Fishing line terms and characteristics
- Fishing Line Memory: Does your line hang straight or curl up as you remove it off the spool? That's how memory works. As you reel in, line with a lot of memory tends to kink or knot. It also conflicts with your presentation and makes casting significantly more difficult.
- Fishing Line Stretch: Stretchy line maintains tension better when fighting a fish. It also lessens the impact of large head motions. Stretch, on the other hand, reduces precision and feedback and makes setting the hook more difficult.
- Shock Strength: Having some stretch means your line is less prone to snap under abrupt pressure. This is referred to as shock or impact strength and it prevents hard-hitting fish from breaking you off.
- Abrasion Resistance: Have you ever been cut off while fishing by rocks? Abrasion-resistant gear is required. Although all modern fishing line is quite abrasion resistant, higher-end materials tend to take scratches better.
- Buoyancy: Some line floats in the water while others sink. They are both useful in different circumstances. Topwater fishing is best done with float or buoyant line. Sinking line remains taut in the water, allowing for greater depth precision.
- Visibility: If a fish sees your line, it may become frightened and refrain from biting. People frequently use low-visibility line in clear water to avoid this. Coloured line can also be used to match the depth and colour of the water you're fishing in.
What types of fishing line are there?
- Monofilament: "Monofilament" or Mono line is a fancy term for "single thread." This is a single piece of plastic, usually nylon, that has been stretched out and fitted into a thin tube. Mono has existed since the 1930s. It's not cutting-edge, but it's a dependable "jack of all trades" and remains the most popular line available.
- Fluorocarbon: Fishing in Stealth Mode. Fluorocarbon line is manufactured in the same manner as monocarbon line, but from a much denser substance. It's related to the substance that keeps your pans from sticking (teflon) and your freezer cool (freon). Fluoro initially became popular in the 1970s. It was so stiff and difficult to manipulate back then that it could only be used as a leader. Things have progressed significantly since then.
- Braided Fishing Line: Braided line is made from four to sixteen strands. Fewer strands mean stronger abrasion resistance, while more strands means a thinner braid. In any case, it's constructed to last and is by far the strongest fishing line pound for pound. Because braid has no memory, it can flow freely without kinking. It also has no elasticity. This provides perfect precision at the expense of lesser shock strength.
What is the best fishing line?
There is no such thing as the "best fishing line." Every style has advantages, disadvantages, and ideal situations. Pooping lures in clear water? Keep to mono. Battling huge game species? Fluorocarbon can be used to bulk things up, or braid can be used to keep things light.
Choosing the best line is primarily a matter of personal preference. Everyone fishes differently, and fifty percent of us still use whatever we first learned to fish on. Try a few and see which one you prefer. That is the real deciding factor.
What is fishing leader?
A leader line is a short piece of mono or fluoro line that is attached to a mainline. When you use a leader, you may mix the benefits of different line kinds to create the ideal setup for each occasion.
Fishing leaders serve two primary functions:
- To protect your primary fishing line from damage and breaking.
- To improve bait presentation.
