What line do you use for lakers?

[TroutFishingBear]

Just wondering what type of line and what pound test you use for lakers.
Before this weekends trip, I had used primarily 6 or 8 lb. stren orig. with decent success.
I decided to try 8 lb. floroclear, which is mono laced with florocarbon. Boy was this line great! Was a lot stiffer than mono which is definitely a plus, was just as strong as 8 lb. mono, and was invisible! The line definitely didn't spook the lakers! I am now a floroclear user, but I might try some other types of line  you guys like, and explain to me why you like them.

[TGF]

Heh TFB. I use 30lb fireline, with a flurocarbon leader (about 4ft long, 30lb). Barrel swivel between the 2. I like the way fireline handles when fighting a fish. I also like the sensitivity of it when I'm fishing even in 150ft of water. When it does get really cold though it does tend to freeze a bit on the spool. 30lb test could be a bit heavy but I want to be prepared if I hook up with a 60lber. I have landed a 51.1 lb laker on ice. They have netted one brute that weighed 94lbs and he is still out there. Also possibility of fighting a 10ft sturgeon and if I do I don't want to lose him. I want to get some pics then release him. I used to play around with 12lb stren but I lost some big fish, and found it hard to tame some of their bull dog runs before being spooled (I'm not talking about the 40lbers, I mean big fish). So I switched to fireline and am able to fish deeper with better hook ups and C&R. I guess you could say I'm an old boy scout and I always like to be prepared. If I do land a sturgeon this season on ice I will post it here. Going to be a chore for me or whoever I'm fishing with to drill a few extra holes around the existing hole  that I'm fighting the fish in. I have had 130lb test broken on one of my set lines. I'm sure it was a sturgeon. Now I like to use rubber snubbers on my sets. Sorry I'm getting off topic. I'm sure you will get guys come on here and say fireline is junk but I like it for BIG fish. If I was only fishing for max 40lbers then I would probably downsize.

[bigredonice]

Last year i used 15lb berkley big came on a casting setup, with a 4' 12lb flouro leader - i thought it was enough until i hooked a monster laker that i could only move a few feet off of the bottom before he would just run back down and shake his head - he eventually threw the 2oz swedish pimple i was using - this year i am going to 15lb TUF line (super braid 4lb diameter) for less stretch with more hooking power.  I am going to stick with the 4' flouro leader though, but up it to 14lb test.

[NAD42]

14lb. VANISH is what I use, and will never change.

[NAD42]

I will never change.

[NAD42]

I will never change.

Gotcha   See ya on the king   I'll be the guy yelling,  holy cow, that trout broke my line LMAO

oh...another 1 of them...good luck out there slip..I doubt I'll hear ya.... 

[bigredonice]

slipbob

i use 3lb and 4lb for steelies and browns, and 8lb leader for pacific salmon in Lake Ontario tribs - the thing is that the stretch is a good thing there, i want as little stretch as possible when burying a #2 diachi treble attached to a big spoon into a lake trouts jaw...AND when i hook the laker that is isnt going to fit through an 8" hole, i want to have some options availible to me.

[deadsmelthead]

30lb mono here on tip ups, You never know when your wall mounter is gonna show up or when you can get in the record book and if your dinkin around with 10lb test you ain't gonna happen.. I agree you almost have to use light line jigging, it gives your jigs better action and you have a drag system to help you,, but on a tip up the way to go is heavy line... I started with 10 lb test think line visibility was an isue but the more fish I lost from snap offs the heavier I started to go and ended up settiling with 30lb test.

[bigbrown46]

i like 10-12 pound berkley iron silk green in color it allows the low visibility tough real sensative

[icefizzlemachizzle]

I've been using 8-10 lb yozuri flouro/mono hybrid line in a smoke color and it has worked quite well jigging both lakers and eyes.  The knot strength is great and I like the fact that the mono gives it a little spine without absorbing much water.

[Hard_H2O]

8# Trilene XT with a 8# flouro leader attached with a swivel.

[Fishmon]

I like the Vanish on my baitcaster (Ambassadeur).  The smooth drag, a decent 36 inch medium heavy jig rod, and 12-14# test seem to do the trick.  Never had a birds nest on the baitcaster! Keep your hooks sharp or replace the treble hooks with  high quality hooks and you should be able to set the hook in deep water.

[iceintheveins]

I use six pound p - line fluoroclear in most lakes. In one lake, where lakers over 10 pounds are pretty common, I step up to 10 pound test fluoroclear. I landed a 16 pounder, my biggest ever in four years of mack fishing. He came up through the ice pretty easily on the six pound test, making about four good runs before tuckering out, took about 10 minutes. If I hook a 40 pounder, even on 10 pound I'm probably screwed. But I need the finesse here in Colorado. The bite of a laker, even a big one, is almost imperceptible. Plus they respond best to light line and light jigs.

Tyler