The Asian Angler - December 2014 Digital Issue - Malaysia - English

WHY USE MONOFILAMENT
This same principle of less drag also lends itself well to current applications
THE EASY-TO-HANDLE, ALL-AROUND PERFORMER
as there is minimal resistance against the line allowing for more natural
presentations. Second, super-thin fishing line allows a stealthier presentation
style when of fishing.
are finicky or inactive. Finally, thin lines fuel longer casts—
your
and a thin, round superline like Berkley NanoFil casts a country mile, even
What Is Mono
with light lures. Longer casts also work in the shore anglers favor allowing
virtually unreachable areas to be fished.
With so many options on the market, choosing the best fishing line can seem a bit overwhelm
As its name implies, monofilament fishing line—or "mono" for short—is a single strand of mate
fused, braided or bundled together.
Monofilament can be extruded from different materials, but nylon is by far the most common a
multi-polymers to produce varying degrees of stretch, strength, abrasion resistance and other
Fighting Abilities—Superline slices through vegetation like a knife, which
is a big benefit when you’re hauling big bass and other trophy fish from
Benefits
heavy cover.
of
Its
Mono
zero stretch and amazing strength also help horse fish from
harm’s way in a hurry.
Easy To Handle - Thanks to its flexible nature, monofilament is easy to use and works well for
often described as limpness makes mono more manageable and easier to cast than stiffer lin
Stretch - Mono stretches more than superlines and more easily than fluorocarbon, which give
match. If your drag sticks or you set the hook too hard, mono compensates by stretching up to
Abrasion Resistance—Due to their exceptionally thin diameter, not all superlines
stand up as well to abrasion. But some are exceptionally tough,
such as Berkley FireLine and Trilene Braid.
By stretching under pressure, mono also helps prevent your hook from tearing a hole in a fish
the fish to come unbuttoned. This is a factor both on the hookset and during the fight, especia
close quarters. For example, many top bass pros and gamefish anglers (Marlin & Sailfish) pre
over superline for pitching jigs.
Flotation—Unlike slow-sinking mono and fast-falling fluoro, superline
floats. This makes it a great choice for topwater lures such as artificial frogs.
Shock Strength - Stretch should not be confused with shock strength, which is a fishing line’s
important consideration. Shock strength comes into play when your line has to withstand the s
fish thrashing violently at boatside.
Tradeoffs
Diameter - Mono is admittedly prone to larger diameters than fluorocarbon or superlines. Whil
limiting factor in how deep your lures dive, you can use the extra breadth to your advantage—
Gulp! or PowerBait softbait, or when threading a bait through cover as the thicker line makes
Shock Strength—Nylon monofilament offers superb shock strength, while
fluorocarbon ranks in the middle and superlines have the poorest ability
to absorb sudden impacts such as a hard hookset or violent headshake.
Sink Rate—Thanks to its near-neutral buoyancy, mono sinks slowly, making it a great choice f
subsurface presentations where you don’t want to accelerate the bait’s downward movement.