by Bruce Middleton, February 02, 2007

Today’s technology gives you more options in choosing the right line…


With the trend of lighter fishing lines that keep their strength and still retain a small diameter, we have witnessed a revolution in the field of fishing line development. We have seen lighter lines, invisible lines, stronger lines and smaller diameter lines. Monofilament lines, fluorocarbon lines, blended lines of nylon and monofilament, copolymer and nylon copolymer line and braided lines are all on the shelves now competing for your dollars. They advertise their properties of having better knot strength, limper lines for better casting, no line memory so it won’t curl on the water, it’s invisibility in the water and so many more properties. It’s hard to know exactly what line does what any more. Most fishing lines today are made of nylon monofilament although co-monofilament, braided and fused lines like Fire Line™ are becoming more and more popular. Buy only premium line, as it is more uniform and therefore more durable over time.

Don’t let price be the determining factor when choosing a line. The prices of line and what they can do and can’t do has nothing to do with each other. And neither does a brand name. Some of the lesser-known brands make some of the best lines for a given situation than does the bigger cover it all brand names. Learning about all the different lines may seem like an exercise is dullness and boring reading but your line is the only thing, besides the knot and the hook, between you and the bass. So it would seem to hold some importance.
There is greater and greater enfaces on using lighter gear and lighter fishing lines to search out bass by using a finesse style of fishing. The use of fishing line that casts farther and stays limp and fishing line that has very high breaking test strength but at the same time has a very small diameter as compared to older fishing lines. Now days one does not just go out and change from 20-pound test line to 10-pound test line and continue to fish the same way. You have to consider several other factors too. Are you in a high abrasion area, are you likely to catch a bass over 3 pounds and are you a heavy hook setter? How far are you casting? If you are just switching to ten-pound test fishing line this will cause you a lot of problems just because of the way it keeps lures deeper than heavier line. What you need to do is some homework on lines to see which line you need to be using.

And don’t just tell someone that you just use Berkley or Stren fishing line and let it go at that. This isn’t going to help the person you’re talking to at all. In the first place Berkley makes 14 types of fishing line now and Stren makes 10. And then there is the test poundage and the diameter verses the test poundage. It all gets very confusing very rapidly.

For starters there is no such thing as a great all around fishing line although a few do come close. And specialized fishing line is just that, specialized. The best all round fishing line in my mind would have to have low detectability (almost invisible), have great castability (very limp and no memory), good tensile strength (straight forward poundage test strength), great knot strength (without any line loses), abrasion resistant doesn’t mar theline when scraped over something sharp like a rock), controlled stretch (shock resistance), and the smallest diameter possible without compromising any of the afore mentions properties.

Now I am a great proponent of fluorocarbon lines but in fact these lines have low knot strength and they have a memory just like monofilament. And if you look hard at every other type of line out there you can something wrong with it that cut it off the list. So, in fact no fishing line today does actually makes the list. But one thing does hold true about all lines that are made today. They all break at a weight at or slightly above the listed breaking poundage listed on the spool or package and that is a very good thing indeed.

The first thing you should look at is, is there a line out there that has a smaller diameter, say half that of twenty pound test or close to ten pound test but still keeps its twenty pound test rating. The answer is yes. You can use Stren Magnathin, Pline spectrectra, Power Pro, Spiderwire, Yo-Zuri hybrid or Seaguar carbon pro. You could also use twenty-pound test Vanish line since it’s invisible in the water anyway. This is just and example of what is available to you. Any good, recent fishing catalog will have a full description of all the lines available to you. The December 2004 issue of Bassmasters magazine has an article about the newest products about to hit the market in 2005. Plus you need to study everything you can about fishing lines so you can make the best informed decision about which one to use and when. Here a few facts about the different types of line you need to know.

Monofilament line floats. This means it will keep diving crank baits higher in the water. Mono also soaks up water, which is not a great trait to have in a line. Monofilament line is inexpensive and the best all round line for most applications. Use green or clear colors.
Use Trilene XT for crank baits, top waters and Senko’s. Its abrasion resistance and super strong when fishing around heavy cover like grass and weeds. Like all premium lines it is more uniform and therefore more durable.

Buy green Monofilament line or fluorocarbon line as green disappears better in off colored water than any other color. This is especially true when fishing dingy water, which is often green itself. The line blends into the water and is harder to see.

Fluorocarbon fishing lines are lines that align the light-rays so as to virtually turn invisible in the water. Vanish ™ is one of the finest and least expense of this type of line. It is hard to watch the line though because it is so hard to see and you will rely a lot more on touch, but do keep on watching. Fluorocarbon line is very low stretch, has high sensitivity, high abrasion resistance and can be cast a country mile. It cost twice as much as monofilament line but it gives you exceptional touch with the lure or bait. It also is virtually invisible in the water which is a real plus when fish are spooky. You should have this line spooled on at least one reel in the boat if not more.

Fluorocarbon line has one other major attribute. When the line is drug over a limb or other obstacles it doesn’t give of what is called the "violin string effect". The line is so limp it eliminates this source of sound, which is an alarm bell to bass. This alone is worth buying and spooling a couple of reels with it. It has almost zero stretch so on long casts there is no problem with setting the hook properly. This line has a lot going for it and not much wrong with it except the higher price.

Spiderwire™ line in 30-pound test has the diameter of 8-pound monofilament line. It also has a zero stretch characteristic to it so you can feel every little tap or bump. It’s highly abrasion resistant, meaning its hard to cut even if drug over sharp rocks. In fact, it’s hard to cut tag ends off of knots. It is not a clear line but rather a collection of threads. It comes in green, recommended color, and in high vis-yellow. This yellow is easy to see but it’s recommended that you take a dark marker and rub it all over the last 6 feet to the lure so it’s less noticeable to the fish. It is, however, not round, and in the higher tests, if you get hung-up, never pull too hard using the rod and reel. This line is notorious for cutting into the spooled line and causing great headaches later on.

To help eliminate this problem, most users will cast a large jig out as far as they can with this line and then strip off another 25 feet of line, they then use a piece of masking tape to cover the reel spool to prevent the line from digging into this part of the reel line. This is a great help in reducing the size of backlashes you have to pick apart should one occur.

If you use Hi-Vis yellow braided line, you will notice that you can see the line quite readily, and so can the fish. The line is made so that you can see even the tiniest tic or movement of the line as it floats in the water. Remember that braided line is very small, with a diameter of 6-pound test line if you use 20-pound test line.

Because of the toughness and non-forgiveness of braided lines and the fact that you can see them so readily, many fishermen use a fluorocarbon leader. This has two advantages; 1- the line to the lure will be invisible in the water and 2- if snagged you will not bind the line in the reel trying to break it off as the leader will break well before that can happen. Use a leader, especially when using higher test braided lines.
Braided lines cast long distances very well and have no curls or loops lying on the water. It’s very limp and lies straight and flat and it also floats.
Stren Super Braid™ and Excel Braid™ are becoming the most popular braided lines on the market today. But they not as cheap as many other brands. Its claim that it stays round where other brands have a tendency to flatten out is true. Because of its small diameter, 10- pound test is the diameter of 3-pound test monofilament line; it casts a really long way. But when pulled on hard it has fewer tendencies to bind in the reel like flat line does. Unlike Spiderwire™, it is not a collection of threads but a true single round strand line.

Its best to use a non-stretch line when drop shotting as you will want to feel every nipple and nudge and have a quick and positive hook set. Monofilament if too long has way too much give to it for this type of application. Mono is also not the best line to set a hook with just after a really long cast because of the amount of stretch it has.

When using a braided line is recommended that you use a monofilament leader in clear water. In off colored water you can use a leader tied to a swivel or tie directly to the braided line. This all depends on how off colored the water is. If you think the fish may notice the line, go with a leader. Because of its small diameter, some people never use a leader, saying it’s a personal choice. What is not a personal choice, however, is checking the line for frays and scrap marks after catching a fish or dragging you lure over rocks, heavy cover or after getting it unengaged from a tree or stump. Always check your line and cut off any damaged sections of line and retie your lure if need be. If you do not use a leader with any line use a fluorocarbon main line as it all but invisible in the water.
Always use a monofilament leader with a Carolina rig or use a fluorocarbon leader instead if you can afford the price.

In clear water always use fluorocarbon line because it vanishes in water. Fish can’t see it and its almost as sensitive as braided line. It’s also super tough and abrasive resistant.

Red lines, often called Cajun lines are another invisible line once it enters the water. Since the color red disappears very fast the deeper it goes it is very useful in fishing deeper water. But this is not to say that they can’t be used in shallow water as they can. The sheer thinness of the line combined with the color makes it very hard for the bass to detect at almost any level. You, as a fisherman, just have to get over the idea that red line sticks out like a sore thumb instead of disappearing. It is like the gold colored Spectra™ line in that as soon as it hits the water it turns invisible but the line on the reel remains gold.

Another characteristics of fishing line to consider is knot tying strength, some lines while have other great attributes have less than admirable knot tying qualities. They tend to leave a small wavy line just above the eye of a hook or lure if not lubricated well before being cinched down. This wavy area is a weak point and will break. Stretch we have gone over pretty much but remember that this factor controls casting distance and how far the lure can be from you and still get a hook set. Read the line information carefully before buying any line.

Some lines, while very thin are not invisible or anywhere near it. These lines like Magna-thin and other braided lines are best used with a leader or with fast moving lures so the line is harder for the fish to see. Fishing with plastic frogs or rats, buzz baits and fast running spinner baits are good examples of where you can tie directly to the lure. Jigs, worms and other bottom plastics require a leader.

Less diameter effects castability, running depth of the lures well as the strength and visibility of the line. Thinner lines are harder for fish to see and they impart a more livelier action to crank baits and plastics. It makes them look more alive.

I have tried to stay away from recommending any specific brand names as being the best and just used names to give you examples although that is just about impossible. Every fisherman has to make up his/her own mind as to what he can afford verses what would be the best possible choice. Try to fish smart, your line is as important as your rod or your reel. Change it often, check often for burrs, nicks and rough spots and cut out these spots whenever you notice them and retie your lure and know what your fishing line can and can’t do. Always store your spare spools of fishing line in a dark dry place because direct sunlight will deteriorate it over time. Yes you can buy Monofilament line and get by just fine for a while, but eventually you’ll come to a point where you realize you can do better. Read all the labels well before buying and know all there is about the lines you use in order to make the best choice possible.

Bruce Middleton

bpmiddleton@peoplepc.com