# Crystal Fireline



## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Howdy..

I've just bought some new Crystal fireline (6lb) for my new 2500 Stradic reel.

Question for those guys currently using crystal fireline... Do you or do you not still use mono/flouro leader material? Why??

Thanks


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## Guest (Nov 21, 2007)

Heya Davey G,

I dont have any reels spooled with Crystal, but if I did I would still use a leader in most cases purely for the shock absorbtion which is almost non existant in braided lines.


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## Gigantor (Jun 27, 2006)

Davey,

I've been using Fireline for most of my braid fishing life. Have also used Bonic Braid as well, which is good. But tend to always go back to the green (fluro yellow) Fireline in 8lb or 6lb. I recently bought some of the Crystal Fireline just for something different to put on my new Pfluegeur Echelon 30. My experience to date hasn't been good. Don't know whether it's just the batch, but I'm constantly getting heaps of bird-nests when casting (haven't suffered this with the green Fireline).

In terms of leader. I have used Flourocarbon as a leader for some time. It's strong and durable and I get a better catch rate with it compared to mono. I like using a long length as well (up to 2 meters long). Started off using a leader of about 50cm, as suggested by a few fishos. But never got a lot. Then saw an article suggesting a 1 meter to 1.5 meter leader and tried that and started getting an increased catch rate. This is for trolling as well as casting. This has been my experience.

Cheers,

Pete


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## beefs (Jan 30, 2006)

Dave, I have one reel spooled with Crystal...little bit of a misnomer really - they should have just called it white.

I always use a flourocarbon leader with it simply because it's refractive index is apparently the same as water so it is apparently invisible to fish. I don't even like using normal mono for leader anymore - I figure if the fish can't see what's attached to the lure/bait it's only more of an advantage.

I haven't had any trouble with it and knots - i always use the uni knot - single or double for my line tying duties...i'm a simple one knot man.

EDIT: Mine is 10lb line and don't recall having trouble with it and birds nests. EDIT EDIT Crap i just remembered I looked at the spool of it the other day and noticed it was very low...most likely caused by cutting large chuncks of it off - maybe i have had trouble with it and knotting. Feel free to ignore the mumble of mis-information in this post. :?


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Hi Davey
I have crystal in 4lb, 6lb, 8lb, 12 lb and 20 lb, and obviously I like it. Very smooth line great for casting. Wind knots yeah, but no more than ordinary fireline, it does get better with use and they seem to tease out better than fireline. Don't think I have ever had to cut out a knot using Chrystal, cant say the same about fireline. 
Yes like everyone else said use a good quality Fluorocarbon leader (you get what you pay for) 1.5- 3 mtrs long. I have never had a problem with knots when using good quality fluorocarbon. The leader acts as a shock absorber and it is more resistant to abrasions and it is more transparent in the water....like what everyone else said.

Again, give the line a while to break in, it gets softer and better the more its used.


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

yeah i'm already a fireline fan and have everything from 4lb to 50lb but only in pink, green and black. never having used the crystal I wasnt sure whether it was also 'invisible' under water (like flouro or mono) or not - and as such wasn't sure whether a seperate leader was required - obviously it isn't invisible and a leader is still recommended..

I have 8lb vanish flouro that I'll be using as the leader.

off to lake conjola this weekend to terrorise the local flatty and whiting population - will report on my return!


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## Gigantor (Jun 27, 2006)

Davey,

No braid would be invisable. I think the intention is for braid to be visable to humans so we can see where and what our line is doing. I think I'll go back to the green Fireline as soon as the Crystal runs out, which will be very soon.

Incidentally, I also use the Uni-knot to uni-knot to join the leader to the main line. It's easy and hasn't really let me down - only when I haven't tied it properly.

Good luck on the Conjola this week end. I've got the 2007 Hobie Bass Bash comp this week end up at Lake MacDonald (near Noosa) - the local Hobie kayak dealer puts on a fishing comp for all Hobie yakkers. My first and it should be good. The winner of the bass comp gets a new Hobie kayak.

Cheers, Pete


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Gigantor said:


> Davey,No braid would be invisable. Cheers, Pete


Hmmm well the Berkley marketing machine sure sucked me in then as I thought that's exactly what the Crystal stuff was supposed to be designed for..

d'oh. (gives himself a forehead slap) :shock:


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## Gigantor (Jun 27, 2006)

Davey,

When I first used the Crystal it was nice and white and was highly visable. But over time it becomes very dirty and grey/brown colour (maybe the grey/brown colour allows it to camouflage itself??????) :?

Just use a good length of fluoro leader and you'll be OK.

Cheers, Pete


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Davey G said:


> off to lake conjola this weekend to terrorise the local flatty and whiting population - will report on my return!


Go Lake Conjola! What a great spot 

I'm not sure how free my weekend is at this stage, if I can swing it I'll come down and join you for a day trip :wink:


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

FC leader is also desinged to sink :wink:


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## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

Davey G said:


> off to lake conjola this weekend to terrorise the local flatty and whiting population - will report on my return!


I've been using the 8lb in Narrabeen lake on it's own for about 6000 casts with many different 1/8 jigs etc. for naught.. I tried...


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Squidder said:


> Go Lake Conjola! What a great spot
> 
> I'm not sure how free my weekend is at this stage, if I can swing it I'll come down and join you for a day trip :wink:


Hi Jase. I'll be there with the family and my parents staying at Conjola Lakeside Van Park in a cabin - we're having a bit of a family get together for the oldies birthdays. Dad's taking his runabout and I'm taking my yak but I reckon I won't be getting a hell of a lot of fishing time with a 7 year old, a 2 year old and a wife all wanting 'turns' on the yak and rides in the boat.....still i'll be doing my best to sneak in as much time as possible.. 8)

Red - yeah you're right about those whiting - bloody frustrating buggers. I spent a full weekend last year chasing them with gulp worms, poppers, lures and even live nippers...and despite seeing thousands of them over the sandflats couldn't tempt one to bite. grrrrrrr.. I'll get' em this time.


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

Gigantor said:


> No braid would be invisable


Fireline is NOT braid :wink:


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## Gigantor (Jun 27, 2006)

Landyman,

Berkley Fishing (USA) says it is. Berkley use a number of 'terms' in their marketing, such as: fusioned braided line, thermal filament.

Here's one of their paragraphs: The smooth handling superline. Advanced technology FireLine is now 20 percent stronger than before. This thermal filament casts more easily, ties better knots, and stays more hassle-free than conventional braids. Along with exceptional strength, FireLine delivers ultimate sensitivity for instant feel, and the ultrathin diameter provides low visibility and incredible lure action.

Davey, You were right and I was wrong. Berkley say the following about the new "Crystal": The world's first translucent superline for near invisibility underwater. My Crystal still looks brown/grey after a couple of uses. Not sure it is invisable anymore. 

Cheers, Pete


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## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

landyman said:


> Gigantor wrote:No braid would be invisable
> 
> Fireline is NOT braid :wink:





Gigantor said:


> Landyman,
> 
> Berkley Fishing (USA) says it is.


Quick everyone!! grab a seat, this is gonna be a doosy!!

Hey mods, let 'em slug it out a bit before you bar anyone this time!


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## Gigantor (Jun 27, 2006)

Dan,

Hope you aren't easily disappointed?  Can't see any issues with Landyman. I think the problem exists with the manufacturers who try and use new funky buzz words to try and suggest their new products/technology is better/different/more superior than their competitors.

The term "Braid" refers to the laying or twisting or joining of the fibre. What the fibre is made of or what it is coated with is the real point of difference. Even gel-spun (GSP) line is referred to as braid.

I've worked in the marketing/export sector for 21 years and see the use of "funky buzz words" all the time. I regularly see the same type of product from different manufacturers described very differently. At times you would think they are very different products - but they aren't.

Pete


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## fisherdan (Apr 17, 2007)

Gigantor said:


> Dan,
> 
> Hope you aren't easily disappointed?


Damn, I always miss the good ones!

Oh and I know nothing about braid, but I'm learning!

Cheer's


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

Gigantor said:


> Landyman,
> 
> Berkley Fishing (USA) says it is. Berkley use a number of 'terms' in their marketing, such as: fusioned braided line, thermal filament.
> 
> ...


Nope - they don't - you will note they never call it braid.. they use thermal filament or superline

Braid is such a generic term these days.. that people use to refer to lines that are thiner and tougher than monofilament.. much like people calling all artificial baits "soft plastics" when in fact there is nothing in them that resembles plastic...

Fireline is a fused line produced through thermal fusing.. not braiding.. you can even feel the difference between Fireline and a braid line Spiderwire.. and even see the difference under a kids microscope

Regardless of marketing buzz words Fireline is not braid and Gulp's are not plastic 8)


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## DrJed (Sep 13, 2007)

Sorry to touch on the original issue, but...

I also use Fireline for mu lure fishing and use flurocarbon leader. I use about max 1m leader purely because I am tying the lure directly to the leader. If I lost 10cm or so of fireline every time I changed lure or lost a SP then I would lose a lot of line off my spool very quickly.

The leader is also the first bit of the line to get scuffed by teeth and snags, so I can again try to avoid the loss of line on the spool problem.

Thats my 2 cents


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

DrJed said:


> Sorry to touch on the original issue, but...
> 
> I also use Fireline for mu lure fishing and use flurocarbon leader. I use about max 1m leader purely because I am tying the lure directly to the leader. If I lost 10cm or so of fireline every time I changed lure or lost a SP then I would lose a lot of line off my spool very quickly.
> 
> ...


I use about 1.5 rod lengths roughly of leader - so about 15ft or so.. gets the leader knot away from the lure.. and allows me to tie heaps of lures before replacing leader.. having said that.. I tend to replace the leader after most trips anyway if I've been dragged a few times..


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