Fishing line is one of the most important elements in fishing. What can we say when you go after a large and strong fish that can easily fight back. Therefore, when going fishing, you need to understand that the fishing line for carp, if you want to catch this beauty, must be dense and strong.
Fishermen with “great experience” probably remember that back in the late 80s they went fishing for carp with a line that literally was almost a cable, because the minimum diameter of 0.5 mm is a huge indicator. This is a fishing line that all fish can see perfectly. Today, thanks to modern technologies, manufacturers have managed to reduce the cross-section by several times, and the quality of the element has become no worse, but much better.
Which fishing line to choose
Before you buy a fishing line for carp fishing, you need to decide on the type of element.
The most popular today are:
- Braided cord.
- Fluorocarbon.
- Nylon monofilament.
Among anglers who fish with a feeder, as well as with a spinning rod, braided line is very popular, but you can immediately forget about it. The fact is that the elongation of such an element, if not zero, is close to this mark. During active movements, the carp will either tear its lip, breaking free, or break the cord itself and swim away anyway. Of course, such a fishing line has the advantage of accurately transmitting the bite, but carp fishermen who have caught trophies know that the bite of such a large fish cannot be missed no matter how much you want, so sensitivity is not needed in this matter, you should focus on strength.
Nylon has proven itself well. A fishing line made from this material has excellent stretch and can also boast of its strength, despite its small diameter. The only negative point worth paying attention to is the weak resistance to abrasion. This can be especially noticeable in areas where there is a hard bottom.
As for fluorocarbon fishing line, it lacks the above-described nuance. The presented material perfectly tolerates mechanical stress in terms of friction. It must be said that the fishing line practically “does not age.” True, at the same time, it would be fair to note that a cord made of fluorocarbon has slightly less elongation, despite the fact that the diameter of the two products is the same. In addition, some anglers refuse to purchase the type of thread presented because it is in the above-average price range.
Nowadays, you can find combined fishing lines for carp on sale. They are made of nylon but coated with fluorocarbon. In this way, it is possible to obtain a product that is devoid of disadvantages, and its advantages are doubled.
What does line thickness affect?
It’s no secret that thickness is an important nuance that can ruin your entire fishing trip. The fish perfectly sees all kinds of foreign objects in the water. The same applies to fishing line, which is why manufacturers try every year to release new products on the market that will be less noticeable, but at the same time no worse in quality. Fishermen who hunt carp choose products with a cross-section in the range of 0.23-0.4 mm. Moreover, you have to choose a stronger fishing line when you plan to make long casts.
Most anglers settle on a diameter of 0.28 mm, which provides a breaking load of 6 kg. Considering that there are no giant carp in ordinary rivers, this will be quite enough for the average fisherman. Although, if necessary, you can find elements of increased strength on sale, however, they have their drawbacks. These include increasing the weight of the sinkers, because the windage of the fishing line will increase. This is especially noticeable in a body of water with a current, as well as in places where there is strong wind. At the same time, it should be noted that if fishing takes place in places where there are a lot of snags or algae, then you simply cannot do without such a fishing line.
Important! It is best to have interchangeable spools with you when fishing, with wound fishing lines of different diameters, so that, if necessary, you can change one element for another at any time.
Trabucco K-Karp Hi-Flow
Large unwinding carp line. The reel contains 600 meters of black fishing line. The model has all the qualities and properties that will make fishing as effective as possible. Judging by numerous consumer reviews, tackle with a diameter of 0.286 mm is very resistant to abrasive damage and quite flexible. Many people appreciated its optimal stretchability, so a fisherman can take it to hard-to-reach places in the reservoir and to snags. The breaking load is 7.15 kg. High characteristics brought the tackle to second place in the budget rating.
What you need to know about color
Many fishermen who are just starting to fish do not know which carp line should be chosen, in the sense that they cannot decide which color to give preference to. It must be said that no one will give exact advice in this matter. The reason is that all bodies of water are different, and the element being described should be carefully selected for each. There are fishermen who convince that the fish only sees the lead end of the cord, so you don’t have to worry too much about the color scheme.
Another thing is extensibility, which was partially discussed earlier. You need to pay special attention to this factor, because cords that stretch poorly do not wash, but at the same time it is more difficult to “work” with them.
In order to make the right decision, one must proceed from the specific situation. So, if the angler knows for sure that he will have to fish on the bottom, where there is a lot of soft silt or sand, then you need to pay attention to a well-extensible element (a coefficient of 20%). Otherwise, you need to use a fishing line with a small coefficient - about 5%.
It must be said that attention should also be paid to the structure of the rod. Fishing for carp is quite difficult with stretchable fishing line and a soft blank. It would also be a good idea to “harmonize” with a stretchable fishing line and a rigid fishing rod.
How to make a choice
First you need to decide which company to choose. This will lead to envy and price. It is better to choose products from well-known manufacturers, but you should only buy them in trusted stores. Otherwise, you can easily buy a fake for a lot of money.
Experienced carp fishermen know that soft tensile fishing lines are stronger in knot joints and allow them to absorb jerks when fishing for large carp or carp. But at the same time, soft fishing lines are not stable for fishing on rocky or shell bottoms and often break when caught. Moreover, carp like to hide in snags after they feel that they have been caught.
What you should know about unwinding and winding
Beginners need to know all the nuances, even those related to which unwinding to buy an element. Carp fishers know that the length of the thread must be at least 1000 meters. This means that you can safely take four spools, each of which will be 250 meters. This will be quite enough. Of course, if you wish, you can buy more, but this is unnecessary.
If you want to fill the full volume of the reel spool, then you should use either inexpensive carp fishing lines or old fishing lines. This will make it possible to save at least a little on equipment.
A few words should be said about shock leaders. Experienced carp anglers assure that you can’t spare money on this. The strength of the shock leader is much higher than the strength of the main line. When purchasing, you need to pay attention to the conical leaders, which form a thin knot and allow you to cast longer, compared, of course, with a regular thick fishing line.
Fishing wisdom - how to save money?
You may have already noticed that the forest capacity of carp reels is quite large. Moreover, the steeper the model, the higher this characteristic will be - 300, 450 and even more than 500 meters. Of course, out of deep respect for the carp, the spool can be filled completely - exclusively with branded fishing line. However, the fish will not be offended by us if we save our budget a little using a cunning trick called “backing”.
[THERE IS AN ANSWER] How to catch carp on a feeder
What it is? - you ask. In simple words, backing is a kind of “backing” / “lining” located at the base of the spool, directly under the main line. Some fishermen “construct” it from thick, harsh threads, others from electrical tape, but most use old fishing line left over from last year’s season, or buy cheap ones.
By the way, many companies have already taken this nuance into account, therefore, they include special stands in their product packages. The best option is for beginners on their first trip in life. (see photo below for how they look)
“Store” backing for SHIMANO reels
Thus, to the question: “Which fishing line should I choose for carp fishing?” It is impossible to answer unambiguously, just like the questions “How to choose a spinning reel?”, “Which hook is the best?” and other related to choice. The answer to such questions depends on the fishing conditions and the financial capabilities of the fisherman. It is much more correct to determine whether the characteristics of the fishing line correspond to the characteristics of a particular type of fishing.
How to decide what to buy
Some anglers pay attention to the diameter. Of course, this is a very important point. However, first of all you need to decide on the manufacturer. You need to understand that not everyone can afford to spend a lot of money on fishing line, and the cost directly depends on the brand.
Important! It is better to purchase an item once from a quality manufacturer than to regularly spend money on cheap goods.
Knot joints have stronger knots, which helps dampen fish jerks, so it is best to buy stretchable and soft elements in this case. If the angler knows or has had experience of fishing in places where there are a lot of stones and shell rocks at the bottom, and the fishing line constantly breaks, then it is recommended to abandon softness in favor of a strong thread. It has its drawbacks, but in this case this option will be the best.
Again, it must be said that the thickness doesn’t end there. All gear must be balanced. We are talking about a rod, fishing line, feeder and weights. Therefore, hard tackle should and will “work” well with soft lines, and soft tackle, on the contrary, with hard lines.
If fishing is done at a short distance, then the diameter of the fishing line may not exceed 0.3 mm. When you plan to make long throws, then it is better to pay attention to the braided line.
What thickness should I choose?
If in a river (lake, pond, reservoir, backwater) there are small carp weighing up to one and a half to two kilograms, then for a rigid fishing rod you can choose a fishing line that is not particularly thick - 0.25-0.30 mm. You can take hook No. 8-10. It is important to note that a thin and narrow fishing line also increases the casting distance.
[THERE IS AN ANSWER] What hooks are needed to catch carp
For fish that already pull 3-5 kilograms, a rigid fishing rod must be equipped with a fishing line with a diameter of at least 0.35 mm - its breaking load is about 6 kg, but experienced fishermen assure that such a carp fishing line has withstood fish weighing 8 kilos. .
When purchasing a braided cord, do not rely on the diameter indicated on the package. Manufacturers of braided cords do not have strict control over this parameter. Therefore, discrepancies between the declared diameter and breaking load are often observed. It is better to pay attention to the breaking load when buying braid. This indicator will be more accurate.
Storage and operation
Not everyone pays attention to this point, but in vain, since for the durability of the part you need to know how and where the fishing line for carp fishing should be stored correctly.
After fishing, you need to make sure that the thread dries thoroughly. You cannot immediately put the reels in their cases after pulling out the fishing line, as some do.
It is also important to ensure that the element is not exposed to sunlight. If there is such a possibility, then the spools must be covered even during the fishing process. If it is noticed that there is damage somewhere, these places should be removed immediately.
