A fishing line is a cord used in angling to aid in the capture of fish. Important factors of a fishing line are its strength, the material from which it is made and diameter (thicker lines are more visible to fish).
Fishing lines were once constructed from horse hair or silk thread and from the 1850s modern industrial machinery was employed to fashion fishing lines in quantity.
Factors that may determine what line an angler chooses for a given fishing environment include breaking strain, knot strength, UV resistance, castability, limpness, stretch, abrasion resistance and visibility.
What is a Fishing Line
Most of these lines for angling were made from linen, silk, and more rarely cotton or flax, sometimes with a waterproofing compound added during line manufacture.
Catgut was also once used as a fishing line and is a type of cord prepared from the natural fibre found in the walls of animal intestines.
Fishermen often use monofilament because of its buoyant characteristics and its ability to stretch under load before breaking.
Other alternatives to standard nylon monofilament lines have been introduced made of co-polymers, fluorocarbon or a combination of the two materials.
Fluorocarbon fishing line is valued for its refractive index which is similar to that of water, making it less visible to fish. It is a dense material and therefore is not as buoyant as monofilament
| Other useful info |
| Fishing for total Beginners |
| Guide to Fish Species |
| Fishing in Winter |
| Fishing Knots |
Double Strength lines that are pre stretched when made are popular. Their smaller diameter with lack of stretch makes them around double the strength , relative to the same breaking strain of standard nylon monofilament lines, hence Double Strength.
Other lines such as braided fishing lines and lines for fly-fishing are available
These days the manufacture of braided line has advanced with using modern man made materials such as Dacron resulting in a low diameter very strong line.
Braided lines have a greater overall strength than monofilament or fluorocarbon lines in relation to its diameter although one drawback is that they are visible in the water. Braided lines are more popular with specimen carp anglers and sea anglers.
A special type of line is the fly fishing lines used by trout and salmon anglers. The type and weight of fly fishing lines are dependant on a number of things, what fly fishing rod you will be using, what species you'll be pursuing and size of fly.
Some anglers refer to fishing line by the breaking strain but many now refer to it by diameter.
Strength to Diameter of Fishing Line
Monofilament Fishing Line
Three main types of fishing line
Monofilament, Braid and Fluorocarbon
Monofilament, Braid and Fluorocarbon
Monofilament Line, also known as Mono is the most general all round fishing line used and is first choice of line for beginners to angling
Mono has good abrasion resistance and good elasticity which means it stretches enabling it to absorb shocks when casting or striking at bites.
Monofilament Line is less expensive than other lines but need replacing more often
Fluorocarbon line also known as Fluoro, is made using a polymer polyvinylidene.
Noted for being more abrasion resistant than other fishing lines Fluorocarbon has good UV resistance and is almost invisible under water.
| UK Rod Caught Fish Records |
| Coarse Fish Records |
| Game Fish Records |
| Sea Fish Records |
| Fishing Baits |
| About Fishing Baits |
| Maggots |
| Pinkies |
| Squats |
| Gozzer Maggots |
| Casters |
| Worms |
| Bread Baits |
| Paste Baits |
| Luncheon Meat |
| Cheese |
| Sweetcorn |
| Particle Baits |
| Hemp |
| Tares |
| Maple Peas |
| Bloodworm and Joker |
| Fishing Methods |
| Drop Shot Fishing |
| the Leger |
| the Pellet Waggler |
| the Spod |
| the Chod Rig |
| Fishing Tackle |
| Guide to Fishing Tackle |
| Rods |
| Reels |
| Line |
| Hooks |
| Floats |
| Split Shot |
| Setting a reel drag |
| Fitting a Pole Elastic |
Although one could conceivably prepare catgut from cat intestines, the name neither implies nor derives from any association with cats
This guide and table below is for fishing lines intended for bait fishing or spinning for coarse and game fish.
Modern fishing lines are almost entirely made from artificial substances including nylon, polyethylene and Dacron.
Fluorocarbon Fishing Line
Fluorocarbon fishing line is not as flexible as Monofilament and is known for knot failure and line breakage.
Braided Fishing Line
Braid is constructed using long synthetic fibres such as Nylon, Dacron, Dyneema or Spectra and tightly twisting them together.
Braided lines have no stretch which makes bite detection easier especially when cast a long distance.
Lack of stretch means that unlike Monofilament or Fluorocarbon lines there is no give in the line to absorb shocks when playing a fish.
Braided lines have a thinner diameter and are stronger than monofilaments or fluorocarbons of the same thickness.
Usually sheep or goat intestines were used but it was occasionally made from the intestines of a hog, horse, mule, pig or donkey.
A guide to diameter and approximate breaking strains of commonly used monofilament line.
The most popular type of line is monofilament, made of a single strand of man made material.
A Guide to Fishing Line
| Line diameter | Average breaking strain |
| 0.06mm | 12oz |
| 0.07mm | 1lb 2oz |
| 0.08mm | 1lb 12oz |
| 0.09mm | 2lb |
| 0.10mm | 2lb 6oz |
| 0.12mm | 2lb 14oz |
| 0.12mm | 3lb 4oz |
| 0.14mm | 4lb 12oz |
| 0.16mm | 5lb 10oz |
| 0.18mm | 6lb 8oz |
| 0.20mm | 7lb 12oz |
| 0.22mm | 9lb |
| 0.24mm | 10lb 4oz |
| 0.26mm | 11lb 6oz |
By using this website you agree to the
Terms & Conditions of www.fish-uk.com
Copyright © 2007 to present www.fish-uk.com
All rights reserved
Terms & Conditions of www.fish-uk.com
Copyright © 2007 to present www.fish-uk.com
All rights reserved
Braided fishing lines as the name suggests are made from braided materials. Originally natural fibres such as cotton were used to make braid and the lines tended to be thick in diameter.
www.Fish-uk.com
