The right choice of fishing line for feeder fishing is possible only when you understand what manufacturers have created this or that line for, what properties it has. Then your choice will be conscious and correct.
The most common question I hear is: what is better, monofilament line or braided? In fact, both are designed for different conditions. Let’s get to the bottom of it.
Monofilament line for feeder fishing
Monofilament fishing line is the same line that any fisherman knows from childhood. It is a product made of a polymer, which has a number of characteristics.
- Stretchability. If you take the fishing line and pull the ends, you will feel that it has stretchability and elasticity. This parameter can be called both positive and negative. Let’s consider the positive side – when catching large fish, when we make a lunge, monofilament line helps us to dampen jerks. If you have plans to catch large crucian carp, bream or carp on the payniks, this fish should be caught on monofilament line. The negative side is that at a distance of more than 35 meters, the fishing line ceases to adequately transmit small bites of fish, ie the probability of noticing a bite is only if the fish bites confidently and bends the quivertip. If there is trembling, there is a probability to get an empty hook. In order to hook a fish at a great distance, it is necessary to make sprawling hooks to compensate for the extensibility of the fishing line.
- Streamlining. Perhaps this is my made-up term, but by it I mean that monofilament fishing line does not sail much in the wind and on the current, unlike braided fishing line.
- Breaking load. Monofilament line has a low breaking load compared to braided line, which is logical. In the feeder usually use diameters from 0.2 to 0.28. These sizes are usually enough to work with feeders of any weight. With thin diameters like 0.2, most often used shock leader in two lengths of rod diameter 0.25 – 0.28. Here the rule applies – the thinner the fishing line, the farther the throw. This is why the main fishing line is thinner, and the shock leader is used to protect against shooting off the feeder.
- Buoyancy. As a rule, specialized fishing lines for feeder have negative buoyancy and marking sinking.
- Color. In feeder fishing use transparent color, red, green, dark blue, brown and black. As you can see, except for the transparent color, all others tend to be as invisible as possible on the bottom of the reservoir.
- Price. Usually on monofilament fishing line prices are relatively low, which makes them more affordable.
Braided cord for feeder fishing
Braided fishing line appeared in opposition to monofilament fishing line, it makes up for all its shortcomings (especially it is associated with breaking load and sensitivity), but it also has some negative qualities, let’s analyze them.
- Stretchability. Absent. It is due to this property that all spinningists, and then feederists fell in love with this fishing line. Since the braid, which has no stretchability, makes the sensorics of the nibble 100%. Regardless of the distance you are fishing, you will always see a nibble. That’s very convenient. But the lack of extensibility is also a significant disadvantage when fishing for big and strong fish. All the jerks of the fish are rigidly transmitted to the rod. And the fish breaks its lip, in which the hook is sticking out. Very often the hook simply flies out of the hole formed. There are also breaks in the leash line. To compensate for the rigidity of the cord, experts recommend leaving between the installation and the feeder branch of about 10 – 15 cm, it helps to dampen the jerks of fish, while leaving the sensitivity of the tackle at the highest level.
- Sailability. Braided fishing line on this characteristic is strongly inferior to monofilament. Braided line strongly sails both in the wind and blown in an arc on the current. Therefore, do not thicken much when fishing on the current, you need to find a compromise in the thickness of the diameter and breaking load. Sometimes it is better to use a thinner diameter to compensate for the load on the line and on your fingers when throwing a shock leader.
- Breaking load. Everyone knows that this is the second main advantage of braided cords. They are very strong, but it is always worth remembering that braided cords are afraid of sharp and hard objects and protrusions on the bottom.
- Buoyancy. This parameter intersects with sailability, since the fishing line floats, also because of this and sails. There are fishing lines on which it is written that they are sinking. This is marketing, sinking braids have not yet been invented. On the cord, as a rule, put some kind of coating, which is washed off for a couple of fishing trips and the line again becomes a normal braided cord.
- Color. As we know, braided cords have both dark and light colors. You can actually use any cord by color, but our brother is calmer to use braided cords of calm tones, green and black.
- Price. There are different, from expensive to very expensive. All cheap cords that met, did not stand up to criticism. Maybe in the future something will change.
Thus, we can conclude that both braided cords and monofilament line are necessary for feeder fishing. The main thing to understand is that each of the types of fishing line is suitable for certain conditions. I always have reels with both braided and monofilament in my arsenal. Coming to the water, analyzing the conditions and planned trophies, I choose one or the other. It often happens that at competitions I have to lay out rods with both braided and monofilament, and in the process of fishing choose the one that is more suitable for the current conditions.
Avtor: Bob Nudd je ribiški strokovnjak z več kot 20-letnimi izkušnjami in zmagovalec številnih tekmovanj.
Man, feeder fishing line is a game changer! Last summer, I used some new line at the lake, and I was reeling in fish like crazy. The sensitivity was on point, and it helped me detect even the lightest bites. Can’t wait for my next fishing trip!