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Technology changed fishing forever with the introduction by Carl Lowrance in 1957 of the Green Box "depth finder." The sport has been on a fast track to the future ever since, with production of cutting-edge boats, fuel-efficient outboards, hi-tech electronics and space-age rod and reel components.
But perhaps most significant among developments in recent years is a new twist on an old standard: fishing line.
Time was, in the 1940s, that silk and linen were the materials that line makers favored. Then came polyester fibers, which DuPont trademarked in fishing lines as Dacron, followed by another DuPont invention, nylon.
Each promised to give anglers better casting, fewer backlashes and more sensitive connections to fish.
A blockbuster change followed when nylon polymer was extruded into single-strand fishing line, or what is known still today as monofilament.
Then in the late 1980s, multi- fibered threads produced from ultra high molecular weight polyethylene yielded, eventually, Spider Wire, forerunner to many of today's "super lines," which are favored now by many anglers over monofilament.
"I've got 15 rods in my boat, and only one is rigged with 'mono,'" said Lake Minnetonka guide Bob Turgeon, who fished for bass in northwest Wisconsin on Saturday, opening of that state's angling season. "All my other rods have some sort of braided line on them."
Super lines boast many advantages. The biggest might be durability: Even fishermen who are on the water regularly often can go entire summers without spinning new lines on their reels, as they commonly might with mono.
Also, super lines lack the stretch that is common in monofilament, which can help anglers, depending on their type of fishing.
Jig fishermen, for instance, often favor a super line because hook-setting can be done more quickly, with fewer misses.
Additionally, because the new super lines offer far greater strength than mono at comparable diameters, just about everything about line rigging is enhanced. Smaller-diameter super lines, for instance, often offer greater sensitivity than mono without losing strength, and they can be more abrasion resistant than comparable- diameter mono.
Still, mono has its niches, and tens of thousands of Minnesotans -- perhaps hundreds of thousands -- will buy it to spool onto their reels this week in advance of Saturday's opener.
"I run mono on all of my bobber rods," said Mille Lacs guide Tony Roach. "Also, if I'm trolling lead-core line for walleyes, I'll almost always use mono with it. The mono will add some stretch, which lead core doesn't have."
So many fishing lines are on the market today that some anglers are confused by the options.
"When a customer comes in and looks at the wall of lines we have for sale, it can be pretty overwhelming," said Brent Neilon, a product specialist at Cabela's in Rogers.
Not many years ago, braided super lines were used primarily on bait-casting reels by bass and muskie anglers. Now they're routinely spooled onto spinning reels.
"A ton of people are going to super lines on their spinning reels," Neilon said. "There are even some reels now that are specially made for super lines."
Because super lines offer such small diameters relative to their breaking strength, backing (usually mono) is often wound onto a spool first, then the super line, so that the line comes off the spool correctly.
Also, some super lines are so slippery that if they are tied directly onto a spool, the spool in some instances can spin inside the line.
Sufix, a Rapala brand, recently raised the ante with its Sufix 832 super line by adding Gore (as in Gore-Tex) fibers, which are made of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene. The result, Sufix says, is a line that defies wear or decomposition when exposed to saltwater, solvents, lubricants "or just about anything else."
"And its handling characteristics are just as well suited for spinning reels as bait-casters," said Mark Fisher, Rapala Pro Staff director and recent inductee to the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wis.
Looking to buy new line for your reel before heading out Saturday? A few tips:
• Few, if any, lines are suitable for all applications for all anglers under all conditions. "My recommendation is that anglers buy enough line for one rod and see if they like it before buying more," Roach said.
• Species-specific lines are trendy these days. Northland Fishing Tackle of Bemidji has a mono "walleye" fishing line on the market, for instance, that it says offers low memory (the tendency of some lines to retain their concentric shapes even when cast), heightened bite sensitivity and enhanced casting.
• Fluorocarbon line is also popular, because of its low visibility. Long used in leaders, particularly in saltwater, entire fluorocarbon lines also can be purchased. Most commonly, fluorocarbon leaders are matched with braided super lines, pairing great strength with lowvisibility.
• Some super lines are super knot-friendly, others less so. Learn to tie the palomar knot and that's all you'll need to connect line to leader.
• Don't give up on mono. Some great lines exist, and for particular presentations of specific baits and lures, mono can still be the best bet.
Dennis Anderson
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