Ifyou try and stop or fight a big carp in it wont take too many times to wear a groove in it enough that the roller won't catch. The Muzzy Extreme is the best 200lb dacron you can get, but will cut easy on gar scales. Another problem with the 200lb fast Flite is that it will bunch up at the stripper where it comes out of the bottle. Even the 350lb BCY is alot worse than the 200lb dacron, or 400lb Fast Flite. I just started using the 500lb Power Pro and like it alot. It is the same diameter as the 400lb and really feed nice out of the bottle. I only use 12.5yds on my stingray floats and you will get knots with the 400lb since you don't have alot of line in the bottle, but out of the 50-60 shots I have taken with the Power Pro I have not had one knot yet.

Thanks SY for the info. I wonder why so many newRetrievers thencome with only 130 lb line stock, not sure whether it is dacron or fast flight if it won't get picked up as well by the roller or has a better chance to groove the roller?Also have you ever used Mudcat's line holder?

http://www.bowfishusa.com/community/index.php?topic=15587.0

If you go there I have a picture of my Mudkat Line Guide. If you don't have a Slotted Retriever it has no purpose. I only own that reel and a bunch of parts I take with me. It keeps the line from falling out the side of the reel when a fish takes off or after you shoot. Just makes life easier.

AMS does not offer their reels with 200lb dacron for some reason, but since they get so many complaints and 400 is so popular they orref it with that for more money. Well worth it though. That reel in the picture has the 500lb Power Pro and that reel is going on 17 years old and good as new.

Just out of curiousity, how are you guys defining 'cuts easily on gar scales'?

Are you talking about gator gar?

I've been using the 200lb Muzzy dacron and haven't had any problems with the line getting cut by gar scales. In fact I've only retied the loop due tosome frayingonce all last year.

Are you guys managing to shoot all the way through the gar, even with the safety slide?

I mean longnose, but our gar are pretty small, so without putting a piece of fuel line on the shaft behind the head you will shoot through most of them.

Okay, thanks!

I rarely shoot through the gar but I turn my bow down to about 30lbs when shooting smaller fish. Maybe that's the difference.

Maybe if you actually hit a few gar once and a while, then you could tell if they would fray your line Actually, I notice Bryan has his come "spooled" with the 200 lb Muzzy extreme line.

https://www.backwaterbowfishing.com/onlinestore/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=99

I tried a Retriever years ago and didn't care for it but I'm thinking about giving it another whirl.

Well it has been our experience that we blow right through most all of the gar we shoot so the fraying process is a real problem most of the time.....

I get a lot of pass throughs on gar as well, I shoot a 50 lb recurve. Check that line after your shots.

Even the smallest gar will cut dacron, or at least fray it, on shoot throughs. You will never catch me shooting anything but Fast flight. Besides, dacron is elastic and loads up like a rubber band, so is susceptible to snapping back. Fast flight cannot handle a sudden shock load, so will break. It isn't just the famous snap back either. I know a guy that was hung in a root, and pulled big time on it (with dacron). When that baby let loose, it rubber banded all the way back to his nose and took it half off.

IMO, Dacron is an accident waiting to happen, and I cannot find any single good reason to use it over fast flight (or similar).