Fishing Line
When choosing the type of fishing line to purchase, you’ll need to take into consideration the type of rod and reel you use, along with the type of fish you usually fish for. Also, when shopping for your line, try to buy from a store that does a relatively high volume of sales in fishing line. This way, you will have a better chance of buying ‘fresh’ line, and not older and possibly weaker line. Fishing line can get old very quickly when exposed to light and heat.
Most fishing line is made from Monofilament, which is made from mixed polymers, comes in a variety of thicknesses and is relatively inexpensive. The type of chemicals added to the mixture controls the line’s strength, limpness and color. There are varying grades of Monofilament Line which of course will change the price accordingly. For example, premium grade Nylon Monofilament line, uses more additives, receives more processing attention than the normal line to make it abrasion resistant, therefore more expensive.
Co-filament line adds and inner and outer wrap of nylon to help the lines resist wear and tear.
Fused Lines are made up of many layers of gel spun polyethylene fibers, thermally fused together to form one thin line that is super strong, sensitive, abrasion resistant, and has just a little stretch (Monofilament line has the most stretch).
Braided lines are made up of intertwined nylon material which forms a super strong, low stretch fishing line.
Fluorocarbon line is made from polymer of fluorine bonded to carbon and has several advantages over the others. This line becomes invisible under water - even in the clearest waters. It has very low stretch and it does not float, which means your bait will go down faster. Fluorocarbon line comes in a variety of colors to make it easier for you to see your line better above the surface. Florescent blue or green for example, make your line easier to see when it is bright and sunny.
Fly lines are made up of a tough braided or monofilament core, surrounded by a thick waterproof plastic sheath. In order to make sure that there is enough line, fly lines are usually attached to a secondary line at the butt section. This is called backing, and this backing line is usually composed of gel-spun monofilament. All fly lines include a leader of monofilament or fluorocarbon, which is usually tapered in diameter, and referred to by the 'X-size' of its final tip section.
Note: Monofilament lines present a serious danger to fish, birds and other marine life, as they cannot easily see it when submerged in water and can easily become entangled. Please discard your waste fishing line properly. When re-spooling your line, take the old line to your nearest tackle shop – most shops have a bin for recycling fishing line.
