Railroader
10-29-2006, 06:56 PM
Here's a little info that some may find useful or maybe even interesting....
I have extensively fished two different brands of braid, Berkley Fire Line 20#, and Tuff-Line XP 15#. Both have performed very well, in some pretty harsh environments. The line has been used on two trout and flounder rods, that I use walking and stalking, and also out of the Kayak. Exposure to rocks, shells, pilings, etc. has been pretty severe, and I'd guess that each rod has at least 20-25 trips under their belts.
To start with, the Tuff Line gives you 150 yards of line on a spool, compared with 125 yards for the Fire Line. Right off the bat, Tuff Line is a better value.
Both lines are in the high visibility colors, green for F.L. and yellow for T.L.. The T.L. has held it's color MUCH better, looking pretty much like when I bought it. The F.L. has faded some, but not badly.
The F.L. has a kind of dental floss feel to it, and seems to be flatter than the T.L., which has a sewing thread feel, and is definitely the rounder of the two lines. The F.L. is the stiffer of the two, with the T.L. being completely limp.
Considering the castablility of the two lines, there can be no question that they both out perform mono by a significant margin. I've had no problems with the lines digging into the spools, but then I have the F.L. on an ABU 5500 and the T.L. on a Penn Slammer 360. I doubt there would be any difference if the lines/reels were reversed.
As far as durability goes, the Tuff Line is the clear winner, with NO noticeable damage in the first 100 feet off the spool. The Fire Line had some itty-bitty frays in the first 100 feet, you almost had to look at the line thru a mag-glass or against a bright light to see it, but it's there...
This isn't a big deal, but it did prompt me to reverse the line on the reel, by walking around the yard, stringing it out, swapping ends, re-tie-ing to the backing and reeling it back in. Should be good for another 25 trips, now.
I can tell no difference in the two when a fish bites, but the feeling is VERY dramatic compared to mono.
For right now, if I was gonna buy a bulk spool of braid, it'd be Tuff Line XP, without a doubt. No need though, because both lines are probably going to last thru next year as well....Quality products, the both of them.
I'd recommend either one!:cool:
I have extensively fished two different brands of braid, Berkley Fire Line 20#, and Tuff-Line XP 15#. Both have performed very well, in some pretty harsh environments. The line has been used on two trout and flounder rods, that I use walking and stalking, and also out of the Kayak. Exposure to rocks, shells, pilings, etc. has been pretty severe, and I'd guess that each rod has at least 20-25 trips under their belts.
To start with, the Tuff Line gives you 150 yards of line on a spool, compared with 125 yards for the Fire Line. Right off the bat, Tuff Line is a better value.
Both lines are in the high visibility colors, green for F.L. and yellow for T.L.. The T.L. has held it's color MUCH better, looking pretty much like when I bought it. The F.L. has faded some, but not badly.
The F.L. has a kind of dental floss feel to it, and seems to be flatter than the T.L., which has a sewing thread feel, and is definitely the rounder of the two lines. The F.L. is the stiffer of the two, with the T.L. being completely limp.
Considering the castablility of the two lines, there can be no question that they both out perform mono by a significant margin. I've had no problems with the lines digging into the spools, but then I have the F.L. on an ABU 5500 and the T.L. on a Penn Slammer 360. I doubt there would be any difference if the lines/reels were reversed.
As far as durability goes, the Tuff Line is the clear winner, with NO noticeable damage in the first 100 feet off the spool. The Fire Line had some itty-bitty frays in the first 100 feet, you almost had to look at the line thru a mag-glass or against a bright light to see it, but it's there...
This isn't a big deal, but it did prompt me to reverse the line on the reel, by walking around the yard, stringing it out, swapping ends, re-tie-ing to the backing and reeling it back in. Should be good for another 25 trips, now.
I can tell no difference in the two when a fish bites, but the feeling is VERY dramatic compared to mono.
For right now, if I was gonna buy a bulk spool of braid, it'd be Tuff Line XP, without a doubt. No need though, because both lines are probably going to last thru next year as well....Quality products, the both of them.
I'd recommend either one!:cool: