San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

Some obvious myths about fishing line that are easily disproven:

1. Braid doesn't stretch. Fluorocarbon doesn't stretch. Yes, they do and it is easy to run experiments yourself to verify.
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+muc ... b&ie=UTF-8
This is how you can test it yourself: https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishi ... ated-2016/
2. Fluorocarbon is invisible to fish. No, it is less visible than mono but not invisible. You can readily test this out with some line and a glass of water, it is that easy.

Similar for claims that a particular color makes the line invisible to fish.
3. Some knots break at over 100% of line strength. It is very easy to tie knots and pull to break to disprove this. Almost all of the time the knot will break, even with a very good knot.
4. Fluorocarbon line is inherently much more sensitive than mono. The perceived difference in sensitivity with weightless plastics is because fluorocarbon is denser and sinks faster with less bow in the line. If you really want higher sensitivity, then use braid to a leader (both same pound test). The sink rate of fluorocarbon only seems important with weightless plastics (e.g. Senkos).
5. Fluorocarbon sinks, mono floats. They both sink once they break through the surface tension of water. Fluorocarbon sinks faster due to its higher specific density. Again, an easy test that can be done with a glass of water. Fly fishermen still have to apply fly dope to mono leaders to increase surface tension to keep it from sinking.
6. My line broke because this brand of line is bad. Unlikely. If the end of the line is curled (assuming fluorocarbon or mono), then the knot slipped and that is probably because you tied a poor knot or did not tighten it correctly. If the line is rough at the end, then it got frayed rubbing against the fish, rocks or other objects and broke at the weak spot. Once in a while, a knot will break and the line won't be curled (seen this in my tests of knot strength).
7. Line test is the pound force where the line will break. Almost all line (except IGFA) breaks above the stated line test, some significantly so. Line that is claimed to be really strong is often just larger diameter and thus much stronger than the rating. IGFA rated line is guaranteed to break at less than the stated line test.

There are a lot of line myths out there, many of which are claims from sales weasels. Be wary of any claims that lack data, especially real world data rather than someone's armchair argument. Fishermen seem especially gullible to sales pitches, especially after a slow day on the water.

https://flyguys.net/fishing-information ... arbon-myth

https://www.ibm.com/think/insights/in-g ... bring-data

Any other line myths? Or even other fishing myths?

I've met more than a few people that say they have tried flouro for its benefit of sensitivity, but didn't notice a difference while fishing. The discussions always came down to the person using an old ugly stick rod or similar budget glass rod with eyelets made of plastic/pot metal.

There's a lot of factors in overall sensitivity which to most is common sense. A noodle rod with flouro isn't even worth comparing to a dense, lightweight carbon rod with a braid to flouro leader. This is often overlooked by new fishermen, everyone starts somewhere.

You'll feel every bite in the bay down to 4 inch bonefish using an ultralight high modulus graphite rod (usually just called carbon) with thin walls. Pair this with a bfs baitcasting reel with 8lb braid to a 6lb flouro leader.

Myth: Cheap line isn't strong.

Exhibit A: Zebco Omniflex. I have used the 6 and 8 lb sizes, from Walmart.

Pros:
Abrasion resistance is good; have managed to unwrap spotties from pilings in the bays.
Knot strength is good; when solidly snagged, is very hard to break off at the knot, even when I want to.

Cons:
Boy howdy, does this stuff stretch like a rubber band. This makes it hard to break off when you want to. It also means it's not sensitive; you're probably not going to feel delicate bites, or what sort of bottom you're bouncing along.

Conclusion:
Good for situations where sensitivity and stretch are not critical. I use it for long-lining lures, some dead bait soaking situations, and as filler/backing. Like Iris Dement's vocals and bleu cheese, Omniflex is an acquired taste, and won't meet all of your needs all the time.

Many, many years ago, I bought some cheap mono from Kmart, it felt like fishing with a rubber band on the end of the line. Some folks say never buy the cheapest, always go for the 2nd cheapest for best value. Like Grocery Outlet wine: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22seco ... s-wiz-serp .

I liked blue cheese right off the bat. Limburger and durian fruit, not so much. People who don't like blue cheese will often like blue brie (Cambozola) although it can be hard to find. Better than either brie or blue cheese, in my opinion.

When using a baitcasting reel, nothing beats running the line between the thumb and index finger for sensitivity. Makes the rod relatively important for sensitivity. For spinning, this is awkward and instead I like a premium graphite rod and small reel loaded with braid for dropshot fishing where sensitivity is super important. Braid is awesome for sensitivity but I have trouble with the light braids backlashing on baitcasters, even BFS (maybe I should increase the anti backlash setting but I am usually making long casts). I only use fluorocarbon main line for weightless plastics (Senkos). Fluorocarbon is great for leaders as it is generally more abrasion resistant than mono plus less visibility (doesn't make a difference if the water is murky though). Generally, the stiffer the line, the harder it is and the more abrasion resistant. Lines sold specifically for leaders will be stiffer and harder than lines sold for casting. I usually use Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon for my leaders.