Subscribe to be notified for updates: RSS Feed
There has been a lot of mixed feelings on the new Berkley NanoFil fishing line. Some people say it's not reliable, breaks at the knot easily. Others say it's amazing, it's strong and casts a mile. Here's what we thought about it.
First thing I want to talk about is something a lot of people are complaining about. The knot strength. All over the net are reviews and message board posts saying this line breaks all the time at the knot. This is something at first I thought to be true. Before taking the line out to the water I tried and tested a Improved Clinch Knot several times. The first time I tied the knot I took my time and paid close attention to how well the knot was forming. I wet the line and slowly pulled the knot tight. Once it was tight I trimmed the excess line leaving 1/4 inch. I can tell you right now that there is no way that knot is going to come loose while tied properly (more on this later). I was very pleased with the strength of the knot so I cut it off and decided to try it again. This time I tied the knot more quickly and didn't wet the line before pulling the knot tight. Before the knot had a chance to tighten all the way the line snapped with very little pressure. At this point I realized the amount of friction caused by tightening the knot without the line being wet was too much for it to handle. Do not ever tie a knot with this line without wetting it! My third attempt I took my time and did everything properly just like the first knot again. The outcome was a good strong knot that did not seem to slip at all.
I was a little nervous the first time I took this line out to the water, but I tied on my snap swivel and headed out with only this line. There was that fear of getting a good fish and the line just coming loose for no reason. Fortunately my fears quickly disappeared when I got my shad rap caught on something. After a lot of pulling, and I mean a lot, the lure finally broke loose. I thought for sure after everything I had read that the knot was just going to slip and my lure was going to be gone. Also, on top of the fear of the knot coming loose was that I was only using 8lb line. I can say that this line should have broke with the amount of force I put on it to try and get the lure loose, but it didn't. When I got the lure in I checked the knot and everything looked just fine. So I decided to put the knot through even more hell.
After catching 10 fish with the largest being 4lb the knot is still good! In fact my swivel bent before this line has even come close to breaking. I dragged this line through weeds, bounced lures over sharp jagged rocks and even at one point without paying attention dragged it on a cement wall in front of me while retrieving my lure without it breaking. You can trust this line!
WOW! Want to get maximum water coverage? Use this line. This is one thing almost everyone can agree on with this line. It can cast a country mile. You'll need to get use to it at first because you will be over shooting your targets. For me, being in a wheelchair, the distance I get out of it is a huge help. There are a lot of times I can not get as close to the water as other anglers and I lose a lot of distance in my cast. NanoFil fixes that problem for me.
As far as sensitivity I think it's amazing. I can feel just about every tap, tick and maybe even sniff of my lure ;0). I have yet to miss a hook up on a fish while using it. The line does like to run wild in the wind. It looks like a strand of spider web floating through the air and can be hard to manage light weight lures or finesse tactics. When the wind and water is calm this line really shines with finesse presentations. You can see it well and feel a fish nibbling on your bait!
I really don't have more to say on castability and sensitivity besides amazing. Oh yeah, one more thing. Tired of your line looping on your spinning reels? This line has no memory that we have seen. Your line will lay flat on the water.
I could write a ton more about this line but I'm not going to. The simple point I'd like to make is that don't believe all the bad things you've heard about this fishing line. The knots stay strong as long as they are tied properly and enough excess line is left incase of slippage. I don't think I'll use anything else besides this line on my spinning reels unless I'm fishing in very heavy cover. In which case I'll probably be using my baitcast reel anyway.
Also just so you know my first cast with this line was a month ago and I haven't re-tied the knot yet. I still have the same swivel on there and will report the first time I need to change the knot. Although I don't think that will be anytime soon. NanoFil is truly an amazing line.
this nanofil is junk, usng 14# while bass fishing, the line always breaks foot or two above the knot, actually even had it break while lying in the boat with very little tension on it, going back to fireline, it does not fail me, bass pro, i will be seeing you soon to get my money back for the junk line you sold, a disappointed iowa bass fisher
I live on a lake... I fish almost every day. Last summer I put on 100 yards of Nanofil and it lasted me all summer. I never once lost a fish to the line breaking. Caught a 14lb northern pike and I was using 8lb test. I did occasionally remove the last few feet of the line since it seemed to be fraying. At first I had some issues getting the knots right but if you're tying the right not properly you should have no problems with this line... The only problem I had was with snags, the line was too hard to break. I ended up using a mono leader (10lb) and it I had a bad snag it always broke instead of the nanofil. As an aside, this line casts ridiculously far.
This line is GARBAGE. Ruined the guides on my ten foot steelhead rod. Tried to contact Berkley and Pure fishing numerous times and they could not care less. So if you buy Berkley Nano garbage and it ruins your rod do not anybody in these companies including the president John Doerr to give a dam.
I have Nonofil on both my rods - 10lb on baitcaster and 44lb on beachcaster. Even with the 44lb, I can't cast a 1oz lead without it snapping on me. It's not snapping at the knot, it's just snapping partway down the line about halfway from releasing the cast to the bait hitting the water. It's not worn at all, it's brand new line - only one week old. Guides are clean and smooth, nothing else wrong, been checking line for abrasion and have used it according to spool leaflet. I have lost so much gear this last week, that it's costing me more in replacing hooks, sinkers and swivels that it did to buy the Nanofil! I've previously used 20lb mono and braid lines with 4oz sinkers on the beachcaster - half the breaking strain, four times the weight and NEVER had this issue. The same thing happens with the 10lb line on my baitcaster when using a 20g lure. Absolutely useless! I'm going back to Mono for now, as I'm too broke to be able to afford braid for a while thanks to all the tackle I've lost on the Nanofil and have to replace.
Hello! Having looked through a few of the comments I think it's important to provide a few points for people to think about:
1. Berkley NanoFil is not available in 44lb test rating. Perhaps the reviewer is mistaken on the brand and line they have spooled up on their beachcaster. NanoFil is, however, available in 10lb test. That being said, NanoFil is intended to be used on a spinning reel and is not recommended to be used on a baitcaster. Due to the extremely thin line diameter when used with a baitcaster the line will cut into the spool and may compromise performance of the line and cause user issues.
2. The technology behind the NanoFil does not allow for decomposition, especially after two/three weeks of fishing -- it takes an apple core 1-2 months to decompose (faster in warmer climates). NanoFil is made of Dyneema Ultra High Molecular Weight PolyEthylene (UHMWPE) fiber which does not decompose. Therefore, the statement that the line "decomposes" after 2-3 weeks is unfortunately false.
Like any tool, Berkley NanoFil has an intended purpose and works well for certain presentations. It is a great line when used with smaller/lighter baits, especially when it comes to casting distance, as well as for many finesse applications.
If you are looking for one line to be used with any and all applications there are other lines out there that might be better suited to your fishing conditions. Hope this helps clear things up a bit!
I have to say that I was leery of this line but kind of tired of the memory in monfils, even the top line Berkely Professional. I fished 4pound testNanofil on a St. Croix Avid 6'6" ultralight rod. Casting was unreal with 1/32 and 1/16 oz lures. Sensitivity was unparalleled, I missed hits since I was too fast in many cases. Pay attention to the knot. Take your time, wet it, snug it slowly. The one thing I noticed is that it is not as abrasion resistant as good monofil. I found that when you start to feel the line when casting, take off about 4 feet, reterminate and you will be fine. We fished Lake Chetac near Birchwood Wis. and just hammered the panfish. Over 85 hand sized Blue Gill and Crappies. After the first day, I reterminated about twice a day when I felt the line and had not issues. Absoluteley love this line!!
I bought a spool of Nanofil when it first came out in 2011. It's still on my reels and I have not noticed any deterioration beyond the normal amount for a superline. I like the smoothness, sensitivity and the additional casting distance without the excessive limpness of braided lines. I've heard Nanofil doesn't take shocks well, but I always use a mono or fluorocarbon leader and rarely fish for species that hit like freight trains.
I have never had problems with knots slipping or the line breaking, but I always wet the line when tightening a knot and I only use the heavier test lines.
I have Nanofil on five rods, 8# and 10#, and have used it at least once each week. We fish for Speckled Sea Trout and Red Drum around docks and boat stands. I use Fluorocarbon leader with a "Red Phillips" knot between the fluoro and the Nanofil. I have not had one knot failure! I retie about every other week when my leader gets shorter than about two feet in length.I always wet all types of knots before tightening them because you will otherwise damage and weaken any line. I've had bull reds go under barnacle encrusted docks and, with care and due diligence, have only lost a couple lures when the fluoro was cut.
I never tie any braid, or Nanofil, with a single strand; I always double the part that forms the knot. Nanofil is GREAT line; but it, like all dynema or spectra line benefits from some bulk at the knot... and a doubled line adds absolutely negligible bulk and complete security from slippage. Try it.
Comments require javascript to be enabled.
Guest - Nanofil Redux - 3 days Ago
I am on my second go round with Nanofil. First time was very unsatisfactory but Fter talking with Berkley I learned I was tying incorrect knots. Berkely sent me a new 1500 yard spool and I have started taking more care in knot tying and it works well. New Chartreuse color is amazingly visible and casting distance is spooky long.
Reply