Field and Stream Monofilament Fishing Line

I was asked to give my opinion on the Field and Stream monofilament fishing line. Having never fished with it and open to new options, I accepted the offer. I was given a spool of 8 lb. test clear Field and Stream monofilament fishing line and spooled it on my Daiwa Exceler 3000 Spinning Reel.

Field and Stream Monofilament Fishing Line – The Field Test

To get a proper field test, I felt it was necessary to check the line on various rods. For the first test, I mounted my reel to a Tom’s Custom Rod with a microwave guide set; this is a lighter action rod. I set up a dropshot rig with a VMC Spinshot #1 Dropshot Hook and a small knotless weight. While I was unable to catch a bass in the short time I had to fish, I used two different swim baits and a finesse worm. The line performed well; I had no casting or performance issues. I didn’t notice any twisting, abrasion or stretching issues. However, to provide a realistically solid review, I need to catch a bass or two.

On my next outing, I used the same Daiwa Exceler 3000; however, I put it on my Dobyns FR703SF. I rigged it with an Owner 1/0 Weedless Wacky Worm Hook and a #7 split shot. I used a selection of wacky worm baits. I landed several bass on this outing and could test the catching performance, which was excellent. Although, I didn’t catch anything with notable size.

On this outing, I noticed line loops developing at the bottom of the reel skirt; while this is indicative of line twisting, I’m not ready to blame the line yet. After a long cast to straighten and tighten the line, it would be several casts before I had another loop. The presentation could have been causing line twist or loose line on the spool. I usually fill my spinning reel spool to about 1/16 of an inch from the full line. I removed enough to make it 1/8 inch from the spools rim and had no reoccurrence. At this point, I will blame the looping issue on an overfilled spool.

For a complete review, I also wanted to test the Field & Stream monofilament fishing line on a baitcaster. I have a part-time job at a local store selling tackle, and we carry Field and Stream products. For my baitcasting needs 8 lb. is too light, so I bought some heavier line. I wanted 12 lb. test. However, it’s popular, and we were out of stock. So, I settled for 14 lb. clear. I spooled this onto my Pinnacle Matrix 7.0:1 reel mounted to my “Skeet Reese” Jig/Worm rod. I set it up with my usual Texas rig, which is an Eagle Claw bobber stopper, small tungsten bullet weight and a Gamakatsu 1/0 light wire worm hook. I used various Texas rigged soft plastic worms. The line worked flawlessly the whole day. I didn’t notice any problems with the line. Casting, durability, and strength were all on par with other monofilaments I’ve used. I caught the majority of my bass on this setup.

Field and Stream Monofilament Fishing Line – Up The Antee

To be honest, I like the Field and Stream monofilament fishing line so far. To expand my review even further, I decided to explore the Field and Stream Braided line. I purchased a spool of 15 lb. test Field & Stream Braided Line and a spool of their 8 lb. green monofilament for a leader. I spooled the braid on my Abu Garcia Pro Max Spinning Reel and mounted it on my Tom’s Custom Rod. I set it up with the same wacky worm setup used above.

I took the Dobyns Dropshot, Skeet Reese Texas Rig and Tom’s Custom Wacky Worm setups out one more time before doing this review. The line worked great, but I did break off two Texas rig setups on the hook set. The break was at the hook eye, confirmed by coiled line at the break. I used a standard Trilene knot on those two, after switching to a Palomar knot I had no more hook set breakages. I’m not sure why I had this problem. Some lines are very slick, and a Palomar knot just works better. While I’m not ready to blame the line on these failures, I’m confident in my knot tying capabilities. Time and more experimenting will tell.

I wanted to retest the 8 lb. monofilament. I took the Dobyns FR703SF, AG ProMax with the F&S braided line and 8 lb. green mono leader and my Tom’s Custom with the Daiwa Exceler 3000 and 8 lb. clear mono line on it. I was fishing wacky worms on the Tom’s Custom and a crankbait on the Dobyns rod. I caught one 13-inch largemouth on the clear mono. A little later I hooked a larger bass; this bass pulled drag on the reel. I only got a glimpse but could tell it was a nice one. This bass ended up breaking the line during battle. A second bass was hooked with the clear mono and made it all the way to the boat before the line broke above the hook. I caught several bass, but these two failures are worth mentioning.

On my last field testing trip, I went to Rocky Gorge and tested the abrasion characteristics of the line. Rocky Gorge lives up its name with lots of rocks. There was some noticeable wear on the line in the bottom foot or so of line. I don’t consider this to be any worse than other monofilament lines I’ve used.

Field and Stream Monofilament Fishing Line – Overall

Bottom line, I am happy with the Field & Stream braid but did have line breakage concerns with both the 8 and 14 lb. clear monofilament. I prefer green monofilament lines but did not notice any concerns with bass avoiding the clear Field and Stream monofilament fishing line. I liked the performance of the braid tied directly to the Owner Weedless Wacky Worm Hook. I may purchase more of the braid and maybe some of their fluorocarbon lines to try. All in all, I like their braid, and it performed well on the spinning reel. The Field and Stream lines are very affordable across the entire spectrum of options. I would recommend trying Field and Stream lines. They provide excellent performance at a great price. When using Field and Stream monofilament fishing lines, make sure to check knots and retie often.

See you on the water!
Ed Kriston

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