Monofilament line enjoyed being the most popular fishing line on the market for decades. Well-suited to most every pound-test strength, including ultralight tackle, monofilament is also inexpensive to produce. Fluorocarbon line has demonstrated advantages in terms of low visibility to humans and fish, as well as overall strength. As of 2010, fluorocarbon line was the market leader in terms of sales.
History
DuPont developed nylon in 1938 and started producing monofilament fishing line with it the next year. However, line made of braided Dacron was favored by most anglers, making it the biggest seller. As spinning reels and spin-casting equipment began to enter the market in the late 1950s, DuPont saw an opening to introduce Stren, its ultra-thin monofilament line, which was capable of being used on a wide variety of reels and well-suited to ultralight tackle. Since then, fishing line has also been made by braiding different polymers, or by developing new, improved polymers. Fluorocarbon is an example of one of the improved types of polymer.
Monofilament Line
Modern monofilament fishing line is produced by melting, then mixing together different polymers. The molten material is then fed through an extruder with holes of varying thickness to control the size and test-pound strength of each line.
Fluororcarbon Line
Most fluorocarbon line is made from a polymer known as polyvinylidene fluoride. Rather than use the chemical name, the fishing industry simply refers to the line as fluorocarbon. The greatest benefit of fluorocarbon is that it has a refractive index very close to that of water. A refractive index measures the way light bends as it passes through a material. Fluorocarbon line’s refractive index offers a distinct advantage to anglers because the line is invisible to fish.
Advantages of Each
Monofilament is inexpensive, widely available and comes in a variety of colors, including white, green, blue, clear and fluorescent. It has good shock absorption--meaning it is stretchy--it's nearly invisible underwater, and has a fairly low memory. This last trait prevents curls and loops when the line stays coiled on a reel for a long period of time. Fluorocarbon line offers greater sensitivity to monofilament because it is less prone to stretch. It has the best invisibility of any product on the market. More dense than water, fluorocarbon line sinks, an advantage for fishing deep-running crankbaits and other lures. Fluorocarbon line is also more resistant to abrasion than monofilament.
Disadvantages of Each
Fluorocarbon line is more expensive than monofilament. It also has a high line memory, causing it to retain loops longer when it's spooled. Fluorocarbon needs to be changed more often, making its cost an important consideration. The stretchiness that makes monofilament line absorb shocks works against it for sensitivity. The stretch causes poorer hook-setting characteristics that are troublesome when you use soft lures or make long casts. Monofilament tends to degrade over time, especially when it's exposed to sunlight and heat. It also absorbs water, which can cause knots to loosen.
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