The versatility of mono
> If I was heading to a lake I had never fished before – and could only bring one rod – I’d grab one that’s spooled up with 3-lb Sufix Advance Ice Mono. Lo-vis, less memory than fluoro (less coiling) and offers just the right amount of stretch to help keep fish pinned.
> That slight stretch is going to act as a shock absorber to the fish’s thrashing head. At the end of the day you’ll have less torn-out hooks and put more fish topside. Even better…mono is the cheapest option out there.
> For most situations you’re going to want to run a clear line. One exception to that rule is for a technique called ‘tightlining.’ The key component to this technique is running a high-vis line (neon orange, hi-vis gold, neon lime, etc) and detecting the bites by watching the coils in your line as you pound the jig.
Finesse ’em in with fluoro
> If fish are finicky or just straight up smart, I’ll reach for my rod rigged up with 100% fluorocarbon. Fluoro is going to be more ‘invisible’ than mono, making it one heck of a weapon in ultra-clear water, or when targeting heavily-pressured fish.
> Sufix InvisiLine Ice Fluorocarbon also sinks 4 times faster than mono, which allows you to get those tiny ice jigs back down the hole more quickly when there’s a hot school waiting below.
> The downfall to fluoro is that it needs to be replaced more often. The added memory means it’s going to get ‘the coils’ more quickly on the tiny spools of micro ice reels. You can make it more affordable by filling the spool with cheap ‘backing’ or old line, then put on just enough fluoro (say 50′ or 60′) to be able to fish for the day.
