Nylon or fluorocarbon: pros and cons of fishing lines

Nylon fishing line

Both nylon and nylon belong to the family of polyamide fibers; in terms of their qualities, these are homogeneous materials. There are some differences, for example, the melting point, but this has nothing to do with fishing, so no need to worry, it’s the same thing.

Since the name nylon is Soviet, nylon is American, then, naturally, the foreign label will say NYLON.

Klinskaya is a Russian-made nylon fishing line.

Nowadays, monofilament fishing lines are mainly made from nylon (nylon).

What's good about nylon

The useful qualities of nylon, indispensable for the manufacture of fishing lines, are:

• Soft.
• Tear-resistant.
• It has the ability to stretch and dampen the jerks of fish when playing.
• Does not absorb moisture.
• Does not respond to fluctuations in ambient temperature.
• Cheap.

Properties that are not useful for fishing line:

• When tying knots, the nylon fishing line loses its strength.
• Has memory. The presence of memory causes the fishing line to become tangled. Casting range is reduced.
• After several fishing trips, part of the fishing line near the bait must be cut off, since in this place it wears out most quickly and loses strength.

There are pure nylon fishing lines on sale that have all of the above advantages and disadvantages. For example, cheap Chinese nylon fishing line, it is sold in reels of 1000 meters.

Often such nylon fishing line is unwound in small enterprises, placed in branded packaging and sold under the guise of well-known brands. When purchasing such a product, indignant fishermen post negative reviews on forums that reputable companies produce low-quality fishing line.

The evolution of fishing line

What we today consider a past time or even a sport was a means of providing food for the survival of our ancestors. Fishing is a fairly ancient activity. Ancient references to fishing are found throughout the world in Greek, Roman, Hebrew and Assyrian writings. Some of the earliest tools of mankind were a fishing rod, line and hook. Today, anglers have a variety of lines to choose from, ranging from monofilament to braided lines. But gear has undergone long and complex changes, so that today we could only have the most complex and effective choices. Let's start from the very beginning.

Ancient evidence

The earliest historical records of fishing lines are found in China and date back to the fourth century BC. They were made of silk and consisted of a single fishing line. There is also an Egyptian carving from 2000 BC showing a man fishing with a stick and line, however no clear archaeological evidence has been found.

Early development

For centuries, people have fished using lines made from animal or plant material that were strong enough to hold and pull out fish. A British book written in 1496 mentioned that fishing was done using a line made from braided horsehair. Then another book from 1667 mentions that fishermen built their own gear from a loop of wire that was attached to a post. People continued to experiment with different types of fishing line until the invention of synthetic materials.

Read: Braided fishing line: its advantages when catching fish

Industrial revolution

Fishing has greatly benefited from the advent of machines. Since 1850, fishing lines have been produced in large quantities in specialized factories. Most of these early production lines were made from silk or linen, and less commonly from linen or cotton. Some lines even had a waterproof compound added to them during production.

When DuPont announced in 1938 that the company had invented a revolutionary new material called nylon, the world was horrified. It was the first synthetic fiber ever produced, and everyone saw the enormous potential it could have in textiles. The following year, DuPont himself went even further, starting to produce nylon monofilament lines. However, Dacron braided lines remained the most popular brand for the next two decades. But DuPont were a tough company - they knew that monofilament was an original design that a variety of anglers could benefit from.

In 1959, DuPont captured the market with the introduction of Stern, a thinner monoline line suitable for a wide range of reels, older and newly introduced spinning and casting gear. Thanks to its flexibility and ease of use, the Stern monoline soon became a favorite choice for both beginners and experienced anglers.

Read: Classification of fishing lines, their disadvantages and advantages

Fishing lines today

Recently, other types of fishing lines have been introduced that are made entirely from artificial substances such as nylon, polyethylene, Dacron and DuPont. However, they were unable to surpass the popularity of the monoline. Monofilament is a material made from melting and blending polymers that are then spun into strands of fishing line of varying thicknesses.

Most lines are made from this material due to its superior strength, availability in all types of tests and affordable cost. Another advantage of this type is the wide color palette, including transparent, white, blue, green and fluorescent. Choosing the right line color can result in buckets full of fish.

Mono also holds up better than other lines when it comes to heavy fish. This is because it stretches to absorb shock and has a uniformly round cross-section, allowing it to be better held by the reel without slipping. Monofilament can be quickly and easily tied into a knot, making it an ideal choice when anglers need to quickly change line if they don't want to miss a potential catch.

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Additional processing

An ordinary nylon fishing line does not sink, it floats on the surface, since its density is low. In order to make it sink, you need to treat the nylon with impregnation. If the fishing line is not impregnated, then degreasing, lubricating the fishing line with soap or a special compound that will remove fat from it will help it sink.

Otherwise, by treating the fishing line with fat, you can give it buoyancy.

Self-respecting companies and well-known brands have entered the fight for buyers, trying to reduce the disadvantages of nylon fishing line with various technological innovations.

Monofilament fishing lines are sheathed in silicone, fluorocarbon, and coated with compounds that repel water.

Modern nylon fishing lines are highly resistant to abrasion, but not all companies can boast of such characteristics. These are mainly Japanese brands Yotsuami, Morris, Sanyo.

The use of additives that improve the quality of fishing line increases the price.

However, it has not yet been possible to significantly increase the strength of monofilament fishing line, and manufacturers’ promises that monofilament fishing line is super strong are currently not feasible, so do not fall for advertising tricks.

How to choose monofilament fishing line

Basic requirements for fishing line:

• strength;
• elasticity;
• stealth in water;
• resistance to natural influences;
• resistance to friction.

Recommendations:

1. Study the packaging, which indicates the manufacturer, fishing line parameters, storage methods and all markings.
2. It is best to purchase fishing line not from spools, but to wind it on your own spool, since it is not possible to establish with what equipment it was wound, by whom, where, etc.
3. Pay attention to appearance. The new line looks shiny. The old fishing line is faded and has a matte tint due to cracks in the top layer.
4. The diameter of the fishing line must be the same along its entire length. It is checked this way: you clamp the weight and move it along the fishing line, and where this parameter has changed, the weight either will not pass or will slip. A fishing line with an equal diameter along its entire length is called “calibrated”. If the fishing line is not calibrated, then for strength you should take a fishing line with a larger diameter.
5. Check the breaking force by hanging a load with a weight equal to the maximum allowable, indicated on the manufacturers’ packaging. You can also check using a dynamometer.
6. When unwinding the reel, pass the fishing line between your fingers; if it goes smoothly, then it has no memory, it will not spin and will lie flat on the bottom.
7. When choosing, you need to take into account transparency, since this characteristic will work well when catching shy (cautious) fish.
8. The characteristics of the reservoir should also be taken into account: vegetation, water turbidity, etc., and the equipment used.

You should know that the quality of this equipment element affects:

• for casting distance;
• for casting accuracy;
• correct delivery of bait (attachment);
• success of cutting;
• safety of the equipment used.

A short video from the “Men’s Company” channel about choosing monofilament fishing line for spinning tackle

Monofilament production

Large enterprises produce fishing line, and not only for fishing, but for other economic needs, which have great technical potential.

The method of making fishing line consists of stretching, lining up molecules one after another. The slower it is pulled, the more even and calibrated it becomes. Low-quality monofilaments are pulled out very quickly, which is why they have an uneven diameter - these are uncalibrated fishing lines. Small diameters are more difficult to draw. Therefore, the quality of a particular fishing line is assessed precisely by its small diameters.

The thinnest line has a diameter of 0.029 mm (0.0011 inch), but it is made of metal rather than nylon. This Japanese line is designed for catching Ayu fish.

Very primitively, the manufacturing process can be divided into the following operations:

• Mixing polymer ingredients.
• Melting.
• Pressing through a filler, extruder.
• Cooling the resulting threads.
• Treatment with additional compounds.

In fact, the process is very complex, multi-stage. Manufacturers need to reduce the breaking load, ensure that the fishing line holds knots well, is sufficiently stretchable, absorbs jerks, has no memory, and is resistant to ultraviolet radiation.

Only more corporations can afford to have engineers who will come up with new technologies.

Much attention is paid to color and if you do not add dyes, the fishing line turns out transparent. Dyes are added at the initial stage of mixing, sometimes they dye the finished fishing line, but then it fades after several fishing trips.

It is known that coloring reduces the strength of the fishing line, so those who are fond of thin diameters are better off buying a colorless one.

All nylon fishing lines lose strength at a knot, so fishing lines are knitted with knots specially designed for them.

Since nylon is destroyed under the influence of ultraviolet rays, it is necessary to store the fishing line in a dark place. Resistance to light, i.e. UV rays, is achieved by additional impregnations.

Parameters of monofilament line

4.1 Diameter

Why should you pay attention to this characteristic? Firstly, different types of fishing use different fishing line diameters. This parameter will affect the distance of the bait being thrown. For example, when using a thin line, the bait will be cast further, but the small diameter will facilitate its drift by the wind. Secondly, it also affects the size of the fish; the thinner it is, the smaller the prey, otherwise the fishing line will break. Thirdly, the smaller the diameter, the more invisible the line is to the fish in the water. Fourthly , thin fishing line wears out quickly.

Diameter (thickness or cross-section) is measured in millimeters.

Table for determining the diameter of the fishing line by the number on the package

4.2 Load

The load of the fishing line is related to its thickness (diameter). This parameter is reflected on the package in kg; the most common line diameter is from 0.06 to 1 mm.

4.3 Stiffness

Rigidity affects the strength of the line in the area of ​​knots. Also, such lines come off the reel worse, and soft lines tend to twist and get tangled, so each angler decides for himself which line to use.

You should know:

1. All monofilament lines are twisted.
2. if monofilament is used as a leader, then the less rigid line will twist faster under the influence of the nozzle or the reel fraction in a strong current and the leader will stretch and become unusable.

Thus, a rigid line:

1. Sturdy but in knot-free condition.
2. Doesn't get confused.
3. Does not stretch and easily returns to its original form.
4. It practically does not absorb water and does not lose its chemical properties.
5. It has a memory, which affects the coming off the spool and its passage through the rings of the gear and, accordingly, makes it difficult to make a long cast.
6. High cutting speed, which is good.

Soft line:

1. Less durable.
2. Confused.
3. It stretches and does not return to its original position.
4. Absorbs water.
5. Holds knots very well.
6. Elastic.

4.4 Stretching

This characteristic indicates the ability of the fishing line to stretch under the influence of equipment elements and return to its original position. All monofilament lines have a high stretch coefficient. This is both bad and good.

Pros:

• shock absorption when biting large fish, especially when using flexible gear, which will allow you to catch a large trophy on a thin line.

Minuses:

• severe wear of the fishing line;
• excessive stretching will allow an increase in bait breakages, since there is no control over stretching, but there is a limit;
• affects the landing of fish to the shore, due to the fact that the fishing line does not drag it, but only stretches.

You should know that the smaller the diameter, the greater the stretch.

An interesting video experiment from the author of marikfionhttps about the effect of monofilament stretchability on hooking

4.5 Memory

Line memory is the inability of the line to regain its previous position, which affects casting and unwinding of the thread from the reel. One of the negative properties of monofilament.

Shimano, Daiwa, etc. produce monofilament fishing lines with the smallest memory.

4.6 Interaction with water

In this regard, monofilaments have an advantage over braided lines, but not over fluorocarbon. Mono fishing lines are known to absorb water. Some models are a little larger, some smaller. When water is absorbed, the fishing line swells and becomes noticeable in the water; with prolonged fishing, it also becomes less durable.

Advice:

• Before you wind such a fishing line onto a reel, you need to dry it, since having absorbed water, it also stretches more.