Ice fishing in modern times has become more of a recreational activity than a necessity.
To catch fish in ice, you’ll need tools to create openings through the ice along with fish hooks, ice fishing reels, and a good quality ice fishing line and at night a headlamp. Ice fishing is a unique and challenging activity.
You’ll have to face the icy freezing environment with low water visibility. Your fishing style will be different too. That is why you’ll need to be prepared and having a fishing line compatible with this condition is very important.
While Ice fishing, you’ll need a fishing line that’s easy to use and has low visibility in cold conditions, more about that later.
One mistake many anglers make is using old fishing lines that are not compatible with cold.
This simple mistake will ruin your fishing experience. Your fishing line must withstand the minus temperature and abrasive conditions. It needs to be sturdy too.
In this article, we’ve reviewed and recommended some of the best ice fishing line for high performance that you can choose from for your ice fishing adventure.
Best Ice Fishing Line
Best Ice Fishing Line Buying Guide
Every fishing line is not the same and is not made to withstand the same amount of pressure. You can not expect just any fishing line to be compatible with different types of weather.
That’s why before buying a fishing line for ice fishing, you’ll need to look for some features.
1. Low Visibility
Low visible ice lines are the most preferable ones. If the water is too clear which is the case in icy conditions, highly visible ice lines can spook the fish and they might not fall for the bait. Choose the fishing line that can easily blend in water and is not visible to fish.
2. Abrasion Resistance
To avoid the ice shards that may make your life so much harder, you’ll need a line that has some abrasion resistance. Not only ice; dirt, sand, planks are also bad for fishing lines.
3. Low Memory
Low line memory is best for providing the best lure presentation. Which is extremely important to catch the smallest of fishes. Your line will be able to detect the bites even from the smallest winter fishes.
4. Line Strength
Line stretch fully depends on your fishing technique. For example, if you use fluorocarbon is very sensitive but it doesn’t have much stretch. You will feel the subtle bites compared to mono. But if you prefer fluttery action in your jigs and spoon, the stretch might be a better option for you to have.
5. Strength and Flexibility
Strength and flexibility are extremely important for a fishing line if you are going fishing on the ice. You don’t want your line to break or be scratched because of continuous friction. Flexibility is important to be able to tie knots easily.
6. Material
A wide variety of materials are used for manufacturing a fishing line, materials like Monofilament, Copolymer, Fluorocarbon, or Brided all have their advantage and disadvantages.
For example, Monofilament lines are very strong and durable but their abrasion resistance is on the lower side. For less visibility, you can choose Fluorocarbon lines.
Braided lines are the most used lines by anglers because of their strength and low to no stretching. But their visibility is usually high.
So, make sure you know what kind of line you need before making your choice.
7. Budget
You will need a good, sturdy fishing line but that does not mean you’ll have to spend more than needed. Pick your preferred fishing line but keep the budget in mind too.
#1. Sufix 832 Ice Braid Fishing Lure
When it comes to ice fishing lines, Sufix is certainly one of the best brands out there.
Sufix 832 is one of the best products of this brand in terms of ice fishing lures. It’s a strong line that can withstand extremely rigid conditions. It looks thin but it is sturdy. Made with R8 precision braiding and fiber technology makes it is super strong, round, and line consistent.
Every inch of this ice fishing line has 32 weaves. Sufix 832 is also resistant to abrasion.
This ice braid fishing lure is very sensitive because of its no-stretch feature. You can feel even the slightest bites from small fishes.
One of the down points of using braided lines is that they retain water which makes ‘em freeze up. But Suffix 832 is different. It repels water instead of retaining it and don’t let the line freeze up. There is also a low visibility option you can use to make your line less visible to fish.
Product Details
Dimensions: 3.8 X 2.9 X 1 inches
Line Type: Braided
Material: Polyethylene
Length: 50 yds
Model No: 671-004GH
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. Super strong and durable braided fishing line. 2. Abrasion resistance. 3. Low line memory. 4. Repels water instead of retaining. 5. Easy to manage in icy weather. 6. Very thin in diameter. | 1. Length is very short. 2. A little too thin for a few angels’ comfort. |
#2. Sufix Ice Braid Fishing Lines (75 YD Spool)
Water retention is big problem anglers face while using braided fishing lines. In icy conditions, if a fishing line retains water, it will freeze up at some point and will make your fishing experience awful. Sufix Ice Braid fishing line is made keeping this problem in mind.
It retains less water and doesn’t freeze up. This one is also strong and flexible, unlike typical braided fishing lines. One of the advantages you will get compared to Sufix 832 is that it has a larger pool size than 832, making it easier to use in freezing conditions.
One problem you may face is that this line sinks slower in the water. But if you are a patient angler, you will be able to get the best service from the fishing line.
Product Details
Dimensions: 3.9 X 2.9 X 1 inches
Line Type: Braided
Material: Polyester
Length: 75 yds
Model No: 664-006GB
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. Very strong and sturdy. Don’t break in friction with sharp ice edges. 2. Retains less water, unlike typical braided fishing lines. 3. Pool size is quite large. 75 yds. | 1. Line sinks slower than mono and fluoro. 2. Berkley Trilene Cold Weather Ice fishing line |
#3. Berkley Trilene Cold Weather Ice fishing line
Berkley Trilene ice fishing line is one of the top-selling fishing lines at the moment. Anglers love this fishing line. Not only this line is strong to withstand the cold weather, but it also has amazing flexibility. Having higher flexibility makes it easier to cast because it contains very low memory.
Another strong suit of this product is the blue color. It blends in the water and becomes almost invisible. Also, it helps anglers on the ice to get the best visibility possible. Because it is a monofilament line, you don’t have to worry much about water retaining and freezing up.
Monofilament lines are also budget-friendly. You can get this at a very reasonable price.
Some users have complained about this line’s resistance to abrasion and managing the knot in icy conditions. Other than that, it is one of the best fishing lines you can rely on while fishing in cold weather.
Product Details
Line Type: Monofilament
Length: 110 yds
Line Memory: Low
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. Higher flexibility means low memory. 2. Blue-colored line becomes invisible in water. 3. Good visibility on ice. 4. Budget-friendly. | 1. Abrasion resistance is very low. 2. Hard to tighten knots in cold weather. |
#4. P-Line Floroice Clear Fishing Line
P-Line is one of the reliable fishing lines out there according to users. P-Line’s low stretch and visibility underwater make it easier and perfect for fishing. Unlike braided lines, this one does not freeze in minus temperature.
It also has very low memory and won’t alter the shape of anything it grasps.
P-Line’s build is unique. Made of a combination of copolymer and fluorocarbon, this line will not break even if the weather is not very suitable for fishing. Its durability and resistance to freezing make it reliable for anglers for fishing in cold conditions.
Product Details
Dimensions: 1 X 1 X 1 inches
Line Type: Copolymer
Material: Fluorocarbon
Model No: FCI
Length: 100 yds
Line Memory: Low
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. Low visibility in the water. 2. Low memory prevents coiling. 3. Unique build makes it sturdy. Won’t break in the harshest conditions. | 1. Not very strong. 2. Does not repel water very well. |
#5. Sufix Ice Magic Fishing Line
Sufix is a very reliable brand when it comes to fishing products and Ice Magic does not disappoint too. This is one of the strongest fishing lines Sufix produces that can be used in any kind of condition, even in the harshest weather.
Ice Magic fishing line is suitable to catch larger fish as well.
Sufix Ice Magic line is a monofilament line which makes it different from other ice fishing lines produced by Sufix. You won’t have to worry about ice building up in the line and preventing you from experiencing catching fish now and then.
Visibility and Workability are on the higher side on this one. You can easily tie knots unlike lots of monofilament lines too. The Ice Magic line sinks very slowly. Although it makes it seem natural but takes a very long time. Also, the resistance is very low compared to our other recommendations.
Product Details
Dimensions: 4 X 2 X 6 inches
Line Type: Monofilament
Length: 100 yds
Line Memory: Low
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. Monofilament design makes it easier to use in icy conditions. 2. Ice doe not build up. 3. Visibility and Workability are on the higher side. 4. Very strong and sturdy. | 1. Line sinks very slowly, takes a lot of time. 2. Abrasion resistance is very low. |
Final Verdict
Some anglers make the mistake of not using the fishing line that are not suitable for ice fishing.
It ruins their experience of fishing. There are lots of fishing lines available for you on the market. But not all can produce the best results in every condition.
You don’t want your fishing line to break in icy-rigid conditions. These fishing lines mentioned above are the best fishing lines you can use while ice fishing.
Sufix 832 is the most popular and performance-driven fishing line among them.
So we also recommend it as the best of our selection.
But depending on your budget, you can choose any one of them.
