Older Monofilament

[Mobasser]

I've tried several different brands of monofilament lines over the years.  Original Stren, Trilene, Ande, and Garcia Royal Bonyll.                     Does anyone know if the monofilament lines of the 1970s were closer in break strength per they're pound test rating?                            In other words, did the ten pound Stren mono made through the 60s, 70s, and later actually break at ten pounds? Or, did it break at a higher test of say 11 or 12lbs? I think most monofilament lines of today list a higher break strength than what's listed on the box? Just curious on this, because if I remember correctly, it seemed like we had more trouble with mono lines breaking when I started fishing than we do now and I've heard and read that they've changed the formula on these mono lines over the years.

[garroyo130]

Ande is the only one we can confidently say has true breaking strengths which havent changed since its an IGFA record line ... who knows about the rest

[desmobob]

30 minutes ago, garroyo130 said:

Ande is the only one we can confidently say has true breaking strengths which havent changed since its an IGFA record line ... who knows about the rest

Ande was the first one to my mind, too.  The IGFA class line was (is) the only one of its kind I've heard of.

 

I would have to believe nylon mono would get stronger per diameter due to technical improvements over the last fifty years.   Whether the manufacturers re-rated it or not would be the question...

[Deleted account]

10 hours ago, garroyo130 said:

Ande is the only one we can confidently say has true breaking strengths which havent changed since its an IGFA record line ... who knows about the rest

Ande is not the only company that makes IGFA rated lines, though Tournament is certainly very good line. Premium is very similar to BG, and that's a good thing.

 

[scaleface]

 17 ln Trilene xl is  hard to break and its only .015 inches in diameter . I finally started carrying a piece of wood to wrap it around and still have a difficult time . It was reformulated a few years back and its something else . I use to throw 14 Stren a lot and it was easy to break .

[TOXIC]

I am a mono guy. Yes, I will use fluro or co poly or braid on occasion and for specific techniques but I love my mono.  My favorite was Berkley Trilene Tournament Strength in Photochromic.  Of course it got discontinued.  When I was pro staff for Bass Pro, I used Excel and was happy with it because I changed it out on a very regular basis.  Break strength is very good and although I have never measured, I am confident it is over the pound rating on the box.  I still use the Excel and normally stock up when I am working an event at Bass Pro and it is on sale along with my vendor discount.  

[WRB]

If you evaluate monofilament lines by the diameter in lieu of rated # test strength you will find nearly all are equal in knot strength except Fluorocarbon. Mono is an acronym used to for Nylon blended line. Nylon inherently has poor UV resistance and is hygroscopic (absorbs water). UV inhibitors and blends of different Nylons and surface coatings improves Exposure to UV and tensile strength. The term Copolymer was used by line mfr’s when adding a polymer blend other then Nylon like polyester or polyurethane for example to improve performance. 

Back in the 50’ to 80’s Mono Nylon/Copolymer lines were made in the USA, no longer with a few exceptions. DuPont sold their domestic Stren plant to Vicious for example, now made off shore. Nylon or polyamide hasn’t changed in 70 years, the blends, additives and processing have.

IGFA line isn’t tested for break strength, it’s tested for the material and diameter to authenticate it’s the line used to catch the fish. If the diameter is larger then advertised it’s not allowed for line class records.

To answer the question, we tie higher strength knots today and use reels with good drags then 50 years ago, the mono lines are very similar in strength today as the were back in the day.

Tom

[Team9nine]

Turns out this is a lot tougher question to answer than I thought it would be. In general, I would agree with Tom in that the lines are pretty much similar in strength (overall breaking and tensile) these days as they were back "in the day." They have undoubtedly changed formulations over the years, likely for the better, and there is some hint that lines now might be somewhat thinner than those same lines back in the 80s/90s, but if you look at the chart below taken from a 1980 advertisement, you'll see that overall breaking strength and PSI tensile ratings are very similar to what you find today (e.g., see 2019 Sport Fishing Mag line study tables for comparison). Nylons have historically ran in that 90k-125k tensile strength range, just as most still do today. Again, if anything, they've gotten slightly thinner and slightly less overall tensile strength (e.g., compare listed diameters below with current TW listings online). 

 

Mislabeling of lines is nothing new, and hasn't changed over the years, either. A Bassmaster report from Berkley's 1979 Sportfishing Workshop read as follows:

 

"Even the stated breaking strength of the line, described on the spool, is often highly innacurate and something many companies misrepresent.

 

There are two reasons why some companies do this:

 

(1) In the case of those lines intentionally "underrated," the gimmick usually has to do with some advertising campaign in which their particular brand is being touted as the least visible 10-pound  line on the market - of course it is, because it's really only seven or eight-pound test line!

 

(2) With lines that have been greatly "overrated," the ploy generally involves something akin to a company's claim that their line is much stronger than any other 10-pound line on the market - of course it is stronger, because it's really 15 pound test!"

 

It later goes on to say that they tested 12 different companies 10-pound test lines and determined their actual break strengths ranged from a low of seven pounds to a high of 15.5 pounds. That range is reflected with the limited lines shown in the advertising table below.

 

Some things never seem to change 

 

[Mobasser]

Team 9nine, thank you. Good info.

[Log Catcher]

There is a lot of good info posted here. I am sure the lines have been reformulated over the years to improve them. More knowledge has helped a lot.

 

It took along time before we realized line needed to be cut off and retie you lure. It was discovered line needed to be stored in a cool dark place if possible. The guides on our rods are much better now. I'm sure there are other things I can't think of right now.

 

I used Stren for years until I got a bad spool of it. I tried other brands for a while and settled on Sufix Siege. It is the toughest mono I have ever used.

 

[Boomstick]

22 hours ago, garroyo130 said:

Ande is the only one we can confidently say has true breaking strengths which havent changed since its an IGFA record line ... who knows about the rest

Ande is also very fat, like thicker than Berkley Big Game, Trilene XT or Sufix Siege.

 

I would wager that newer lines may have gotten a little bit thinner, more abrasion resistant and may withstand environmental conditions a little better. I mean I doubt every line manufacturer wants to start labeling their 15lb line as "even stronger than before" suggesting maybe their older lines broke at 14 or even 13lbs or something, but to be able to do it with line that is thinner and better handling is something else.

[TnRiver46]

No kidding this is the line I use 95% of the time. It’s over 1 mile of line for under $4. I don’t know what they put in there but it’s strong. I reeled in a 40+” gar yesterday with 6 lb test that had even Lassoed  itself several times and the line was scraping against the razor sharp scales . After releasing the fish I checked the line and it wasn’t even frayed??!!! I’ve broken braid and floro much more often and I rarely use braid and floro

[bulldog1935]

On 7/9/2021 at 10:13 PM, desmobob said:

Ande was the first one to my mind, too.  The IGFA class line was (is) the only one of its kind I've heard of.

 

I would have to believe nylon mono would get stronger per diameter due to technical improvements over the last fifty years.   Whether the manufacturers re-rated it or not would be the question...

 

Ande created an offshore market for themselves, since their line is ready to go for IGFA records - a piece of line for proof test has to be submitted with an application for IGFA class record.  

 

The Japanese do this, btw - they report their lines as Max breaking strength.