Choosing the proper fishing line for a specific technique or species can be daunting. With several different line types, understanding whether you should use monofilament, fluorocarbon, or braided line can often leave anglers scratching their heads. This article breaks down specific differences between nylon, fluorocarbon, and braid. For now, we are going to dive into the specifics on buoyancy in water.

One determining factor in choosing the right line relates to what is known as "Specific Gravity or Relative Density." Specific Gravity or Relative Density refers to the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given measure of the density of a substance in comparison to the density of water. In layman's terms, it simply means the density of a substance, in this case fishing line, compared to the density of water.

Keeping this scientific definition in mind, we can make a few assumptions about which lines you should choose for a given technique. With the specific gravity of water checking in at 1 gram per cubic centimeter, determining the specific gravity of nylon (often called monofilament in the U.S.), fluorocarbon, and braided lines will allow us to make an educated choice about the proper fishing line to use.

Specific Gravity of Fishing Lines

These measurements of specific gravity reveal a few important characteristics of each type of line as they relate to the specific gravity of water. Anything with a specific gravity less than one will float, so the braided line will be the most buoyant, nylon the second most, and fluorocarbon being the densest and the least buoyant of the three-line types.

Those techniques that require your bait to sink or that you want to keep down in the water column are best served using fluorocarbon. Techniques such as jigs, deep cranking, or jerkbaits can be aided by using fluorocarbon lines.

Specific Gravity

Techniques like shallow cranking might be better fitted for nylon if you are trying to keep the bait higher in the water column or get it to float up after deflecting off a piece of cover.

While a line's floating or sinking properties are essential to specific gravity, it can also affect castability. For instance, the sinking nature of fluorocarbon reduces line bow on long casts. It can also aid in better hooksets and increase sensitivity. The below video shows each of the three-line types being cast and compares how it varies between the three types.

So, what does all this scientific jargon mean for you as an angler? Techniques that require your bait to remain on or near the surface will be best served by using braided line or nylon/monofilament as the specific gravity is the closest to water. The graphic below compares nylon and fluorocarbon tied to a topwater.

As you can see, the floating properties of nylon can be advantageous when used with water.

Specific Gravity of Braid, Nylon, and Fluorocarbon Line Video

Keeping specific gravity in mind the next time you purchase Sunline will undoubtedly give you a leg up on your competition and allow you to make the proper choice for a given technique. Follow the science of Sunline and catch more fish!