Best shooting line, cable etc?

[Charlieboy]

What's up guys,

I was searching for everyones opinion on just exactly what is the best cable, line etc. to rig your speargun up with. I couldn't find any thread specifically on this subject so I decided to start one. If there is a thread if someone would be so kind as to point me in the right direction. If not then let's get started.

Basically it seems to me that the choices are down to whether to use Mono, Stainless steel (galvanized?) coated or uncoated, Spectra (Q-Powerline) or something else I don't know about. I really appreciate everyones willingness to contribute, and please give pro's and con's to whatever suggestions are made.......Thanks, Charlie :martial

 

[Tin Man]

When hunting around small wrecks in Pensacola Bay, I prefer black 400 lb mono. I've tried red, and the bright green, and they are both much harder for me to see in the murky water. The mono does get small nicks and cuts, but it's cheap, so I change it out periodically. And the grouper and snapper that I shoot are under 20lbs, so I don't need crazy strength.

Around the oil rigs, cable is required. The 7x19 stainless is nicely flexible, and I use uncoated. Just know that cable adds bit of weight vs. other lines, and can make a slender euro style gun (with little reserve buoyancy) a little more nose heavy.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

If you are shooting big tuna or diving around rigs, then cable is necessary, but its also dangerous since its hard to cut if you get tangled.

I've tried Q-Power yellow Spectra and found that its more likely to tangle in your wishbones and stop the shot, so I'm back to 400 pound mono. However, if you are using a small Euro gun, 400 pound might be a bit thick.

I differ from Tin Man in that I find the green Momoi outrigger mono much easier to see in the murk than black mono. A lot of guys here in California swear by it for high visibility in the murk and kelp, but maybe our murk is different from his murk.

 

[Tin Man]

Bill - I tried the green mono specifically because you and so many others seem to prefer it, and I honestly don't know why my situation is different. The only thing that I can figure is that maybe it's the color of the sandy bottom I dive over, vs. rocks or kelp. That, and I don't have a fighter pilot's eyes.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Bill - I tried the green mono specifically because you and so many others seem to prefer it, and I honestly don't know why my situation is different. The only thing that I can figure is that maybe it's the color of the sandy bottom I dive over, vs. rocks or kelp. That, and I don't have a fighter pilot's eyes.

I don't either any more.

That's weird, but maybe it is the sand bottom.

 

[myfish]

I've found 1.7 -- 2mm black mono easy to see in coloured and clear water if a sandy bottom.

I don't use it at night or over kelp. Instead, I use a thicker but shorter, more pliable single wrap of bright green that the torch can pick up from various angles. In daylight, a thicker line is easier to manage if wrapped around kelp stalks as fish go to ground. In dense cover, a single wrap is my preferred system.