Fishing lines, decoded.
Line is the only tackle connected to the fish the entire time - and the wall of spools reduces to 8 genuinely different types once you know what each is FOR. Full profiles below, and a straight which-line-where matrix to settle the eternal question. Knots to join them live in the knot guides.
Which line, where The short answer for every situation.
| Situation | Reach for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First spool / all-round spinning | Braid + fluoro leaderor plain mono | Thin braid casts and lasts; the leader adds stealth. Mono alone is fine while learning. |
| Crankbaits & trebled lures | Monofilamentor copolymer | Stretch cushions trebles so hooks stay pinned. |
| Topwater | Mono / braidnever fluoro | Both float; fluoro sinks and drowns the lure's nose. |
| Clear water, pressured fish | Fluorocarbonfull spool or leader | Closest thing to invisible; sinks into the strike zone. |
| Heavy grass & frogs | Straight braid40-65 lb | Cuts weeds, no stretch for hooksets in slop. |
| Trolling | Monoor lead core for depth | Stretch absorbs strikes at speed; colors count depth. |
| Pike, musky & toothy salt | Wire leaderover any main line | Teeth shear everything else - wire is the rule. |
| Float / ledger coarse fishing | Copolymer / monosupple, forgiving | Easy handling, gentle on light hooklinks. |
| Fly fishing | Fly line + leader + tippetmatched to rod weight | The line is the casting weight - see it decoded. |
| Deep vertical jigging | Braid + fluoro leaderthin diameters | Zero stretch = you feel bottom and bites 30 m down. |
Main lines What fills the spool - mono, fluoro, braid and the blends.
Leaders & bite protection The last meter the fish actually inspects - and the wire that survives teeth.
Specialty systems Lead core's counted colors and the fly line that IS the lure.
Line for trout fishing Five lines from one maker, so the three types compare like for like.
The tests listed are the breaking strengths each line is sold in, so you can see how light each type goes. How to join a braid or fused line to a leader is in the leaders and tippet guide.
| Model | Type | From the maker | Who it suits | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkley Trilene XL | Monofilament | Sold from 2 lb to 30 lb; Berkley says the current formula has 20% more knot strength and over 50% more wet strength, and is 50% more manageable than average nylon monofilaments | The lightest tests in the table: 2, 4 and 6 lb | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
| Berkley Trilene Sensation | Monofilament | 2 lb to 17 lb; a multi-polymer nylon that Berkley says has high strength per diameter, so it is made in smaller diameters, with less stretch and more of its strength kept when wet | Less stretch, which Berkley says gives sensitivity and control | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
| Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon | Fluorocarbon | 100% fluorocarbon mainline, 2 lb to 60 lb | A fluorocarbon line from 2 lb up | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
| Berkley x9 Braid | Braid | Nine-strand braid of 100% PE fibre, 6 lb to 100 lb; Berkley says the ninth strand makes it smooth and long-casting | Braid main line from 6 lb up | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
| Berkley FireLine Original | Fused superline | Thermally fused, neither a conventional braid nor a monofilament; Berkley introduced it in 1996 as the first superline; listed in 4 lb, 300 yd | Berkley's original fused line, in 4 lb | See on AmazonMaker's specs |
How we put this together. Five lines from Berkley, whose product pages list every breaking strength each line is sold in. Every figure comes from the maker's own product page, linked in each row, checked on 26 October 2026; we have not tested these products. There are no prices here, because they change daily: the Amazon link searches for the exact model, and we may earn a commission if you buy through it.
Every line type has knots it loves and knots that betray it - the knot guides and knot-strength notes pair each line with connections that hold, and the rig catalog puts it all to work.
Line locker
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