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What makes yourfishing line tick?
Your line is probably your most important piece of equipment and yet most anglers know little or nothing about it the properties of this vital piece of kit. We take the chance here to explain the key fact about monofilament, what it is, and what influences your line when fishing. We also dispel some common myths and misconceptions.
Basic Characteristics Nylon monofilament is durable, resistant to ageing and is rot proof. It very stable and not affected by microorganisms or other naturally occurring substances. It is totally saltwater resistant. The specific gravity of nylon is only slightly heavier than water and therefore tends to sink slowly when submerged. However, unless treated, it does not usually have the ability to break water's surface tension on its own.
Why is Nylon so good for fishing? Material with a degree of elasticity can absorb a sudden stress without transmitting the sudden stress to a particular point in the line. Due to this behavior, the risk of the line breaking is reduced. The ability of monofilament to continuously absorb loads is very high and considerably better than glass, steel or carbon fibres – even though these materials have a higher tensile strength.
Efficiency is characterised by the elastic behavior and loading capacity. By permanent elasticity we mean the ability to stretch after being subjected to several different loads involved in playing fish. The higher the elasticity (stretch), the less the tendency to suffer fatigue and therefore break after prolonged use.
The diagram here shows how a fishing line behaves when under stress during playing a fish. There is initially more stretch under low load in the black area. As more pressure is applied while paying a fish you move into the red are where there is proportionally less stretch and more control. However when a line is taken close to its limit of breaking strain, the blue area, permanent deformation begins to occur. The line will be permanently stretched and will be weakened which can cause break offs if it is not replaced on the next cast.
Stretch Stretch is both an advantage and a disadvantage to anglers. Its advantage is that it acts as a safety cushion when bringing a fish in. If there was no stretch at all, the sudden jerk of even a small fish could snap the line. The main disadvantage of stretch is that the elongation can be a hindrance to bite detection and hook setting at distance. When striking the hook, which usually can be anything between 30 and 150 metres away, does not move the same distance as the rod, meaning the hook may not move enough to be set. Here the diagram shows a fishing line stretched to close to within 10% of its Generally, more traditional lines have a a stretch factor of between 25% to 35% and sometimes even higher. A high tech line will generally have a stretch factor of between 18% and 24%.
Suppleness Lines need to be supple, or limp so they will roll easily around the reel spool, flow freely through the rings and let the bait fall through the water with a natural sinking action. If the line is stiff, it can cause the bait to swing from side to side as it falls through the water and will not rise and fall properly with the flow of the river. Nylon absorbs moisture from the atmosphere; the speed of absorption depends on the diameter and becomes significantly softer and more flexible when stored in reasonably humid conditions. The finer the diameter the more rapidly a state of equilibrium is reached.
Dry-storing in heated rooms is particularly common during winter and should be avoided in order to keep your line in tiptop condition.
Natural Light Nylon is not U. V. stable. In other words the molecular structure within a line will breakdown during prolonged periods of exposure to sunlight. Line should always be stored out of direct sunlight and preferably away from any indirect daylight if being stored for prolonged periods. Do not store your line in green houses or in sheds on a shelf under the window!
Temperature
Line is best stored between 15 and 25°C. Normal ambient extremes of cold and heat do not significantly affect breaking strength until approaching the melting point of the material. However a cold line is less flexible, a warmer line more supple.
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Diameter to Breaking Strain Ratio The important feature about diameter is what is it in relation to the line strength. Anglers are constantly searching for a line that has the thinnest diameter for a given strength so as not to spook fish. The problem for is that not all line companies accurately label their products, exaggerating their breaking strains, understating their diameters, or both, to make their product appear better than it is. This practice is fairly widespread but at Ultima we have a strict policy of working to 5% tolerance. Other companies that have generally been found to be accurate and reliable in their information are Shakespeare and Diawa. Most of the stated breaking strains on the label of the spools you buy are what are called the 'linear strength'. That is the force taken to break the line when pulled at a constantly increasing pressure without any form of knot in it. You will sometimes see line sold stating a wet knot strength.
Memory This term can have two different meanings in a fishing line / angling situation. The first meaning relates to the set that a line retains when it is uncoiled from the spool or reel. A line is refereed to as having 'low memory' or 'no memory' if when it is taken off the spool or reel the line does not retain the 'memory' of how it was when it was on the spool and goes out straight from the rod with no sign of coiling or twisting. Sometime the line will require a gentle but firm pull to remove any memory. There are lines with virtually no memory at all but these are generally so soft and elastic that they are of limited use in practical fishing situations, and tend to stretch permanently very easily.
Knot Strength While breaking strain is measured along a level piece of line, knot strength measures the performance of the line when there is a knot and this is usually refereed to a a percentage of the linear strength. For example a line that has a linear strength of 4lbs and a knot strength of 3lbs would be said to have a 75% knot strength. Different knots produce different result The worst performing knot is an overhand knot also known as a granny knot which should never be used for angling. We use this for testing purposes as 'worst case scenario' any angling knot will perform better. A dry knot test is made by tying a knot in the line wetting before drawing tight slowly and then testing its breaking strain. There is also a wet knot. This technically should be made by submerging le line in water for a specific period of at least two of hours,so the line takes on the maximum amount of water for its diameter, then tying a knot in it and testing it. Many times however we have found that what companies actually do is tie a knot, quickly wet the line quickly before drawing tight and then make their tests. This is in fact a dry knot. Sometimes a line that performs well in linear tests performs surprisingly badly in knot strength tests. There are technical reasons for this which will be expanded on at a later stage.
Storage All nylon should be stored away from direct sunlight for any prolonged period: ideally in a shaded or darkened place. If line is subjected to UV light for any significant period the outer layers of the spool should be removed. Additives for UV resistance can be included in any product. Temperatures below freezing do not affect the tenacity to any significant degree, although the elongation and softness decrease significantly. At low temperature the knot strength remains almost unchanged.
Humidity
Humid conditions at or above 60 per cent are preferable when storing monofilament for longer than a few weeks as this maintains the correct level of softness in the line.
The Effects Of Prolonged Submersion In Water Nylon fishing line absorbs water and becomes significantly softer and more flexible. While exposure to water absorption softens nylon After use, mono will return to its equilibrium point after a number of days or weeks, depending on the diameter. A point to note is that fluorocarbon coating waterproofs the line and prevents this problem.
Joining It is vitally important the correct knot for the purpose is used and that it is well tied. Make sure they are lubricated and slowly tightened. Fully detailed knot tying information is provided on this site.
Repairing Breaks When repairing a section of monofilament that has broken, cut off and discard at least 10 meters either side of the break as this will be weakened during the original break and might cause problems again.
Copyright Ultima International 2008 |
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actual breaking point and its subsequent pattern of recovery to is original length. It also shows its permanent deformation i.e. the difference in its length afterwards as it does not completely return to its original length. Take care to replace areas of line should this occur to you as such an occurrence significantly weaken the line and it is this type of scenario that often causes unexplained breaks.
monofilament, this is usually preferable in most situations as high levels of water absorption does have a detrimental effect on strength. Both linear and knot strength can be reduced by anything up to 15 per cent after submersion in water for as little as four hours.