Monofilament Fishing Line Information
- The DuPont Company’s discovery of nylon in 1935, followed by its introduction to the public three years later, eventually became a boon for the fishing line industry. DuPont started to manufacture monofilament line in 1939, but at first, the new line was slow to gain popularity among anglers. Up until that point, most fishing line was a type of braided line, made from silk spun into a usable line. After great improvements occurred through the 1950s with monofilament, such as making the line more flexible and consistent, monofilament turned into the choice of most anglers.
- One of monofilament’s features is that it can come in a wide array of colors. Monofilament fishing line may be clear, but it can also be green, red, yellow, blue and even fluorescent. This feature comes in handy for anglers that pay close attention to the movement of the line when fishing for species like the largemouth bass, utilizing soft plastic creature baits. Colored line is much easier to see, but for those that wish to use harder-to-detect monofilament on other presentations that require more stealth, the clear line is a good option.
- One of the aspects of monofilament fishing line is that it stretches much more easily than the other two major types of line--braided lines and fluorocarbon lines. Monofilament absorbs water at a higher rate, translating into the line not being as sensitive to the nibbles of fish. While this can hurt the experienced angler looking to feel the slightest nudge on her bait by a fish, it actually can help the novice, who may be a bit over-eager to set the hook at the first sign of a bite.
- There is a distinct lack of quality control for the cheapest brands of monofilament fishing line. While these lines may be much cheaper than well-known brand names, they often are an inferior product. One of the biggest drawbacks that can plague monofilament line is that it retains memory. This fishing jargon refers to the line eventually taking on the shape of the spool of your reel, making it come off in coiled shapes when you cast it. For this reason, it is prudent to change your monofilament line at regular intervals.
- Monofilament line is not nearly as strong under duress or as resistant to abrasion as braided lines and fluorocarbon fishing lines. Monofilament line, though, is a line you can use on all types of reels, from baitcasting reels to spinning reels. Monofilament line is easy to cut and it is the easiest line with which to learn to tie fishing knots. The flexibility and lack of stiffness in monofilament line makes it the best line for casting, as it comes off the reel and through the rod guides on a fishing pole much smoother than other types. Monofilament's low cost compared to other lines also makes it popular.