At a Glance: Monofilament

Monofilament line is the oldest of the modern fishing lines, made of a single strand of nylon and primarily used as a mainline, but occasionally for leaders. It is the most popular of mainlines due to it being the least expensive and most versatile, working well with simple and complex knots. Monofilament line floats, making it ideal for fishing high in the water column. It is available in many colors including clear, white or opaque, red, orange, yellow, blue and greens. Anglers can purchase monofilament strong enough for most any species or tactic. The strength of monofilament is based on two factors in the manufacturing process. The first and most obvious is thickness. The thicker the line, the higher the breaking strength. The other factor is the polymers employed by each brand which can allow one brand to be a bit stronger than another at similar diameters. Thin lines allow for longer casts, as well. Thick lines are not as flexible and this affects casting distance as the line comes off the spool. The softness also means it stretches during use. This can be both good and bad for anglers. This stretch can assist an angler fighting a hard running fish instead of the line snapping instantly. Line stretch can also be a problem upon hooksets, keeping the hook from being driven into a fish’s mouth and eventually resulting in a lost trophy. Monofilament is also the least abrasion-resistant fishing line due to the softness of the materials used. Heat and prolonged exposure to sunlight can break down monofilament over time and it will lose its strength and flexibility. Storing leftover or extra spools in a basement is better than in a garage. Monofilament line also tends to retain spool-memory in that it eventually will coil up when unwound from a reel’s spool. This can greatly affect hooksets and sensitivity while fishing. It is best to regularly switch your monofilament line out for new, so it remains dependable. The negative characteristics may seem numerous, but monofilament is still widely used and extremely effective for many tactics and budgets. FishUSA offers a tremendous variety of brands, colors, and spool sizes of monofilament fishing line.

Popular brands of monofilament line available at FishUSA include D.A.M., Berkley, Maxima, Sufix, Sunline, and more.

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At a Glance: Monofilament