How much do nylon lines really stretch?

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

1 hour ago, Josh Smith said:

Is it December again?

Just about its going down to mid 30's tomorrow

[Cgrinder]

1 hour ago, buzzed bait said:

i get what you're saying, but i can't logically think of another way you'd do this under those "normal fishing conditions" when there is no such thing as normal fishing conditions.  

it's much like the miles per gallon rating in the window of a new vehicle.  they didn't test every single possible way the car would be driven, on every road, with every driver, with every tire, with rain/snow/wind, etc etc etc.  they took a controlled study and put every vehicle on the same playing field, same as frydog's study.  i think he's about as close as one can get to answering the op's questions about stretch with his experiment.

I was more getting at hooksets and the give and take pulls of fighting fish compared to line stretch over a period of time with a static load applied.

I'm also interested in to what degree line returns to form after being stretched suddenly, like on a hookset. I'm noticing things like Hybrid stretching like crazy on hooksets and Red Label being cool with being slowly stretched but turning white and gross after a shock.

And no it's not winter. Research design is part of my Master's and I'm all about nerding it up with tests like Frydog's.

[iabass8]

10 hours ago, buzzed bait said:

i'd say that given what he laid out, it's pretty darn accurate, but as he said, he's no scientist.  he took the controlled variables that were available to him and published his findings, which answer exactly what the OP had asked.  i agree that it might not compare to a hookset, but i'd also argue that my hookset doesn't compare to yours and vice versa.... my equipment, drag, hook, etc. don't compare exactly to yours and so on and so on.  

His test, while extensive and thourough, isn't a good indication of how certain lines stretch. His test only utilizes 8# lines from various manufacturers.  Smaller diameter lines stretch more than a larger diameter line. For example, making the statement "according to this test, sniper stretches as much as invisiz" is an incorrect blanket statement. 20# sniper stretches quite a but less than 7#. Same idea for invisx but 20# sniper has less stretch than 20# invisx. See how confusing this gets? Simply looking at his "data" and trying to make an apples to apples comparison or referring people to it when they have a question about x vs x line would be misleading and uninformative. Most people dont use 8# line on a casting reel in the first place.

Long story short, people used to punch with mono and 1.5 oz of lead. Dont overthink it. Unless you're going to pay for tatsu, shooter, dragoncall, (sniper to an extent) etc, you arent going to see a huge difference. 

 

[Josh Smith]

11 hours ago, QUAKEnSHAKE said:

Just about its going down to mid 30's tomorrow

Perfect time to go fishing, to prove to yourself that you can catch fish after a major coldfront.

Josh

[*Hootie]

4 hours ago, Josh Smith said:

Perfect time to go fishing, to prove to yourself that you can catch fish after a major coldfront.

Josh

On mono.

Hootie

[blckshirt98]

I read an interesting bit in the Bassmaster blogs during their Toledo Bend coverage - Chris Lane said when he used to use mono for frogging but lost a couple of lunkers, it drove him mad why his hooksets didn't stick.  He got his frog setup, let enough mono out as if he were casting on the water, and had his dad hold the far end of the line where the frog would be.  He did a hookset, asked his dad how it felt, and his dad said he "barely felt it". So now Chris Lane uses braid when using a frog because the stretch of the nylon didn't provide the rigidity to drive the hooks in.

You can probably try this with your own setup, and see if the mono is stretching too much for your liking.

[K_Mac]

Yes, there is enough stretch in monofilament to matter to me, especially lighter line in deeper water. I use fluorocarbon for any application that requires a sensitive feel. This is based on countless hours on the water. Yes, I know that fluorocarbon also stretches and do not want to restart that argument. Catt and many others love Big Game, I don't. You can't argue with Catt's success, but BG doesn't make me happy! Some will tell you braid and a leader is the answer to any line question; I would rather use Big Game! My point is that you can only answer these questions for yourself on the water. 

[WRB]

If mono stretched and caused hook set issues how did I  catch several hundred DD bass on jigs using 12 lb mono over 40 year period from deep water making casts over 100' , before we had super sharpe hooks. 

Nylon, FC, copolymer and hybrid single filament line having the same diameter all stretch within a few percentage points, very little difference. The fact Nylon line is lighter than water it tends to float combined with a higher coeffient of drag than FC the line bows going through water. This bow affect increases the length of line in the water verses FC or braid. When you pull on the lure the bow or slack must be eliminated before any force is applied to the hook. What you feel as stretch is actually a bow in the line being straighten and overcoming the force or drag the water creates.

Tom

 

[Josh Smith]

Dang, guys, there are times I want stretch in my line. 

When I don't want stretch, I use braid.

FC and plain mono, in my experience, stretch the same.  I got rid of the FC because it just wasn't giving me benefits over plain ol' Trilene in my waters. 

I have two rods rigged with mono, one with straight braid, and two with braid with mono leaders.  These are the rods I use regularly.  The ultralight sometimes has a leader; right now it doesn't, but that's only because I snapped it off last time I was out and decided to see if crappie would bite without a leader.  (Crappie fishing with a bobber while smallie fishing with a spinnerbait here; only caught a drum on either!)

Josh

[FryDog62]

On May 13, 2016 at 11:28 AM, Raul said:

No

No

 

Worth noting is that the reason I decided to buy 20 lines for the stretch test is because I "sensed" that fluorocarbon stretched so much that I was having difficulty getting good hook sets on longer casts which adversely affected my ability to catch fish.

... I wanted to go beyond just sensing and objectively do some testing to determine if what I thought I was feeling was true --

[iabass8]

7 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Worth noting is that the reason I decided to buy 20 lines for the stretch test is because I "sensed" that fluorocarbon stretched so much that I was having difficulty getting good hook sets on longer casts which adversely affected my ability to catch fish.

... I wanted to go beyond just sensing and objectively do some testing to determine if what I thought I was feeling was true --

The "problem" ( i say problem because you did do quite a bit of good work and I'm not trying to take away from that) with your test is you did it /w 8# line. Lower # test lines have more stretch than their counterparts in higher #. If somebody were looking for a fluorocarbon line to use in heavy cover and were to be directed to your data, they would be mislead in thinking that a certain line stretches more or less than another when different lines stretch differently at different #. An example I made eariler was 7-8# sniper has quite a bit of stretch acts a lot like a mono but 20# sniper doesn't have half as much as the 7/8#. 

[Catt]

39 minutes ago, iabass8 said:

 An example I made eariler was 7-8# sniper has quite a bit of stretch acts a lot like a mono but 20# sniper doesn't have half as much as the 7/8#. 

So would mono!

Fluorocarbon was sold to the public as being invisible & non stretch or lower stretch that mono. The fact is fluorocarbon has as much & in some instances more.

[iabass8]

3 minutes ago, Catt said:

So would mono!

Fluorocarbon was sold to the public as being invisible & non stretch or lower stretch that mono. The fact is fluorocarbon has as much & in some instances more.

Again....I already said that in most instances you won't notice a drastic, if any, difference in using most lower end/economy/some mid fluorocarbons and a quality mono/copoly. It's when you get into the higher end Dragoncall, tatsu and Shooter that the differences become very noticeable but you have to "pay to play" for those lines. . 

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Rod bends,hook penetrates,drag then maybe line stretches.all in about 5 seconds .im my experiance the only real con with nylon is longtivity .then again we found my brothers surf rod under sand a year later after a hurricane with 15 lb big game a little faded but still had great knot strength so line stretch to me dont matter  unless near a platform crane with 80k  lbs of steel beams

[Red Bear]

On 5/15/2016 at 0:06 PM, Maxximus Redneckus said:

Rod bends,hook penetrates,drag then maybe line stretches.all in about 5 seconds .im my experiance the only real con with nylon is longtivity .then again we found my brothers surf rod under sand a year later after a hurricane with 15 lb big game a little faded but still had great knot strength so line stretch to me dont matter  unless near a platform crane with 80k  lbs of steel beams

longevity, really? i will leave mono on my reels for years if i dont use it up first. i have had no problems with it "aging". unless improperly stored, mono will last ages, and a few hours out in the sun every now and then doesnt really affect that either in my experiences. only reason i change my mono line is if its getting low on the spool or if i just simply want to try a different brand of mono line. i've never had to change it because it was old or brittle. now one of my uncles on the other hand, stored his fishing gear in an uncontrolled(temperature wise) garage for years and you could grab a section with both hands, pull and it would snap right in half. for some reason he got mad at me when i made him change all of it with fresh line lol. i got tired of pulling his broken off hooks out of bass in my other uncles pond...

but i swear, and i try to keep my mouth shut about it most times because people can do what they want if it makes them feel better, but it ticks me off to see how many people waste line, and in particular mono because its cheaper. there is virtually no need to change line after every fishing trip, NONE!!! so long as the line isnt total crap to begin with. i dont care if you fish recreational or tournaments. your line isnt going to go bad in a week or two...

[Maxximus Redneckus]

59 minutes ago, Red Bear said:

longevity, really? i will leave mono on my reels for years if i dont use it up first. i have had no problems with it "aging". unless improperly stored, mono will last ages, and a few hours out in the sun every now and then doesnt really affect that either in my experiences. only reason i change my mono line is if its getting low on the spool or if i just simply want to try a different brand of mono line. i've never had to change it because it was old or brittle. now one of my uncles on the other hand, stored his fishing gear in an uncontrolled(temperature wise) garage for years and you could grab a section with both hands, pull and it would snap right in half. for some reason he got mad at me when i made him change all of it with fresh line lol. i got tired of pulling his broken off hooks out of bass in my other uncles pond...

but i swear, and i try to keep my mouth shut about it most times because people can do what they want if it makes them feel better, but it ticks me off to see how many people waste line, and in particular mono because its cheaper. there is virtually no need to change line after every fishing trip, NONE!!! so long as the line isnt total crap to begin with. i dont care if you fish recreational or tournaments. your line isnt going to go bad in a week or two...

Thats what i mean i never had a prob with longtivity that big game survived saltwater,freezing,sun ,sand and moisture the reel was shot and all the guides where corroded lol

[Red Bear]

18 hours ago, Maxximus Redneckus said:

Thats what i mean i never had a prob with longtivity that big game survived saltwater,freezing,sun ,sand and moisture the reel was shot and all the guides where corroded lol

oh, haha, i guess i read it wrong

[Maxximus Redneckus]

5 hours ago, Red Bear said:

oh, haha, i guess i read it wrong

Was just challenging ppl that change there mono weekly.lol saying its no good .i use mono in saltwater way more extreme conditions then any freshwater pond i can get about 6 months out of it and it aint the sun that hurts it.them barnacles  ,oystershells and pilings and bluefish and stripers.