If you're mystified by monofilament, confused about flurocarbon or bewildered by braided, it's time to familiarise yourself with all the essential types of fishing line to make your next fishing trip a successful one.
Whether it's your first time fishing or you're a long-time seasoned angler, having the right fishing line to hand will enhance your experience when casting out into a variety of fishing spots. From improved performance to bite detection, line strength, sensitivity and even invisibility to fish, a high quality and well chosen fishing line can really be make or break when you're catching fish.
But which fishing line should you choose?
In our latest blog, Tidal Drift Fishing have reeled in all the best reasons to choose monofilament, fluorocarbon and braided lines, helping to give you a better idea of which type of fishing line is best for your next angling adventure.
Why Should I Choose Monofilament Line?
Often referred to as "mono", monofilament line is the simplest and most straightforward common fishing line, made using a single strand of nylon that has been shaped into continuous, slightly stretchy and smooth filament.
Advantages: Lightweight, buoyant, affordable, smooth and simple to cast with satisfactory abrasion resistance, low visibility to fish and good colour retention.
Uses: Monofilament fishing line is a popular choice for a vast range of general purpose freshwater and saltwater fishing uses, and it also floats which makes it suitable for topwater bass fishing. You'll find that mono lines are most suitable for using on a spinning or baitcaster reel in freshwater environments and are light and sensitive enough for lake fishing. Monofilament lines are great for catching trout, salmon, kingfish and small tuna.
Disadvantages: Quite a high degree of stretch, absorbs water, weakens when exposed to UV rays and saltwater for long periods of time. Also has line memory retention which can cause tangles and curls.
Why Should I Choose Fluorocarbon Line?
Second only to monofilament in popularity, fluorocarbon is a more advanced fishing line of choice, comprised of an advanced fluoropolymer PVDF composition that yields a wider range of practical benefits, including a refractive index that's similar to water and densely packed molecules for better strength, sensitivity and resistance to deterioration.
Advantages: Incredibly low visibility to fish, sinks easily in water thanks to the denser composition, lower stretch than mono lines, low memory factor, good knot strength and knot versatility, brilliant UV and abrasion resistance and won't absorb water.
Uses: Great for more complex angling requirements and for fish that are difficult to catch, fluorocarbon lines are essential for any fishing environments where strength, low visibility and sensitivity are vital. Fluoro also suits bass and freshwater fishing with jerkbaits, jigs, swimbaits and chatterbaits or fishing habitats that consist of sand, rock surfaces, gravel and wood thanks to the superior abrasion resistance.
Disadvantages: Less flexible than monofilament due to the improved strength, doesn't float (making it unsuitable for some topwater fishing), and less affordable when compared to monofilament line.
Nomura Fluorocarbon Invisible Fishing Line
Incredibly smooth and available in a 150 metre spool, Nomura Fluorocarbon Invisible Fishing Line is made using the best Japanese technology, featuring an ultra clear, abrasion resistant composition with superior knot strength that's suited to snaring the hardest to catch fish.
Why Should I Choose Braided Line?
An early incarnation of the fishing line that is still popular in the contemporary context and has been brought up-to-date with plenty of modern benefits. Braided lines today are made from multiple strands of tightly woven synthetic fibres for superior longevity, strength and sensitivity.
Advantages: Superior strength with almost no stretch or none at all, zero water absorption and shrinkage, a smaller diameter than mono lines, floats on water, zero memory factor, UV resistant, soft and supple to touch, longer-lasting than most other fishing lines on the market.
Uses: Great for freshwater and saltwater applications, braided lines are particularly suited to bait casting reels and deepwater fishing as well as situations that require enhanced sensitivity and strike detection, as well as feeling lure action, reel spooling, casting and better hooksetting.
Disadvantages: High water visibility, susceptible to tangling, more expensive than mono lines, can sometimes be difficult to knot and use with outdated reels.
Sidewinder Silk Braid x4 PE Universal Tournament Fishing Line
A strong-as-steel and soft PE braid, this Sidewinder fishing line delivers high abrasion resistance, zero water absorption and shrinkage and a direct feeling from the hook up.