Monofilament Line

[Mobasser]

One topic which always seems to come up here on BR, is fishing lines. We have many threads on which rod or reel to pick, and usually, many folks can reach a general agreement on which ones are good.                                                  Fishing lines, on the other hand, are a hard one to call. One thing I think any experienced angler knows, is that a good line is just as important as any part of your tackle. The line is your connection to the fish.                            I've been a monofilament fisherman for all my life, and I still like monofilament lines.                      Starting out with Stren in the early 80s, I found Trilene Big Game, and have used it on casting reels for a long time now. It's worked well. It's seems like the big issue is with lighter lines, for light line/ finesse style fishing. Most all will say to use a braid/ leader combo, or a flourocarbon line.                                        I've stayed with mono, and havnt had the line twist issues that many complain about. To be honest, I can't say that I've ever felt any mono line actually stretch either, even though stretch is a common complaint.         I store my line spools in a shoebox, out of the sunlight, and run the line through my thumb and finger, to check for any nicks or abrasions, and with the low cost of mono lines, I can respool several times over the course of a season, on any of my reels, if I need to.                                                            But, It seems like monofilament lines are no longer popular with bass fisherman.They still sell a lot of them, but most bass fisherman won't recommend them anymore.                                                    I've been told I'm missing fish, and that I'm stuck in the past with my line choice. And, I would never be critical of another anglers choice of fishing line. It's all personal preference. But, I see monofilament lines losing an uphill battle here, and being replaced by newer technologies, and what many say are better lines. In defense of monofilament lines, I've used them for almost forty years now, and, any fish I've lost in that time has been my fault, and not the fault of any mono lines I've used.                                 Would anyone care to comment here, and, do we have many members who still use monofilament line for most of they're bass fishing?

[Tennessee Boy]

I predict that mono will eventually be replaced by fluorocarbon  and braid and will be taken off the market.  Then it will be reintroduced as a special new nylon line that is very expensive and it will be hailed as the greatest line ever.   

[Big Swimbait]

I've caught a lot of fish on fluro, braid and co-poly. I've caught 5X that amount on 15# Big Game.

[JS8588]

I'm not a bass fisherman, I'm a "whatever bites" fisherman. I use mono 99% of the time & just dipped my toe into Fluoro recently.

 

I use Sunline Super Natural & Stren Magnathin.

[813basstard]

Just like everything else, it has its place. If it ain’t a problem it ain’t a problem. 
It definitely has stretch tho.. That much is fact. 

[jimmyjoe]

2 hours ago, Mobasser said:

But, I see monofilament lines losing an uphill battle here, and being replaced by newer technologies, and what many say are better lines.

 

Be careful not to mistake short-term trends of "fashion" with long-term appreciation of utility.      jj

[WRB]

Monofilament line comes in a wide variety of types. In reality Fluorocarbon line is a single or mono filament line.

What everyone tends to call mono is a Nylon blend of polymers with additives to reduce degradation from sunlight UV. 

Stretch, all monofilament lines including FC, Copolymers and co- extruded hybrid fishing line stretch with 5% of each other, approximately 35% line tensile strength.

I don’t know of a single giant bass over 17 lbs caught on FC line. I personally caught 5 giant bass over 17 lbs using mono line, Trilene XT and Big Game 10lb and 12 lb line. My average hook set using jigs is over 90’ up to 150’ away from me.

Mono stretch is misunderstood and exaggerated.

Fluorocarbon line stretches equally per line diameter however has 20% lower knot strength and subject to abrasion weakening resulting in unpredictable line failures.

Don’t fish much anymore, when I do it’s Sunline Defier Armillo 11 lb Nylon, Maxima Ultra Green 5 lb Copolymer and Seaguar 12 lb Tatsu currently.

Tom 

 

[Jig Man]

All I can say is before I had any fluorocarbon line I took a friend’s son fishing.  I had mono, he had fluorocarbon.  It took me two trips of getting my butt waxed from the back of my boat fishing Shaky to bite the bullet and buy fluorocarbon.  Of the dozen and a half setups in my boat only two have mono on them.

[T-Billy]

Flouro is denser and transmits vibrations better, making it more sensitive than mono. It sinks making it superior to mono for some presentations.

Mono handles better, has better knot strength and shock strength. Mono recovers from stretch better. Mono has proven more abraision resistant, in both tests I've seen, and on my rods, and if flouro has any visibility advantage it's WAAYYY overrated. Flouro cost me two PB's in two years. It's been braid, XT, and Big Game ever since. No more phantom break offs. Most of the claims about flouro's advantages are pure marketing BS IMO. Feel free to disagree, but that's been my experience.

 

[Catt]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Mono stretch is misunderstood and exaggerated.

 

Every experiment showing the stretch of monofilament is done by attaching one end to an immovable object & the other end is attached to a mechanical apparatus that applies more pressure than any hookset or bass could ever apply.

 

I've been told numerous times that I will miss bites because of the stretch. But no one could ever answer how since stretch cannot occur until pressure is applied on both ends.

 

When I set hook the bass moves, the line starts to stretch, the rod flexes, the drag kicks in, all in unison.

 

I tried Fluorocarbon for over a year & a half, using Seaguar Red Label, InvizX, AbrazX, & Sunline Sniper.

 

All I will say is if I have to walk around with a bottle of juice in my back pocket just to make it bearable that ain't the line for me!

[Team9nine]

Mono (nylon/copoly) isn’t going anywhere soon. Most of us on this site could be classified as having above average interest in bass fishing - but we're the minority. Take every Bass Resource person ever registered and add that to every bass tourney angler in the country, and we're still a drop in the bucket compared to the estimated 49 million anglers who fish, the majority of which could probably care less about the benefits of fluoro or braid over mono. Cost alone will negate a large portion of these anglers from buying any specialty lines. There’s a reason why the Shakespeare Ugly Stik has been the best selling rod in the country for years and years.

[georgeyew]

I'd like to see some with a hook point against their finger 50 ft out and using mono line to see if the hook has trouble penetrating because of the "stretch". You can also try with a hook in your mouth, but that would sound a little mean.

[MickD]

Mono and other monofilament lines (FC and hybrid) have strengths/advantages for certain applications.  For example, mono doesn't sink and take a surface lures action with it like FC does.  FC is denser, so it makes fishing sinking lures more effective, especially slow techniques.  FC is said to be less visible to fish, but that is debatable.  While braid is certainly opaque, it is so small in diameter in most pound tests that it may not be visible to fish.  Many fish it successfully without a leader.

 

If one doesn't think the monofilament lines stretch appreciably it's most likely because they have not used the alternative, braid.  Braid has almost no stretch, an order of magnitude different than the monofilament lines of all varieties, so it is better for feeling subtle bites and it's better for hook sets.  It also lasts longer with premium braids often good for multiple years of service.  Pricey, yes, but maybe not considering their lives.

 

I have one setup left with mono, a light BC outfit I use for surface lures.  Everything else is braid with a 4-6 foot leader of mono or FC.  To me, fishing mono is like fishing with a rubber band for line.

[Chris Catignani]

5 hours ago, Mobasser said:

Would anyone care to comment here, and, do we have many members who still use monofilament line for most of they're bass fishing?

Yes...mostly Stren nylon mono...6,8,10,12. 

Currently testing some 6lb Strike King Tour Grade fluorocarbon and 12 lb KastKing FluoroKote.

 

[QED]

I use 4-6 lb test stren mono > 90% of the time. I still also use 2 lb mono (which is becoming hard to find) for ultralight spinning and 8 lb test mono for light casting.  The knot strength and line stretch actually seem to help in ultralight/light applications.

[WRB]

55 minutes ago, georgeyew said:

I'd like to see some with a hook point against their finger 50 ft out and using mono line to see if the hook has trouble penetrating because of the "stretch". You can also try with a hook in your mouth, but that would sound a little mean.

I used to do a demo having a volunteer do a rod set as I held a jig between my thumb and index finger standing about 50’ away. Never had anyone every move the hook.

My hook set the rod pointed at the jig and reel the line tight quickly until the hook point has already penetrated tissue, then perform a firm rod sweep. Having a volunteer holding a piece of 2X4 wood with the jig hook resting against the wood my hook set either jerked the 2X4 out of the hand or the hook point into the wood to the barb using 12 lb mono and my jig rod.

How you set a hook is important.

Tom

 

[GReb]

I use McCoy Mean Green copolymer for most applications. I have 3 reels with FC and 1 braid. Everything else is McCoys. 

[DitchPanda]

I used to catch alot of Texas rig fish on a medium power ugly stick and big game mono. Stretch is highly exaggerated.

[garroyo130]

Id wager to say that Big Game is probably the #1 selling line in the country ... mono aint going anywhere

[Catt]

1 hour ago, MickD said:

If one doesn't think the monofilament lines stretch appreciably it's most likely because they have not used the alternative, braid.

 

Long before monofilament, fluorocarbon, copolymore, or hybrids we used braided cotton.

 

I've fished braided Cotton, Dacron, Micron, Suture Material (Silk), Micro Dyneema®, Kevlar, & Spectra.

[scaleface]

I'm not trying to compete with the  pro angler. Mono has proven itself for decades and I like the cost . I use braid on my frog combo and thats it. I tried floro for worms and I'm not saying its bad , I just    did not like the way it handled or the ugly knot that I did not trust . I'm retiring soon, watching my pennies and  dont see a change coming . I use 12 lb Big Game on most of my combos and 17 lb xl clear blue fluorescent on my worm/jig rod .

[Spankey]

5 hours ago, JS8588 said:

I'm not a bass fisherman, I'm a "whatever bites" fisherman. I use mono 99% of the time & just dipped my toe into Fluoro recently.

 

I use Sunline Super Natural & Stren Magnathin.

I'm with you. I use mono 99% of the time also. Majority of the time put it that way. I will use Trilene and Stren but over the last few years I've taken a real liking to the Sunline Super Natural Mono. Can't get it local and wish I could get it a big bulk spool. I just do mail order. I have one setup with McCoy copolly and do like that and some big game on a few things. 

[T-Billy]

WRB makes a good point. Technique matters. 40 years of setting the hook with mono is why 15 inchers usually fly over the boat when I'm pitching with braid. I'm getting better about it, but old habits die hard.

I still prefer mono for some techniques. Braid makes some baits too reactive IMO. I prefer mono for tubes, neds, treble hooks, and I still think it's the way to go for pitching during the cold water seasons.

[new2BC4bass]

5 hours ago, 813basstard said:

Just like everything else, it has its place. If it ain’t a problem it ain’t a problem. 
It definitely has stretch tho.. That much is fact. 

I primarily use mono and co-polymers.  All stretch.  Anyone who says fluorocarbon doesn't or has very little has never had to break fluorocarbon when snagged.  Some stretch more than others...just like mono or co-polymer lines.  And fluorocarbon ain't pretty when it breaks.  You have to cut off quite a bit more line.  Something I've never had to do with mono or co-polymer lines.

[Bankbeater]

I use mono on all of my reels.  15 lb, 10 lb, and 6 lb.