A fishing line is kind of like a top bureaucrat; when things are going well, no one really notices or pays much attention, but if something goes wrong, it???s the line that gets the blame.
Line will make the difference between a successful fisherman and a pretender, and a good salmon fishing line will make all the difference in the outcome of a trip.
The first thing you will probably notice about fishing line is the difference in pricing. The more expensive lines are manufactured with monofilament or fluorocarbon. These materials have an essential quality that is lacking in cheaper line; they reduce the memory of the line.
If a kink or a line twist comes about when landing a fish, line made up of monofilament or fluorocarbon will not retain that shape to the extremity that cheaper line will. Less memory means a stronger line, as well as the ensured performance of the lure and less visibility within the water.
The relationship between the leader, the line, and the lure is critical in snagging wary salmon. Leader material will differ according to the type of salmon fishing you are engaging in; suitable leader material for trolling will actually be heavier than that used for mooching or drifting. The heavier line is needed so that the flasher correctly imparts its action to the lure; without a stiff line, the action is eliminated in the drag.
When you are mooching or fishing in drifts, the trick is to trick the fish with less visible line; specialty lines can sometimes be found that are designed for specific depths, but leader material for still fishing will always be more difficult to see for the fish, as you are not using a lot of prey-specific action to entice your big catch.
There are a lot of companies that advertise specialty lines and wire; the most useful of these will be when it comes to casting from shore or from a wharf or pier. Weeds and ledges both play a part in obstructing your reel-in, and these lines will be resistant to fraying as well as slippery enough to shake off pesky seaweed.
When it comes to boat fishing, though, the best specialty lines are those that have proven reliable for you in the past; sometimes the right combination of leader, line and lure just seems to work and should not be tampered with.
Now, every committed fisher knows that at some point, you have to add line back onto the reel. This is tedious in the extreme if you choose to do it by hand, and it can also lead to a hell of a mess and screw up your next trip. It???s a lot better to go for a line winder, which cuts the time it takes to get new line on a reel incredibly short and also does the job with a lot more precision than you could with your hands alone.
