I hate platypus line

[stonedpirate]

Hi all

I was new to alvey reels a couple of years ago when i bought my first one. I now have 3. Because alvey recommends the use of low stretch line, I always bought platypus lo stretch for all 3 reels as it was the only one that said low stretch on the box

After two years of being snapped off by small tailor on 8kg, small sharks on 15kg and last night on a small bronzie on 24kg lo stretch, i have had it with this line.

If i bought 1000m of 24kg tortue, is that going to explode my fibreglass spool when i hook up to a shark?

I read a forum post about a guy who used 15kg berkely big game and his reel exploded 10 minutes after spooling it.

I like alvey reels but i hate lo stretch platy.

Dont want to kill my spools using random line.

What would be a suitable alternative for 600m+ of 24kg?

Thanks

[Nolongeramember]

I agree with you that Platypus mono is crap line but I think the Tailor and sharks would have probably bitten you off and snapped the line, which would happen with any mono line you happen to be using.

I have never heard of Alvey reels exploding but I'm guessing from what you said that the cause was spooling the reel with too much tension.

Mono spooled under high tension stretches and builds up pressure with every turn on the spool. Add up a full spool and the pressure can be very high. The solution is to spool it with some tension so that it doesn't go on loose but don't over do it if that makes sense.

All mono stretches a lot no matter what the labels say. I like Schneider line myself.

[brad_tate]

When I was a kid my Dad swore by Platypus line. That is 35 years ago now however and a lot changes of course. I haven't used it in 20 years myself and from the feedback above I won't be using it anytime soon.

I don't use much Mono, just a little as a shock leader between my Braid and Flouro, so can't recommend anything sorry.

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[Jewdreamer]

Tortue is great on an alvey, 20 years as a rockhopper on 600s, 650s and 700 alveys in the 80s and 90s...nothing better!

2.5KG breambo on 6lb, on an MT4144/600A, 8Kg Tailor on 15lb Mt7144/650C/

Love the tortue supercontrol, wouldnot spool an alvey with anything else for rock fishing

Cheers

Chris

[shakey55]

I use alveys with torque and have never had a problem.

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Edited January 8, 2016 by shakey55

[Ryder]

I have never had a problem with Platypus line snapping.

I have had issues with black anodised swivels. After 10 minutes in the surf, they become shiny silver.

Tailor candy.

As for the exploding spools, Yes it has happened in the past, after a big fight with a shark.

The line gets stretched and compresses on the spool overnight.

I met a WA rod builder and reel collector last year, newly relocated to NSW Central Coast.

He had examples of Alvey reels customised with laminated wooden spools, and lathed alloy spools to overcome the problem.

[RexSenior]

I haven't had any dramas with Platypus line, there are a couple of brands I won't touch again but Platypus has been OK.

I went to BCF through the week with Chrissy vouchers and there were so many new brands popping up, it's hard to try them all and some are very pricey.

I use Berkley Triline now, the reason is mostly being value for money as I'm fishing lighter than ever and change line regularly due to fishing around rocks & oysters.

Not sure how it goes on Alveys but as mentioned above the tension is probably the issue not the line. I have heard of the Alveys crushing under pressure, just remember on the final retrieve for the day to be careful with the tension and if you can run the line loosely through a rag this will get rid of the salt so it doesn't damage the line in storage (if you're not washing your gear down.

What some people may do is fight a big fish / shark and lose it at the end of the fight, pack up and go home with the sh#!'s - not thinking about the building tension on the line.

[Rock&Beach]

Hey fella I use the Berkeley big game on all my reels now that I use for fishing around the rocks handles it pretty good. I don't use Alveys though. Has good knot strength and abrasion resistance as well and appears to have less stretch. If you do a search you can get some good prices on it. I mainly buy the 6, 8 & 10 kg lines. I used to use the Trilene but was not impressed, struggled with knots breaking even with plenty of spit.

Agree with Rex always wash the gear down.

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[bluefin]

I have the Super 100 platypus line on my alvey ,its been there for 10 years never had a problem. I use 8 kg line so compression isn't a problem. before that when I was rock fishing I used Tortue because it is more abraision resistant. have a spool of low stretch to replace it with, but haven't bothered yet .thought I would give the low stretch a go.. one day!

[Crossfire63]

Super 100 and Lo Stretch are pretty much all I use and have never had a drama

[stonedpirate]

Thanks all

Being snapped off could be for a lot of reasons including your knots..........saying that the line is crap could be very misleading

I agree that it could be misleading but i have no interest in misleading anyone. My knots are always tied with care and with good technique, never had a knot fail on me.

I ordered some tortue online so waiting on it to be delivered. I wanted to go sharking last night but i only had half a reel of 50lb lo stretch left after all my snap offs. I went to kmart because i remembered seeing this cheap line and thought i would try it someday so took a punt and put 300m of 50lb jarvis walker hercules over the top of the 200m of lo stretch.

No sharks but hooked up to a big ray within the first 20 mins. My 26kg alvey rod was bent in half, the lo stretch would have snapped under these conditions. The cheap $7 kmart line would not break. This stuff is tough as rope, looks good in high vis yellow.

It is night and day difference fishing with true 50lb strong mainline compared with fragile lo stretch.

Went home without losing any tackle for the first time in ages.

I agree that line can snap for many reasons but 50lb line shouldnt snap so easy.

Platy lo stretch, never again.

Kind of regret ordering the tortue because this $7 line seems to be more than enough for the little sharks i play with.

[Nolongeramember]

Kind of regret ordering the tortue because this $7 line seems to be more than enough for the little sharks i play with.

I have found the real cheap stuff is either rubbish from the beginning or it loses it strength in a short time with use or even in storage. I would stick with the quality stuff. Less headaches and more fish.

[stonedpirate]

Good point.

I'll see how it goes over the long run before i judge it.