5 Things to Know Before Buying Nylon Mono Liner Fabric

Today we’re going to look at two of the three major line types for bass fishing as we discuss the similarities and differences of fluorocarbon vs monofilament fishing lines. You can fish the vast majority of bass fishing techniques with just these two line types, though there are some things you simply cannot do without braided line and others still that braid is more efficient with. But that conversation is for another day. Today, let’s look at fluorocarbon versus monofilament.

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THE BASICS OF LINES

Monofilament fishing line, often referred to as “mono”, is typically made of nylon pellets extruded into a single strand of nylon. Fluorocarbon line, or “fluoro”, is made from polyvinylidene fluoride pellets that are melted down and made into a single strand. So both lines are single strands of material, but those two materials have very different attributes.

SITUATIONAL ATTRIBUTES

You’ll notice that a few of the same attributes of these lines are listed in both the pros and cons lists, like the fact that monofilament line floats. That’s because some of these pros and cons are situational. For instance, when wanting to fish a bait along the bottom, the fact that mono floats is a bad thing and will work against your presentation. But when fishing with a topwater bait, this attribute of mono is a good thing and will help keep your bait on top of the water.

The adverse is true for fluorocarbon. Because it sinks, this is a much better line for fishing baits along the bottom. But also because it sinks, you won’t want to use this line with a topwater.

It is also situational as to whether or not the stretchiness of each of these lines is a good thing. Fluoro has less stretch, so it’s better for setting the hook on single hook baits and on long casts with treble hooked baits. But the stretch of mono is acutely beneficial when fishing close quarters with a treble hook bait, as it absorbs the shock of a sudden hookset and allows the fish to fight without running the risk of tearing the hooks free.

WHEN TO USE MONO

Beginners

Monofilament is a great entry level line for anglers getting into bass fishing because it’s considerably more affordable than most fluorocarbon lines (though there are recent fluoro offerings like Basix from Seaguar that offer a quality fluoro for a more competitive price when compared to monofilament).

This line is also a little easier to cast, though the casting range is more limited because of the larger line diameters. Knots are also a little easier to tie with mono, and the knot strength is better. This takes a little more of the need for experience out of the equation, again making mono often the better selection for newcomers to the sport.

Topwaters

Mono is the better option for topwater baits primarily because it floats. If you were to try to fish a topwater bait like a Spook on fluoro, you’d have to work the bait with your rod tip up and constantly put in effort to keep the line from sinking and pulling the nose of your bait down.

The stretch of mono is also again a good thing with topwaters like poppers, when fishing them close to the boat. These baits have small hooks and the fish are often full of energy when they bite. So, the stretch of mono is very beneficial when hooking into a hard-fighting fish close the boat with small hooks.

Backing

Because of it’s affordability, mono is also a great line to use for backing on your reel. Even if you do have a presentation that fluorocarbon is better for, you’ll never need a full spool of it on a baitcaster. You can use mono to fill your reel about halfway and then use a double-uni knot (or some other line-to-line knot) to connect your monofilament backing to your fluorocarbon. Then finish spooling the reel with fluoro. In doing this, you’ll significantly cut the cost of spooling the reel as opposed to what it would have cost to use only fluoro.

Pros:

• Floats
• Higher knot strength
• More affordable
• Beginner friendly
• More stretch
• Easier to handle

Cons:

• Floats
• Less sensitivity
• Larger line diameter
• More stretch
• More prone to damage from UV light
• More memory

WHEN TO USE FLUORO

Impact Hooksets

Because of fluorocarbon’s lower stretch, higher strength with a smaller diameter, abrasion resistance, sinking characteristic and sensitivity, it’s a great line for many single hook baits like football jigs, swim jigs and Texas rigs. Mono is sufficient for setting small and thin treble hooks, but when trying to generate enough force for an impact hookset, the stretchiness of mono makes it hard to hook fish with bigger, bolder hooks.

These baits are also often fished around cover, so the more abrasion resistant fluoro wins out here too. And because many of these baits are fished several feet beneath the water’s surface, the fact that fluoro sinks allows the bait to get down deeper faster and stay there. The thinner diameter helps with this as well, as the line can cut through the water quicker than the larger diameter, equivalent pound test in mono would be able to.

Fluoro’s thinner diameter and ability to sink also helps decrease the bow in your line beneath the water, creating a more direct point of contact with the bait. In addition to fluoro already being more sensitive than mono, this vastly increases the sensitivity of your presentation as a whole, giving you the ability to maintain bottom contact better, as well as feel the differences in bottom composition and detect bites more easily.

Cranking

These same attributes also make fluoro better for mid-depth and deep-diving crankbaits. Fluoro’s thinner diameter and innate ability to sink work in favor of the presentation where the thicker mono that floats would work against it.

Using a 12-pound fluoro with a deep-diving crankbait versus a 12-pound mono adds multiple feet to the bait’s depth range, helps it reach the bottom quicker, and allows for a much longer cast. All of this means the bait will be in the strikezone longer. And because of fluoro’s better abrasion resistance, it’s less likely to be damaged as it moves through rock, wood and other cover along the bottom.

Mono can be better for some shallow cranking and small wake baits. With a wake bait, you’ll want the lure to stay right along the surface. So using a larger diameter mono that floats will help here. In the same way, a 20-pound-test mono with its larger diameter will allow you to crank a square bill through a shallow area easier than 15-pound-test fluoro would, by taking away a bit of the bait’s ability to dive.

High-pressure situations 

Fluoro has less memory than monofilament and a smaller diameter, which makes it easier to use on spinning reels. And because fluoro nearly disappears beneath the water’s surface, it is a much better line for finesse techniques in high-pressure situations.

The smaller diameter for the equivalent pound test and fluoro’s added abrasion resistance also allow you to use a smaller pound test than you could with mono, making the line even harder to detect in high-visibility, high-pressure situations, such as fishing a Damiki rig or dropshot in ultra-clear water.

These high-pressure situations aren’t relegated to finesse fishing with spinning gear alone either; this is another reason why fluoro is better for flipping and bed fishing when impact hooksets already make fluoro the clear choice.

Pros:

• Less stretch
• More sensitivity
• Lower visibility
• Sinks
• More abrasion resistant
• Less prone to damage from UV light
• Smaller line diameters
• Less memory

Cons:

• Sinks
• Lower knot strength
• Harder to tie knots
• More expensive

ROUNDING OUT LINE CHOICES

Though fluorocarbon lines are becoming increasingly affordable and monofilament lines are more transparent than ever before, there are still plenty of stark differences to note when discussing fluorocarbon versus monofilament lines. Abrasion resistance, smaller line diameter and lower stretch are among key aspects that make fluorocarbon the better choice for a wide variety of baits. But the ease of use, stretch and ability to float of mono make it the better choice at times as well.

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The key is to not get too bogged down in this conversation and instead perfect your craft overtime. At the end of the day, each of these lines are serviceable in many of the same situations. So don’t think you need to have 10 reels spooled up with a variety of line sizes in each line type to start with. You can do a lot with one reel spooled with either 15-pound test mono or 15-pound test fluoro, and you can fish the majority of bass fishing techniques fairly well with a combination of these two.

Braid is very strong for its diameter, and it has virtually no stretch. Because it’s the thinnest of the line types (by breaking strength) and very soft, it casts well. Because it’s the most opaque and visible of the line types, many anglers choose mono or fluoro in clear water. Because braid floats, it’s a viable choice for floating lures. Because it’s the strongest of the lines (by diameter), it’s the obvious choice when fishing in extremely thick or coarse cover. Anglers who are flipping, pitching or punching heavy cover often opt for braided line testing 50 pounds and more.

Best Bets

Berkley Fireline®, the world’s first “superline,” was introduced in . It’s neither a conventional braid, nor a monofilament. The thermally, micro-fused Dyeema® fibers are 3- to 4-times stronger than monofilament offering a true memory-free line that casts long and remains strong.

Berkley x5 offers top-shelf braid performance that won't empty your pockets. It has an advanced 5-carrier construction with a polyethylene core for maximum strength and superior abrasion resistance. x5 is ideal for fishing in thick vegetation and heavy cover. Offered in Berkley’s highly visible crystal color for easy strike detection, Berkley x5 delivers affordable performance.

Berkley x9 offers an extremely smooth and strong line at affordable pricing. The 9-carrier construction with a polyethylene core keeps x9 perfectly round, letting it smoothly flow through rod guides for exceptionally long casts and low friction. x9’s high-strand count enhances wear resistance for fishing abrasive structure while providing superlative knot strength.As you can see, there are many considerations when choosing the right line. However, armed with a bit of knowledge, the task should be much simpler.

Monofilament is strong, but far less strong than braid for its diameter. It has significantly more stretch than either braid or fluoro. Because it floats and is translucent, it’s an excellent choice for fishing floating topwater lures. It is generally more castable than fluoro, but less castable than braid.

Berkley Trilene XL is a leader in the monofilament world. It has the best properties of mono and is extra-limp (XL) so it casts extremely well. The stretch inherent in mono makes it a viable choice for any baits with treble hooks. Trebles rarely get the kind of penetration that single hooks do, thus a little stretch can help to keep fish on the hook through steady pressure. Lines with less stretch are less “forgiving.”

Best Bets

Berkley Trilene XT® and Trilene XL® are both outstanding monofilament choices. Trilene XT (Extra Tough) excels when fishing baits in abrasive environments—areas where extra toughness and abrasion resistance is a plus. Think, for instance, running spinnerbaits through weedy environments. Trilene XL (Extra Limp) excels when a supple monofilament is required. It’s especially popular on spinning gear because its limpness reduces line memory as well as tangles and spooling issues.

Fluorocarbon is roughly as strong as mono for its diameter, but far less strong than braid. It has more stretch than braid and stretches differently than mono. As you pull mono, the line begins to stretch almost immediately; fluorocarbon only begins to stretch after a given load has been applied to it. Because it sinks, fluorocarbon is generally a poor choice for fishing floating topwater lures. It’s the least cast-friendly of the three, but because it has the same refractive qualities as water, it’s an excellent choice for clear water fishing conditions.

Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon is a breakthrough in this line type. It’s an extremely castable fluorocarbon and basically disappears in water. It may be fishing’s most versatile line. It’s a great choice for crankbaits, spinnerbaits, soft plastics and just about anything except floating topwaters.

Generally, lighter, thinner lines will impart more action to your lures, so going a little lighter can mean more bites. Heavier lines of any type give you more strength but may mute lure action. When fishing “dirty” water with less than a foot or two of visibility, there’s little reason to go “light” or to choose a less visible line like fluorocarbon or monofilament.

Got it? That’s a lot to take in; a lot to remember. But once you get it, you’re ready to make the kind of informed decisions that will improve your fishing.

No line is always best for any fishing situation. Every line choice is a compromise of sorts. If you want the strength of braid, you can’t have the forgiveness and stretch of monofilament or the clarity of fluorocarbon. If you want the near invisibility of fluorocarbon, you can't have the floating quality of braid or monofilament.

We have wonderful fishing lines today — the best ever devised — but no one line can do everything. No line has all of the great qualities without any of the sacrifices.The line you should choose depends on three primary factors: your lure or hook choice, the water clarity, and any cover or obstructions in the water you’re fishing. Armed with that information, you're ready to make an informed decision that will benefit your angling.

Best Bets

Berkley FluoroShield® is a new fluorocarbon-infused co-polymer (more than one polymer) line offering the clear characteristics of fluorocarbon with enhanced abrasion resistance. Better yet, FluoroShield offers the suppleness of monofilament, making it a very castable choice for both spinning and casting gear.

Berkley 100% Fluoro Professional Grade has been the benchmark in fluorocarbon lines for years. Like Fluoroshield, Berkley 100% Fluro Professional Grade offers a distinct softness that spinning enthusiasts appreciate. Additionally, Berkley 100% Fluoro Professional Grade tangles less than conventional fluorocarbons.

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For over a decade, I’ve searched for visible monofilament suitable for building Mono Rigs. There are many options for hi-vis mono, but my preferences are specific. And for so long, I couldn’t find anything that checked all the boxes.

That search is over (for a while). Sufix Superior Neon Fire is my go-to monofilament for building butt sections and tapered transitions.

Sufix Superior mics out very close to Maxima Chameleon, per pound. Specifically, the Neon Fire has about the same stiffness as Chameleon, with a little less stretch. It handles well, and it’s relatively temperature stable — so it performs similarly in both warm weather and cold.

Here’s more . . .

Why Visible?

I was perfectly happy building leaders from Maxima Chameleon. And I still am. Chameleon remains my preferred material for most situations, because it has all the properties I want in a leader material (I’ll walk through those below). It only lacks visibility.

I truly don’t care to see the butt section of my leader. I build visible color into my transition, and the taper continues through my standard sighter, built from Amnesia and Gold Stren. I often add one to two feet of bi-color sighter material to the end of that standard sighter, before my tippet. So all totaled I have between four to six feet of highly visible material before my tippet enters the water. That’s plenty, and I’m an accurate enough caster that I never require more visibility built into the butt section.

READ: Troutbitten | The Full Mono Rig, All the Variations, with Formulas and Adjustments

However, when we started filming a couple years ago, Josh (Wilds Media) and I realized the trouble with demonstrating tight line tactics when the leader cannot be seen. Chameleon wouldn’t do.

Likewise, when I started guiding in , many anglers came to me with plans to learn Mono Rig tactics. And I quickly realized that those who were new to the game were much more comfortable when they could see the full butt section.

Because if you’re coming from the experience of casting with a fly line, your eyes are searching for that visual reference in the cast. Furthermore, even for those accustomed to casting long leaders, watching loops of line helps tremendously when trying to correct a lob style of cast and return to the benefits of fly-line-style casting with a Mono Rig.

Again, for most situations, I prefer Chameleon, but when visibility is a benefit, I now choose Sufix Superior Neon Fire, because it has what I’m looking for.

What I Want

There are more colored lines available than ever. And for a leader junkie, buying the next brand and the latest color to come off the line is a pretty cheap hobby.

I’ll leave a list of the lines I’ve tried below. But first, it’s important to understand what I’m looking for.

The butt section of a Mono Rig is the driver. Most anglers recognize how different thicknesses of material affect the performance of the leader. We’ve previously walked through those differences, those advantages and disadvantages of Standard, Thin and Micro-thin Mono Rigs. While it’s easy to understand how much more punch and power a twenty-pound butt section has than a five-pound butt, the composition of material and its effect on performance is not so obvious.

Years ago, I published an article titled, Is a Soft Sighter Best? And much of what I argued about sighter material applies to the rest of the leader as well. In fact, it’s even more important.

READ: Troutbitten | Is a Soft Sighter Best? Not Always
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Different Mono Rigs and Euro Leaders — What Works When and Why

Stiff material carries more power. It transfers energy more efficiently. It holds the casting loop better. It casts more like a fly line. And for many of us, that ability to cast a Mono Rig with the performance of a fly line, helping push flies and the leader itself to a target is an enormous advantage. This is a very different approach than relying on the weight of the fly or split shot to bring the leader along behind it (like a spin or bait casting approach).

READ: Troutbitten | It’s Casting, Not Lobbing

So we look for monofilament that is stiff rather than soft. But, the trouble is, most stiff monofilament holds a coil. It has memory once it’s on the reel for a while, especially in the thicker diameters used for building standard leaders that cast well.

We stretch all leaders at the beginning of a session. But then some of that line gets wound back to the reel while fishing. The worst of the stiff monofilament coils easily and quickly, especially in colder temps, mostly below thirty degrees Fahrenheit.

But the best stiff line remains flat for many hours, if not the whole day, even in cold weather. Chameleon does this. And Sufix Superior Neon Fire is similar.

Some soft monofilaments actually stiffen up a good bit in colder weather, but soft lines become even softer in moderate and warm weather. The worst soft monofilament becomes almost gummy, but even the best of them has a tendency to twist and kink. Soft lines are not durable, and they lack significant power for building great casting loops — soft lines have no punch.

Opaque lines are the most visible, because they are not transparent. But any line that carries enough dye to be solid in color is also soft. There’s something in the dying process that changes the composition. And I have never found an exception to this.

I’ve tried so many lines through the years that I’ve seen these trends. Red and orange dye usually makes a line softer, while greens and yellows are usually stiffer.

These subtle differences in lines are really not so subtle once you hold them in your hands all day and spend time casting. Most dedicated anglers have developed strong preferences for their own leader builds.

For the way I cast, for what I describe and show so often with the Troutbitten Mono Rig, a stiffer leader is better. But it’s difficult to find a visible, stiff leader material that also handles well and doesn’t have much memory.

Sufix Superior Neon Fire is the best hi-vis line I’ve found, nearly matching the performance of Chameleon.

I use it in 20, 15, 12, 10, 8 and 6 pound to build butt sections and tapered transitions for Mono Rigs. I keep the same formulas for my leaders and substitute the hi-vis for Chameleon, when I want that visibility.

Here’s a link to all the Troutbitten Mono Rig formulas:

READ: Troutbitten | The Full Mono Rig System — All the Variations, with Formulas and Adjustments

And here’s a link to the Neon Fire Sufix Superior . . .

Buy Sufix Superior Neon Fire HERE, and Support Troutbitten

The Other Stuff

I told you I was a leader junkie. Here’s an incomplete list of other visible monofilaments I’ve used. For all of these, I’ll compare my experience with diameters suited for a Standard Mono Rig, with a butt section of around .017”.

Amnesia

Red, yellow, green, blue and orange — regardless of color, Amnesia is a good option. But it holds a coil in cold weather, and I don’t care for the feel of a flat (oval) line in my hands. Ironically, Amnesia can have quite a bit of memory coming off the reel. (Yes, even after it’s stretched.)

OPST Lazar Line

This is good stuff, and I wish it came in thinner diameters. The 30 lb is a little thinner than 20 lb Chameleon, so it builds a good Standard Mono Rig butt section. It does have memory in cold weather, and in warm weather it gets pretty soft. Not my favorite. But it is highly visible in both pink and green. Here's a link.

OPST Oval Line

Also highly visible. It coils and twists less than the Lazar Line. But I don’t love the feel of an oval line, and it’s not as powerful as many other lines of equal diameter. Here's a link.

Other Sufix

Sufix Siege, Elite and Advance all have hi-vis colors. I’ve been through many, and I’ve built sighters from them. However, full butt sections always have too much memory for me, especially in the green/yellow colors.

Stren

Gold and Blue Stren are another option for a visible leader. I find both to be too soft for how I like to cast.

Various Fluorocarbons

Fluoro is stiffer than nylon, so why not use fluorocarbon leader material for the butt sections? Fluoro sinks easier, so it’s not good for mending, when I choose to lay the leader on the water. Fluoro also holds too much coil coming off the spool.

Tenkara Lines

I was excited to try my first Tenkara line, many years ago, thinking that they just might be the answer. Again, no good. These lines are great until they’re spooled up on a reel. Not a problem for the Tenkara angler though . . .

Sighter Material

The colored mono sold as bi-color or tri-color is very soft. For me, it’s a poor choice for building full leaders. Ever notice that these lines are all the same consistency across brands? The colors vary a bit, and some of the dye bleeds in certain brands, but all of it is the same, very soft material, with no power and poor durability. Fine for building soft sighters. Bad for full leaders.

Pierre Sempe Indicator Nylon

This is the latest popular line in the competition scene. It’s light for the diameter, and it’s a unique material. The trade off seems to be durability. I find the Pierre Sempe to be very delicate compared to other monos of the same diameter. By this I don’t mean breaking strength. I mean it has low abrasion resistance and doesn’t hold up well to heavy use. Also, Pierre Sempe comes in sizes no larger than 2X, so sadly, a Standard Mono Rig is not an option. Here’s a link.

Generic Opaque Lines

Some fly fishing brands are now selling what seems to be the same opaque line under their own label. Spools of this line are cheaply available from China, and it has about the same properties as most sighter material, so it’s too soft to make a full butt section with the performance that I’m after. These lines are interesting, though. And I’m anxious to find a stiffer version.

READ: Troutbitten | Ask an Expert: For Tight Line and Euro Nymphing, What’s Your Butt Section?

All the Others

The lines above are the notable options. Some of them may be exactly what you’re looking for. I listed each of them, because I either used them as my go-to hi-vis line for a while, or because they are a popular line among other anglers.

I’ve also tied up and fished with a slew of lines that didn’t work out. Monos from Berkley and Ande, furled monos, braided lines and just about everything you can think of.

Truly, after all of that, Maxima Chameleon remains my favorite. But for a hi vis monofilament, Sufix Superior Neon Fire is my go-to line right now.

Fish hard, friends.

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