There are a number of "new" monos out - Maxima Perfexion, Stren Duratuf, Sufix Siege, Big Game Hi-Test, Diamond Illusion - which all seem to claim they've improved AT LEAST one property without sacrificing any of the others.

Reasons given are improved extrusion and winding (onto their supply spools) and additions like polyolefins to the copolymers.

They look good on paper, but has anyone tried any of these in the past six months ?

What are they meant to do..? The biggest way to improve mono would be knock most of the stretch out of it and make it float, but then I'm a piker so I would say that.

the Diamond Illusion has had virtually all the stretch taken out (claimed at 7%....as best I remember braid is 3% and most monos 20-25% AT BREAKING POINT -don't know how much they stretch under 'light' loading),

so if it'll grease-up and float well it could be worth a look for piking

Umm. Not sure about low stretch lines. Tend to have poor resistance to shock loading, which means crack-offs on the strike, etc. Most are meant for pole fishing, where the elastic absorbs the shock.

You could be right there. I've got my hands on some Diamond Illusion and it FEELS as non-stretch as braid (mainline). Guess you have to adapt your strike, etc. , to be like you do with superbraid and/or only use it when fishing at range.

It has a very shiny finish (and says it is very abrasion-resistant . . . . . but then have you ever seen a line that has NOT claimed it has excellent abrasion-resistance ?)

Should cast very well off a fixed-spool (it is a little bit wiry) and be good for deep fishing from a boat (including at Sea)

Reckon I'll stick with braid.

It seems to good to be true, so I've sent some spools out to friends and "experts".

I shall post the stats (on dry unknotted b.s., knotted b.s., stretch at 1/3rd loading, stretch at 2/3rds loading, degree of memory) when I've got discovered them, empirically, for myself.

First impressions - you should use it more like braid than mono (apart from much thicker diameter, better abrasion resistance and transparency it is closer to braid than mono).

guess what? all friends quite grateful, but not one of them has truly tested it. They like the feel and it seems reliable enough but no-one knows how stretchy it is (or, more to the point, isn't).

I like it so far, and it is abrasion resistant and less stretchy than any other mono I've used.

Now - really MUST get round to testing it properly

Why waste money on all these so-called improved hi-tech lines?.

Stick with good old Daiwa Sensor, a bulk spool of 1250 for 6 quid.A brilliant line that ticks all the boxes.I`ve caught everything on this line from Roach to Barbel to 20lb Pike.

depends where & how you're fishing.
I'm hoping for a cheaper alternative to braid where (e.g.) I'm fishing in 300ft of water

or perhaps sea fishing, casting from a beach and want low-stretch.

Still you're right: if I spent less on tackle and more on getting out there, I'd catch more and enjoy myself.

Chris wrote: "The biggest way to improve mono would be knock most of the stretch out of it and make it float."

This is about as close as you're going to get to that Chris just yet: Ultima Flo-Cast

Less stretch than most monos and certainly a good floating line. I've tried the heavier breaking strains now as well, and they're just as good as the lighter ones.

I have just bought some of the Korum float line in 2.5lb bs for general use. I am going to spool it up and try it out both trotting and waggler fishing this weekend. Will let you know how it performs.