What is your favorite fishing line? For some, it is the line that you put on the reel 10 years ago. I am always amazed how so many fishermen give all their attention to their outfits, hats, clothes and Brand of their rod, or reel, but could not tell you what line their reel is loaded with, or how to tie a proper knot.
The catching begins with a clean and strong knot! If your line is old, brittle, degraded by the sun, and weathered, what kind of knot strength can you expect? Most knots, even the Clinch Knot, will weaken your line. The cheaper and older your line, the less performance you can expect.
I use a lot of mono lines. My preference are the colored lines that I can see. Trilene Solar Green, or Stren Gold are two of my choices. Many fishermen avoid colored lines because the fish can see them. Try adding a small Barrel Swivel and a tippet of quality Fluorocarbon!
Fluorocarbon Tippets attached with a barrel swivel accomplishes several things. First, the swivel will prevent line twisting that will coil and weaken your line. Fluorocarbon is almost invisible, so you have added better transparency. The strength of your line is also improved. The standard diameter of say a 6 lb. test mono may be larger than you want. The Fluorocarbon tippet material will be nearly twice as strong as the mono at the same diameter! That’s a huge advantage. Fluorocarbon also will not coil and have the memory of other lines. During cold weather and ice fishing, the line resists coiling. This tippet material also ties a cleaner and stronger knot. It is resistant to abrasion and lasts for years. It ages so slowly that vendors request that you recycle the line since it will not break down in nature for centuries!
You can load your reel with a complete spool of Fluorocarbon but will find it hard to see. Even if the Fluorocarbon came in a color, I would still use a tippet of clear. The length of this tippet would vary from 16 inches when ice fishing to several feet if trolling big water. The Barrel swivel should also be a quality bit of hardware and not some cheapo deal.
The Berkely Trilene and the Suffix Advance Hyper Copolymer are nylon blends. They offer 50% less stretch than monofilament and are also thinner. Their suppleness offers a better feel. Hook sets are faster and break offs are fewer thanks to this line.
Get in line for better and stronger hookups!
Montana Grant
For more Montana Grant, drop him a line at www.montanagrantfishing.com.
