Fishing lines explained

By Robert Thornton

It’s easy to dismiss fishing lines as one of the least important components of a fishing set up. In reality though, fishing line can be the difference between success and failure. Fishing lines are literally the connection between you and your lure or bait; and if things go well… you and the fish!

But lines are much more than just a thread keeping the whole system together. We’ve recently looked at rods and reels, so in this blog we’re looking at lines! We’ll look at a history of lines, some different line types and their uses, plus some tips and tricks to help you get the most out of them.

A LONG LINE

Fishing lines, like most fishing tackle, have evolved a lot since they first started showing up in history books. In the pre-modern world, fishing lines were made from natural materials like animal hair, plant fibres and silk. Natural fishing lines remained a prominent feature of fishing well into the 20th century, and even after the arrival or nylon in the 1930s, many anglers were still using stretched animal gut!

Nylon really was a gamechanger, as it could be produced cheaply and in large quantities, and was relatively thin and light compared to its alternatives. Because of these properties, nylon allowed anglers to cast lighter objects further than before, making it popular with lure anglers.

When the ‘80s rolled around, braided fishing lines entered the picture. While braided threads from natural materials existed well before then, the ‘80s saw manufacturers braiding synthetics to make fishing line, and this changed the game yet again.

Braid offered the advantages of an even thinner diameter, higher breaking strains, stronger knots and better castability. While not as abrasion resistant as nylon (monofilament) lines of a similar breaking strain, the pros definitely outweighed the cons in most situations.

These days, there are a range of different materials used to make fishing line, however most anglers generally tend to find themselves using either braid, monofilament, or both.

LINES BROKEN DOWN

You may be asking yourself, what fishing lines do I need? Hopefully this breakdown will give you an idea of which lines suit your style of fishing.

There are two main fishing line types in common usage today, and those are braided and monofilament lines, however for this blog we’ll break them down a little further into four categories: braided, fused, monofilament and fluorocarbon.

Monofilament lines

Monofilament, or simply ‘mono’, are a family of fishing lines that are made from a few different materials (most notably nylon), and are probably the most commonly used and best known type of fishing line.

The name comes from the fact that they are made from a single piece of nylon or other synthetic material that is stretched out. The end product is a fine, shock absorbent and often translucent strand that still has a lot of uses in fishing today.

Mono is often used as a mainline, and sometimes as a trace or leader. Mono is preferred when fishing around jagged structure, where contact between line and said structure happens often. One great example is fishing from the ocean rocks.

Mono also lends itself to many applications in bait fishing, where shock absorbance is the key to tempt timid fish into eating the bait, and also staying connected to the fish once hooked up.

Most (but not all) monofilaments float, making them popular for float fishing, or any other technique that requires the line to have some buoyancy, such as fishing with topwater lures.

Fluorocarbon lines

Fluorocarbon gets its name from the fact it is made from polyvinylidene fluoride, and in many respects, it’s very similar to nylon monofilament lines.

The main differences from traditional mono include its low visibility in the water, making it a popular mainline or leader choice when stealth is required. Additionally, fluoro tends to be even more abrasion resistant than normal mono, and because of this it’s a top choice of leader material for those fishing around heavy cover. Given that fluoro isn’t as supple or stretchy as mono, it lends itself to lure fishing in general, where minimising stretch to increase sensitivity is a priority.

Fluorocarbon does have its drawbacks, namely its stiffness compared to mono, which can make knot tying more difficult and also affect the action of some lures, especially in heavier poundages. Another drawback is the cost compared to mono, as fluoro production is a more involved process and therefore tends to result in a more expensive finished product.

Braided lines

Braid has existed since the 1980s, but didn’t become a regular part of the everyday lure angler’s kit until well into the 2000s. As the name suggests, braid is made from braided fibres (usually polyethylene), and is commonly sold in 4-strand, 8-strand and 12-strand configurations.

Braided lines revolutionised lure fishing, as they offered a stronger breaking strain for a thinner diameter. With this thin diameter, anglers were suddenly able to fit more line on their reels, and were able to cast their lures much further than before.

Braid also has little or no stretch, meaning everything is felt through the angler’s hand, and any movement that happens on the rod and reel end, happens on the lure end almost immediately.

Knot strength is another advantage that braid offers, given that its textured design allows it to really ‘bite’, particularly when tying braid to leader material such as mono or fluorocarbon.

Braid unfortunately has some weaknesses, with the main one being its lack of abrasion resistance. Granted, braid is much stronger than mono or fluoro under direct load, however when put in contact with abrasive surfaces, braid will wear through much faster. It’s partly for this reason that anglers using braided mainlines will usually use at least a rod length of mono or fluorocarbon trace.

Additionally, braid’s lack of stretch can sometimes lead to pulled hooks, or even straightened hooks. With this in mind, it’s important to use the bend of the rod when running braid, as the rod becomes the main source of shock absorbance.

Fused lines 

Fused lines are a braided variant made by applying a thin coating of polymers over the individual strands, which then helps to fuse the strands together. Fused lines have been around for almost as long as modern braids, and because of certain advantages they offer, are still in use today. In fact, Daiwa’s J-Braid Expedition more-or-less fits the description of a fused line.

Fused lines are somewhat like a hybrid of mono and braid, in that they offer slightly better abrasion resistance on average than standard braids, while still being thin and stronger under load compared with a mono of similar diameter.

Fused lines also tend to last a little longer, given that they don’t hold onto water in the same way standard braid does. To understand this, imagine standard braid being like fine rope; its textured finish soaks up saltwater and causes it to degrade over time. With fused line, most of the saltwater will fall off before it can soak into the line itself or end up on your reel.

As for the downsides, fused lines usually don’t tie as well as standard braid, with fused lines tending to be a bit slipperier. I have also personally found that fused lines can bite into and stick to itself on the reel, especially when put under load. 

TIPS AND TRICKS

With any line, it’s important to replace it when it gets old. As a general rule, when used regularly (once or twice a week), mainlines, whether braid or mono, should be replaced every 1-2 years, and every 3-4 if used less regularly. Bear in mind that warmer climates will also negatively affect line longevity, particularly monofilament.

Another thing to remember is to wash your line with freshwater after saltwater use. When washing down your reel, make sure to give the line a quick spray, and ideally peel off about a cast length of line, and wind it back onto the reel through your fingers before allowing to air dry.

Finally, be sure to regularly check your mainline and trace for damage, such as nicks, frayed spots or abrasions, and re-tie if necessary. Negligence will lead to lost fish and tackle failure at the critical time, so this is a habit well worth getting into.

END OF THE LINE

Fishing line is more than just the thread that goes on your reel, and hopefully this blog has given you some idea of which line is best for your situation. Once you understand the properties and intentions behind the different types of fishing line, you’ll be better positioned to set yourself up for the sort of fishing you want to do.

We live in an age where we have so many options at our disposal, and gone are the days where we are forced to use whatever is available. My advice is to choose fishing line wisely, as it can really make a difference on the water.