Fishing with the Right Line

There will always be challenges whether one decides to fish either in the river or in the open sea. The important thing to remember is to have patience waiting for the fish and doing the best to catch it when it appears.

To be able to fish, a person would need to get a fishing license since this is requirement by law and the regulations regarding fishing varies from one state to the other.

Getting the right equipment for fishing is also an important factor in making that experience a memorable one. Using the wrong kind of fishing line or one that is made of poor quality will cause many problems such as tangles and lost fish.

There are 4 kinds available in the market. These are monofilament, braided, fused and fluororcarbon.



The Monofilament fishing line is the most popular of the four since it has been around for a very long time. It also works well in different fishing conditions. The problem with this line is that it has “memory.” This means that it has a tendency to keep to a certain shape if stored for some time. If a person does not fish often, it is best to purchase a line that is not very long and it is advisable to change it every time one goes out fishing.

Braided fishing lines are the strongest of the 4 available. These lines don’t stretch and are quite easy to see since the woven nature of the line makes it float. The bad part about this line is also about its strength that causes abrasions on other things like one’s hands, the fishing rod and the line that guides the reel. As such, one should have the right hardware around when using it.

Fused fishing lines are similar to braided fishing lines. The only difference is in the manufacturing process where fused lines are glued together with a coating applied over it instead of woven. This makes fused fishing lines share some of the difficulties with braided fishing lines such as making it difficult to cut without a sharp knife or scissors, its tendency to slide around a bit on the reel spool and its visibility to fish which will make catching fish a bit challenging.

Fluorocarbon fishing lines are getting more popular these days since fish are not able to see it in the water.

How to spool linto onto a fishing reel

Yesterday I posted about you to cast a reel, but I git thinking that it isn't much use me explaining that process if the reel hasn't got any line on it yet! Spooling line onto the reel can be quite a frustrating thing for new anglers and sometimes simply attaching the line can seem all too hard.

For anyone new to this process (or for those of you looking for a better way) I have found a great video that shows the best methods for getting line onto your fishing reel without any twisting! It demonstrates the best knot to use when attaching line to the reel and the best method of winding the line onto the reel. The guy in the video also explains how much line to put on the reel, which is another thing that new anglers often get wrong.

I even learned a few new things myself and it is worth watching the short video.



Do you have something you would like to see on this blog? Please leave a comment.

Removing fishing line from your reel

As I was getting the boat ready for tomorrows fishing trip with my old man I spent quite a bit of time replacing old line on one of our many rods. Removing fishing line from the reel is one of my least favorite activities. As I was doing it today I spent some time thinking that there must be a better way and when I got back to my place decided to do a google search. I found a great little video of a product that fits into your drill and removes the old line in seconds.

It looks like it would be fairly easy to make something similar for yourself with an old bait casting reel and a drill attachment. I know that there are some fancy electronic line removers that tackle shops use, but this method would be cheap, fairly easy to make and be very easy to use.

If you do watch the video and/or have any grand ideas feel free to drop me a comment and tell me all about it.



(sorry for the poor video quality)

Seaguar Knot - Fluorocarbon knots for fishing

Fluorocarbon is one of the latest fishing fashions, but apart from simply being in fashion, it is also a fantastic innovative product. If you are unfamiliar fluorocarbon it is a leader material that is basically invisible in water meaning fish feel more comfortable to bite.

I was a little skeptical when I switched to fluorocarbon about a year ago, but have been pleasantly surprised by the bite rate, abrasion resistance and durability. The one downside to the product is susceptibility to friction and this problem can be avoided by tying really good knots and lubricating the knots well. One of the best knots for fluorocarbon is the Seaguar knot designed specifically for joining this type of line to the mainline.

How to tie the Seaguar Knot
To make it easy I found a video!

Tackle Test: Fins Braid Review (Product Review)

If you are a regular reader to my blog you will remember that I had my fishing rods stolen recently and this also meant that I had to replace all my fishing line. I must admit to being a braid addict - I love the stuff - but I have only ever used Berkley Fireline. Being a bit of a creature of habit isn't always a good thing so I decided to try a new braid this time around.

Fins Braid Review

Knots and line strength
My initial impressions of this line were that it was much more limp and smooth than fireline. This makes Fins braid is easy to tie and it knots very easily and smoothly. Like most braids the actual breaking strain is much higher than the manufacturers breaking strain, but even when this is taken into consideration the knot strength is very impressive. Knots are generally the weakest part of the braid, but because of the smoothness of Fins I didn't have any problems in this area.

On the water
The high vis yellow is very easy to see even on the brightest of days. In my initial tests the limpness of the line seems to reduce air knots slightly although it is still not recommended to use this line if others on the boat are using monofilament. The abrasion resistance was fairly low, but this seems to be a problem with every braid, my suggestion to overcome this problem is to use a slightly longer leader than usual. I was fishing over a rusty, coral infested wreck and only had one major snag and resulting bust off the entire day.

Fighting a fish
This is where this braid comes into its own. It is very smooth through the rod guides when a fish is taking line and even with the drag on tight it doesn't seem to cut into itself on the reel like many other braids.

Overall
This is one great braid, but for the price I expected it to be. The line smoothness makes knot tying a pleasure and the knot strength is probably the strongest of any braid you will try. On the water it is great to use and I look forward to using it in the future.

If you have used Fins braid or have a different opinion to mine feel free to leave a comment

*This product was paid for by myself and I received no money for this post.*

Care for your fishing line

Whether fishing with mono or braid always check the line for nicks or frazzles or areas of abrasion that will cause a weakness. After every fishing trip, or after playing out a nice fish, cut off about 50cms of line and throw it away especially if it is badly frayed or cut up.

There are 3 main causes/reasons for doing this
1. The fish goes deep, pulling the line across rocks, logs or other hard objects
2. The fish is big and the line will rub across its body or tail (especially bad if the fish has sharp gills)
3. other objects, such as the boat, a jetty, surface objects or dock, and deep snags may bump into your line.

These factors will cause abrasion, eventually causing the line to break. Trimming the line before this happens will potentially prevent you from losing a trophy fish. Take the time...it is worth it.

Note: some braids can become frayed over time, which is not usually a detriment to their strength - always err on the side of caution.

Putting fishing line on your reel

Before I start this tip I just have to say if your tackle store is happy to spool up your reel and has a line winding machine let them do it! This is by far the most efficient method.

When you're spooling up a reel, put a pencil/pen, through the center of the line spool and have someone hold it to keep some tension on the line. Tie the line to the reel with a (Uni-knot or Arbor knot) trimming off the tag end and make sure the knot is snug to the reel spool. One person should reel while another holds both ends of the rod, applying pressure as the line is reeled onto the spool. Keep the line away from anything that could cause abrasion and remember to never overfill the reel.

If you are using monofilament it may twist. If it happens while fishing from a boat, play the line out with nothing on the end, trolling behind the boat for a few minutes. Then simply wind the line back on the spool under pressure. A ball bearing swivel can be used to avoid line twist.

Adapted from www.fish4fun.com

Caring for monofilament line

Does anyone still use monofilament fishing line any more? Every fishing report I hear, read or watch these days is about braid. In my own fishing braid is used 99.9% of the time after I switched to it a few years ago I have never looked back. However, there are some situations where monofilament fishing line is still king of the fishing lines, not to mention much cheaper than braid!


Here are some important tips to keep your monofilament fresh so it lasts as long as possible and doesn't break when the big fish gets on*

(thanks to tackletactics.co.nz for these tips)

Sunlight weakens monofilament. Don't leave in direct sunlight when you are not using it. Pronglong heat weakens it. Never store your line (or your rods) in hot areas like car boots or a back car window, attics etc. The best place to store your fishing rods and excess line is in a dark, cool room, closet or garage.

Don't let your line come in contact with gasoline, oil, suntan lotion, or other harm-full chemicals. These cause monofilament line to break down or become brittle.

With proper care and normal use, monofilament lines ages. However, it's a good idea to periodically strip and replace old line. Two line changes a year should be sufficient - at the beginning and the middle of the season.

Last but most important be on constant guard against nicks abrasions or other weak spots in your line. You can detect these spots by running the line through your thumb and forefinger. If you find a rough spot, clip off the line above the bad spot and retie your bait. It's better to lose a few feet of line than to lose that trophy fish!




*this may have happened to the author more than once!