I need some advise. What is your favorite line for float fishing?
What #lb test, color and brand do you folks prefer?
Thanks,
Brian

I don't fish floats much, but when I do I use 30# High Vis Power Pro. Works fine for me.

MB

PowerPro...30# on my lightest float rod, 40# on a couple others...and 60# on my big Chinook float rod.

Oh, I use the green.

Fish on...

Todd

20# Stren, Hi-Vis. Have tried the following brands: Power Pro, Andre, and Stren, can't tell you why but the Stren seems to work. Fished everyday-----June 1 - Sept 15 for summer run. Never lost a "bobber/float" and used the same line that I put on in August of 2005. Did reverse the line sometime this past summer. Even caught some silvers, using jigs with the same line.....so I'd say "it works for me"!!!!

I use 15# High Vis Yellow PP.

I've use the 30# power pro when I use braid. Seems to work pretty good, have never lost a float with it. A buddy tried the suffix braid and had bad luck with it, not sure if he had a bad spool or not but I will not try it.

Power Pro 30 Hi-vis on my 1082s Rainshadow, PP 30 green on my 9'6" Lami. Like the Green PP on bright days, Hi-vis on darker/overcast days....my .02

C/22.....

The more I fish braid the more I like it. I lost six or seven steelhead up in Canada this fall using mono. Long casts and line-stretch were killing me, so I switched to 30-pound PowerPro in frustration and consequently didn't loose a fish after doing so. Hard to argue with those results.

Mono works fine side-drifting because the boat drifting away from the fish loads the rod and takes up the stretch. I also don't think it's a huge benifit to use braid while float fishing because the float often tacks the hook and gives you time to pick up any belly. If anything the slack line you often deal with and the tendancy for braid to rap around the tip make braid a detriment to float fishing.

I'm convinced braid is the ticket for drift fishing. Little or no stretch opon hook-set alleviates the need for a stepping back or reeling down in the process. Same with swinging a spoon. As far as brand or color that is personal preference.

Salmon 50#-65# Hi-vis Tuff line.
Steelhead 30# Hi-vis Power pro.
Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

HATE HATE braided for drift fishing. to be honest it is to tough. its hard to deal with. I have used power pro for float fishing steelheading for a few years. 20# with a 12 # diameter. thats the beuty of braided is that the circumference of the line is way less than the strength/diameter of mono. if you break 20# braided you should have a broken rod. theres just no way. I dont feel the need to go bigger. ive reeled in good sized BRANCHS before on 20# braided. almost broke my 10' 6" lami doin it. so if it can take that i cant imagine any bigger braided, straightened a gami ( well opened up the hook prettty well ) before on 20#. thats alot of force. with braided you have to be careful reefin back on the rod. with no line sretch you can literally just snap a rod in half.

my .02 cents anyway

Sol,
Oh no, converting to the dark side!!! Just kidding Bro...

I did a little experiment this past summer also jigging for chinook. 3 exact rods and reels, but 1 with #80 Power Pro, the other 2 with #25 Izor. All with #40 Seaugar leaders maybe 36" for that stealth mode.

Well, for cryin out loud!!! The PP rod produced the most landed chinooks, all had about the same hook-ups with the nod to the PP rod with a few more, but possibly the flouro doin it's thing. But consistently the PP rod was the hot one, no matter what side of the boat I was on.

Yes, I admit I did lose a chinook with one of the mono rods, fluke maybe. But the PP rod had just as big a chinook on, and thought I was going to break the rod one time but did not give up the ghost!

Convert, yes...probably in the saltchuck jigging, as for freshwater time will tell.

Joe

The only time I use the hi-viz 30lb PowerPro is with a float - to answer the original question.
In regards to Sol's comments, IMO the big benefits of a braided line while float fishin are:

a) No stretch in the line so you can cork the guys down in the next hole around the bend! Seriously, you can let you float go down a long way and still be able to set the hook. The longer your float is in the water, the longer you are fishing.

b) More importantly for float fishing, PowerPro *floats*. Easier to mend and maintain the line, etc while using a float.

Those two benefits far outweigh anything mono has to offer while float fishing.

Note: I won't use braided lines while Flydogging with floats. Still like the mono for that.

I started fishing braided lines years ago for sturgeon. When I saw how well it worked for them, I put it on my river rods. I also found out if using it for sturgeon, use a shock leader for your wieght. I tie a two foot dacron leader that my lead slides on then my bait leader. Otherwise when you roll, the main line will wrap over it self and when you set a hook, POP, there goes the line as it cuts itself. I used Spider wire fusion for a long time. My only complaints with that was the outer coating would always rub off after a couple snags. I switched to Power Pro and have yet to have a complaint. I have broken duo snaps, hooks, 80 pound dacron, trees etc before the main line broke. For floats, Parker nailed it. Easy line tending. I use 30 pound PP for rivers, 50-65 for sturgeon.

Yeah, it's the shiot for floats, in my opinion...no stretch, and it floats...perfect for mending and picking up slack in a hurry to set the hook. I've caught fish using it on drift rods, but it hasn't really caught on for me...I'm pretty much a mono guy on that score.

I love it on plug rods, but not so much for spoons, at least on the smaller streams I usually fish...the slight belly from the thicker mono gives me the action I like...plus, I think the floating aspect of braid *might* mess up the spoon action...not enough evidence for me to make that call, yet.

On a really big river I can understand how braid might help get your spoon down and avoid line stretch to get the hook set well.

For lingcod, halibut, and sturgeon...well, let's just say it's pretty much a no-brainer...braid is the way to go.

Fish on...

Todd

We run 30# power pro green on the float rods and the plug rods. I used it on one of my drift rods last year and it worked good if I was using alot of weight. With a small weight it didn't come off the reel good. I really like it on the plug rods although next time I change it I will go to the high vis.

definitly hi vis(yellow) in 30lb power pro

Power Pro , definitely mends better then mono,you can tie mono into it for a little give and comes off your spinning reel without the usual twist you get from mono, I use it for plug fishing off the bank for Silvers and don't have to worry about them rolling up the line and cutting off with their gillplate! Tough stuff I got it on most of my boat rods, too! I wouldn't recommend it on Albacore though , they hit hard! and could pull your rod out of the holder

When I jig fish for steelhead, I don't use no stinkin' leader, and my line of choice is mono with a musclin rub.

Tried the braid. No likey for this application.

Hey Mergantroider,

I start reading your post and then I can't focus on the text. I am constantly looking at your Avatar. Dude I wish I could read your posts

I like Power Pro in the moss green 20# version. Since it has the diameter of 6# mono, it really casts smooth and is easy to work with. Recently I spooled up with Stren Super Braid in the same flavor and I actually like it better then Power Pro. They're both good stuff.

Mark