The best fishing reel lines for all disciplines

The best fishing reel lines all have the same thing in common, they are tough, durable and have a high knot strength. Your mainline is the most common thing that can break when attached to a fish, so choosing the right one can be the difference between success and failure. Constant retrieving of heavy end tackle and playing big fish puts exceptional strain on any line, so choosing the right one for the job is paramount.

If you are looking to fish with a float, then a low diameter, supple mainline would be the right choice. The low diameter will help reduce the friction through the rod eyes when casting, allowing you to use a lighter float, helping improve your presentation. If you are fishing with a feeder, a sinking, durable mainline would be more appropriate. The heavier tackle and abrasion caused by the line being on the bottom calls for something more robust, with the weight of the feeder compensating on the cast for the higher diameter line.

The best fishing reel lines at a glance

• Best Commercial Fishing Line: Guru Drag Line - View offer on Total Fishing Tackle

• Best Distance Casting Line: Fox Exocet Pro - View Offer on Total Fishing Tackle

• Best All-Round Float fishing Line: Drennan Supplex - View offer on Fishing Tackle and Bait

• Best Fishing Line For Durability: Gardner Insight GR60x - View offer on Total Fishing Tackle

Fishing snaggier, weedier lakes for big carp will require a higher diameter/breaking strain mainline, something of around 0.35mm-0.40mm (18lb+). Whilst this will reduce the distance you can fish due to thickness of the line, it would be unsafe to fish anything lighter and risk losing hooked fish because of breakages. Should you be an angler that likes to fish at long range, a lower diameter, low stretch line would be a greater advantage, as it will allow you to load the rod and feel the lead down to the bottom with more feedback on the rod tip. Lets take a look at some of the best lines on the market for all disciplines...

What to look for in a fishing reel line

Reel lines come in all sorts of colours, diameters and breaking strains, some are great for all round usage, whilst others are far more specialised. If you just want a line for float fishing, aim for a supple line that has a low diameter, as this will really aid your casting. If you like to do some feeder fishing and some float fishing, then a good all-round line would be great as it will allow you to fish both well, without compromising too much on the performance. Carp fishing has a lot of variation, with some lakes demanding long casts, while others are more intimate and full of snags. Generally, you'll be fishing one or the other, if a lake is very weedy, it will not benefit you chucking a lead 150-yards, as getting the fish in will be nearly impossible, so opting for a very durable thick line would be far more responsible.

Glossary

Diameter: The distance across a circle, which equates to how thick a line is. The higher the diameter the thicker the line will be.

Breaking strain: The amount of pressure that must be applied to an unknotted line before the line breaks. Therefore it doesn't mean you can only catch fish up to 10lb on 10lb line.

Abrasion resistance: The ability of a surface to resist being worn away by rubbing or friction, the better the resistance, the more it will resist being worn away.

High stretch: The amount a line will stretch varies amongst monofilaments, a higher stretch line will just simply stretch further at a given length then a low stretch.

Supple: How easily something bends and moves, the more supple the more freely an object will move.

Spool: A cylindrical device upon which the line is wound.

High knot strength: The ability to maintain strength as close to the original breaking strain after knotting the line.

Monofilament line: Monofilament fishing line (shortened to just mono) is fishing line made from a single fiber of plastic material.

Braided line: Braids are made by braiding or weaving fibers of a man-made material into a strand of line. The strand number will indicate how many fibres are woven together.

Shockleader:  A length of heavier breaking strain line that is attached to your main fishing line so that it does not break during the cast.

Frequently asked questions on fishing reel lines

What diameter line is best for float fishing?

There is no one size fits all with float fishing and line diameters, as they are all good if used correctly. If you're fishing for chub on a river, something of around 0.15-0.17 (4-5lb) would be perfect, whereas if you're fishing a Pellet Waggler for carp, you would definitely want to increase that to around 0.20 (6-8lb) and above due to the power of carp. It is about finding a nice balance between strength and finesse, if the line is too heavy it will impact casting and presentation, if it is too light you'll have breakages.

Is it better to use braid or mono for feeder fishing?

If you're fishing for smaller silverfish and bream at any sort of range past 20m a braid will definitely benefit you, as it will show bites and indications up far more clearly than a mono will. If you are fishing for carp on a commercial, or silverfish for that matter, a mono mainline would be the better choice. Mono has more stretch in it to be able to cushion the harder fighting fish like carp and bigger bream in commercials, without that you would suffer a lot of hook pulls.

Will diameter impact the distance I can cast?

The higher the diameter, the thicker the line, the more friction it will produce through the rod rings when it is cast. If you are looking for extreme distances, using a lighter line with a shock leader will help. We would advise though, if the fish are simply too far, do not use a line that will not be up to landing the fish.

Does line colour matter?

This is a debate that will never end in fishing, simply because we just can't ask the fish what they can and cannot see. While clearer lines would be the obvious choice for us, they may be more detectable underwater. Quite simply, the manufacturers make line in colours they sell, that must mean they are popular and people have confidence in them. Try not to worry too much about the colour, especially if the line will be on or near the bottom out of sight anyway.

Author Dan Webb first became involved in angling journalism in 2015 and has worked as Tackle Tester at Angling Times since April 2021. He is a fanatical all-round match angler and former England Youth International.