How much difference does line make? The answer is in fact, plenty. We would go as far as to say, next to your rod and reel it is, THE thing you want to invest in.
Think about it. It is the line that maintains your one and only connection with a hooked fish. The adage ‘buy cheap, pay twice’ has never been more appropriate. If you want to talk economics look at this way, the extra you invest in a good quality line will more than pay for itself, as it will reduce ‘crack-offs’, breakages, and lost gear later down the road.
What makes a good carp fishing line? Why not just use cheap fishing line? Let’s answer both of these questions now. The best carp line needs a good mix of the following features:-
- Stretch resistant line: For those of you who use fishing braid, you will already know the difference. The more a line stretches, the less control you have. Whether that is bait presentation, bite detection or simply playing the fish. The more direct you can make the contact, the better the chance of all round success.
- Abrasion proof line: When a line is subject to rubbing against features in the water, rod rings, or rigs, it is weakened, sometimes significantly. The longer it stays in good condition, the less you have to worry about it’s strength being compromised.
- Low profile line: You ideally want strength and line diameter to be optimised. Too thick and you aren’t going to fit much on your spool. Too thin and you won’t have the ‘muscle’ to fight the fish. Furthermore if the line is too thick, it will affect your bait presentation.
- Good Flexibility: This goes hand in hand with line profile. You probably want a line that comes and goes back on the spool with ease. It avoids tangles and aides casting
- Camouflage: Big carp use sight just as much as smell. If you have a literal line pointing to your hookbait saying “you’ll get hooked here” it’s going to reduce your catch rate. Profile plays a part, but so too does colour.
Our top choice for best brand of carp fishing line: Guru Pulse Line Fishing Mono 300m Spool
- Breaking strains: 3lb. 4lb. 5lb. 6lb. 7lb. 8Lb & 10lb
- Monofilament
- Low stretch and abrasion proof
- good all round strength
From our considerations above it satisfies most, if not all of the criteria. It comes in several breaking strains, from 3lb all the way up to 10lb. It is highly flexible so it winds on to your spool easily.
You’ll discover a clever feature when you are winding on. The spools feature a ‘halfway’ mark at 150m so dependant on your reel size, if you are loading up two reels or spools, you can be sure of precision consistency.
The line comes in a colour some anglers describe as ‘pink’, but the official term is ‘biscuit brown’. A fairly neutral colour, when submerged it becomes almost invisible against most backdrops.
Overall whether you want to use this fishing line for float fishing, or you decide that you need the best line for feeder fishing, Guru have pulled a blinder.
Mike has over 30 years of fishing experience in carp fishing and general coarse fishing. He is always looking for the latest fishing kit to try out and talk about and needs a bigger shed due to all the fishing tackle he owns. You can read more about him here.