The filaments used by fishermen in fishing, which are obtained by natural or artificial means, are blended with each other or used as a single or twisted, or produced in the form of a single fiber are called fishing lines. Fishing lines are classified according to the raw material from which they are produced. So what are the fishing line types?
- Classic Fishing Line
Horsehair used in the first years of fishing has been replaced by new materials. They are generally made of polyester or nylon. They are produced as a single fiber. The diameter of the yarn or the tensile strength values is taken into consideration when comparing two different lines. The higher the value in the line with a value in millimeters, the greater the thickness of the line. A line with a kilogram unit is given the maximum weight that the yarn can bear. They are inexpensive because their production and raw materials are easily available. It would be a better choice for those who are new in fishing.
- Carbon Fishing Line
The carbon fiber produced in Japan for the first time by the addition of carbon metal into the polymer is more expensive than conventional fishing line. This brings to our mind the question “Classic fishing line or Carbon fishing line?. Unlike normal fishing line, it has a smaller diameter and a more robust structure and does not include water in the structure. Thanks to these features, visibility in the water decreases, it becomes difficult for the fish to notice the line and becomes one of the factors that enable more efficient hunting. They also hold a better and more robust knot than a normal line. The disadvantage is the price, which results from the production process.
- Knitting Fishing Line
It is the type of fishing line obtained by bending and knitting at least two different yarns. They can be produced from natural fibers such as silk, cotton or artificial fibers such as polyester and nylon, or they can be made as cotton/nylon blends.
What Should We Pay Attention to When Buying a Fishing Line?
Our priority criterion should be the pulling force and the diameter of the line. Since the future of the sea is unclear, it is very important that our fishing line is strong. It is also important to note that the fishing line does not leave the knots thrown on it, ie the wet knot holding force. The impact absorption force when loading is another criterion. Pulse absorption, ie the greater the stretching force, the greater the chance of bringing our hunt without losing. Of course, after being exposed to this pressure and after the end of the pressure, it should be able to recover its former state. Another element of choice is the permeability of the sun’s rays. This affects the detectability of the fishing line by the fish.
The last element we need to pay attention to for a successful hunting with a fishing line having all these properties and meeting our expectations should be the price. Whatever the brand, type, and price of your fishing line, you should be careful to wash with fresh water after each hunting and replace worn fishing lines with new ones, so that you don’t have to worry about the fish you might miss.
How Fishing Line Is Made
Fishing lines, which are essential for fishermen to keep their eyes on, can be in various color options, different thicknesses, and different durability levels. In addition to fishing, fishing lines are also used in areas such as tightly tying anything together, making bracelets and necklaces.
The desire of the fishermen is always determined. Catch big fish. Once the big fish has been caught, it is possible to take it to the land or boat safely. This requires a very durable fishing line. Otherwise caught fish can escape, the hook and fishing line attached to the jaw of the fish may cause cold death of the fish. For this reason, the fishing line is intended to be more durable. They are compound yarns formed by a team of processes that occur on big machines by the industry organizations. These processes can be called as the plastic forming process in machine factories.
The main material of the line may be various construction chemicals such as polyethylene, nylon, Dyneema or dacron. These main ingredients vary by brand, size, and durability. After determining the type of line to be produced, the main material of the line is selected. Then it is melted with the help of high-grade industrial furnaces. Before being poured into the mold, molten plastic is added to the molten material, which makes it difficult to break. This molten material is then poured into the molds without the possibility of cooling or solidification. These molds are specially designed for fishing line and have various diameter values. If the line is to be transparent, the polymer or copolymer compounds on a liquid basis can be added to the mixture in molten form. If the fishing line needs to be colored, after this process liquid or powder plastic paints are added to the mixture to obtain the desired color.
Today, the line has a diameter ranging from 0.01mm to 1mm. They can be generally transparent, green, yellow, blue and pink in color. The color of the fishing line varies according to the water and fish color.
Quality of Fishing Lines
The main material that enables the use of the fishing rod, float, shackle, and sinker are called body. Although natural materials such as hemp, silk, etc. were used as the body, synthetic materials are used today. Polyamide (nylon) and polyester products are the most commonly used. Body materials can be used as monofilament (multilayer) or multifilament. Polyamide-based nylon single layer products are called fishing line. It is desirable that the line has the following characteristics:
- Elasticity
- Tear resistance
- Softness
- Resistance to sunlight, mold, and chemicals
- Color
- Flexural strength (knot strength)
Elasticity is the ability to elongate without affecting length. It varies between 2-8% in polyamide and polyester products. When the line is stretched too much, it cannot return to its former state. Tensile strength is one of the most important criteria in hunting. The strength of the fishing line should be able to meet the weight and resistance of the caught fish. It should be kept in mind that fish can apply 8-10 times their own weight resistance during the catch.
Fishing line softness or hardness is important in terms of ease of use. This feature is called flexibility, body material should be easily wrapped in any kind of tools (pulley, cork, wood, etc.) and should be easily opened. In polyamide products, this feature can be provided sufficiently. The knot resistance of the monofilament fishing line is important in the production of fishing line. Depending on the knot type, the tensile strength decreases. In the case of normal knotting, polyamide products lose 4% resistance. Nylon fishing line knot strength can be considered as 96% of the straight breaking strength. False knotting and blind knot breaking strength is reduced by 50%.
Color in body materials is important in terms of fishing. Particularly depending on the environment, it is desirable not to see body material. For this purpose, single layer fishing line sizes are produced with transparent white as well as gray, blue, green, marbling and fluorine lights. Sunlight and other external factors are among the factors that are considered. In general, synthetic products are resistant to sunlight. If the line gets too much sunlight, it hardens, and cracks and breaks occur. The salinity and salt accumulation in the waters to be hunted accelerates this wear.
Single-layer synthetic fishing line types can be manufactured in the desired length of 0.065 mm-1 mm diameter. Two methods are used to group and classify the bodies.
- Diameter (mm)
- Carrying power (kg or pound)
The breaking strength and bearing capacity of the lines increase in proportion to the diameter width. Diameter width refers to the classification number of the line in mm. For example, a line with a diameter of 0.50 mm is called 0.50 or 50 line. In the classification to be made in terms of carrying capacity, it is named as 1-3 kg or 5-10 kg power line considering the maximum weight of the fish. In some countries, since the weight unit is used in pounds, the carrying capacity of the lines is also expressed in pounds (Ib). The carrying capacity is indicated as (Ib) on the packages or coils. The carrying capacity of the lines varies according to the manufacturing quality other than the diameter.
In addition to nylon fishing lines of polyamide origin, acrylic bodies made of polyester material are used especially for catching big fish in open sea fishing. Although dacron sizes are less flexible, they have higher breaking strength and bearing strength. The bearing capacity can reach up to 40-60 kg in dacron sizes. Shark and swordfishing rods are prepared with this body. Dacron size is also preferred in drag fishing tackle. Rope, twine and rope materials are also used in the production of the fishing line. Multilayer nylon products are used as rope. Especially hardened nylon rope is used as longliner bodies. Polishing ropes with a diameter of 2-4 mm are used in the fishing of large fish. For example, 4 mm polymer rope is used in tuna fishing rod and 2 mm rope is used in sturgeon fishing rod.
Fishing Line Features and Definitions
Test load: It specifies the maximum load the line can carry without breaking. In general, each line is labeled in pounds (lb) or kilograms (kg). The pound is a British unit of measurement and is often used in the United States. Of course, it is different from the unit we are used to. Simply take half of the Lb value and consider it a little less than kg. So if it is called 20 lb, just a little under 10 kg is 95..975 pounds. If you want the formula 1 kg = 22 pounds (1 Lb = 455 g) 22 pounds is 10 kg. These values are the “test” value and most brands are broken before they reach this weight. Therefore, use a line with a test value of at least 30% of the heaviest load possible. If you want to draw 5 kg of fish, you will need at least 7 kg, ie 18 pounds of fishing line. You cannot choose the fishing line only by looking at the weight of the fish. Especially when you are hunting offshore, the launching force you can apply can be very, very high. If you are using 100 gr sinker, you can create a load of 10 kg to throw it 50 meters away. If the fishing line cannot withstand this load, it will break.
Flexibility: Expresses how long the fishing line extends when it is loaded. There is no measure of this. Simple terms such as inflexible, very flexible, less flexible are used. When a flexible fishing line attracts fish, it extends and absorbs the load. The fish cannot draw with a constant force. The intensive load applied at the first moment is absorbed and makes it easier to catch the fish.
That is, a fishing line that doesn’t stretch gives the load directly to the mouth of the fish and the reed or your hand in this first movement of the fish. An inflexible reed can break through this sudden impact or get out of your hand. If you hold the line by hand, it may cut your hand. But before the fish knows what it is, it gets hooked into the hook. If the fishing line has a certain flexibility, the hook extends before it gets stuck in the hard palate of the fish, providing a certain delay. The fisherman quickly leashes to meet this delay so that the hook can sit on the palate. In an inflexible fishing line, if you do such a fast leash, you will provide enough power to break the needle or tear the mouth of the fish. In addition, an inflexible fishing line can damage the rod.
On the other hand, as the flexibility of the line decreases, each movement of the fish reaches directly to the reed. This gives you a more sensitive feel. With a stretching fishing line and a little experience, you can understand which fish is caught, how many fish are attached to the anchor, and you can even guess the type of fish you caught. But you should always be ready with such a fishing line, especially in large fishing such as carp or sea bass. You must always keep the cane intact. You should never hold the fishing line in your hand so to feel the fish hitting the line. Otherwise, you can understand it but with your hand cut in a very painful and bloody way.
Memory: Fishing line tries to keep the shape of the tool on which it is wrapped. For example, it retains the shape of the spool and your fishing line is laid out like an extended coil spring in the air and above water. If you throw the feed, the air friction increases and the distance becomes shorter. When it falls into the water, the surface tension increases and the feed is delayed. The same effect continues in the water, the possibility of the fish seeing the line increases. In addition, these folds sometimes cause knots called birds eyes and weaken the line. Picking is more prone to tangling. Furthermore, a high memory line tends to weaken, especially at the knots. If it is pulled under pressure in some way, it creates a ribbon effect and takes the form of a hard spring. As a result, deformation increases, strange shapes emerge and the line goes to the trash.
It is always advantageous for a line to have low memory. However, models that rely on memory are explicitly labeled “low memory = No memory” on their labels. Ordinary fishing lines contain almost no information on this matter. Simply twist the line, if it stays the way you do, it has a high memory.
Visibility: There are two ways to address this issue. To be seen outside the water, and to see the fish in the water. Outside the water is sometimes important if the fisherman next to you sees your tackle, for example, he may refrain from throwing his onto yours.
But these are details and the main thing is to see the fishing line in the water. If the fish sees the line, it might startle. Catfish are confident fish. They just attack the feed. The bluefish family does not pay attention to the line when there is something that attracts attention. But many other species startle. Some species (which are minorities) prefer not to be introduced at all. Others behave timidly, but most of the time they can still turn to eat. If the fish can’t see the line, or if it doesn’t look like scary to it, it’s more likely to attack the feed.
It is important to understand the behavior of light in water in order to comprehend the concept of being seen in the water. When the sunlight enters the water, it starts to be absorbed. First, infrared is absorbed and then it goes through ultraviolet. The last is blue and ultraviolet invisible light. Something red becomes dull black under a few feet of water. This presents a formation that is easily apparent. Deeper, the red figure loses its details and increases camouflage for fish. Typical transparent lines do not have this effect. A portion of the light striking the line and below the surface extends downwardly within the line. As a result, the line becomes clearly visible as a dull line in the water. In addition, the light they carry creates a halo around them and the fishing line becomes thicker than it is. In particular, because the red light carried from the surface is less at the bottom, the line becomes prominent like a lamp shining in the dark.
Another factor is the color of the fishing line. A pink fishing line will be very noticeable to you, but in the water, it turns to grey (because the red light is not in the environment) and in particular the visibility at the bottom decreases. But at a depth close to the surface pink can be seen easily. Blue is the least preferred. Because as the depth increases, there is only blue light. In this case, the blue line reflects the light maximum and increases its visibility. Smoke color is less attractive because it absorbs more light in the environment. Green does not attract much attention of the fish at low depths with plenty of greenery around. Transparent fishing lines, on the other hand, become a distinct dull line, especially because they distribute the light they receive from the inside. On the other hand, because of the refractive index of the material from which they are made, they have a lens effect.
Due to the refraction and reflection between the water and the microcracks that occur during the use of the classical fishing lines, the fishing line is no longer transparent. But at average depths and clear waters, they can easily be noticed. These effects are most common in night hunting. An ordinary translucent fishing line scares the fish by easily make the light visible. But on a moonlit night, this effect is reduced. Fish are also better hunters in the moonlight because they are at heights that they can see more clearly.
Durability: On the other hand, the peeling resistance of a fishing line is also an important criterion. When using the fishing line, it is often rubbed on somewhere. In general, solid fishing lines are good in this regard. This friction acts in two ways. First of all, it stays where it is rubbing off the surface of the line. This obviously causes the line to become thinner over time. On the other hand, this friction causes cracks on the line. This affects poor visibility in the water. In particular, friction outside the water produces a lot of heat and the line softens and extends. This elongation occurs in the friction zone. So much so that one part of the line remains the same while the length of the other part changes and then cooling begins.
