This is one of the most common questions in fishing, especially for those who don't go fishing that much. The general answer to this question is that it depends on what type of fishing you're doing, which includes the type and size of fish you're fishing, where you're fishing, and any personal preferences.

There's a problem though. That answer doesn't really provide any useful information. Therefore, our goal with this article is to highlight some of the best and most popular fishing line, outline the pros and cons of different types of fishing line, and hopefully this will allow you to gain a better sense of what you should have on your spool and ready to go in the tackle box. Check out our reviews of some of the best fishing line below, and detailed information about each type of fishing line can be found below that.

Best Fishing Line for the Money

* Mono fishing line has some stretch to it, which can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on your preferences. If we had to pick one, we would lean towards the stretch being a disadvantage, as it adds a little bit of time when attempting a proper hookset. If you want a crisp and immediate hookset, then you don't really want the line to take time in the stretching phase, as milliseconds can make the difference between reeling in the big one and losing it. Also, if you're one to relax a lot while fishing and find your reaction time isn't as fast as other anglers, then you may want to consider a line without any stretch.

So when does the stretch of a mono fishing line help? It may help to think of times when you've lost fish and why that happened. One instance that is fresh in my own memory is when I felt lots of "nibbles", but no solid bites, and I failed to set the hook properly a few times. Having a line that can stretch could be beneficial in this situation, as you could potentially allow the fish more time to latch on to the bait, and then once you're a little more confident that it will be a solid hookset, try it then. Of course, this is easier said than done, as it all happens within the span of a couple seconds.

One other reason that stretch in your fishing could help is when fighting the fish. If you have an old reel that sticks a lot, especially with the drag, it might be helpful to have some compliance, or "forgiveness", in the line, so you don't snap it, lose the fish, and have to knot another lure.

Overall, we really like monofilament fishing line because it's cheap, widely available, you can get lots of different kinds, and it offers all-around decent performance. I've used it lots when fishing bass and I've always found mono line to be good. However, if you're fishing for bigger fish and want to ensure the highest tensile strength in your line, we would hesitate to use monofilament line. Regardless, it's a tackle-box staple, and we always recommend having some on hand.

Braided Fishing Line

You may also see this type of fishing line referred to as "superline". The braided technique has been around for centuries, maybe even millenniums, but it wasn't until recently in the modern era that manufacturers began to implement high-tech materials and process into this fishing line. The result? An extremely strong and sensitive line.

The way these lines are created varies by manufacturer. Furthermore, certain companies, for example Berkley, have a few different types of braided lines that are all created differently. Some methods involve thermal bonding, others use a particular weaving process, and some even go as far as to establish molecular linkages to provide strength at the fundamental level of the line. At the end of the day, the main thing to know is braided line is strong, sensitive, reliable, but it's expensive. Here are some individual pros and cons of braided fishing line.

As mentioned above, braided line is extremely strong and sensitive. The tensile strength for a given diameter is the strongest of any line, allowing it to be thinner than other lines. You can look at this two different ways. If you are comparing mono line and braided line, and if they are both the exact same diameter, the braided line will be way stronger. Or, if you're comparing mono line with braided line and they both have the same tensile strength, then the braided line will be thinner.

Are there any other reasons why a thin line could be better? There's a couple reasons. One is that the line will be able to dive deeper and faster, so if you are limited with lures, having different types of line could offer some nice flexibility. Really thin lines can also be helpful when fighting a fish that's residing in an area with vegetation. If the fish pulls your line through some weeds, there's a better chance that the line will slice through the vegetation rather than snapping. Finally, one of the more exciting benefits is that you can usually cast a thinner line further. Check out the video below by Chris Myers from Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters for his thoughts on braided fishing line as well as some tips on how to use it!

Aside from being more expensive, which is definitely the biggest drawback of braided fishing line, another key drawback is that braided line doesn't hold knots as well. Most manufacturers will provide knot recommendations, but it's one more issue that you may not want to deal with. Furthermore, many anglers like to use a mono backing on the spool, and sometimes even as a leader depending on the type of fishing, which adds even more connections. If you aren't overly experiences with these finer aspects of fishing, then you may find braided line a little troublesome.

Overall, braided line is fantastic if you need a higher pound-test, a crisp hookset, and higher sensitivity for detecting those light nibbles. However, many of these benefits are accompanied with some drawbacks that you may want to adjust for, and this requires a little more fishing knowledge, or at least a good idea of your personal preferences when casting and fighting fish.

At the end of the day, we would recommend braided fishing line for more experienced anglers, those that are fishing larger fish (e.g. more than 15-20 pounds, or lots of salt water fish), or those who simply want to see the difference for themselves and are willing to pay a bit more for that.

Fluorocarbon Fishing Line

This is a slightly lesser-known type of fishing line that originally marketed for having super low visibility in water, which it certainly does. Lots of anglers started using this line for very bait-shy fish and the result was pretty clear: more fish! However, like all other types of fishing line, it isn't perfect for every angler, as there are some drawbacks that accompany the strengths. Check out our pros and cons of fluorocarbon line below, as well as some more detailed explanations below that.

The fact that fluorocarbon line has nearly the same refractive index as water means it won't bend or scatter the light as it passes through. This makes it tremendously difficult for the fish to detect, so it's great for those skeptical bait-shy fish.

If you compare fluorcarbon line to mono line with the same diameter, flouro line is stronger, less visible, and way more stiff. Therefore, it's extremely sensitive and has high tensile strength, so there will be less stretch, less energy being absorbed by the line, all resulting in a crisp hookset.

* The reason we had abrasion resistance flagged is because fluorocarbon line is typically marketed as being able to withstand more punishment from underwater vegetation and other objects. While we aren't discounting this, we have also heard otherwise from anglers actually using it, so we aren't confident stating this for sure one way or the other. Personally, we haven't been in enough situations to have a great idea of exactly how it compares in that regard, but at the very least, we haven't noticed any problems with abrasion.

One of the main drawbacks of fluorocarbon line is the cost. However, if you need it, it's worth paying for. From a performance perspective though, the main drawback is it's really finicky to handle. It has the most memory out of all fishing line, meaning it can hold some of its shape coming off the spool, leading to more tangles and knot issues. This problem is currently being addressed by most manufacturers, so there are usually "premium" options available that are more manageable.

One tip if you want to save on cost but still receive some of the benefits of fluorocarbon line is to use it as a leader, so you don't need to worry about it how it interacts with the spool. You could take a few feet of it or a little more and use it as a leader with braided line. This could also allow you to use a slightly lower pound-test braided line than you usually do, allowing more to fit on the spool. Even further, combine this with a lightweight sensitive rod, and you have a setup that will allow you to feel the smallest of bites.

This could be a nice option when fishing for walleye or bass, but that situation gives you a bit of flexibility in general, so don't think you need to stick with only one type of line. If you do use fluorocarbon as a leader, we recommend connecting with a hangman's knot.

Overall, we recommend fluorocarbon line for experienced anglers who would like to receive some of the benefits, including lower visibility, extremely high sensitivity, and a deeper sinking line.