Fishing line is just one of the major components used by anglers. Different types of rods, reels and lines can have a huge impact on the overall success of an angler’s fishing endeavors. Each fishing situation is best performed with a particular set of equipment.
In order to get the most from any fishing experience anglers should gain an understanding of the basic properties and characteristics of the equipment used. Understanding fishing line properties will enable an angler to match the correct line to a chosen fishing rod and fishing reel for optimum performance. Of the many fishing lines available today there are only four types that are of interest to the majority of anglers.
The strength of fishing line is referred to as test or pound test. In simple terms the test of a fishing line equates to the amount of pressure, measured in pounds it takes to break the line in laboratory tests.
Monofilament Fishing Line
Of the most readily available modern fishing lines monofilament is the type that is the most familiar and widely used. Monofilament fishing line is a single-strand, nylon line that has many desirable properties for varied applications.
The biggest benefit of monofilament is that it is the least expensive of the popular fishing lines. The overall properties of monofilament also make it the easiest for a novice angler to work with. It is easy to tie knots with and has extremely good knot strength. While other lines may have greater knot strength the ability to tie knots that hold well with other fishing lines can take some practice and require different kinds of knots.
Monofilament has a significant amount of stretch, up to 25 percent. For a novice angler the stretch helps to prevent break-offs and lost fish. When a fish makes a hard run the line actually absorbs a good amount of the pressure exerted on the equipment. The stretch can also be an added bonus in shock absorption when fishing close-in at distances of less than 20 feet. The stretch helps to prevent break-offs and damage to rods and reels when making extremely hard hook-sets or forcing fish out of cover.
Monofilament line also floats, which can be a big advantage when fishing lures on or near the surface. Many of the other lines sink, some at significant rates, which can have a detrimental effect on the action of almost all surface lures. Monofilament will, however absorb, water over time and requires frequent changing.
For decades monofilament has been the “go-to” fishing line of choice for almost all forms of fishing but that is all changing due to new line technologies.
Copolymer and Hybrid Fishing Lines
Copolymer fishing lines consist of two polymers or nylon-polymer blends that are manufactured as an inner and outer layer. The most popular of the copolymers are designed to have less memory- shape retention when taken off the reel spool and greater abrasion resistance than monofilament fishing line. The goal is to combine the best properties of the combined materials to make a better finished product.
Copolymer fishing lines also float better than many of the other types of fishing line. As with the buoyancy of monofilament this property is very advantageous when fishing on or near the surface.
Copolymer lines generally have better knot strength but can be trickier to tie good holding knots with. These lines also have less stretch than monofilament but more than most fluorocarbon and braided lines.
The idea of the copolymer line is quickly being replaced by the new hybrid lines. These lines actually combine dissimilar materials such as fluorocarbon and nylon to create a line that has the best properties of each in a single strand much like monofilament but with less stretch and better abrasion resistance.
Fluorocarbon Fishing Line
Fluorocarbon fishing line is one of the newer developments in fishing line technology. First used by fly fishermen to reduce visibility of leaders. The surface, light-refraction of fluorocarbon is nearly that of water making it virtually invisible under water. Fluorocarbon line has significantly less stretch than nylon monofilament, and with that comes an increase in stiffness and line memory.
The stiffness also makes fluorocarbon more brittle than monofilament and copolymer lines. Knot strength is reduced when using some knots that work well with other types of line. In clear water situations the reduced knot strength and stiffness can be far outweighed by the reduction in visibility. The ideal situation may be to spool the reel with another line and use fluorocarbon for a leader as the fly fishing industry intended.
Braided Fishing Line
Braided lines are the brutes of fishing line. The materials used are stronger, have less memory and have exceptional knot strength. Braided lines also have a much smaller diameter within the same line test class compared to other lines. What this translates to is a fishing line that is extremely strong, abrasion resistant and casts like a dream. However not all is perfect with braided fishing lines. There are some properties to braided line that should be considered before using them.
Braided lines have very little to almost no stretch. In long-line cast or drift situations this is a big benefit in getting a solid hook-set and keeping pressure on a big fish. In some close-in fishing situations this can actually be a detriment. With soft-mouthed fish the lack of stretch can pull the hook loose from the fish due to a lack of shock absorption. Extremely hard hook-sets using light tackle on big fish can also be hard on the longevity of rods and reels.
Most braided lines have a very slick surface. This makes certain knots that work well with other fishing lines unsuitable with braided lines. This property is easy to overcome by simply learning to tie knots that work well with braided line, so you can fish them with confidence. It is also advisable to learn knots that work well in joining clear leader materials, such as monofilament or fluorocarbon, to braided line.
The opacity of most braided fishing lines can significantly impact the number of takes (strikes) especially in clear water situations. By adding a leader of monofilament or fluorocarbon line the opacity is no longer a factor.
Whatever your type of fishing choose the proper line by considering the properties that best suit your situation.
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