During this past winter’s boat shows and fishing seminars, I noticed more emphasis by speakers regarding fishing lines.At first I thought maybe there was just a little more emphasis than previous springs, but that feeling was cemented a few weeks ago at the Take A Kid Fishing Tackle Expo when a pair of anglers remained after everyone else left to ask fishing line questions.
“We’ve been to quite a few seminars this year and have noticed experts recommending certain lines,” one of the guys said.
“Does it really make that much difference?” his friend said.
“If it helps that much, I’ll gladly do it,” the first angler said. “It’s just some of those lines are really expensive and, if it isn’t necessary, I could surely use that money for other things.”
“Yeah, like gas!” his buddy said.
I was impressed these guys had paid close enough attention to pick up some of the finer points of the seminar, and I wondered how many other folks had similar questions.
Several basic categories of fishing lines exist — monofilament, Dacron, new generation superbraids, fluorocarbon and hybrids.
The first four have traits that make them preferable for specific applications. The hybrids attempt to combine preferred traits of two or more of the first four.
Monofilament is the soft plastic line that’s been around for years. It’s durable and has been used in almost every fishery at one time or another.
However, one trait inherent in all monofilament lines is stretch — which can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending upon the situation. Other “mono” traits include differences in diameter, softness, abrasion resistance, castability, finish and color.
By changing the percentages and combinations in the formula, manufacturers are able to accentuate and promote different traits in monofilament. Unfortunately, all the desirable traits can’t be combined into a single line. Popular brands of monofilament include Ande, Berkley, Stren and Suffix.
Dacron is a low-stretch braided line used during the last 30 years. In many cases it replaced nylon as a fabric line as nylon had stretch and Dacron has almost none.
Dacron generally has a diameter comparable to standard monofilament. Not many companies still manufacturer Dacron, but one popular brand is Gudebrod.
The new generation of super-braid lines are fabric lines generally made of Spectra, Aramid, micro dyneema and other microfilaments. These lines are significantly smaller in diameter for their strength, offer good abrasion resistance and have minimal or no stretch.
Popular brands include Fireline, Spiderwire and Power Pro.
Super-braid lines are typically expensive.
Fluorocarbon is a new generation plastic line with the lowest light-refractive index of all fishing lines and virtually disappears when submerged in water. It’s also abrasion resistant, has low stretch and is most often used for leader materials.
Many companies, including Seaguar, Berkley and P-Line offer fluorocarbon leader material, plus Berkley and Seaguar offer fluorocarbon fishing lines.
Fluorocarbon is fairly expensive.
Hybrid lines are versions of lines that combine the desirable traits from different formulations of lines. Many manufacturers offer these lines with specific applications in mind. Most line companies offer a hybrid of some type.
Initially these lines were combinations of several different mono lines and were called co-polymer and tri-polymer lines. Now they include many versions. Hybrid lines are more expensive than monofilament and Dacron but significantly less expensive than fluorocarbon or super-braids.
The two main differences between monofilament and super-braid lines are strength and stretch.
A soft 20-pound-test monofilament line will cast well, ties knots easily and has a lot of stretch.
A 20-pound-test super-braid line will be about 25 to 30 percent of the diameter of the same-strength monofilament, has no stretch but requires special knots.
With advances in rod-strength technology, it’s much better today. Some of the original superbraids so overmatched available rods they often caused the rods to break. Why then are super-braid lines worth the extra money?
A super-braid isn’t the best line for all kinds of fishing. I still prefer having the stretch of monofilament for live-bait fishing for king mackerel and jigging for gray trout. However, for fishing where a finesse presentation is needed and a lack of stretch is an asset, then a super-braid line will be superior.
Several examples would be working a light lure in running current or trying to feel subtle bites of fish such as sheepshead.
The smaller diameter of a super-braid line reduces current deflection and allows use of a lighter lure to get to the same depth. Experienced fishermen can use these characteristics to put the lure exactly where they want and work it just right to entice strikes.
With no stretch, the sensitivity is increased and even the most subtle mouthing of a bait can be felt. The lack of stretch also enhances the fisherman’s ability to set the hook.
The main differences between monofilament and fluorocarbon are visibility and knot strength. While it looks similar to monofilament, the properties of fluorocarbon are different.
Light passes through it without much reflection, so it becomes nearly invisible in the water. Fluorocarbon is an excellent leader material when fish are leader-shy (yellowfin tuna, for example).
While it’s approximately the same strength in similar diameters, fluorocarbon isn’t as forgiving as monofilament. Special knots that use extra loops to provide extra cushioning are used to tie fluorocarbon. Knots that work well in mono often break in the knot with fluorocarbon.
I believe fluorocarbon generally holds better when crimped rather than tied, especially with larger diameters. Even when crimping fluorocarbon, you must be careful not to bear down too hard or you’ll weaken the line.
Hybrid lines are attempts to combine the best characteristics of two monofilament lines, a monofilament and fluorocarbon line, and a few experiment with braids. Manufacturers have worked for different combinations, and many anglers say they really like them.
I have to admit to little use of hybrid lines, but it’s more because of lack of time and opportunity than any unwillingness to try them.
I would welcome a line with the strength, sensitivity and diameter of a super-braid, the invisibility of a fluorocarbon and the forgiving versatility of monofilament.
Many anglers sincerely hope someone soon discovers that formula.
Are you totally confused yet? Hopefully this explained enough of the basics on lines to get you to experiment a little and draw your own conclusions.
In general, monofilament lines are versatile and will work during most fishing situations, but sometimes other lines will do the job better.
Super-braid lines are smaller in diameter and have virtually no stretch and will work well when those traits are needed.
Fluorocarbon lines are best suited to instances where the fish are leader shy and having invisible line is important.
So what line is best for your fishing?
You need to experiment a little and decide for yourself. What I like doesn’t matter a bit when the fish is at the end of your line. That’s why there are so many brands and kinds of fishing line.
The good news is fishing lines exist to meet nearly any situation. It just takes a little effort by anglers to discover fishing lines that suit them — and the fish — the best.
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