There are tons of line options in the market made of different materials, but they all boil down to three types, monofilament, fluorocarbon, and braided fishing lines.
These lines have different niches that they fill, and some excel at certain situations more than others. You can use all these lines for spinning reels. Let’s take a look at these three line types and the methods by which you should choose each type of line as the best fishing line for spinning.
Best Line for Spinning Reel: Mono vs Fluoro vs Braided Fishing Line
Different lines excel at certain presentations and even for certain species for others. Other considerations for line choice, like water clarity and fishing pressure, can also dictate what type of mine you may want to use on your spinning reel.
Monofilament Line for Spinning Reels
If you have been a fisherman for any amount of time, you will be familiar with monofilament lines.
Monofilament is the most common type of line in the fishing world and is used by both avid anglers and novice anglers alike and is the best line choice in many situations. Monofilament works well for panfish, catfish, trout, bass, walleye, saltwater species, and pretty much any fish in some form.
Fishing situations where low visibility and pro stretch applications are needed are excellent situations for using monofilament lines for spinning reels.
Our Best Mono Line for Spinning Reels: Berkley Trilene
Berkley’s Trilene XL has been the pinnacle and standard for many anglers, and most of us grew up with this line on our rods as kids, and virtually every avid angler is familiar with it.
Trilene is great when it comes to long-distance casting with a spinning reel and the casts are incredibly smooth. It’s pretty strong in terms of tensile strength when compared to other monofilaments on the market, it’s an incredibly versatile line for spinning reels, and you don’t have to worry about getting kinks or knotting in your line.
- Long casting fishing line for spinning
- Supple and easy to work with
- An all-around great monofilament line
Fluorocarbon Fishing Line for Spinning
Fluorocarbon, or fluoro for short, covers a broad family of compounds which include carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. Like monofilament lines, the fluorocarbon line is created by extruding material into a single strand, but unlike mono the molecules of the Fluorocarbon line are more densely packed together, making the line heavier and stronger than monofilament lines.
Fluorocarbon fishing line has high abrasion resistance and is tougher and more abrasion resistant than monofilament lines of the same strength rating; it’s also stiffer and has very little stretch. And due to its stiffer and less stretchy nature, it has a much higher level of sensitivity and allows the angler to feel lighter bites easier than with monofilament. It works well as a line for spinning reels when invisibility and lack of stretch are required, along with abrasion resistance.
Our Best Fluoro Line for Spinning Reels
Sunline FC is a high-performance fluorocarbon line that works great for any water clarity conditions and for any species, including line shy fish.
It features triple resin coatings which offer greater ease of use, creating a line with extra flexibility and suppleness as well as good abrasion resistance.
The flexibility of the Super FC Sniper makes it closer to monofilament, and overall has lower memory and better casting properties when compared to other fluorocarbon lines on the market, putting it into a league of its own.
The coatings also help by giving the line better abrasion resistance, making it great for working around timber, rocks, or other heavy covers that can take a toll on the fishing line.
- Great flexibility
- Virtually invisible in the water
- High abrasion resistance
Braided Fishing Line for Spinning Reels
Braided lines, which are also known as “ super braid” or “super lines,” are great if sheer tensile strength is the most important thing needed for your fishing line.
Braids are constructed from materials such as dacron spectra or Dyneema fibers and are tightly woven in various methods to create an incredibly strong and abrasion-resistant line.
Using braided lines for spinning reels is quite common. These lines are great for use in musky fishing, pike fishing, and certain bass fishing situations when visibility isn’t a critical factor and high tensile and knot strength are needed. They can be used for other fishing methods or species like walleyes or even in clear water conditions if the braided line has a leader of monofilament or fluorocarbon attached at the end. This keeps a stealthy approach thanks to the leader and also gives the angler incredible sensitivity.
Braided lines are also much smaller in diameter compared to fluorocarbon or monofilament lines, allowing you to go much higher in pound test for the same amount of line on the reel, making them a great choice of fishing line for spinning.
Our Best Braided Line for Spinning Reels
PowerPro spectra have become one of the most popular braided lines on the market today. Powerpro has 5 times the life longevity of monofilament lines and is 10 times stronger than steel in terms of tensile strength.
Due to the strength and materials used in constructing the line, it can last for several seasons, and I have used the same Power Pro line for years on one spinning reel, I actually think it’s been four years total.
- Incredibly long lifespan
- Very high tensile strength
- Small diameter fishing line when compared to other line types
Best Fishing Line for Spinning in Different Situations
Some fishing lines excel at certain presentations. Look at some of the best lines for lure types and tactics.
Casting Lures: Braided Fishing Line
When it comes to standard lure retrieval, whether you’re throwing a spinnerbait for bass or when you’re fishing with a leader and using bucktails for muskies or pike. The braided line should be your line of choice in terms of lines for spinning reels.
You can use crankbaits and topwater with braid as well; your only concern with some species would be line visibility in clear water. If you are fishing for muskies or pike in clear water, the braid will still be your best bet due to using a leader, which today is typically a fluorocarbon or monofilament line that has a high pound test.
If you are fishing for other species like bass or walleye, you can still use braid in clear water, and if you think visibility is an issue, tie on a fluorocarbon leader section.
Vertical Jigging: Braided Fishing Line or Fluorocarbon
The line of choice for spinning reels for vertical jigging depends on what species you are targeting in some cases.
When jigging for species such as bass and walleye, Fluorocarbon should be your best line of choice for spinning reels.
Bottom Fishing: Fluorocarbon and Monofilament Fishing Line
We will define bottom fishing as being similar to jigging, but typically it is done using live bait for species like catfish, with the presentation sitting on the bottom with no manipulation to create action.
If you are fishing for larger species like catfish with spinning reels, monofilament can be a good option, along with fluorocarbon. Sure, braid has a place for species like catfish or when fishing on the bottom with spinning reels, but using braid when fighting a very large fish like catfish can damage your rod’s line guides, and getting snagged with braid can be a miserable affair.
If you are fishing live bait on the bottom for walleye, perch, or other small to moderate-sized fish, you can use any line type, but I would still recommend monofilament or fluorocarbon over braided fishing line for spinning reels.
Trolling: Monofilament or Braided Fishing Line for Spinning Reels
Like other tactics listed here, you can use multiple line types with spinning reels depending on the species you are targeting.
Walleye anglers will troll with all line types, but the walleye anglers I know typically use monofilament or braid when trolling. For many species, monofilament is your best bet, and the stretching aspect of monofilament will benefit you when it comes to hooking fish and dampening the shock on the line.
For Larger species like muskies and pike, I use both monofilament and braid. Your drag obviously needs to be set accordingly for any line type when trolling.
I use monofilament even when trolling for large muskies due to it simply being cheap to rig onto trolling rods, but I also use my casting rods for trolling, and they have braided lines on them, but in most cases, these are used for shortline trolling with no planer boards.
Fishing Heavy Structure: Braided Fishing Line
Braid is the king of abrasion resistance and is your best bet as a fishing line for spinning in most heavy structure fishing situations.
The only issue with braided lines is if you get snagged in an area that is inaccessible or in deeper water. You will have to cut the line and lose your lure in many cases unless you have a lure retriever.
When fishing heavy weed cover, braid is the best fishing line, you can snap the line very hard and quick and actually use the braid like a scythe to free a bait, as well as snap any vegetation off of your hooks.
Fluorocarbon can work well in these instances too, but it’s simply not as abrasion-resistant as braided lines.
Fishing Very Clear Water or Highly Pressured Fish: Fluorocarbon Fishing Line
When fishing in gin-clear water, particularly if the lake is getting heavy fishing pressure, fluorocarbon will always be the best fishing line for spinning.
Fluorocarbon is virtually invisible beneath the surface of the water due to its molecular makeup, and fish simply cannot see it like they can with braid and to a lesser extent monofilament line.
Fluorocarbon can make a big difference in these clear water and heavy pressure situations, as the fish see a lot of baits with braid and monofilament line attached to them and get wise to them being fake, while fluorocarbon is invisible, giving a much more natural presentation
Long Distance Casting: Braid
Braid is awesome for not only casting long distances but also for catching fish after a bomb cast.
This is due to the amount of line that is in the water and the lack of stretch. Monofilament when hooking into a fish at a long distance will severely dampen your hook set due to all the line in the water accompanied by a ton of stretch, this isn’t the case with braided fishing lines, meaning it is the best fishing line for spinning in these circumstances.
More of Our Best Fishing Line Brands for Spinning Reels
Sufix Superior is a great monofilament fishing line that has copolymer nylon blended into the monofilament. This copolymer/mono hybridization gives the line incredible performance, with extreme strength and abrasion resistance that surpasses many of the other mono lines on the market.
The Sufix superiors’ tensile strength rating, when compared to other brands rated at the same strength ranks it as one the highest performing monofilament fishing lines out there. It also has a controlled stretch that gives a fast recovery along with excellent hook-setting power.
- Unique blended design
- Great tensile strength
- Controlled stretch
Berkley ProSpec has been designed to have a thinner diameter while maintaining the same tensile strength or monofilament fishing lines with thicker diameters, which gives anglers an advantage in reducing the visibility of the line to fish, as well as allowing for more line capacity on a reel.
This monofilament fishing line has been tested relentlessly by the Berkley pro-staff on the water to ensure that it will hold up to the normal rigors of angling.
ProSpec monofilament fishing line is also incredibly flexible, supple, and manageable, these characteristics also increase casting distance as well as enhance lure performance overall.
- Thinner diameter at no sacrifice in strength
- Flexible
- Higher line capacity on reel
Seaguar InvizX has great flexibility for a fluorocarbon fishing line, being soft, and supple, and has great castability similar to that of mono. It’s one of the best fishing lines you can buy.
Not to mention that it is incredibly stealthy as the name of the line implies, being virtually invisible underwater, great for wary fish and highly pressured bodies of water, clear water fishing applications, or for a combination of all these factors. It also features great abrasion resistance and strength.
- Flexible and supple fluorocarbon fishing line
- Invisible to fish
- Strong
P-line is a standard for anglers for a wide variety of species across the globe and has cemented its place as one of the top fluorocarbon lines in the fishing world.
P-line is manufactured in Japan using the best Fluorocarbon crystals available.
These crystals give the line some of the best breaking strength, abrasion resistance, and knot strength on the market today.
The refractive index of this line is almost the exact same as water, rendering the line totally invisible when in an underwater environment, making it great for clear water situations to catch finicky fish.
- Literally invisible underwater
- One of the highest-quality fluorocarbon lines out there
- Great knot strength
Sufix 832 has become the favorite braided fishing line of many anglers, and for good reason.
This braided fishing line is created by weaving 8 filaments together in a tight and precise way. Seven of the strands consist of HMPE fibers and 1 strand is made of Gore-Tex Performance fiber.
Using R8 braiding technology the line is braided at 32 weaves per square inch and this method created one of the strongest and most abrasion-resistant lines on the market.
The Gore-tex fiber helps with water resistance and wicks water away from the line keeping your reel and hand drier during extended fishing, while the other fibers make it as tough as nails, and being able to withstand serious abrasion resistance and shock strength.
- Super tough line
- Gore-tex strands
- 32 weaves per square inch
Spiderwire is coated with a fluoropolymer coating. This coating allows for the line to glide smoothly through your rod’s line guides and reduces wear and tear on them.
This braided line is also very thin for its strength and super strong thanks to a tight weave method used in the construction and has fibers made of 100% Dyneema.
- 100% Dyneema
- Fluoropolymer coating, smooth casting
- Thin diameter
Conclusion
With time on the water, you will be able to decide the best fishing line for your spinning reel for the situation. Once you get used to the advantages and disadvantages of each type, you will have the perfect rod, line, and spinning reel setup for all situations.
