Berkley FireLine

MickJack

Senior Member
FireLine Tips
(from the good folks at Berkley!)
The following are some tips and ideas to help answer questions on FireLine.
[font="arial, geneva, helvetica"]Fire Line Facts: FireLine is a thermal filament fishing line, NOT a mono and NOT a braid. It is made from MICRO Dyneema, the world's strongest fiber. It has a lot of small fibers bonded together to deliver the best HIGH PERFORMANCE LINE ever developed![/font]  [font="arial, geneva, helvetica"]It's smaller diameter per pound test, compared to mono, allows for the angler to use a more powerful presentation without giving up the features and benefits of small line. It is not a replacement for mono in all-fishing situations.[/font]
[font="arial, geneva, helvetica"]FireLine delivers longer and more controllable casts than mono or braids of the same pound test. Since it has very low sustained memory it comes off your reel faster and with less friction giving better casting distance. The smaller diameter is not affected by the wind as much thus giving the angler better control of the lure and improving its accuracy.[/font]
[font="arial, geneva, helvetica"]The small diameter of FireLine gives lures better diving depth and also improves the actions of most lures. For live bait it makes for a more natural presentation. The added sensitivity allows the angler to feel the softest pick-up.[/font]
[font="arial, geneva, helvetica"]As your experience with FireLine increases, and you understand the compromise between stretch and sensitivity you will be able to fish FireLine in more and more situations. Think of FireLine as an ultra high performance sports car and you will understand why high performance is a product of compromises; the sports car goes fast, corners hard, but can't carry six people and the groceries, so you have compromised. FireLine is a product for ultra high performance fishing. It offers the ultimate in long casting distances, sensitivity and thin diameter, but doesn't provide the shock resistance that a monofilament does. The low stretch of FireLine means solid hook sets at any distance. You don't have to rear back and "cross their eyes." As they say down south, "just a solid pull will drive the hook home!"[/font]
[font="arial, geneva, helvetica"]Reels: CASTING: The best FireLine for casting is the 14 lb. Test and up. Even with 14lb. or larger the small diameter should be taken into consideration when adjusting the reel and choosing a lure. A good way to start out with FireLine is to increase your spool tension or magnet control, this will slow down the line coming off the reel. You will find that FireLine comes off faster and smoother than mono or braids and will deliver increased distance even with more spool tension. If the spool is too loose you will have some over runs that can snap lures off very quickly in the casting motion. It is not necessary to cast harder to get more distance. In fact, a smooth casting motion will deliver the best distance.
SPINNING REELS: All pound tests of FireLine work well on spinning reels; with 6,10 and 14 being the best. The line lays on the reels very well yet comes off quickly to give added distance.
SPIN-CAST REELS (CLOSED FACE REELS): FireLine WILL NOT WORK well on spin-cast reels.
Attaching FireLine to your reel: Since FireLine has almost no stretch it must be tied as well as taped to a reel arbor to prevent slippage. The Berkley tape tab on the end of your FireLine fits this need very well. Simply tie FireLine onto the arbor of your reel and place the tape tab over it. Another way would be to use a mono backing since FireLine's small diameter makes it hard to fill most reels with a 125 yard spool. You may want to use a blood knot or a nail knot to attach the FireLine to monofilament.
Knots to use: FireLine works with regular fishing knots. The best and recommended knot is the Palomar, which delivers 100% of rated strength when used with FireLine. Knots that rely on wraps for strength, such as the Trilene knot, need to have at least six wraps to avoid slippage and leave ½ to ¾ inch tag end.
Rod recommendation: Since FireLine has low stretch you can use a softer action rod that is easier and more fun to cast and use. You no longer need a real heavy rod to deliver the power to your hands. The power is in the line! Rods with more flex will fight the fish more effectively and wear them down. When the fish gets close to the boat it is important to have your drag adjusted to allow for big fish to take the line.
What to Expect: As you use FireLine the color will fade to a smoke gray, this is normal. Micro Dyneema does not absorb dye; you can use a permanent black magic marker to color the line (make sure to let it dry!)
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