What kind of line for big Pike?

[slamilton]

I just bought a new heavy ice rod to target big pike. What kind of line does everyone use? It has one of the small ice reels on it and I had some 14lb flouro at home so I spooled it with that but first time I flipped the bail it all spooled off. I then has some 8lb mono around so put that on there and same thing happened (I didnt put very much on either so that wasnt the issue).
Would ice braid be a better option so I can get a higher test? Does it have to be ice braid or would regular braid work ok?
Thanks for any tips.

[MooseRiverTrapper]

30 pound power pro

[SamSteele]

If you are ice fishing outside a shack braid can be a bit of a pain as it tends to ice up in cold weather. I use it, but I also have some rods with mono for that reason. If you are using braid I would look at 20-30 lb and I use the Suffix Ice Braid. The Power Pro equivalent would also work.

If you are using mono or fluorocarbon, one tip is to fill a bowl with warm water and put the spool of line in there. Let it sit for a couple minutes, and then start spooling it onto your reel, leaving the spool floating in the bowl. I use my fingers to keep tension on the line so it winds onto the spool evenly. I find that this helps reduce the memory in the line (which is what caused the line to spring off the reel as soon as you opened the bail). The spool will also flip over in the water at times, which can help reduce line twist as well.