First off I love this forum, I’ve learned a ton and I’m very thankful for the insight I’ve received. I especially like the info from Pool 14, my home waters. That being said I’m new to fishing plastics and was wondering if anyone had a suggestion for Hi-Vis mono or any line suggestions for fishing plastics on wingdams. 
A guy really doesn’t have all that many choices. Suffix Elite is what I prefer. Another option is Berkley Sensation… if you can find it. The Suffix product is a much stronger line in my opinion and handles well in the cold. Stren makes a high vis yellow but personally that line has far too much stretch for my tastes. It feels a bit like fishing with a rubber band but, in all fairness, that line has put a lot of walleyes in the boat.
Beyond those two mono suggestions us jig pitchers really don’t have many other readily available options.
If you’re leaning towards a braided line Fireline is a popular choice. Another one to try is Performance Braid from Suffix. Both come in hi-vis colors. Again, the Suffix product is a much better product in my opinion as Fireline develops a fuzzy texture in a rather short amount of time and isn’t nearly as abrasion resistant as the Performance Braid.
Another popular braided line for pitching is Power Pro but I’ve personally had horrible luck with that product with regards to quality control. It seems that every other spool has these “lumps” in the weave of the braid and that drives me nuts. I should point out that I’ve only seen this in the lighter test Power Pro lines and never in the bass or muskie test products (over 10 lb test).
Now the real trick is figuring out where to find these lines in your area. Fleetfarms along the Mississippi River tend to carry these lines and I’ve seen them at Sportsman’s Warehouse if you have one of those near you. Everts Resort is a great source but given you live quite a distance away Dean at Everts would likely have to ship to you. The nice thing about Everts is they always have what us river guys are looking for so if you can’t find anything close to home… give Dean a call. He’ll set you up.
Cabelas carries the Suffix Hi-Vis.
Cabelas does NOT seem to have Berkley Sensation in the Hi-Vis.
I did a real quick look around for Berkley Sensation Hi-Vis and couldn’t find a retailer online. That doesn’t mean there isn’t one… I just didn’t find it after 2 minutes of looking.
Hope this helps.
Exactly what I was looking for James, thanks for the reply.
Hi vis choices are limited as James stated.On top of that,sources and availabilty for hi-vis are limited at best. 
We have been field testing new products all year this year and havent turned up too many options.The cold weather test sure eliminates a bunch of promising hopefull products. 
In addition to the suffix and sensation we are now carrying a Cortland hi-vis mono in orange.As my eyes have gotten old,for some reason I see orange better than the green? The Cortland is made under the same process as tippet material,hence the end result is a very consistant quality and thin diameter.Just another option that we are working with this winter season.So far…it looks very promising. 
Hey Dean,
Do you carry the Cortland in bulk so a guy could just pay and get a reel spool filled with it to give it a try?
On it’s way as we speak!
It does color coordinate better with Redneckcraker too! 
GAMMA – A great cold and warm water co-poly mono line! See Cabelas catalogs/website for the “HI-Vis” option. You probably won’t find it on any store shelves otherwise.
Splitshot
I picked up a spool of Berkley Sensation and so far I’m not happy with it. It handles OK in the cold water but the knot strength and over all strength seem to be pretty poor. For example, if you get hung up a lot 
and pull hard on the line, then the whole section beyond the rod tip seems to stretch permanently and get weak. I just pulled about 50 feet of line off my jigging rod because it broke so easily in my hands. It was maybe 2# breaking strength. I’m going to try the Suffix product next.
There is a theory out there that the mono lines let you feel light hits better than the super braids. I don’t get enough hits in the first place to for an opion but some of the experts say this is so. That’s why I tried the Berkley stuff. On the other hand, I’ve never had any quality issues with Power Pro.
Rootski
The line I am using now I am VERY happy with so of course they are discontinuing it. Mustad had a heck of a good quality product and it just never caught on and believe me we as consumers are losing on this deal 
I was a Sensation guy before but one spool of Mustad and I have never looked back. Oh well, I guess change is the only constant
I’ve used the suffix elite this year and I swear I’ve flipped over rocks on the bottom and pulled up a lot of timber trying to get my H2o’s back. It is just plain tough.
I set out looking for the Cortland premium mono this fall and couldn’t find any here in the cities. The Cortland website says Cabelas carries it but I searched to no avail. So far it seems the only place to get it is from Dean. 
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I’ve used the suffix elite this year and I swear I’ve flipped over rocks on the bottom and pulled up a lot of timber trying to get my H2o’s back. It is just plain tough.
Yup, that’s why I like the stuff. Tough-tough-tough. And I’ve had very few handling issues in the cold.
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I picked up a spool of Berkley Sensation and so far I’m not happy with it. It handles OK in the cold water but the knot strength and over all strength seem to be pretty poor.
That’s why so many of us diehard have moved away from the Berkley product. It was just too inconsistent in strength and even new Sensation has poor abrasion resistance characteristics.
For all the guys that love to use Hi-Vis line it is surprising how few options there really are to be had out there on the shelves.
I’ve been test driving Dean’s Cortland line this fall in 8 lb test. I really like the color…a blend of the standard hi-vis yellow with some orange mixed in, it is very easy to see under low light conditions. It is also very supple with low memory. So much so, it’s almost wispy. I’m very happy with it so far, and am looking forward to seeing how it handles the dragging application that I enjoy so much.
Mills Fleet carries Sensation Hi Vis Green in all tests and at $6.99 per 330 yard spool. Thats a good deal compared to other sources I’ve found and it was the regular price. For some reason at Mills it was less expensive than XT or XL also but who’s complaining. It works great for me so i would recommend it.
James & Dean,
What do you guys think of the Gamma line? I just picked up a spool of 6 & 8# hi-vis yellow from a dump table at the Eden Prairie GM for .50 each. Figured it’s worth a try for .50!
Ingy
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James & Dean,
What do you guys think of the Gamma line? I just picked up a spool of 6 & 8# hi-vis yellow from a dump table at the Eden Prairie GM for .50 each. Figured it’s worth a try for .50!
Ingy
Ingy, I think .50 is all I’d pay for it. This year I bought a new Shimano Sustain from Scheels, and they offered to spool it with whichever line I chose. I chose Gamma, to try something different. In 10 casts, no joke, I had three bird nests in the line. In cold water, it seemed to coil up like a bird nest. I would give it a try and hope that you have better luck than I!
I just spent three days on Pool 4 fishing Sufix , for the most part I liked it . I did notice when the temp was in the teens it got pretty stiff and twisted alot . I was pitching when it happened . I don’t know if casting the line through the iced up eyes causes the twisting problem. You guys have more experence with the very cold weather ,is this a common problem?
Dean,
How do you sell the Cortland orange mono? Would you sell by mail?
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James & Dean,
What do you guys think of the Gamma line? I just picked up a spool of 6 & 8# hi-vis yellow from a dump table at the Eden Prairie GM for .50 each. Figured it’s worth a try for .50!
Ingy
I must admit I’ve only used it once. It will not be using it again as it demonstrated some horrible cold weather performance characteristics. Basically it is a coiled mess coming off the reel.
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You guys have more experence with the very cold weather ,is this a common problem?
No, that isn’t a common issue. If the line wasn’t twisting prior to when you started casting my guess would be that the jig / plastic combo you were pitching was spinning on the pull forward or even on the fall which was causing the issue.
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You guys have more experence with the very cold weather ,is this a common problem?
No, that isn’t a common issue. If the line wasn’t twisting prior to when you started casting my guess would be that the jig / plastic combo you were pitching was spinning on the pull forward or even on the fall which was causing the issue.
I would apply that logic to people who’ve had problems with GAMMA too. I’ve fished it a lot for the last two years – summer and winter – and have not had the twisting or coiling problems at all. I did however experience light breaking problems with Suffix, that’s why I quit using that line. IMO I also think Suffix is stiff. …To each their own though. It is hard finding a good hi-vis line – that you like and that works – for you. Good luck in your choices.
Splitshot
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Dean,
How do you sell the Cortland orange mono? Would you sell by mail?
Be happy to,just shoot me a PM with mailing address& we will get some coming your way. I was hoping it would make it here today…but with the holidays,it didnt.Will be here any day now.I am also getting it in bulk.
Satisfying evryone with the same line is not realalistic as I have read and learned through the years,but we are continuously searching new products trying to find the best available!Some of the go-to products are rumored to be discontinued,so searching for alternate products is a top priority.Unfortuneatly,us river guys are not a top priority in the business world of fishing with line manufactures,or at least it seems that way. I am very fortunate to have some top notch guides and fisherman that have been patient & willing to field test many different products,thanks for your help guys!
It is here!
4, 6 & 8 tests.
[quote I did however experience light breaking problems with Suffix, that’s why I quit using that line. IMO I also think Suffix is stiff.
Elite or Seige? Elite is more nimble. Seige is stiff but strong ans heck! Elite is the optimum Suffix winter line for our area.
I’ve been using Sensation 8# hi-vis green for several years now, and I’m a happy customer. Well, I was until I had to pick up a new spool and couldn’t find 8# hi-vis anywhere. I bought Sufix Elite instead. I read about spooling it properly here (thanks, Dean!) and did so. It is pretty great stuff when warm … really smooth and great knot strength. And yes, better knot strength than Sensation overall but I pull test the knots with Sensation and have never, never had one go on a fish.
I had a hard time with Elite in the cold (20-25 degrees) a little over a week ago. It stiffened up noticably — enough to make me put that rod down and throw the Sensation instead. I had the same experience one more time, and at this point I’m not sold on it. Sensation doesn’t stiffen up at all in comparison.
If anyone knows where to find 8# hi-vis Sensation, I’ll trade you even up for Elite. I need a couple spools ASAP!!
I am looking forward to trying this Cortland stuff that Dean has, though. I’m so glad to have a guy like him on my side.
I can put a couple Sensation in the mail to ya John if ya like.
This whole line thing can be frustrating,at least for me anyway.But in my opinion,when comparing elite to sensation,I think you are more apples to apple if you compare line diameters,Breaking strengths are well beyond the 6 or 8 lb ratings,one companys 6lb line had a breaking pt of nearly 13 pounds,make sense?
Hey Dean,
Got the Cortland in yet or is it going to be awhile? I’d like to give it a cold weather test!
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It is here!
4, 6 & 8 tests.
Sorry Deano, missed that post. OK, next question. I am using the Mustad in 6 lb, the Sensation before that was 8lb. What lb of the Cortland should I go with that will match up similary to those others diameter wise?
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