The first thing many anglers do to prepare for their first fishing trip of the year is to put new fishing line on their reels. Choosing the correct type to use can be a complex process. There are three main types of fishing line that an angler can select, which include monofilament, braid, and fluorocarbon. Each of these lines has a specific use.

In addition to considering bait presentation, target species, water clarity, and the line weight, it’s important to consider the line material itself and how it stretches or resists abrasion:

Monofilament (Mono):

Mono is the most common option in anglers’ tackle boxes today. Since mono floats, it will allow topwater baits and shallow running crankbaits to keep the crankbait high in the water column. Monofilament also has stretch and limited memory, making it great for vertical jigging and most walleye angler techniques.

Braid:

The great thing about using braided line on your reels is strength. For bass anglers, it brings confidence that they’ll have the ability to get that bass in the boat, even if they might be bringing a lot of weeds with it. Braided line has little to no stretch, making it easy to achieve instant hook sets when fishing bass species, sturgeon, and muskie and in most trolling applications.

Fluorocarbon (Floro):

Fluorocarbon offers many of the benefits of braid, but its ability to disappear in the water makes it perform best in situations where fish are weary of fishing line or the water is extremely clear. For bass anglers, a fluorocarbon fishing line is the most popular option. Floro sinks and has a high abrasion resistance, which is great when fishing around rocks, underwater trees and boat docks. Fluorocarbon also has little to no stretch, so like braid, you can get a great hook set on the fish.

The Omnia Recommendation Engine considers the species, water clarity, style of fishing, and other factors to recommend the ideal material and an optimal range of the fishing line weights.

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