The topic of fishing line used to be a short story. Today, fishing line is anything but simple and understanding the different kinds of lines available has become a rather complex subject.

    Because the average angler hasn’t taken time to fully digest the latest technology to hit the fishing line market, they are less than prepared to make critical decisions that can and will influence success on the water. A little time on the internet can pay big dividends when it comes to understanding fishing lines and how to best use them.

LINE TYPES

    Fishing lines come in an ever growing number of categories including nylon monofilament, co-polymer lines, spectra braided lines, microdyneema  fiber lines, Uni-Filament lines, lead core lines and PVDF or fluorocarbon fishing lines. All of these lines have advantages and disadvantages. Like everything else in fishing, compromise is a part of the puzzle forcing anglers to make intelligent decisions on what line types work best for specific presentations.

MONOFILAMENT

    Ordinary nylon monofilament has been around for decades and amazingly this basic fishing line product continues to play a huge roll in the sportfishing industry. Largely what makes monofilament so popular is the combination of properties and modest cost. Nylon monofilament has relatively thin diameter, low memory which makes it easy to handle on spinning, spin-cast and baitcasting reels, amazing abrasion resistance and a controlled amount of stretch that makes this type of fishing line amazingly difficult to break. 

    All these features add up to a line that is still a winner for certain presentations like open water trolling, float fishing, river fishing and for targeting smaller species like panfish that don’t put deliver a lot of abuse to fishing line.

CO-POLYMER LINES

    Co-polymer fishing lines are a close second to nylon monofilament. Sort of like monofilament on steroids, co-polymers are thinner in diameter without giving up important characteristics like tensile strength. Co-polymers have less memory and are very user friendly fishing lines suitable for all types of reels.

    The disadvantages of co-polymer lines is they tend to be a little less abrasion resistant and the cost is slightly higher than monofilament lines. Just about any application that monofilament line works well for, co-polymers can be used effectively.

    Like monofilament that comes in every size and color under the sun, the same is true of co-polymer lines. This line type has a slight advantage over monofilament for use on spinning reels because of the ultra low memory and a slight disadvantage over monofilament because of the somewhat reduced abrasion resistance.

FLUOROCARBON

    Fluorocarbon lines look like nylon monofilament, but they are much different. Fluorocarbon line is denser and sinks, whereas monofilament and co-polymer lines float. Because fluorocarbon line sinks, it becomes the obvious choice for a number of contact style presentations like rigging, jigging, drop shotting and fishing soft plastics in combination with Texas rigged weights.

    Fluorocarbon line is also completely invisible in water making it not only a good choice for main line, but also as a leader material. Like monofilaments, fluorocarbon comes in different grades designed to make the line stiffer and have greater abrasion resistance as a leader material or softer and have less memory for use as a main line. It’s important to read the fine print because a fluorocarbon that’s designed as a leader material will pop off a spinning reel like a coil spring! In the same token, fluorocarbon designed as main line will have far less abrasion resistance than the typical leader material.

    Besides the presentations outlined above, fluorocarbon leader material is ideal for rig fishing leader, tying spinner rigs, used as diving planer leaders or shock leaders for pike and muskie fishing applications.

SPECTRA BRAIDS

    Spectra is one of the most common “super fibers” used to create braided, low stretch lines. Thin in diameter and exceptionally useful in the tensile strength department, spectra braids are widely used on both spinning and baitcasting reels.

    Because these lines have very little stretch and exceptionally thin diameter, they are ideal for jig fishing, deep water rigging applications, flipping and pitching into heavy cover, as diving planer lines and for trolling applications that require achieving maximum diving depth.

    The biggest disadvantage of spectra braids is they require the use of special knots. Ordinary clinch style knots will often slip when tied using spectra braids because the fibers themselves are so slippery. The best overall knot for using spectra braids is the easy to tie and very strong polamar knot.

MICRODYNEEMA BRAIDS

    Microdyneema is an extra thin fiber used to create a different generation of “super braid” lines. Because the fiber is stronger for a given diameter than spectra fibers, Microdyneema lines can be made thinner without sacrificing tensile strength.

    The chief disadvantage of Microdyneema lines is a reduction in abrasion resistance compared to spectra lines and low knot strength.  Useful in jigging applications that do not call for super strong lines, Microdyneema lines enjoy a niche in the fishing line market.

LEAD CORE

    A sinking style line designed for trolling has been around since World War II when miracle fibers like Dacron and nylon first became available. Lead core line is made up of a thin wire made of soft lead covered with a coating of nylon braid that gives the line strength.

    Like other fishing lines, lead core comes in different break strength or working loads. The most common sizes are 18 and 27 with a few anglers using 35 and 45 pound test lead core line.

    Primarily used for deep water trolling applications, lead core is rather thick in diameter for the break strength and is only suited to being used on larger baitcasting or level-wind reels.

COMMON SENSE CHOICES

    As a member of the Vicious Fishing Pro Staff, I’ve been using Vicious lines for the past five years. Like all manufacturers of fishing line Vicious produces a wide variety of line types including monofilament, co-polymer, spectra braid and two versions of fluorocarbon.

    To keep my fishing as effective, yet simple as possible I’ve adopted the following user guidelines.

    For general purpose trolling with planer boards or downriggers I prefer to use a co-polymer line like Vicious Ultimate. Because this line is very thin in diameter, I tend to select a break strength one size larger than I would ordinarily choose. For example, when walleye trolling I would typically use 10# test monofilament, but select 12# test Ultimate for this task. Doing so gives me more break strength without giving up the diving depth of my lures.

    For the majority of jigging and rigging applications I prefer Vicious Braid which is a spectra product. For walleye fishing I opt for 10# test with a two pound test diameter. For bass fishing 15# test with a four pound diameter is ideal. This same line in 20# test is a good choice for deep water jigging for things like lake trout. I also use this line in larger sizes for casting to pike and muskie. The 50# test is ideal for pike fishing and the 65# or 80# is perfect for muskie fishing applications.

    The new Pro Elite Fluorocarbon line is the ideal main line fluorocarbon for bass, panfish, steelhead and walleye fishing applications. Soft enough to fish on a spinning reel without memory issues, Pro Elite is the ultimate fluorocarbon for casting applications with spinning and baitcasting gear.

      Vicious also makes fluorocarbon line designed to be used as leader material. This super tough and invisible line is the perfect choice for typing spinner rigs, slip sinker rigging, carolina rigging, diving planer leaders, downrigger trolling leaders, lead core leaders or any leader application. I even use this line to tie leaders for toothy critters like northern pike and muskie, creating super tough, flexible and invisible leaders that allow my lures to enjoy maximum action.

SUMMING IT UP

    Fishing lines have become one of the more complex subjects in fishing. With so many different line types available and so many new products on the market, it’s a challenge to find products that work well.

    No single line type can work for all fishing applications. Understanding a few of the line types available and how to get the most from these fishing products is the fast track to success. Fishing line may not be a short story anymore, but it’s a story with a happy ending for those who embrace the technology and get the most from it.