Line Diameter - What for These Days?

[philocalist]

Never ceases to amaze me that despite all the apparent advances we are constrantly told about, so many anglers - me included, still stick with tried and trusted lines that seem to have ben around forever ... Maxima, Bayer Perlon ... and no doubt a whole host of others that are turted (from experience. not marketing) to do the job, and not let us down.

Braided lines, and the advancements made with them, I can fully appreciate, but can anyone REALLY point to a major improvement in mono that has actually made a difference? ... and don 't get me started on bloody Nanofil......

[Phone]

All,

 

Many years ago "records" of fish weight to breaking strain was in vogue. Is that still a "thing" today?

 

Phone

[Phone]

Philo,

 

Maybe mono is slightly less kinky and less subject to temperature change. But NO - no real improvement. Doesn't seem that the cost of a spool has changed that much either.

 

Phone

[Steve Burke]

If breaking strains were accurate I'd agree that they'd be the most important parameter. However there are several ways of measuring breaking strain. For instance whether the line is dry or wet makes a difference with mono. More important still is whether the line is knotted or not and if so what knot is used.

 

Additionally, because of marketing hype, they're far from accurate! They're not even consistent with different lines from the same supplier.

 

For instance, a supplier could under-rate a line and claim their 12lb line breaks at 20lbs so it's super strong! In fact it's really 20lb line in the first place.

 

Again a supplier could claim their 20lb line is ultra thin. In fact it's really 12lb line.

 

There's a lot less cheating with diameters and these tend to be far more accurate.

 

Here's a very useful PDF chart from the Tackle Box at Dartford's catalogue that shows the above points clearly: http://www.tacklebox.co.uk/pdfs/line_tests_issue7a.pdf

 

 

[ayjay]

If breaking strains were accurate I'd agree that they'd be the most important parameter. However there are several ways of measuring breaking strain. For instance whether the line is dry or wet makes a difference with mono. More important still is whether the line is knotted or not and if so what knot is used.

 

 

 

For instance, a supplier could under-rate a line and claim their 12lb line breaks at 20lbs so it's super strong! In fact it's really 20lb line in the first place.

 

That's why I test my line regularly, with a hook attached, and definitely any new line.

 

Yes: I've used Sylcast too!

 

I had a problem with a braid I tried, it was very thin and supposedly about 15kilo BS, I couldn't get it past 3lb knotted to a hook.

[Steve Walker]

I do quite like the Preston Innovations stuff, mind.

[Sportsman]

Agree with Steve, dia. tends to be more accurate than breaking strain. There is, for instance, one particular make of line that everyone raves about. Common claims are "it's a bit thicker, but it is as tough as old boots" Quite right, it is a bit thick because the manufacturer understates its breaking strain by large amounts just so they can claim it is as tough as old boots.

The only answer is to find a line that meets your requirements regarding breaking strain or dia and in which you have confidence, then use that.

For speci carp or catfish I use sea fishing line. Just like carp line, but half the price.

For float and feeder I use bulk spools of Chinese mono at half the price of brand names and which does the job as well as any other.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Sportsman

[Steve Burke]

There's only a very few line manufacturers in the whole world and some lines are identical but just relabelled. For instance 5lb Drennan Specimen Plus seems to be identical to 4lb Maxima - but at a lower price!

 

This was my favourite line for many years but has been much surpassed by more modern offerings. For instance I find Gold Label Pro Gold way better than both and have been using it for years. Here's a link to an old review of mine: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/reviews/tackle-and-bait-reviews/progold/

 

There's no such thing as the perfect line as it's all a matter of compromise. Improve one factor and you make another worse.

 

I like Pro Gold for a lot of my fishing as firstly it can be made to sink (although no mono sinks readily). Secondly, it's both supple but (unusually for a supple line) is abrasion resistant. Compared with Maxima/Drennan Specimen Plus it has a higher tensile strength, i.e. it has a lower diameter for a given (wet, knotted) strength.

 

I've been using it for many years for a lot of my fishing, especially at short range. There may be even better lines available now but I haven't tried many of the latest ones.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Steve Burke

[Steve Burke]

Going back to the original question, on the Carp Lake at Wingham I have a limit on the reel line that can be used. This is based on diameter rather than breaking strain as, let's be blunt about it, some suppliers lie about breaking strain.

The minimum diameter I allow is 0.34mm. If you look at the Tackle Box line tests I mentioned earlier this equates to 12 to 16lb nominal breaking strain depending on the brand.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Steve Burke

[Rusty]

Having tried all sorts of hooklengths to use with the braid on my reels I've given up believing manufacturers' BS and line diameter claims. What I know from experience is that Daiwa Sensor is far stronger than the stated BS and that the 6lb line will just pass through the eye of a Drennan Super Specialist size 16 kook twice so I can tie a Palomar knot. Anything above 6lb won't fit through twice.