Power Pro line deficiencies

[agelesssone]

Bought a bunch of Power Pro line off of Ebay, put some 40 lb stuff on a reel.

Also had a reel spooled up with 30 lb mono, it's been there for two years, decided to test line strength.

The mono at the six foot mark broke at 13 lbs, so I dug deeper in the reel. About 10 ft in, it tested to 16 lbs. At ten yds, it tested at 25 lbs which was the best I got no matter how far into the reel (big line counter reels for stripers, 200+ yds per reel) I went.

I decided to test the new Power Pro straight from the spool. 40 lb test broke at 22/23/22.5/22 lb's respectively.

My method of testing was to tie on an 8/0 circle with a Palomar knot, 24 inches of line, then tie a loop knot. Hook the loop knot onto my digital scale (88 lb luggage scale, tested with a 25 lb dumbell, shows 25.2 lbs) then hook the 8/0 circle hook under a steel arm that I would stand on. SLOWLY pull up on the scale until the line broke. NO KNOTS FAILED. Every line broke between anchor points.

I had some 20 lb lines that broke at 12 lbs! I had a striper snap (what I thought to be 30 lb test Power Pro Super Slick) my line last week that cost me a very expensive A-rig with 11 blades and five swim baits on it. (3 hooks, people, I follow ALL the regulations). At the time it snapped, my mind was thinking, that didn't feel like 30 lbs of pull. Now I know why.

I will be going through ALL of my striper reels tomorrow, testing each line and marking the reel with the ACTUAL breaking strength of the line on the reel.

This is just a heads up for you guys. I requested a refund from the guy I bought the line from and he obliged. I'll be sending the line back to him tomorrow as he has already refunded my money on PayPal.

And this is why I do all my transactions on PayPal, if I have a dispute, I can go through PayPal and they will make it right. A little pricey, maybe, but priceless when you have a dispute.

[Alphahawk]

That's bad news. Run into a similar deal with some Dam Tectan......a high dollar mono out of Europe I purchased from Cabelas would break while you were spooling up a reel....at different spots. Never got to even try it out and Cabelas wouldn't refund. Seems there were quite a few customers unhappy with same situation. Yep PayPal is only way to go.

Regards


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[XxthejuicexX]

Merv are you positive it's power pro.... I know you say it is but if you go on the power pro website they say they have counterfeit power pro on the market. I have always got mine from Dick's or tackle warehouse and I have never had any issues with it. I would also recommend throwing an A-rig on 65lb braid, same as a frog. Glad you got your money back.

[agelesssone]

Merv are you positive it's power pro.... I know you say it is but if you go on the power pro website they say they have counterfeit power pro on the market. I have always got mine from Dick's or tackle warehouse and I have never had any issues with it. I would also recommend throwing an A-rig on 65lb braid, same as a frog. Glad you got your money back.

I think you are right about this being "counterfeit "Power Pro". It has the proper labeling, but for the line to fail like it did, very suspicious. AND the 10 lb line broke at 12.5 lbs and the 8 lb line broke at 10.3 lbs.

The inconsistencies threw up red flags immediately and I sent the guy a message asking for my money back. He agreed rather quickly once I mentioned filing a claim with PayPal. He said he is a partner with a "large" tackle dealer in Florida.
They are probably buying knockoff stuff from China with PowerPro labels and selling it for a discount, thinking no one will test the line strengths.

[Reel Tune]

That's horrible. On the reels I have Power Pro I replace it about every 8 months or so. I've had some break-offs mid cast with the stuff, but I have been using it for about 10 years. It does fray easily, the abrasion resistance on all braids that I've used is horrible. I've found that after 6 months or so it starts to loose its color and the strength quickly dwindles. I do have some Seagur Kanzen I'm testing right now in 65lb, and 40lb.

[agelesssone]

That's horrible. On the reels I have Power Pro I replace it about every 8 months or so. I've had some break-offs mid cast with the stuff, but I have been using it for about 10 years. It does fray easily, the abrasion resistance on all braids that I've used is horrible. I've found that after 6 months or so it starts to loose its color and the strength quickly dwindles. I do have some Seagur Kanzen I'm testing right now in 65lb, and 40lb.

Do you have any thoughts or opinions you'd care to share on those lines.
I'll be buying new lines this week and any input from people would be appreciated.

[txnative]

I used Power Pro religiously until I had the same issue with 30 lb line. I was hanging up below OHD and breaking the braid instead of my "sacrificial" 15 lb mono leader. I switched to FireLine and have been pleased by the results ever since. I also use SpiderWire Ultracast as well and have had nothing but good thoughts about it.

I still use Power Pro 50 lb for my swimbait rod, and it had held up to some large fish in open water. I'm still not back to being a Power Pro fan, but changing based on a suspicion would be a bit premature for this specific example.

If you're changing lines, I'd recommend FireLine, Spiderwire Ultracast, Sufix, and Jeremy's suggestion. Just my thoughts, and I'm curious to see what others suggest.


Chris Bryant

[TNBronzeback]

i bought a spool of Academy Sports brand of H20 braid, its similar to power pro but it feels like it has some kind of coating on it. Strength hasnt been an issue as of yet, but im not a huge fan of how it sits on the reel, but maybe thats cause its thier heaviest # test. Might make a good live bait rod, but probably not as a casting line in my opinion.
Until i started using PowerPro, i did use Cabelas Rip Cord and had pretty good luck with that, but i stopped using that when i found powerpro that i didnt have to order.
Im also currently using Stren Braid i bought 3 years ago. Its thier hi-viz orange. it sits on the reel very nice, casts smooth, i find it plenty sensitive as that is what i jig with. i havent done any strength tests though like your doing on any of the lines, but so far, the stren has my vote.

[SalmonDaze]

Any time line breaks at anything other than the knot, it's from line deficiency. Knots are always rated at % of line strength. This may seem obvious; and it is; but also remember everything made by man has degrees of perfection, never 100% perfection.

I expect the tolerance for fishing line is probably a manufacturing delta of +-3% (hopefully less).

Therefore, 20LB line should fail (acceptably) at as low as 19.4 LBS new, out of the box. However, the manufacturers know this and will move "up" the higher end so as to minimize low-end tolerance failures.

Add in the effects of use, UV, and time; and you should expect to have line tolerance degrade in a fairly uniform downward curve.

I switched to using large diameter mono backing and frequent changes to my expensive top line some years ago. The new stuff, like nano-fil is simply awesome but just far too expensive for filling reels from bottom to top of spool.

[Headhunter]

My opinion, power pro is horrible.

Power pro super slick 8, great line.

[Dakota]

Good post Merv. Overall I haven't had trouble with the PowerPro to except one break and 40 pound braid with the appeared to be very large striper. But I may have had a nick in the line or something? I am interested in trying the power pro slick I have to look at the reviews on that.


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[Dakota]

Oh one more thing I have bought all my power pro at Bass Pro and even Walmart. vs online.


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[creekcrappie]

I use power pro in 65 lbs for my A Rigs and I haven't had any problems yet.

[agelesssone]

Today I tested 13 reels spooled with braid from 20 lb test to 65 lb test.

I was very disheartened by my findings. My 20 lb Power Pro low vis green that I had on most of my live bait down rods was breaking at 13/14 with 15 lbs. being the highest reading I got on four separate reels.

Moved on to Power Pro Super Slick 8, 30 lb test. The best reading I got on it was 18 lbs. As I tested a reel, I marked the average breaking strength on the reel for future reference.

Power Pro Super Slick 8, 40 lb test was breaking at 23/24. On all of these tests, I pulled out 15 to 20 feet of line to remove any rod guide abrasions from the equations.

I went to Academy Sports and Outdoors and bought two spools of line, Suffix advanced 832 Superline, 50 lb and 65 lb. I took these home and tested them right out of the package. The 65 lb was breaking at 44/46 lbs and the 50 lb was breaking at 34/36. I returned it to the store after the tests.

I then purchased Spiderwire Ultracast Invisibraid 65 lb test. It broke at 58 lbs and, admittedly, I only performed one test because I was happy to finally find a line that was even close to it's advertised rating.

That is what I will throw my A-Rigs on from now on. When you spend $23.00 on an A-Rig (14 blades, 5 arm) another $4.00 on hooks and $5.00 on swimbaits, (plus tax on all of it) you hate to have a ten pound striper go swimming off with it.

The rest of the reels are marked and I will throw baits according to the line weights I have written on each of them.

But, guaranteed, no more Power Pro Super Slick for me. I love the way it casts, but the line strength is just too iffy for me.....That is what I was throwing the A-Rig on when the striper took it away.....and it didn't even feel like a very hard tug, maybe a ten pounder, if that.

Oh, and my trolling rods with three year old 30 lb mono? 18 lbs was the best out of 6 tests. So it all comes off and gets replaced. I have new 30 lb mono that tested out at 26/27 lbs.

I have a spool of 40 lb mono that I didn't test yet as well as a spool of Stren XT 14 lb and a spool of BassPro Excel 20 lb that I didn't test yet.

I'll get around to testing those later this week.

I ordered some 80 lb Northland Bionic Pike/Muskie Braid on the advice of my partner who fished for muskie up north quite a bit. I'll test it when it comes in later this week.

I have to find reliable line for when I'm doing guide trips this summer. Don't want clients upset because the line breaks.

[Travis C.]

Merv I use Fireline, Spiderwire or Viscious.

Viscious is acutally made by the company that used to do all of Stren's production spooling/R&D. I have had good results with the 65lb that I tested.

Spiderwire is a recent test as I never used it much before. So far it has done well. The only thing in the 20lb or 30lb is it seems to get wind knots easier than others.

Fireline has been the best. It is far tougher and more trustworthy for me than any other I have tested. Have caught some really good fish far better than the 10lb line they were tied to.

[Down4ttown]

I have never had sufix 832 or PP break on me. The only one I could actually break is maybe 10lb test while finesse fishing.

[XxthejuicexX]

Merv, thank you for the test results. I will give the spider wire a try this spring when I fish G-ville and Chickamauga. I have been a power pro fan for years now but I did break off some fish last year with both the 50 and 65 while flipping docks on G-ville last spring.

[txnative]

Fireline has been the best. It is far tougher and more trustworthy for me than any other I have tested. Have caught some really good fish far better than the 10lb line they were tied to.


For example:

[Travis C.]

Merv, have you had any of the braids you tested out in the freezing temps? If so after fishing did you strip off a fair amount prior to testing. The ice in rods eyes can be hell on braid.

Also for live bait rods or even trolling, I would personally wouldn't go any more than 20 Berkley Big Game. With the right rods/drag and playing of fish it seems that would be enough for a high landing rate given the target fish around here.

[TNBronzeback]

Great info merv! youve done alot of work testing lines!
there are alot of factors leading up to why any particular line breaks like age, uv breakdown, rod guide condition and temperature. Personaly i have always had bad luck with fireline. I wouldnt use it if somebody gave me a lifetime supply! ive broke all # tests of fireline more than i have mono under an array of conditions.
After last year ive changed all my live bait striper rods to a minimum of 20lb mono if im drifting the river, if im trolling boards close to the shore its always 30lb big game. If its a decent brand of line it wont slinky too bad. Im a big fan of spiderwire and will go back to it soon, i think it lasts longer on the reel and is better abrasion resistant than any other i have tried in my own experience under different fishing conditions.

[Headhunter]

I have caught many stripers 25 lbs and over (a couple over 30), northern pike up to 20 lbs, bass of all sizes, and no way to count the number of hybrids over 10 lbs (I use mono quite a bit for the other species of fish, but I primarily only use braid for hybrids) and zero breakoffs with power pro super slick 8 in 30 lb. super quiet on the rods, casts really great and very rarely get a wind knot. Best braid I have used and I have tried almost everything made.

[Catch & Release]

I have used power pro for several years know, all I fish for is striper and I have never had any issues with it, I order mine online from Cabelas or Bass pro because I use 200lb test and they rarely carry it in stores. But I have heard of counterfeit line being sold on ebay and other online stores. When I have a fish on I never worry about line breaking and I lean on the fish HARD. Cant say I have ever fought a fish more than a couple minutes, two at most, I do this because I am an avid catch and release fisherman and the longer you fight them the less likely they are going to swim away.

[Reel Tune]

I've had the worst luck out of Power Pro Super Slick. Yes it does feel good and it casts well, but it digs into the spool, and frays the easiest of all lines.

I just recently moved all my lines indoors to the reel/paint room to a controlled environment. I think temperature changes with 100 plus degree, and down to single digits and UV light has a negative effect on all lines, and that's what was happening in the garage. Some spools I may have around for a few years, and some spools may be gone the week they come in.

I've used Spiderwire (10 years ago) wasn't happy with it. Fireline was ok, but there was just something about it I couldn't put my finger on. Trilene Braid wasn't a fan of feels like plastic

[MNfisher]

I have used power pro for several years know, all I fish for is striper and I have never had any issues with it, I order mine online from Cabelas or Bass pro because I use 200lb test and they rarely carry it in stores. But I have heard of counterfeit line being sold on ebay and other online stores. When I have a fish on I never worry about line breaking and I lean on the fish HARD. Cant say I have ever fought a fish more than a couple minutes, two at most, I do this because I am an avid catch and release fisherman and the longer you fight them the less likely they are going to swim away.


Man! I use 80 lb on several reels and it only failed me once, because I had a huge rogue striper running into a tree, I thumbed the spool to stop it. It almost pulled me in the water before the line broke. And that was 3 year old 80 lb. I still love my power pro. Locked down drag on 30+ pound Stripers and it brings them in!


Mike

[agelesssone]

It's good to see so many varied opinions on lines.

Everybody has their own experiences and their own opinions.

I hope everyone continues to have good fortune with their line of choice!

As for me, LOL, I will never purchase another spool of Power Pro!

AND, I am going to look into 200 lb test line!

(Isn't that a little tough to cast?)

[SAMBOLIE]

It's good to see so many varied opinions on lines.

Everybody has their own experiences and their own opinions.

I hope everyone continues to have good fortune with their line of choice!

As for me, LOL, I will never purchase another spool of Power Pro!

AND, I am going to look into 200 lb test line!

(Isn't that a little tough to cast?)

Have you tried .105 weed eater line?

Castability would be relative to the weight of the lure. Juice had difficulty learning to cast a TM on 80 lb braid.

[Catch & Release]

AND, I am going to look into 200 lb test line!

(Isn't that a little tough to cast?)

LOL, you would think so, when I originally purchased it, it was for my live bait rods that I didn't ever cast. Then I tried it on my casting rods, you have to remember, I don't cast anything small, when casting a redfin, I can cast as far or farther than anything I have ever used with much smaller line.

[agelesssone]

OK, Catch and Release, you are making me buy a spool of 200 lb test line just to check it out.



I put on 65 lb Spiderwire Ultracast, used it yesterday throwing three oz A-Rigs and didn't like the way it laid on the reel, nor the way it came off the reel, so it got transferred to a live bait rod last night.

[aero320]

I started using 20 pound PP nearly 10 years on on line counter reels that were used for trolling 300 Series Bandits in Woods. I bought it because the smaller diameter. I used some of the line for nearly eight years. It was so old, the green color had faded. Never had a problem. I have some 65 pound PP Slick and some 80 pound PP Slick on the way for a couple of U-rig rods. Curious to see if the problem is in the "Slick" variety of the product.

Merv, does the guy you bought the line from also sell the fake Viagra? (Ha Ha)

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

[Travis C.]

I use 200lb test and they rarely carry it in stores. But I have heard of counterfeit line being sold on ebay and other online stores. When I have a fish on I never worry about line breaking and I lean on the fish HARD. Cant say I have ever fought a fish more than a couple minutes, two at most, I do this because I am an avid catch and release fisherman and the longer you fight them the less likely they are going to swim away.

If you don't mind me asking, what type of rod do you use in this setup? I have leaned on fish pretty hard with 20lb braid and had it pull free from their (striper) mouth during the fight. It seems some where in your setup there should be some give to keep from pulling it out of them or straightening hooks using that strong of line.

I have never used anything over 65lb so I have no experience with what you have and was wondering.

[Dakota]

Merv, have you had any of the braids you tested out in the freezing temps? If so after fishing did you strip off a fair amount prior to testing. The ice in rods eyes can be hell on braid.

Also for live bait rods or even trolling, I would personally wouldn't go any more than 20 Berkley Big Game. With the right rods/drag and playing of fish it seems that would be enough for a high landing rate given the target fish around here.

Speaking of freezing temps. If you fish in the cold like I do spray Blakemores Reel Magic on your rod guides it helps so they don't accumulate ice. Sometimes in the cold it just helps to spray some on regardless.

[MNfisher]

If you don't mind me asking, what type of rod do you use in this setup? I have leaned on fish pretty hard with 20lb braid and had it pull free from their (striper) mouth during the fight. It seems some where in your setup there should be some give to keep from pulling it out of them or straightening hooks using that strong of line.

I have never used anything over 65lb so I have no experience with what you have and was wondering.


When I fish striper in tight battling quarters, I use an 8' Heavy action custom musky stick with 80 pp and a calcutta 400b with the drag locked down. I've lost very few fish, maybe 2-3 in 20-30 fish in the 20-40 lb range caught with that setup. I haven't had a problem with bent hooks or ripping from the mouth.


Mike

[XxthejuicexX]

[QUOTE=

Castability would be relative to the weight of the lure. Juice had difficulty learning to cast a TM on 80 lb braid.


I gave up on the 80, switched to 4lb. I have only broke fish off due to being to lazy to retie two Trout magnets when needed.

[Reel Tune]

I have used power pro for several years know, all I fish for is striper and I have never had any issues with it, I order mine online from Cabelas or Bass pro because I use 200lb test and they rarely carry it in stores. But I have heard of counterfeit line being sold on ebay and other online stores. When I have a fish on I never worry about line breaking and I lean on the fish HARD. Cant say I have ever fought a fish more than a couple minutes, two at most, I do this because I am an avid catch and release fisherman and the longer you fight them the less likely they are going to swim away.

200lb Power Pro is equivalent to 50lb Mono. What kind of reel are you spooling this on? I have 30lb mono on some of my saltwater rigs and it doesn't feel like much line is on the reel. I have 25lb mono on a Curado 301E, and I feel like I'm about to spool it sometimes on the cast. Just wondering what reel you are using, and how much line you are getting on that reel. Even like an Abu Garcia 6500 C3 I wouldn't think you could get over 50yds of 200lb Power Pro.

[Catch & Release]

If you don't mind me asking, what type of rod do you use in this setup? I have leaned on fish pretty hard with 20lb braid and had it pull free from their (striper) mouth during the fight. It seems some where in your setup there should be some give to keep from pulling it out of them or straightening hooks using that strong of line.

I have never used anything over 65lb so I have no experience with what you have and was wondering.
My favorite rods I built myself, they are 8 ft blanks with roller guides, rated at 40-80lb line. The blanks are 1' at the base, I also use some 8 ft ugly sticks from bass pro that work well. I use Abu Garcia 10000i reels on my live bait rods, I am not exactly sure how much of the 200lb it holds but it is far more then I have ever needed.
for casting I use Pete Mania musky rods(dont believe they make them anymore, but they have similar rods at bass pro) The reels on my casting rods are abu garcia 6501, and as someone mentioned the line capacity on these is low with the 200lb line, but with the 200lb line I have never had a problem turning them in time. Now with all that being said I have had hooks pull out on a rare occasion, and have had hooks pull out of the body of the redfins, I also change out the hooks that come with them because they straighten out way too easy.
I am sharing this info because I believe too many fisherman fish with way to small of tackle for trophy striper, if you fight them too long or break off, they are not likely to survive. I release all the fish I catch, because I hope to catch them again one day.

Here is a thread just posted to justify what I am talking about:
There seems to be a fella that fished next to me this morning who learned to fish for rockies from your first experience.
Uses 10 lb mono, but throws flukes instead of expensive top water baits, ties into three fish this morning, one spooled his first reel so there is a fish running loose with 150 yds of 10 lb mono hanging on him/her. The next fish runs off like the last one so he cranks down the drag and the fish snaps the line.
The next fish can't be controlled with the light line so it runs amok, picking up two live bait lines thirty yds off to the side of said fisherman. The fish then goes under the barrier, behind my boat where the line goes over my outboard lower unit. End result is me hand lining a 26 lb striper back to my boat, netting it, (couldn't find my gaff) cutting off the fluke and giving it and the fish back to the fisherman, cutting one live line apart and sending the other live line and hook back to the other fishermen.
And this guy fishes with ten lb mono all the time. When he gets a fish on, people have to stop fishing because his fish run all over the place.
__________________

[SAMBOLIE]

Merv, after some research I think I have found why you have so many break offs with mono. Those Zebco 33's have a pin on the spool lip that pops up when you engage the reel to retrieve. If not properly lubed the pin will not fully extend and it frays the line.

Hope that helps.

[agelesssone]

Merv, after some research I think I have found why you have so many break offs with mono. Those Zebco 33's have a pin on the spool lip that pops up when you engage the reel to retrieve. If not properly lubed the pin will not fully extend and it frays the line.

Hope that helps.

Now you've made me feel bad SAMBOLIE.....I appreciate you thinking I had the means AND intelligence to use Zebco 33's. They been on my wish list for decades!

Having given away three houses to my ex-wives (they were all excellent "housekeepers"), alas, I'm afraid the 33's may just remain a pipedream, pie in the sky, fiction instead of fact.

I'll just keep plugging along with my trusty ol Zebco 404's. At least when I buy one of those, I don't have to go buyin no line to spool them with as they come with some pretty darn good stuff already packed on'em.

I could use some new hooks though. Them #2 bronze aberdeen don't seem to hold up too well with them 5 lb monster rockies I beena catchin'.

Mebbe you could buy me one of them 33's you been talking about? My birthday is comin' up purty quick, ya know?

[SAMBOLIE]

Merv, the amazing part of this is that you have found 4 women that would marry you. :) :)

[agelesssone]

Merv, the amazing part of this is that you have found 4 women that would marry you. :) :)

What can I say to that?

I'm just a charming beast!

Hell, last night I had to turn down one old gal in the bar, she wanted me bad......................


I was in the Texas Rose last night, at the bar waiting for a beer, when a butt-ugly, big old girl came up behind me, and slapped me on the butt.

She said, “Hey sexy, how about giving me your number.”

I looked at her and said, “Do you have a pen?”

She said, “I sure do."

I said, “Well, you better get back into it, before the farmer notices you’re missing.”

My dental surgery is on Monday.

[TroutFiend]

Bahaaaaaa!!!!!!

😂😜