Will Nylon Fishing Line
Meet All Your Needs?

Most saltwater fishermen use nylon fishing line, or 'monofilament', pretty much exclusively, but there are situations when one of the more modern materials would be better.

For example, fluorocarbon, a sort of hi-tech monofilament cousin of nylon line is better when near-invisibility is important, and braid lines when non-stretch and minimum diameter is the order of the day.

Nylon line is made from liquid nylon, by drawing it out in a continuous strand until it has reached a desired diameter, and an associated breaking strains.

Not all nylon lines are equal though, some are thinner for the same strength than others, and there are varying degrees of hardness and stiffness to look out for.

Quality Nylon Monofilament Fishing Line
more details...

The best nylon fishing lines have a good, consistence strength/diameter ration, and are soft and supple.

Like most items of fishing tackle, you get what you pay for, and the very cheapest nylon fishing lines seldom represent the best value.

Modern high quality nylon lines are consistent in both strength and diameter when new, but even the best of them eventually wear out through use.

A major culprit is ultra-violet light, a component of sunlight, which causes a structural change in the line and a resultant decrease in its breaking strain. This together with the nicks and abrasions that always occurs in use means it should be changed regularly, or you risk losing that fish of a lifetime.

So nylon line makes a good general purpose reel line, and is fine for leaders and making up terminal tackle. But its properties don't make it the very best line material for all applications. Take a look at these following pros and cons:~

In its favour ...

• Its elasticity allows it to act as a shock absorber and will help to prevent a fish from tearing itself free of the hook.

• It's the most inexpensive of all fishing line types.

• It's transparent, and less visible in the water than all lines other than fluorocarbons.

• Knots and crimped connections hold well in nylon line.

• Nylon is a low memory material, so it will soon forget about the coils it was restrained in on the spool.

Not so good ...

• Its elasticity works against it when you're trying to make the longest possible cast, where it absorbs energy that is better transferred to the rod. Shock leaders for casting should always be made from low-stretch varieties specifically produced for this application, or fluorocarbon.

• It's prone to ultra-violet degradation from direct sunlight.

• It's absorbent in saltwater to a small degree, which weakens it over time.

So nylon line is good stuff - but it's not perfect.

But hey, that's life!