireline that has the diameter of 1/4 pound mono. I put it on one of my bluegill rods and have been using it fishing out of my boat. One spot I’ve been fishing is 15 ft. deep. I like the no stretch property of this line even though it’s so thin you can hardly see it. You can really feel the bite of a bluegill even fifteen feet down. One problem I’ve had with it is if you go to set the hook and miss the fish it can loop around the tip of your rod and sometimes tie itself in a knot. This line is so thin that if it ties itself in a knot you might as well just cut your line and retie because you can’t get the knot out. There’s absolutely no memory in this line. (it’s a fused braid)Even though it’s rated 1 pound I can’t break it by pulling with my hands. I think it will be good for finesse ice fishing if the knotting isn’t too much of a problem. The price is a bit of a drawback at $20.00 for 125 yards. Overall I think it’ll make a great line for finesse ice fishing.

If someone has experience ice fishing with this 1 pound fireline I’d appreciate your feedback. One question I have is how does it hold up to the abrasion created by rubbing against the bottom edge of the hole in the ice.

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If someone has experience ice fishing with this 1 pound fireline I’d appreciate your feedback. One question I have is how does it hold up to the abrasion created by rubbing against the bottom edge of the hole in the ice.

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I fish 1 and 2 Lb fireline all the time through the ice and it is great on warm days or in a house. It is pretty miserable to use on cold days though as it soaks up water and freezing become an issue. In those scenarios I’ll take a #2 fluorocarbon over the micro-braid but in the right situation it is pretty good stuff.

I too have used 2# Vanish for a few years with nothing but good things to say about it.

But tonight I did some searching to purchase some more and was surprised to see that the 2# is no longer sold, 4# 0.007 diameter is the smallest you can get now. The abrasion resistance of Vanish is great and I have had very few problems with line memory, normally when I step up to 4 or 6 pound I have Berkley XL spooled up sure it is a little stretchy but when ice fishing with a short rod in the cold I don’t see any issues with it. I also think some of the stretch is attributed to heat which is not a concern in the winter.

I am not a fan of braids for a few reasons.

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I too have used 2# Vanish for a few years with nothing but good things to say about it.

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Say it ain’t so?!

I see Bass Pro still has it in stock. web page

Did you catch an announcement about that size being discontinued or anything like that? It would surprise me if they dropped one size from that product line. Or maybe that’s me being overly optimistic.

First I went to Cabalas web site, and then I went to Berkley’s site. After taking a second look it was 50 yard leader that is available in 4# so when you go to the vanish line page the smallest they have is 6#.

And no, nobody told me and I am just telling you what I see.

So Bass Pro has it, I know where I am going right after work tomorrow.

Hmmm… I have more than enough to get me through the coming ice season. I’d buy up some extra but then I have old line two years from now when I go to re-spool.

I’m still a little gun shy over this type of deal after Berkley discontinued the Solar XT line.

I am a big dummy, I went back to the Vanish page and saw that you can expand the different spool sizes. I was looking at the 2000 yard spool not the 250 yard spool. The 250 yard spool is still avaliable. Sorry for being so dumb.

No blood no foul.

How long would it take you to burn through a 2000 yard spool of 2# Vanish?!

I don’t spool 2000 yards of anything I just was just looking at their site and was not concerned with the length of line on it at the time. I always thought that they sold all of the weights of line for each size of spool. Heck I don’t even know if my line winder would handle a 2000 yard spool. Well I guess I could put a big screwdriver through the spool and clamp it into my vice, but it wouldn’t have the brake tension. 2000 yard birds nest would be a hell of a knot.

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I don’t spool 2000 yards of anything I just was just looking at their site and was not concerned with the length of line on it at the time. I always thought that they sold all of the weights of line for each size of spool. Heck I don’t even know if my line winder would handle a 2000 yard spool. Well I guess I could put a big screwdriver through the spool and clamp it into my vice, but it wouldn’t have the brake tension. 2000 yard birds nest would be a hell of a knot.

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2000 yards would do me for 5 years+.

I have four reels that I put 2# on each spring and fall. Total 500 yards in spring and 500 in the fall. The spare spools on those reels get 4# on two of them and 6# on the other two of them. Anyway 2000 yards of 2# would last me at least two years but I prefer to have fresh line so I just buy a couple 250 yard spools at a time. The Pflueger President 6720s are primarily used for Blue Gills and Crappie during warm and cold water seasons. The 6725s for Crappie in warm water and Walleye in the winter.

Snags, brush, trees, and rocks play havoc on line in the lakes I fish. Not to mention the line that others have broke off and left abandoned in the lake. I am always pulling abandoned line out of the lake and dropping it off at the line recycle station.

I’ve got a buddy that keeps big spools of line in the basement freezer. Tells me it keeps the line fresh. I guess I can’t disprove him but I’ll stick to buying smaller quantities more often and leave the freezer space for burger.

ASSO “ice heavy” flouro hands down. Dan

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ASSO “ice heavy” flouro hands down. Dan

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I’ve got a fishing buddy named after that line!

All joking aside… I’ve never heard of it. Time to google.

Here’s a good thread on Thorne Bros message board that gets into breaking strengths on a number of lines, including “asso.”

http://www.thornebros.com/messageboard/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=16553

Not a lot more info out there on the Asso Ice Heavy but I did find this. Where are you buying yours?

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I’ve got a buddy that keeps big spools of line in the basement freezer. Tells me it keeps the line fresh. I guess I can’t disprove him but I’ll stick to buying smaller quantities more often and leave the freezer space for burger.

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I would think that the line retains its properties because it is in a dark place. Plastic when not exposed to UV rays will last a long time, but when exposed to the sun my experiance is that the plastic breaks more easily.

2 lb vanish user here. Twister almost stampeded me into a Bass Pro Shops order this morning.

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Not a lot more info out there on the Asso Ice Heavy but I did find this. Where are you buying yours?

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Awe so, you asso’s!

All kidding aside, I am still a fan of the P-Line flouro-clear (same as the floro-ice). I have yet to try the “old-improved” Vanish. The early years of that line was to stiff for my liking for ice fishing.

I get the line from yourbobbersdown.com. It is super fine but has unbelievable knot stregth. I have only broken off a couple of times on big bass. It comes in yellow and brown, but I prefer the yellow in 4#. I’ve tried the brown but it can be hard to see actually. The yellow doesnt glow but when tying knots if really helps. Its fairly expensive at 8$ for 50 yards but I think its worth it. When the bite gets tough is when it really seems to shine. With it being flouro its pretty much invisible under water and with it being so thin I don’t think the fish sense it at all. I dont have it spooled on any short sticks. I use long rods 100% of the time and the hook setting ability is awesome and have pulled some big fish out of the holes with it. Just giving you die hards another option this year. I shouldnt give away any secrets but I think this line helps me catch more fish. Good Luck, Dan

Thanks for the info, Dan. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for it.

Here’s all the ASSO lines I’ve used and modified Trilene knot tested

Asso Tetramax .160 mm 3# line break 4# 8 oz.

Asso Tetramax .180 mm 4# line break 7# 1 oz. Mfg claim break of 7.5#

Asso Flourolight .200 mm 4# line break 7# 9 oz. Mfg claim break of 7.9#

Asso Ice Fishing .140 mm 3# line break 3# 6 oz. Mfg claim break of 3.4#

Asso Ice Fishing .160 mm 4# line break 4# 11 oz. Mfg claim break of 5.4#

Asso Ice Heavy .127 mm 2# knot break 2# 8 oz. Mfg claim break of 3.3#

Asso Ice Heavy .150 mm 3# knot break 3# 4 oz. Mfg claim break of 4.2#

Asso Micron 3 .153 mm 4# knot break 4# 8 oz. Mfg claim break of 4.8#

Gamma ESP Ice .10 mm 2# line break 3# 1 oz. Mfg claim break of 2.8#

Gamma ESP Ice .15 mm 4# line break 5# 2 oz. Mfg claim break of 4.9#

Gamma ESP Ice .20 mm 6# line break 7# 9 oz. Mfg claim break of 8.5#

Gamma Flourocarbon Ice .15 mm 4# line break 3# 15 oz. (knot 3# 0 oz.) Mfg claim break of 4.4#

Gamma Flourocarbon Ice .20 mm 6# line break 5# 15 oz. (knot 4# 7 oz.) Mfg claim break of 8.2#

Berkley Trilene Microice .18 mm 3# line break 4# 1 oz.

Berkley Trilene Microice .23 mm 6# line break 7# 10 oz.

Berkley Trilene Microice .25 mm 8# line break 9# 12 oz.

Pline Flouroice .15 mm 3# line break 3# 3 oz.

I loosely kept data for my own keepsake for future line purchases.

Great post there Gregg! I have been using Vicious for some time now with little to no probs on all my light gear “rods”
I use the braid on all my big water rods for Lake Trout fishing. It has held to the challenge of many Apostle Island Trout with no probs at all!

Thanks for all the informative bits in these posts, like the rest of you, even though I’m happy with what I’m currently using, I’ll never stop looking for something better. I’m currently a fan of the PLine Floroice for larger fish and jigging applications, and the Berkely Vanish for panfishing situations. Sure wish Gamma would’ve made an ice-specific line!

Like James, I too will be giving the Bionic Ice line a try this year. Not that I’ll haggle over a few bucks for ice line, but if it performs well at nearly half the cost of most competitors I’ll be happy.

Joel

I like to buy super line on sale for backing on my ice reels. I recently got some 10# tuffline on a super sale. With the superlines diameter matching up well with 2 to 4lb mono i can use back to back uniknots and put on 100 ft or so of fresh mono. Now I can experiment with different brands, easily stripping off the stuff that does not meet my needs. As for brands so far I like trilene clear ice, tectan (very thin) and P-line. I also had some seguar floroice 4# very tough but needs at least a #10 fatboy type weight, any lighter it does not hang straight.

luck
Frank