Super Lines

These days more and more people are using the so-called, “super lines” and each year there are more and more companies making them. These new lines have a super small diameter as well as simply being strong. When I travel across Canada and fish with different people, especially guides, I often see people using this style of line incorrectly.

Let’s look at one popular brand, Berkley Fireline. That stuff is so strong, you almost cannot break it. It has little to no stretch, so using it is a good choice for any kind of fishing that requires a solid hook set. Big pike, lake trout in deep water or even ice fishing in deep water all require the angler to crank down and make a heavy-duty hook set. Standard monofilament line will always stretch so a good hook set with a lot of line out is difficult.

So, here’s the most common problem I see. Anglers who use one of the new super lines leave themselves in a jam if they DON’T use a monofilament leader (just a piece of mono line) at the end of their super line. Let’s say you’re stuck on a log in 40 feet of water. And, you’ve tried and tried to free it, but it looks like it’s there for good. Now you try to break the line, but it won’t actually break. If you have a piece of monofilament leader at the end of your super line, say about 18 inches or so in length, the theory is that the mono line WILL break. Make sure you use a monofilament leader of less pound strength than your super line and it’ll break. Attach the two sections of line together by using two 'black ant' or barrel swivels, but make sure you use good quality ones.

If you don’t use a mono leader and you’re seriously stuck, the only option left is to actually cut the super line, which would obviously have to take place above the water line. Well, unless you want to go for a swim and you can hold your breath down to 40 feet… so the end result is a waste of 40 plus feet of expensive line (super lines are often three times the price of standard monofilament), but the real problem is that you will leave about 40 feet of line in the lake. In other words, you’re leaving your garbage behind and it’s not necessary. Birds, turtles and fish get tangled up in discarded line all the time, so don’t ever leave or throw old line in the lake.

So if you’re using one of the super lines or super braids, as they’re also called, do yourself (and the lake) a favour and add a foot and a half or so of regular monofilament to the end of your super line.

One last thing – and it’s very important too. One of the problems with the new lines is that some of the common and popular fishing knots (like the clinch knot) won’t usually work with super lines. The best bet is to look on the packaging itself and they will likely tell you which knots to use with their line. The polamar knot is one that usually works well with super lines.

Now go out and catch something…

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