Monofilament or multifilament thread? Trout and grayling fishing plea

The answer to the question "Monofilament or multifilament?" it is extremely simple from my point of view. Both. Why are we talking about trout and grayling fishing? A good friend directed some friends who have recently taken up raptor fishing to the AndyArif.ro blog to learn more about choosing monofilament and multifilament fishing lines, basically for trout and grayling fishing.

They watched the videos above, read the related stories, but mentioned that they would like to find more beginner information in them, the articles I usually post are more of a fishing journal. At the same time, they also asked what yarn to buy. Although I am no longer a benchmark aligned with the latest appearances on the fishing tackle market, because I have been using the same products for several years without feeling the need for an "upgrade", I will try to answer as objectively as possible in this regard. And not just for trout and grayling, most of the information that will follow is valid for all raptor species.

The main differences between monofilament and multifilament yarns, short for two

Cost: Braided threads are much more expensive than monofilament, this is clear to everyone. But, there is always a gift. Monofilament thread loses its qualities dramatically under the influence of UV rays, a fact that recommends changing this type of thread after a few fishing games. A multifilament thread can be used for two or more seasons, with the observation that after one season the end must be changed, starting the winding of the thread on the drum with the used side.

Abrasion resistance: Monofilament always wins in terms of abrasion resistance, being better suited for fishing near structures that might cut the line. Or between the fish's teeth, if you play without strings. In addition, with the friction between the rod rings, the monofilament does not snap when casting, retrieving or drilling. A hybrid in this sense is fused multifilament yarns, but I personally wouldn't bet too much on them, so we'll move on.

Elasticity and strength: Monofilament stretches more than braided line, providing an advantage in certain situations, such as fishing for softmouth fish, where too stiff a line could result in losing the fish. Multifilament provides more direct power without stretch, which can be both a sensitivity advantage and a disadvantage depending on the situation. If we are talking about apathetic fish, snarling in fishing parlance, elasticity is an advantage, both in the slower presentation of lures and in the moment of attack. You will catch more fish with the monofilament line, but you will no longer feel the attack, the fish, the substrate in the rod. Neither did the fish.

Memory: All threads have memory (make loops). With monofilament it's more annoying, especially when you have a reel with a small drum or one that doesn't wind the line correctly on the retrieve. Otherwise, the memory starts to disappear after the thread starts to absorb water, harder on monofilament, takes more time, more baths. In multifilament yarns, due to their braided structure, they return more easily to their original shape, which minimizes problems associated with yarn memory. In the case of baitcasting equipment, thanks to the movable reel, memory problems are much reduced in both cases.

Diameter and Capacity of the drum: Braided wire has a smaller diameter compared to monofilament at the same strength, allowing you to load more wire onto the spool. So translated into casting ability, due to the smaller diameter, the multifilament allows for longer and more accurate casts. Multifilament with a smaller diameter cuts the water better and is recommended for fishing at great depths or in waters with a strong current, where it is important to maintain a constant tension on the line. Or, more simply, it is recommended if you want to reach the bottom of the water faster with your lure. Or use smaller weights.

Buoyancy and Visibility: Monofilament floats, multifilament sinks. So if we fish with surface lures, monofilament is recommended to influence the evolution of the lure as little as possible. If we want to go deeper, we choose multifilament, of course. Theoretically it is simple, top mono, bottom multi. Basically, it's not really like that if we also think about the way we want our lures to evolve underwater. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower, play can be done naturally. In practice, you will learn more from practice, on a wide palette of lures. In time. Visible. Just as multifilament is much more visible in clear water than monofilament.

More monofilament, more fish

In my time. When I started fishing for raptors, multifilament lines were almost non-existent on the fishing tackle market in Romania. So, by choice, by necessity, I learned to fish with monofilament. Years passed, multifilament lines came into their own, in the profile shops and on my reels, well, higher breaking strength, longer casts, smaller diameters, etc. But they didn't completely replace what I needed from a fishing line. Lessons from the past had me quickly reverting in various situations to monofilament over super lines, at least when I was missing fish, dropping them or unable to get them to attack my lures.

Eyes on the line for monofilament and hand on the rod for multifilament

The choice of threads is a matter of feeling. Of course, it is much more fun to feel the substrate, the obstacles, the attack and the drill of a predatory fish on the multifilament line, but often the end can materialize in an escaped fish. What you feel in the rod feels in the mouth of the fish. With monofilament you will have to interpret all these signals from the movements of the line, down with some strange things felt in the rod or in the crank of the reel. The attack will be a twitch of the line or a loading of the rod if you don't keep an eye on the line, not a hammer or jerk transmitted to the hand and spinal cord like with multifilament. Of course, this is where the sensitivity of the rod comes into play, but that's another story.

Back to trout and grayling, when and how to use monofilament and multifilament lines

In the case of fishing on the river, we will move quickly, on foot, for me one is fishing 100% with monofilament, rotating, oscillating, wobbler. On small rivers without depths. Grayling, trout, grayling. I've tried multifilament in the past, but I've had line flaking, rock cuts, and too many fish being dropped by fast attacks in the current. The lack of elasticity has had its say. On the lake, the equation changes a little, not a lot. Not very much because I remained faithful to fishing with monofilament for the reasons above, I won't repeat them. I switch to multifilament lines when I have to cast further, fish deeper water or through vegetation. Otherwise, all monofilament remains a priority.

What rods?

I generally use fast but forgiving rods on the tip. For monofilament stiffer, for textile softer. There is a perfect balance between rods, reels, lines and lures that every angler, after many hours on the water, will discover. I don't go too much into the details of the rods, as long as they respect the weight range of the lures used, the rest are matters of taste, habit or efficiency in the case of each of us. Personally, as I said above, I prefer fast, permissive rods on the tip, preferably between 2.20 and 2.30m. As an example, just as an example, Phenix BR3-720MS is one of the rods travel which I have used the most lately, both on the river and on the lake. For the future, also as a universal rod, for grayling, trout, clean, barbel and what's more, I set my eyes on her Daiwa Airity. You can see it in action here.

What reels?

I admit that in the beginning I had to use smaller, lighter, 1000 class reels, because of the weight that greatly influenced the balance of the rod. Then as the reels got lighter and lighter I switched to 2000, 2500 even at 3000. How easy? Now, a reel Airity LT 2500D (which I aim for the rod above) weighs 185 grams. The advantage of a larger spool reel in monofilament fishing translates into less memory and longer casts. It also applies to textile thread, but not to the same extent. The fact is that a more generous drum will no longer release the wires like a telephone cable.

What diameters?

Initially I started with smaller diameters 0.10mm 0.14mm for monofilament, then by increasing the class of reels I also increased the diameters of the wires from 0.16mm to 0.18mm. Why? To lose fewer lures or big fish. We are not talking about situations of finesse in which even a hair can appear thick in the eyes of an apathetic predatory fish, be it trout, grayling, tench, pike, shad or perch. For multifilament threads, I use 0.06mm to 0.10mm, depending on the applications and brand. Why brand? Because not all companies (most) respect the diameters written on the roll, they are generally undersized in the declarations. Otherwise, I choose them by eye, by hand, I kind of know what I need. You will know in time.

What threads?

100% Stroft monofilament GTM, ABR and dye. Why? I wrote here, detailed. With multifilament it's a little more complicated. Many years ago I bought the most expensive yarn on the market, we won't name it, but it was absolutely fabulous. Silky, impeccable resistance to a real diameter of 0.06mm, but 3 times more expensive than any prestigious thread. I loaded it onto the reel very carefully not to lose an inch of line and headed for the first mountain lake to test some scary trout that I couldn't reach. The first release... flawless in every way. Second pitch, over a sunken headland of rocks I didn't know about, I let the jig drop to the bottom, feel something on the line, poke and it cuts. Goodbye half a thread. The other half I still kept as a rich man... well, but what a cool thread it was. I have never bought expensive yarn before. Since then and until now I have run many textile threads, in the end I have remained faithful Daiwa J-Braid for strict quality versus price reasons.

Other threads, other threads?

I'm not saying just buy yourself Stroft or Daiwa, surely there are many other threads as good or better, maybe cheaper, maybe more expensive. For me, these have passed the test of time and allocated budget. What I can recommend is to always buy "fresh" lines, because absolutely all fishing lines depreciate over time, be they monofilament or multifilament, even if they do not have an expiration date. I've seen many famous yarns frayed over the years and sitting on shelves or in warehouses breaking like a piece of thread. Try to buy yarn produced as recently as possible, you can ask all these details at the shops where you get your supplies. If you like a line, also for reasons of budget and optimal reel drum loads, if available, buy large reels of 500 – 1000 meters. Also from the past I quote, the best multifilament wire I ever had was a SpiderWire Steath bought from eBay per roll of 1000 meters.

Okay, okay, and who am I voting with? Sorry, what other threads do you recommend? Which are the best?

If you are looking for the best fishing line, be it monofilament or multifilament, go more for group fishing or fishing contests. See what other anglers are using, survey, try, test. Do not rely only on recommendations on the Internet or in stores. Speaking of real tests, I recommend your site LineLaboratory.com where monofilament and multifilament fishing lines are actually tested. How real? You can read on the website and see on the channel Youtube how these tests are done and what the results are given on some of the most famous fishing lines.

And you don't say anything about fluorocarbon?

Being a follower of monofilament fishing, I was not really hooked on fluorocarbon. Except in a few situations such as the need to use fluorocarbon lines/leader when pike fishing in clear waters. For reasons of teeth and invisibility. Still clear waters dictate the use of fluorocarbon leader in cases where I am forced to fish with multifilament lines. Yes, but only when I don't catch on the direct line. For trout and grayling I rarely put fluorocarbon forward, in general I managed without, because I prefer to use monofilament to the detriment of the visible and sensitive multifilament. Speaking of visibility, I started using more and more Stroft Color in clear waters and what to see? Surprise! He didn't mind either trout, nor on Lipan. And with wobblers and with spoons and with gum.

A little, actually more, history of monofilament and multifilament fishing lines

If you've made it this far, congratulations, you're really reading and want to absorb more information. At the time when there were fishing magazines, in the last Mohican of the Haileutic media in Romania, the Pescuitul Pentru Toți magazine, Malin Musatescu wrote an article on the history of monofilament and multifilament fishing lines that you should not miss, so I leave it now as a bonus in the following. Enjoy.

History of monofilament and multifilament fishing lines

The line, along with the hook, was probably the first item of fishing equipment. Since the time when people made cave art, fishing has meant not only skill, but also equipment. From vegetable fibers, from animal sinews, these threads by means of which man put the bait to the nose of the fish and then took it out of the water in an unfriendly way were the most important link.

Invention of nylon, DuPont 1936

In general, lure fishing has not changed from what the Native Americans or Eskimos did 700-800 years ago. An object crafted by a fisherman and pulled through the water to look like prey takes the minds of predatory fish today, as it did before Columbus. Coming somehow to our days, we can say that if the rod is not sensitive or the hook is not very sharp, you still have a 1 in 5 chance of catching something. If the reel doesn't go well, you improvise and keep fishing. But if the line lets you down, it's impossible to get your hands on the much-dreamed-of fish, more or less a trophy. The exclusive prerogative of the line may be - for those uninitiated in the secrets of fishing - its tensile strength, its ability to withstand a fight with a large fish. Knot resistance, uniformity in diameter, flow through the rings, water absorption, elasticity, abrasion resistance are equally important parameters. As we all know, the great revolution in modern fishing came with the invention of nylon 6.6 by the American company DuPont in 1936.

It's an interesting story related to the war, because the Great Conflagration also brought Nazi Germany to the fore, whose researchers were discovering perlon, another type of synthetic monofilament, around the same time. All of this has to do with military applications, specifically parachutes. Immediately after the war, DuPont expanded the scope of applications in the civilian field, and this is how we inevitably ended up in fishing. The nylon 6.6 monofilament thread had a rather low strength relative to its diameter and in addition had the disadvantage of being very stiff. However, monofilament was an immediate success and practically paved the way for spinning gear. But before spinning there was baitcasting, which used silk multifilament threads with great success and which had the chance to switch from organic to synthetic multifilament with the advent of nylon 6.6. More precisely, it is about Dacron, a multifilament made of braided nylon threads. The disadvantages of this multifilament were that it had a fairly high percentage of water absorption and that it was quite flat in section, but the baitcasting gear felt pretty good even so. However, problems arose when this type of multifilament yarn was used with spinning reels. The thread was sticking to the blank and the rings when launching (being impregnated with water) and was not correctly placed on the spool.

Stren and Berkley pioneers of the 90s

From this point monofilament seemed to be synonymous with modernism, especially since the development of chemistry allowed the approach of new types of polymers, so that nylon 6.6 became obsolete. However, the appearance of copolymers signaled the beginning of a new era for monofilament yarns. Each polymer could be obtained by following certain characteristics. Some polymers were abrasion resistant but stiff, others silky (no coil memory) but little tensile. And so on. Only a well-controlled mixture, so as to use that exact percentage of one polymer and another, depending on the desired characteristics, led to the idea of copolymers, which allowed obtaining monofilament yarns with superior properties. Moreover, the 90's were the signal for the entry on the fishing scene of specialized monofilament lines, precisely to eliminate the compromise as much as possible. A silky thread, perfect in release, has a high elasticity, therefore a low sensitivity. Similarly, a line with low elasticity is a stiff line, which can cause great problems for spinning reels in casting. This is how the need arose to produce threads with strict applications, some elastic but silky, others stiffer but more sensitive, depending on the fishing technique in which they were used. Stren and Berkley were pioneers in the field, and they succeeded in doing so superlatively. The 90s were also the period in which multifilament yarns returned to the firmament, a spectacular return due to the use of polyethylene gel in the production of nano-fibers, which eventually led to Dyneema and Spectra, micro-fibers with sensational properties in matter of resistance and lack of elasticity.

Age of Superpowers

Interestingly, Berkley took the multifilament concept even further, from the famous Gorilla Braid (braided multifilament) to Fireline – a multifilament fused and coated with a coating that reduces friction on the rings. The success was enormous, and the combination of these two types of multifilament lines with bass competitions made the last decade of the 20th century a period in fishing dependent on what the Americans called SUPERFIRE. But these "superwires" had two impediments: increased visibility and low abrasion resistance. Thus, eyes turned again to monofilament, this time something special: fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon originally had applications in flyfishing, as string. This happened because trout fishing calls for low line visibility, and fluorocarbon has the same refractive index as water, making it virtually invisible. In addition, it is resistant to abrasion and has almost zero elasticity, but the high stiffness made early productions undesirable for spinning anglers. But things changed when Stren released a fluorocarbon monofilament with excellent flexibility, without losing the other qualities. Immediately the development of applications in clear waters and in structures with a high degree of abrasion generated new fishing techniques and new lures. Those were the years when the top braided mutlifilaments were Gorilla Braid and Power Pro, and in the area of fused wires Berkley Fireline and Mitchell Spiderwire Fusion (Spectra) were by far the most sought after.

andthe 21st century

At the beginning of the 21st century, the military intersected again with fishing lines, this time with multifilament ones, Dyneema being desired by the American military for various applications in equipment intended for theaters of war. This led to a raw material crisis, and implicitly to an increase in the price of multifilament yarns, but the dice had been cast again, and multifilament had already become a drug, and from drug to withdrawal is but a step, regardless of price. I had the chance to experience the first superwires in the United States, in the early 90s, but I gradually moved from Fireline and Spiderwire to SunLine, this was because the braid had begun to approach more and more the fused wires in fluidity through the rings, less abrasive for inserts and less noisy. An important leap forward for SunLine over other braided lines was the low water absorption, but the shock resistance proved to be a stress factor over time, at least for... the fisherman. That made me look for something else, I went through Sufix, Daiwa, Stroft, Momoi. Obviously each of you will be looking for something in particular, and I must say that I have met enough who say that Momoi is not right, others who say that Varivas is exceptional, others that it is not worth the money... And so on. One important thing is to test the threads and note their positives and negatives, because I assure you they have both, equally. – Mălin Mușatescu, Pescuitul Pentru Toți magazine

The future is in multimedia, that's for sure. Unfortunately, the loss of print media is like the loss of memory. No one archives clips from Youtube, TikTok, the posts on Facebook and Instagram in libraries. In the absence of print media, I archived on AndyArif.ro a fishing journal with over 100 stories and videos. I invite you to my dream shop and on the google group.