Testing the 10# out for several trips it seems to be a great bang for the buck.
Some might consider it a little on the stiff side but that's not always a bad thing. The 10# has the thickness of a lot of the Japanese 12# I've seen but haven't come across a line diameter chart for the Academy flouro. Looks and feels like .011 to me.
It's proven itself to be VERY tough and holds up OK in the rocks. I pulled a 10-15# mud cat out of the rocks with it and it hung tough until I had a net mishap that caused me to bend the trebles out but didn't lose my deep diving squarebill. It was probably a 5 minute fight because that ugly basturd didn't wanna give up.
Handling is good enough for me. No need for line conditioner and as far as I'm concerned any line that needs it needs to go in the trash because it's JUNK. You'll never see line conditioner in my boat.
Knot strength isn't an issue. I use the Palomar for just about everything. No fancy "you're doing it wrong if..." knots being tied by me.
I'll probably buy more but still want to try out the new KVD line that comes in the 400 yard spool at Bass Pro. I don't believe in spending a fortune on line even though the 20# Sniper I have on a couple reels sure is nice. I do feel like the heavier the line the more having a premium GOOD HANDLING line matters. I use a lot of 10# for cranks and as long as it will hold up banging through rocks for at least a few casts it's good enough for me.
My other picks for good handling flouro on a budget is the discontinued (I think) KVD line in the yellow and purple box. The BPS Excel flouro is OK too as long as you get a good batch. It really is hit and miss with that stuff. And for a little more there's the tried and true Top Knot but that stuff doesn't hold up worth a damn in rocks.
Reply With Quote
