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Fishing line



 
 
A fishing line is a cord used or made for fishing
Fishing

Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net, Fish trap, Spearfishing, angling and Gathering seafood by hand. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog and some edible marine invertebrates....
. Important parameters of a fishing line are its length, material, and weight (thicker, sturdier lines are more visible to fish). Factors that may determine what line an angler chooses for a given fishing environment include breaking strength, knot strength, UV resistance, castability, limpness, stretch, abrasion resistance, and visibility.

are caught with a fishing line by encouraging a fish to bite on a fish hook
Fish hook

A fish hook is a device for catching fish either by impaling them in the mouth or, more rarely, by snagging the body of the fish. Fish hooks have been employed for centuries by fisherman to catch fresh and saltwater fish....
.






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A fishing line is a cord used or made for fishing
Fishing

Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net, Fish trap, Spearfishing, angling and Gathering seafood by hand. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog and some edible marine invertebrates....
. Important parameters of a fishing line are its length, material, and weight (thicker, sturdier lines are more visible to fish). Factors that may determine what line an angler chooses for a given fishing environment include breaking strength, knot strength, UV resistance, castability, limpness, stretch, abrasion resistance, and visibility.

Terminology

Fish are caught with a fishing line by encouraging a fish to bite on a fish hook
Fish hook

A fish hook is a device for catching fish either by impaling them in the mouth or, more rarely, by snagging the body of the fish. Fish hooks have been employed for centuries by fisherman to catch fresh and saltwater fish....
. A fish hook will pierce the mouthparts of a fish and may be barbed to make escape less likely. Another method is to use a gorge, which is buried in the bait such that it would be swallowed end first. The tightening of the line would fix it cross-wise in the quarry's stomach or gullet and so the capture would be assured.

Fishing with a hook and line is called angling
Angling

Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" .The hook is usually attached by a fishing line to a fishing rod. A Float such as a Float is sometimes used....
. In addition to the use of the hook and line used to catch a fish, a heavy fish may be landed by using a landing net or a hooked pole called a gaff
Gaff (fishing)

In fishing, a gaff is a pole with a sharp hook on the end that is used to stab a large fish and then lift the fish into the boat. Ideally, the hook is placed under the Vertebral column....
.

Trolling
Troll (angling)

Trolling is a method of fishing where one or more fishing lines, baited with fishing lure or bait fish, are drawn through the water. This may be behind a moving boat, or by slowly winding the line in when fishing from a static position, or even sweeping the line from side-to-side, eg when fishing from a jetty....
 is a technique in which a fishing lure
Fishing lure

In terms of recreational fishing, a lure is an object attached to the end of the fishing line and designed to resemble and move like an item of fish prey....
 on a line is drawn through the water. Trolling from a moving boat is a technique of big-game fishing
Big-game fishing

Big-game fishing, often referred to as offshore sportfishing, offshore gamefishing, or blue-water fishing is a form of recreational fishing, targeting large fish renowned for their sporting qualities, such as tuna and marlin....
 and is used when fishing from boats to catch large open-water species such as tuna
Tuna

Tuna are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tunas are fast swimmers?they have been clocked at 70 km/h ?and include several species that are warm-blooded....
 and marlin
Marlin

Marlin, Istiophoridae, is a member of a group of marine fish known as "billfish", and is closely linked to the freshwater trout. A marlin has an elongated body, a spear-like snout, and a long rigid dorsal fin, which extends forwards to form a crest....
. Trolling is also a freshwater angling technique most often used to catch trout
Trout

Trout are a number of species of freshwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the Salmonidae family. Salmon belong to some of the same genera as trout but, unlike most trout, most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water....
. Trolling is also an effective way to catch northern pike
Northern Pike

The northern pike , Esox lucius, is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox . They are typical of brackish water and freshwaters of the northern hemisphere ....
 in the great lakes. It's also good for muskellunge in deeper lake using large baits also known as crankbaits or other big baits using strong line. This technique allows anglers to cover a large body of water in a short time.

Long-line fishing
Long-line fishing

Longline fishing is a commercial fishing technique. It uses a long line, called the main line, with Fish bait Fish hook attached at intervals by means of branch lines called "snoods"....
 is a commercial fishing technique that uses hundreds or even thousands of baited hooks hanging from a single line.

Snagging
Snagging

Snagging is a term used in the construction industry in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Snagging is the production of a list of quality defects at the end of a build process/phase/stage ....
 is a technique where the object is to hook the fish in the body. Generally, a large treble hook with a heavy sinker is cast into a river containing a large amount of fish, such as a Salmon, and is quickly jerked and reeled in. Due to the often illegal nature of this method some practitioners have added methods to disguise the practice, such as adding bait or reducing the jerking motion.

Early developments


Fishing lines were often constructed from horse hair or silk thread, with catgut
Catgut

Catgut is a type of cord usually prepared from the intestines of sheep or goat. It can also be made using the intestines of a Hog , horse, mule, pig or donkey....
 leaders. From the 1850s, modern industrial machinery was employed to fashion fishing lines in quantity. Most of these lines were made from linen
Linen

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
, silk
Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from Pupa#Cocoons made by the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity ....
, and more rarely cotton
Cotton

Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa....
 or flax
Flax

Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean region to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent....
, sometimes with a waterproofing compound added during line manufacture.

Modern lines

Modern fishing lines intended for spinning, spin cast, or bait casting reels are almost entirely made from artificial substances, including nylon
Nylon

Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides and first produced on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont....
, polyethylene
Polyethylene

Polyethylene or polythene is a thermoplastic commodity heavily used in consumer products . Over 60 million tons of the material are produced worldwide every year....
, Dacron and Dyneema (UHMWPE). The most common type is monofilament
Monofilament line

Monofilament line is a thin string made from a single fiber. Most fishing line is made from monofilament because of its strength, availability in all pound-test kinds, and low cost....
, made of a single strand. Fishermen often use monofilament because of its buoyant characteristics and its ability to stretch under load. Recently, other alternatives to standard nylon monofilament lines have been introduced made of copolymers or fluorocarbon
Fluorocarbon

Fluorocarbons, sometimes referred to as perfluorocarbons, are organofluorine compounds that contain only carbon and fluorine bonded together in strong carbon?fluorine bonds....
, or a combination of the two materials. Fluorocarbon in particular is well regarded for its refractive index
Refractive index

The refractive index of a medium is a measure for how much the speed of light is reduced inside the medium. For example, typical soda-lime glass has a refractive index of 1.5, which means that in glass, light travels at times the speed of light in a vacuum....
, which is similar to that of water and as a result less visible to fish. Fluorocarbon is also a more dense material, and therefore, is not nearly as buoyant as monofilament. Anglers often utilize fluorocarbon when they need their baits to stay closer to the bottom without the use of heavy sinkers. There are also braided fishing line
Braided fishing line

Braided line is one of the strongest types of fishing line in relation to its diameter. Braids are made by braiding or weaving fibers of a man-made material like Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or micro-dyneema into a strand of line....
s, cofilament and thermally fused lines, also known as 'superlines' for their small diameter, lack of stretch, and great strength relative to standard nylon monofilament lines. Both braided and thermally fused 'superlines
Multifilament fishing line

Multifilament line is also referred to as The Super Lines. This is a braided_fishing_line which is made up of a type of polyethylene, an extremely thin line for its strength....
' are now readily available.

Specialty lines

Fly lines
Fly fishing tackle

Fly fishing tackle comprises the fishing tackle or equipment typically used by fly fishing anglers. Fly fishing tackle includes:* Fly rods - a specialized type of fishing rod designed to cast fly line and artificial flies...
 consist of a tough braided or monofilament core, wrapped in a thick waterproof plastic sheath, often of polyvinyl chloride
Polyvinyl chloride

Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is the third most widely used thermoplastic polymer after polyethylene and polypropylene....
 (PVC). In the case of floating fly lines, the PVC sheath is usually imbedded with many 'microballoons' or air bubbles, and may also be impregnated with silicone or other lubricants to give buoyancy and reduce wear. In order to fill up the reel spool and ensure an adequate reserve in case of a run by a powerful fish, fly lines are usually attached to a secondary line at the butt section, called backing. Fly line backing is usually composed of braided dacron or gelspun monofilaments. All fly lines are equipped with a leader of monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line, usually (but not always) tapered in diameter, and referred to by the 'X-size' (0X, 2X, 4X, etc.) of its final tip section, or tippet.

Wire lines are frequently used as leaders to prevent the fishing line from being severed by toothy fish. Usually braided from several metal strands, wire lines may be made of stainless steel, titanium, or a combination of metal alloys.

See also

  • Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene
    Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene

    Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene , also known as high-modulus polyethylene or high-performance polyethylene , is a subset of the thermoplastic polyethylene....
  • Braided fishing line
    Braided fishing line

    Braided line is one of the strongest types of fishing line in relation to its diameter. Braids are made by braiding or weaving fibers of a man-made material like Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or micro-dyneema into a strand of line....
  • Fishing
    Fishing

    Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net, Fish trap, Spearfishing, angling and Gathering seafood by hand. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog and some edible marine invertebrates....
  • Fish hook
    Fish hook

    A fish hook is a device for catching fish either by impaling them in the mouth or, more rarely, by snagging the body of the fish. Fish hooks have been employed for centuries by fisherman to catch fresh and saltwater fish....
  • Fluorocarbon
    Polyvinylidene fluoride

    Polyvinylidene Fluoride, or PVDF is a highly non-reactive and pure thermoplastic fluoropolymer. It is also known as KYNAR, HYLAR or SYGEF....
  • Fly fishing
    Fly fishing

    Fly fishing is a distinct and ancient angling method, most renowned as a method for catching trout and salmon, but employed today for a wide variety of species including Esox, bass , panfish, and carp, as well as ocean species, such as Red drum, Common snook, tarpon, bonefish and striped bass....
  • Monofilament line
    Monofilament line

    Monofilament line is a thin string made from a single fiber. Most fishing line is made from monofilament because of its strength, availability in all pound-test kinds, and low cost....
  • Multifilament fishing line
    Multifilament fishing line

    Multifilament line is also referred to as The Super Lines. This is a braided_fishing_line which is made up of a type of polyethylene, an extremely thin line for its strength....