No More Trilene For Me. 2025
bartdude186 reply :
To start with,im a stren guy when it comes to mono. I decided over the weekend to spool one of my baitcasters with 14lb Trilene XL just to try it out and go outside of my box for once.after a couple of days i finally make it to the lake and tie on a brand new SK 1/2oz spinnerbait with a trilene knot gave it a tug, no problems. went to make the first cast of the day...SNAP... ^^#*@*??? reeled in, inspected the line,clean break in the line. i thought oh well, i must have damaged the line somehow. i pulled out 5-6 foot of line for good measure and tied on another 1/2oz spinnerbait. fished with it for 30 mins or so with no problems, and then SNAP. i was not a happy camper this time, i noticed that time that it broke right at the knot. It may be an issue with QC at the factory, but still i am accepting no excuses. needless to say when i got home i ripped it off my reel and into the garbage and spooled up some of my ole 12lb stren.
MarkH024 reply :
Sorry to hear of your experience. Probably just a bad spool. I've been playing with Trilene Armor Coated and its pretty good. Very strong for a mono and it casts like a dream. Rarely do I use mono, I'm mostly a braid guy but have mono and fc ob some dedicated rods.
BassAssassin726 reply :
I use Trilene XL all the time with all sorts of knots and have never had an issue. I agree it was probably just a bad spool.
TNBassin' reply :
Trilene XL used to be my line of choice. Never had 1 issue out of it. Do you have a damaged guide that was maybe cutting line?
ww2farmer reply :
Back when I used mono, Trilene was my line of choice. Never had any issues in 20 years.
keith71 reply :
I still use Big Game for a-lot of applications,it has never let me down.If the line was new I would check your guides.
BassAddict1911 reply :
used trilene all my life, never had probs like that ... either a bad spool or ... operator error?
Blues19 reply :
I just got a spool of 8 lb XL to give it a go and got a snag and straightend my hook out. I am very happy with it. Probably a bad spool of it you had. Its annoying, but it happens. If you havent had problems with Stren, that is what I would buy
Fishes in trees reply :
You could have got a bad spool, maybe one that was too old. I have had mono get brittle - new unused spools that I let set in my new line box for a year or two or three. I've learned my lesson (maybe) and now I write the date the spool was purchased on the package and also the month & year should I use that spool to fill a reel.
Now, that being said, I kind of think that 14 lb line is a little light to be throwing half ounce spinnerbaits. I generally throw 17 lb. and I don't think that 20 lb line is out of order for half ounce spinnerbaits. JMO
MDBowHunter reply :
I tried trilene on a few different occasions and pretty much had the same results. I'm a stren guy also, well and power pro braid
Crestliner2008 reply :
Sorry to hear about your loosing some lures. I agree with most of the comments about Trilene line here. Been using it for many, many years with never a problem. And using the "Trilene" knot is excellent as well. Did you wet the knot before cinching it down? And did you slowly tighten it up. Tightening a knot quickly, with mono and/or fluorocarbon lines, can create heat and a weak spot. Probably more a case of an old spool of line though, or one that was left in the sun for awhile.
WRB reply :
Any brand of mono can be subject to temperature degradation and aging. If mono is stored in sub zero or above 105 degrees F, it will degrade severely.
I would question your knot testing skills and not blame Trilene.
Tom
tomustang reply :
Usually it's backwards, the stren breaks and people go back to triline 
POPRG reply :
was this the "new" trilene? they have reformulated XL and XT..?
lmbfisherman reply :
On 6/14/2013 at 11:45 PM, tomustang said:Usually it's backwards, the stren breaks and people go back to triline
Ha, but eh everyone has different experiences. When I did use mono - it was Trilene Big Game and XT. Before I discovered braid and copoly.
Downeaster2010 reply :
On 6/14/2013 at 8:24 AM, bartdude186 said:To start with,im a stren guy when it comes to mono. I decided over the weekend to spool one of my baitcasters with 14lb Trilene XL just to try it out and go outside of my box for once.after a couple of days i finally make it to the lake and tie on a brand new SK 1/2oz spinnerbait with a trilene knot gave it a tug, no problems. went to make the first cast of the day...SNAP... ^^#*@*??? reeled in, inspected the line,clean break in the line. i thought oh well, i must have damaged the line somehow. i pulled out 5-6 foot of line for good measure and tied on another 1/2oz spinnerbait. fished with it for 30 mins or so with no problems, and then SNAP. i was not a happy camper this time, i noticed that time that it broke right at the knot. It may be an issue with QC at the factory, but still i am accepting no excuses. needless to say when i got home i ripped it off my reel and into the garbage and spooled up some of my ole 12lb stren.
I would suspect that you did get an older spool of Trilene line, or maybe you do have a nicked guide on your rod. I used
Stren for years, and Trilene aswell. My best overall luck was with Trilene XL. I also went to Trilene in Flourocarbon green
for a spell. That was ok, but have returned to the Trilene Xl and am much happier. Same amount of bites, tough line, and
less tears and tangles, along with a cheaper price.
BassAssassin726 reply :
I agree with other posters as well about checking your guides and such. Check anything on your rod the line comes in contact with.
shootermcbob reply :
I agree about also eliminating any other possible causes. Your line choice is just that, your choice.
Check your guides and double check your knots.
one last thing, how often do you check your line for abrasion?
bartdude186 reply :
All good replies guys. After digging the line out of the garage trashcan and after further inspection i noticed that in good light i could tell the line was discolored in some spots. After all these comments i picked up another spool today at a different store and spooled up one of my other reels. i want to give it a fair shot.Thanks for all the replies! i will be testing it out monday and tuesday and hope to have a better experience.
Capt.Bob reply :
On 6/14/2013 at 11:45 PM, tomustang said:Usually it's backwards, the stren breaks and people go back to trilene
BEEN THERE DONE THAT!!! I agree with others, I think you got a bad spool that has been on the rack or in a warehouse to long. I am sure if your knot tying and equipment are good to go, and your not happier with Trilene than Stren, you definitely got a bad spool! Try it again but get it from a source you know has good turnover and can be sure it is fresh, that aint wall mart!! I am sure you will be happy! 
Dave Hull reply :
Yea for a general purpose line I've always said you can't go wrong with the XL. I did not like the Trilene 100% flourocarbon though. Too wirey to use on a spinning reel!
SirSnookalot reply :
I've bought mono or copoly that I didn't like but to my knowledge never had a bad spool, I buy line where ever it's convenient. I keep my lines in my garage in Florida year round, it get's hot here, no problems. I can't remember but 1 cracked guide (top guide) severing my line, don't even use hook keepers. I can remember tying bad knots and having my line scrapped up due to rocks or fish, when problems arise that's usually the culprit for me.
hooah212002 reply :
On 6/15/2013 at 10:10 AM, bartdude186 said:All good replies guys. After digging the line out of the garage trashcan and after further inspection i noticed that in good light i could tell the line was discolored in some spots. After all these comments i picked up another spool today at a different store and spooled up one of my other reels. i want to give it a fair shot.Thanks for all the replies! i will be testing it out monday and tuesday and hope to have a better experience.
Good on you for having an open mind. Don't see that often enough.
Bass4Me007 reply :
I don't know if you we're using the new Trilene XL, or not. My experience this year was a strange one. I tied on 8# and couldn't get it to hold a knot worth anything. It was so bad, I finally had to take it off without even fishing it. At the same time I put 4# on another reel. It was good and strong, and in fishing it I couldn't believe how strong it was. I'm hoping the 8# was a rare fluke rather than evidence that the new formula is producing inconsistent results. I certainly can't make a conclusion on just two spools, but thought I'd add my experience, for what it's worth.
Capt.Bob reply :
On 6/15/2013 at 10:10 AM, bartdude186 said:All good replies guys. After digging the line out of the garage trashcan and after further inspection i noticed that in good light i could tell the line was discolored in some spots. After all these comments i picked up another spool today at a different store and spooled up one of my other reels. i want to give it a fair shot.Thanks for all the replies! i will be testing it out monday and tuesday and hope to have a better experience.
On 6/15/2013 at 7:16 PM, hooah212002 said:Good on you for having an open mind. Don't see that often enough.
I couldn't agree more! I think after trying a fresh spool he will not only be happy, but will display to others how keeping an open mind pays off.
POPRG reply :
i wonder how the "new formula XT" will perform? Have been hesitant to try it,but for $7.99/spool,i may just pull the trigger..
buzzfrog reply :
the last spool i bought was bad aswell, i was told all the stuff that they sell in the box type packaging is last years as the new stuff, is like the blister pack stuff
jtharris3 reply :
Trilene FTW! 
JunkYard814 reply :
I've never fished any other mono than Trilene. For the price, performance and availability, I see no reason to even try another brand. I know the general consensus is to change your line often, but I finally just took some 17lb off my one casting reel yesterday. It's been on there for 2 years at least. No memory problems, no breaking issues, nothing. The only reason why I actually took it off was because I had used so much of it that I was spooling on some of my casts with bigger baits.
WRB reply :
+2On 6/15/2013 at 9:57 PM, Capt.Bob said:I couldn't agree more! I think after trying a fresh spool he will not only be happy, but will display to others how keeping an open mind pays off.
The way I test mono line before spooling it is wrap a few turns around each about a foot apart and give it a couple of firm snaps. You can tell real fast if it's weakened with a little experience. I always do this it's become a habit before starting out my day on the water. Very frustrating buying or using line that has gone bad and it can happen to every brand of mono, copolymer FC. Don't do this with braid!
Tom
bartdude186 reply :
Well i went out today and had 0 problems with the new line. no breaks,memory,nothing. i will be leaving it on this time. thanks for all the replies once again guys. and as a few people have stated, always have an open mind. everything doesn't work on the first try. i still like my stren, but if trilene happens to be on sale i won't think twice about picking some more of it up.Tight lines everyone!
cajunpapi reply :
On 6/14/2013 at 9:33 AM, keith71 said:I still use Big Game for a-lot of applications,it has never let me down.If the line was new I would check your guides.
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Bass Junkie reply :
Check out the Sufix Elite mono at your local DSG. They always. Have it on "sale", down to within $0.50 of Trilene XL. I have not used the new Trilene, but I used the old stuff for years, and the Sufix is distinctively better.On 6/16/2013 at 4:34 AM, JunkYard814 said:I've never fished any other mono than Trilene. For the price, performance and availability, I see no reason to even try another brand. I know the general consensus is to change your line often, but I finally just took some 17lb off my one casting reel yesterday. It's been on there for 2 years at least. No memory problems, no breaking issues, nothing. The only reason why I actually took it off was because I had used so much of it that I was spooling on some of my casts with bigger baits.
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