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Although Iâm a bass angler at heart, I love hooking up the aluminum boat and targeting panfish from time to time. Itâs a great change of pace and it allows me to fill my freezer with tasty and healthy fillets.
Iâve had a hard time finding a fishing line that I like, however. Every panfish line I buy tends to jump off the reel and twist really badly on a windy day. This is especially true when I’m using small inline spinners when Iâm bluegill fishing.
A few years ago, I found a really goodâand cheapâline that I wanted to share with everyone. I bought a few spools of Lewâs Mr. Crappie Monofilament Line and itâs now my definite line of choice for all things panfish.
Iâll quickly explain what sets it apart from the rest Iâve tried.
Itâs the strongest 6-pound test Iâve used
I get snagged a lot when Iâm fishing for panfish. Whether Iâm chucking inline spinners towards shallow laydowns or trolling jigs over the tops of brush piles, some days it feels like I catch more wood than fish. Luckily, this has given me a great opportunity to test the strength of this line.
Lewâs Mr. Crappie Monofilament is absolutely the strongest 6-pound test Iâve ever used for panfishing. There have been several instances in which Iâve actually dragged a submerged Christmas tree several feet while trying to break my lineâand I actually get my hook and/or lure back.
This line has only failed me one time while catching a fish; and a 7-pound largemouth ate one of my crappie minnows and my drag was set too tight. Iâve caught plenty of crappie in the 3-pound range and huge bull bluegill without a single line failure. I have yet to find a panfish line that’s tougher.
Resists line twist
As I mentioned earlier, I love fishing small spinners around bluegill beds. Iâm always doing it for fun, so I donât go crazy with my gear selection and start tying barrel swivels to my line. Iâm just trying to relax.
Even when I tie a spinner straight to my main line, I experience very little line twist while using Lewâs Mr. Crappie Monofilament. Iâll get a few coils every now and again, but they fall out quite easily.
Behaves well on the spool
Iâm not ashamed to admit that I buy most of my ultralight reels from the refurbished bin. They work just fine and Iâm not fighting huge fish most of the time, so theyâre just fine for me. But not all of these reels handle line very well. In fact, most of my reels are pretty âpickyâ when it comes to panfish line.
Since using Lewâs Mr. Crappie Monofilament, I honestly canât remember the last wind knot or birdâs nest Iâve experienced. It rarely jumps off the spool and lays flat, whether Iâm casting into the wind or trolling over deep brush.
The color doesnât bother the fish
I have caught hundreds of crappie that didnât seem to mind the hi-vis yellow color. I actually prefer it because those panfish will bite so lightly, itâs important to see the slightest jump or twitch in my line. Itâs easy to see in both sunny and cloudy conditions, and that easy bite detection is often the key to filling up my cooler.
I actually know a non-sponsored Elite Series pro who fished with 6-pound Lewâs Mr. Crappie Monofilament during the 2017 Cherokee Lake event. He was using crappie jigs to catch lethargic, cold-water bass and this line helped him win a $10,000 check. So I guess the bass didnât mind the hi-vis yellow, either!
Available at FishUSA.com
This stuff is dirt cheap and strong as an ox. If youâre looking for a good panfish line, I truly believe youâll fall in love with this stuff. Prices start at just $4.99 per spool.
Lewâs Mr. Crappie Monofilament is available at FishUSA.com.