Ice Braid

[kevinw]

Does anybody use any of the braided ice lines on their jigging rods?  Looking at the Power Pro Ice-tech and suffix 832 ice braid in 4 or 5# test.  Any pros and cons?

Thanks.

[greenrocket]

i use power pro...but i also like about a 4-6 foot mono leader at the end just to cut the visibility and clean up the presentation.

[Frenchman]

Braid has a tendency to ice up faster then other lines.

[Townie]

Braid with 4' fluoro leader; back to back uni knot. Braid does ice up but the gain in sensitivity & increased hookups is worth it.

[Reel_Force]

Only one con ... they con you outa more money. The ice braid is the same stuff you use on soft water - just different colors. Save a few dollars and buy the regular braid. 

[panfishman13]

actually, the northland ice braid has a nice round shape to it, while most other braids tend to have a flatter profile. i have a rod loaded with northland and a rod loaded with regular power pro, and the northland line takes longer to freeze up than most of my rods loaded with mono. the only one that takes longer to ice up is the rod i have loaded with flourocarbon. plus, the northland ice braid has a significantly smaller price tag, albeit only enough line on the spool to fill one reel.

the power pro has nice sensitivity to it, and the diameter is tiny, but i only use it in the shelter unless it's pretty warm outside, because it freezes up crazy fast. i throw on a small swivel and a foot long leader of 4 or 6 pound test depending on the species i'm targeting.

i'm gonna slowly start spooling my jigging rods with the northland braid, it's quite strong for its lb rating, it takes longer to freeze up, and it sheds water better than the power pro, so my eyelets don't freeze up terribly fast. the sensitivity is also unparalleled among my rods; when i'm gonna fish one of the really small jigs in my box, i reach for the rod spooled with northland.

[augergas]

I use Fireline micro for deeper fishing, especially walleye and perch fishing. I like the Fireline Crystal 2lb tied diret to the jig for small jigheads. I like 4 lb Sufix or Fireline with a floro leader for raps and spoons. If you are fishing deeper than 30' or so, you will catch more fish going to a no-stretch line.

[Frenchman]

I keep wanting to get on the braid band wagon but have not had very good results with my first round.  I have some Fireline Micro Ice and cannot stand it.  Are the other brands worth a shot?

[scmelik]

I have been using suffix 832 (not the ice line) this year and inside the shack I love it, outside it SUCKS!!!  I am a big fan of braid in the right conditions but not every condition is the right condition which is why I have multi reels spooled with different kind of line

[tuiflies]

I tried the suffix ice braid this year and didn't like it.  So far the power pro ice is my favorite but I think I'll try some of the Northland braid next.  I always use a micro swivel and a flouro leader with a snap.  (As long as possible without the swivel on the spool.)

[buz23]

I have a sneaking suspicion that my braid shows up easily on my fishfinder.  Maybe its the flatness or little gobs of ice on it, but I'm pretty sure it is showing  up as multiple lines up high that all jump in sync with my jigging.

[Townie]

I have a sneaking suspicion that my braid shows up easily on my fishfinder.  Maybe its the flatness or little gobs of ice on it, but I'm pretty sure it is showing  up as multiple lines up high that all jump in sync with my jigging.

X2

[FrostBack]

I have tried most of the ice braids and have found my go to braid always seems to be the Gorilla Braid.

It just feels right and I don't have the problems with it icing up like most of the others.

I use 30lb on most small jigs with out a leader, it ties a nice small knot and when Mr. Pike comes along I can usually retrieve my lure and he comes along with it!

I also use it on my Jaw Jackers when I am targeting Pike with smelts for bait, but on this set up I use a leader with a adjustable Pike rig.

I have to add, out of all the braids I have tried over the years the Spider Wire is real garbage, it frays and always gets knotted up and its not cheap to buy! 

[panfishman13]

where can you find the gorilla braid? none of my local stores carry the northland stuff i like, so i'm looking at other options this year.

[Big Red Shack]

This season I am using FireLine Crystal MicroIce in 2lb tied directly to my jigs. I got some last year but never got to give it a serious try. Previously I had always used two pound test Berkley ice line (mono), and that was good, but I am hoping the increased sensitivity and zero stretch from the fireline will help improve my catches.

[FrostBack]

where can you find the gorilla braid? none of my local stores carry the northland stuff i like, so i'm looking at other options this year.

I find the best place to buy it is on eBay.