After years and years of fishing in Tennessee, the family recently went on vacation in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We spent a week at a cabin and just enjoyed each other's company and fishing. We went fishing everyday and we always seemed to be catching some decent bass, sun fish, perch, etc... My soon to be father-in-law (Duane) asked me if I wanted to go fishing for Muskie? The only thing I knew about a muskie was that it was similar to a Northern Pike but figured why not. I had seen some pictures on the cabin wall of some Muskie pulled from the lake and knew that my lightweight reel wasn't going to get the job done. Mr. Duane offered up one of his rod and reels setup for this particular type of fishing. 

     Duane and I jumped into the boat and out onto the lake we went. When he opened up a dry storage area on the boat he handed me about the equivalent of a telephone pole with a winch on it and a brown crankbait that was as big as some of the fish I had been catching all week. I have fished for some big catfish and used several open sea reels so figured it couldn't be that much of a difference. What I did notice when I was putting the crankbait onto the lead was that the line was different than others I have used. Duane explained to me that it was 50lb Tuf Line. He said that after trying many different brands he found the Tuf Line worked the best because it was very strong, easy to get kinks out of the line, had no memory and could last after multiple big fish catches and seasons.

      About 15 minutes into fishing I got to test out the ability to remove a knot in the line. I simply pulled both ends of the knot and it came right out. My fishing buddy told me that was a great thing about the line, that is so smooth knots just came right out! About 15 minutes later I hooked into a decent sized Northern Pike, about 16-18 inches and 8-9 lbs. When I got him to the boat he saw me, spit the hook out, gave me "the fin" and swam away. The line felt great and gave me a lot of feedback to know that the fish was on and really fighting.

      Not 20 minutes later we switched to another spot. When I was reeling in I saw my bait about 10 feet away from the boat, it disappeared and I felt a fish hit it hard! He swam to the boat close enough to get a good look at us and then he dove right up under the boat bending the pole almost in half! After a good fight we got him in the net right when he broke one of the treble hooks clean away from the crankbait! Once out of the net we found we had on our hands a 42" 26lb Tiger Hybrid Muskie! Duane, having fished these waters for years and growing up on this lake, has pulled many a Muskie from the waters but this was my absolute first. I was so excited I almost went swimming with the fish trying to get him in the boat and then just about threw my cell phone in the water. We practice catch and release with these fish and once we snapped a couple of pictures we set him loose back in the water and made our way back to the cabin. Once there began to tell the rest of the family about the fish and show the pictures. 2 hours later my hands were still shaking a little bit (laughing).

     Thanks to my great fishing partner Duane for putting onto the Muskie fishing and it's addiction. Thanks to Tuf Line for making a line that helped me land the elusive fish. I am so impressed with Tuf Line that every reel in my house is being lined with from now on, from my little lightweight reel up to my Muskie rig! Even my family's reels will be added to the Tuf Line family as well.

     Thanks Duane and Tuf Line!!!

• Posted by: Will Johnson
• Location: Wisconsin

I have been using Tufline for about 12 years now and could not be happier with it. I started out with the Original Tufline then moved to Tufline Plus and now the Tufline XP. I have always used it for the bigger fish and used mono for lighter fishing. I will be switching over to all Tufline this season due to the improved abrasion resistance in the newer lines. Thank you for making such a superior product.

Lines fished: 15lb, 20lb, 40lb, 50lb. All Tufline XP green.

• Posted by: Travis Carter
• Location: Western Washington

I've attached a picture of a false albacore that was recently
certified as the New York State Record for the species at 16.4
pounds. I landed the fish on 20-pound TUF-Line XP. Casting for
these fish is very demanding on the line because the technique
is to cast as far as you can, then reel very fast to skip the 1-
ounce tin across the surface of the water. This means that there
isn't constant pressure on the line. We also make a ridiculous
number of casts while doing this because of the fast retrieve.
I've had line knot problems with other braids that I tried
before trying the TUF-Line XP. No problems with the XP…and it also
outcasts the other braids. This coming season, I'm going
to replace the 30-pound braid I use for striper
fishing with TUF-Line XP.
 
John Skinner
Surf Editor
Nor'east Saltwater Magazine

• Posted by: John Skinner
• Location: New York

My name is Simon Steele and I live with my Family in Mackay, in Australia where my young Son Fraser and I have just started to fish for Barramundi.  Living in Mackay we are very much spoiled with some great wild and impoundment Barramundi opportunities.  I started taking the
kids to the rivers edge in June last year and for Fraser this is where it all started, on his second only cast while I was still tying my lure on he hooked a great Barra that jumped just 6 feet in front of him.  I had to grab him by the belt to keep him on land.  Many Trips to the tackle store later we have all the gear and a second hand boat and Fraser and I get away to either Teemburra or Kinchant dam as often as we can.  I have done as much with him as possible while they are off on school holidays.  On this Monday night after dinner we made our way up to Kinchant dam to try our luck, shortly after arriving and with a big moon rising I caught a nice 70cm Barra and Fraser was right there with the net for me, it was a good sign because as you know some times in the impoundments they just wont bite and nothing you can do seems to work. It was all-quiet for the next hour and we were just talking about moving when he said dad
I ‘m on with real excitement in his voice.  Well, true he was on all right, the first jump the fish made was in the dark out of the reach of our cap lamps but by the splash it made I knew this was not a small one. Fraser fishes with 20lb TUF-Line XP and 40lb leader so we let the fish take line and boy did it take some, the next jump was nearer the boat and we both got a look at the massive fish at this point, it had taken his Killer Lure Barra bait front on and there was no sign of it, it was very well hooked.  The big fish had us from front to back of the boat twice and gave the poor little bloke the workout of a lifetime in the process, Fraser is 37kg the fish ended up
weighing 35.5kg so it was very nearly a pound for pound battle. I didn't touch his rod right through out the 20-30 minutes it took to fight the fish, he ran the drag as he wished and really showed what he had learned. As a father watching all this by his side will be a moment in time I will just never ever forget, I just kept praying that his little rod didn't break because it had some ridiculous curl on it at times, our gear isn't expensive and I didn't know if it would hold up to
such a beating.  Long story short, we got the net under her and into the boat where we both just stood looking and smiling, he gave me a huge hug and said thanks for the help with
the net, he was shaking like a leaf. We measured it at 1.24m long, his dream and constant waking hope of one day catching a metre long Barramundi had come true and the smile in the photos says it all, its Friday now as I write and he is still on high revs.  Just before he went to
bed tonight I told him I would write to you and show you his fish, he said what do you think they will say dad? He is very excited to think that you would look at it; he said tell them about the leader and how close we were to not landing it.  When we got the lure out and had

A look at the leader it was hanging by a proverbial thread, one more good shake and it would have been all over, some things are just meant to be.  

 

We both just wanted to say thank you for making such a dependable braided line, I have no doubt that a fish this size would have turned any other brand inside out, the monofilament leader only just made it through the battle but the line performed perfectly and a 10 year old boy landed a fish that many only dream about.  

 

Our sincere thanks and all the best for
2010

 

Simon and Fraser Steele

• Posted by: Fraser Steele
• Location: Mackay, Australia

Just thought that I would share some images with you of my recent trip fishing out of Plymouth, Massachusetts.  We fished the Stelwagan Bank and targeted Blue fin tuna aboard Black Rose Charters with Captain Rich Antonino.  We went 4 for 7 on tuna this trip and caught all of our fish vertical jigging.  There is no way to explain how hard the impact is of a 140 to 180 lbs Blue fin tuna when it hits a vertical jig with braided line.  These reels are in gear as we are jigging and is much different than fishing a live bait that has the reel in free spool.  It is one incredible feeling that sends shock waves through your entire body.  What was even more amazing is the tackle that we were using.  My fish was landed on the Cedros-10S lever drag reel.  This is a small reel normally used for 15-40 lbs tuna fishing out of California and is a high speed reel.  I had the reel spooled up with 50 pound TUF-Line XP and released the fish in about 25 minutes.  Our largest fish that was estimated at 180-lbs was caught vertical jigging on a Salina-80 spinning reel and a 7’0” Cedros jigging rods.  After seeing the torture of this, I do not think I ever want to hook one of these giants on spinning tackle.  It works just fine, but is  a lot of work.  Our other fish were all in the 140 to 160 lbs range and were landed on the Cedros-15S lever drag reels and the Cedros jigging rods. 

This fishery is absolutely incredible.  I have never seen such volume of tuna.  At certain points of our trip we have tuna between 100-200 lbs jumping 360 degrees around the boat.  We pretty much saw fish the entire day coming out of the water, which is frustrating and very exciting at the same time.  These guys have been getting Blue fin from June through November and there are giants mixed in.  You have no idea if you are going to hook a 150-lbs fish or a 500 plus pound fish.  I am definitely planning on heading back next season if any of you guys want to go.  We have a great product tester who really loves catching these giants on light tackle and jigs.

One of the most amazing things that I saw was on a fish that we lost.  We were throwing top water lures at the tuna when they were crashing the surface and one of our guys hooked a huge Blue fin about 25 feet off our transom.  The fish came clear out of the water.  This tuna was hooked on a Slugo and a Salina-80 spinning reel.  It was as if we hooked into a turbo charged Ferrari as it spooled us in 37 seconds and was captured on video.  Two of the guys saw the fish as it swam past the boat at full speed and said that it was well over 300-lbs.    

Sincerely,

John Bretza

Director of Product Development

Okuma Fishing Tackle, Tiburon Reels, Pakula Lures

• Posted by: John Bretza
• Location: California

Just finishing up on a great two month fall fishery and wanted to share with you a photo of a 46# Up-river Bright Chinook that we caught on October 8th. The fish was caught on the Columbia River near Hood River.

As always, this fish and others were all landed with a Western Filament product, 60# Guide's Choice (White). Everyone that fishes with me loves the product and several have visited their local tackle store to purchase said line for their own use.

Thanks again for making such a great product!

• Posted by: Dub Burnum
• Location: Hood River, Oregon

Here is a pic of a red snapper that I caught this past summer. The fish was caught at a depth of 270' and weighed just under 32lbs. In the Gulf of Mexico we are able to target big Red Snapper and Grouper due to the oil field structure. When fishing this structure, one needs strong and dependable gear. I choose Tuff Line XP.

• Posted by: Dave
• Location: Louisiana

As a UK snow bird and wintering in the Florida Keys for over 10 years it still amazes me what can happen in the Keys. After a session on on of our Gulf wrecks in Florida bay a big and i mean big shark fin appered in the chum slick, over went the shark rod and with just 80lb line the fight started, after 2hrs 23min, and many miles of being towed we got the fish alongside a hammerhead some 12 to 14 ft long estimated 1000 to 1200lbs. Just shows what can be done on light line, i have used Tufline now for over 10 years and despite try other new superlines always go back to Tufline. Its hard to see the size in the photo but none of my friends would jump in and hold the fin to show just how big this fish was.

• Posted by: Rodney Goodship
• Location: marathon Florida Keys

We've been using TUF-Line on our charter boats at Bud N' Mary's in the Keys and I can say that it really does live up to its name. It's tough, durable and thin-- it's the very best line we've found to fish the current in the Gulfstream. Even when landing 400-plus pound swordfish! It's the best. 

Captain Richard Stanczyk

Bud N' Mary's Marina (Islamorada, Florida)

• Posted by: Richard Stanczyk
• Location: Islamorada, Florida

For more than 10 years I’ve been hunting Europe’s biggest freshwater predator now – the catfish. Fishing the more than 100 kg heavy and up to 3 meters long predator requires highest standards on your equipment. The line is one of the most important components on your hunt for such a giant.  Concerning the line I have never accepted compromises. The TUF-Line XP has always sustained its position on getting for the catfish and is part and parcel of my tackle.

During the previous years I’ve been fishing in tropical saltwater. Besides the Caribbean and Florida, Africa’s west- and east coast is one of my favorites. Let it be spin fishing on Tarpon or jig- and popper fishing the TUF-Line provided the catches of my life. That’s for sure: no other line will be part of my tackle!

Lines fished: 50 lbs, 65 lbs, 100 lbs, 130 lbs

• Posted by: Andy Knausenerger
• Location: Plochingen, Germany

Thank you for a great product in TUF-Line XP. The days of breaking a mainline are gone! Thought I'd show one of my favorite photos from the Nushagak River in Alaska where the King Salmon just come one after the other. Can't wait to try the XP Indicator....looks perfect for backtrollers!

• Posted by: Bill B.
• Location: Vancouver, WA

TUF-Line's Best

Superline Info

Pro Staff