A few decades ago, if you asked an angler which line he preferred, he'd probably answer either Trilene or Stren. Today, that same question could receive hundreds of different answers. Do you mean brand? Then maybe it's Stren, Trilene, Triple Fish, Maxima, Spiderline, Shakespeare, Power Pro, Ande, Sunline, P-Line, McCoy and what seems like hundreds of other choices.
Then of course there's line class: mono, copolymer, braid, spectra braid or fluorocarbon.
It's easy to get confused. At the same time, the lines we fish today are a considerable advancement over their forebears.
One angler who's clearly not confused is Arizona pro Mark Tyler. He keeps things simple and uses just a few different lines for all his tournament applications.
Sorting The Stuff
"The most frequently asked questions I receive surround not how to work a lure or what color bait to use," Tyler said. "They're usually about fishing equipment. If I had to choose, though, the absolute number-one question I get from anglers involves how to choose a fishing line.
"After all, the packaging really doesn't tell you what lures or conditions the line is suited for, so I understand how confusing it can be."
Tyler said he recently felt the same way when buying a non-fishing item. "I had the same experience trying to buy some golf balls. I don't know squat about golf, but there on the shelf were a dozen different brands, with a dozen different styles. When I walked out I really had no idea if what I bought was remotely right for how I play.
"I later learned they don't make a golf ball that's right for how I play – it's all the ball's fault. But if you question your fishing line choice like I did my golf-ball purchase, maybe I can help straighten things out."
As mentioned above, there are numerous types of line. But for his tournament angling, he said there's really only three distinct styles: braid, monofilament and fluorocarbon.
"Choosing the correct line is not an absolute science," he said. "If it was, we would all be using the exact same product. There is quite a margin for personal preference, and before braided line and fluorocarbon came around, I used mono for each technique. Now I use all three types.
"However, I only use braid when I'm fishing weightless baits or frogs in very heavy weeds. Otherwise I'm fishing mono and fluorocarbon full-time."
Simple Solutions
"I think fluorocarbon is the greatest thing to come around in a while," Tyler said. "It is a little wiry to control, but the performance makes it worthwhile. It virtually disappears underwater and has very little stretch, which greatly enhances its sensitivity."
He said its camouflage properties allow him to use a heavier test strength than he could with mono. "For example, I used to throw 8- or 10-pound mono when fishing really clear waters like Shasta, the Columbia River and Lake Mead. Now, in the same situation, I'll use 14-pound fluorocarbon. I get stronger line and better performance. That's a big advantage."
It's such an advantage, he uses fluorocarbon almost exclusively in all clear-water situations. "I have bulk spools of Berkley Vanish in 10- to 25-pound test for use on all my baitcasting rods," he said. "When using spinning rods and fishing deep, I like to use 4- and 6-pound. Fluorocarbon is a little more of a challenge to manage on the spool, so I suggest underspooling your reels slightly."
But he also said fluorocarbon is not the answer to every fishing situation. "For example, fluorocarbon absolutely does not work on topwater lures. The line is very dense and sinks quickly, which ruins the action of your topwater plugs.
"Vanish is also a little less abrasion-resistant than monofilament, so when I'm slinging spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwaters around heavy cover, I use green Trilene XT monofilament in 14- to 20-pound strengths.
"For a lot of applications, the deciding factor between fluorocarbon and monofilament is water clarity. Fortunately, most of our clear-water fisheries have relatively sparse cover, so Vanish is perfect. When I'm heading out to the California Delta or Lake Guntersville though, and I need an "extra tough" line, I'll keep a lot of Berkley XT spooled up."
Colors And Tests
Along with his simple approach to line styles, Tyler also keeps color choice simple. "I only use two colors of line," he said. "Green line on all my moving baits like spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwaters, clear line on all my slower bottom baits like worms and jigs.
"When using baits on the bottom, you really need to be able to watch your line, and clear line is much easier to see above the water."
He said he tried flipping with green line a few times in clearer water. "I thought I might get a few extra strikes, but all I got was a headache from trying to see my line. If I need to camouflage my flippin' line due to clear water, I'll just switch to Vanish fluorocarbon, which disappears well beneath the water, but is still visible above."
He said many factors affect his choice of line size. "I consider the depth I'm fishing, the water clarity, the type of cover and size of my lure. However, I consider depth to be, by far, the most important factor.
"The deeper a lure sinks the more line drag it creates and the harder it becomes to maintain feel and proper presentation. That's why, when I'm fishing ultra deep, like 45 to 65 feet, I use 4- and 6-pound. Not because the fish are line-shy, but because the small line enables me to maintain feel with my bait."
After all the money and time we invest learning how to trick bass into biting, he said don't skimp on your fishing-line knowledge.
"It is the single thread connecting you to that trophy. I have used the same brand line for 15 years and have complete confidence in it when I'm on the water. Choosing a fishing line is not a science, but if you keep it simple your fishing will improve. Experiment plenty at first, then develop an easy system that works for you."
