I have been using Trilene XL for most of my fishing for a while now. It does the job but there is one thing I don't like about it. When I get a snag and have to pull the line until it breaks the line gets weak. Tie a knot, give it a jerk to test and the knot breaks. I have to cut off about 30 feet of line until I get good strength again. Is this a problem with all monofilament of just Trilene XL?
Fishing Equipment
Line Stretch
JamesD, I think you called it. This also qualifies for "The One That Got Away" Thread. I took bunch of line off the spool off and put on at least 100 ft. of fresh line last night. The new line was a different color so it's easy to see where the transition is. This morning My son and I went to the Oconto to walleye fish and on the first cast get a bump and set the hook. The fish is heavy but starts coming in at first and then it decided to go upstream taking line as it went all the way down into the old stuff. We saw it's tail and it was a big sturgeon. Played tug of war for while and even switched off with my son for while. Eventually the line broke. I sniped off 2 feet of line, retied and tested the knot and it was good. so at least with fresh line stretching is not an issue.
It might be more than stretch involved. Mono is prone to get weaker if exposed to too much light if stored in a sunny spot. The outer part of the spool gets hit the worst. I've always liked both XL and XT with Stren brand lines mixed in there too. Now there are so many brands to choose from. As bargain bin line goes I've had some excellent luck with mono and some other line that was more like coiled spring wire. Buyers beware.