For over a decade, I’ve searched for visible monofilament suitable for building Mono Rigs. There are many options for hi-vis mono, but my preferences are specific. And for so long, I couldn’t find anything that checked all the boxes.
Link to sft
That search is over (for a while). Sufix Superior Neon Fire is my go-to monofilament for building butt sections and tapered transitions.
Sufix Superior mics out very close to Maxima Chameleon, per pound. Specifically, the Neon Fire has about the same stiffness as Chameleon, with a little less stretch. It handles well, and it’s relatively temperature stable — so it performs similarly in both warm weather and cold.
Here’s more . . .
I was perfectly happy building leaders from Maxima Chameleon. And I still am. Chameleon remains my preferred material for most situations, because it has all the properties I want in a leader material (I’ll walk through those below). It only lacks visibility.
I truly don’t care to see the butt section of my leader. I build visible color into my transition, and the taper continues through my standard sighter, built from Amnesia and Gold Stren. I often add one to two feet of bi-color sighter material to the end of that standard sighter, before my tippet. So all totaled I have between four to six feet of highly visible material before my tippet enters the water. That’s plenty, and I’m an accurate enough caster that I never require more visibility built into the butt section.
READ: Troutbitten | The Full Mono Rig, All the Variations, with Formulas and Adjustments
However, when we started filming a couple years ago, Josh (Wilds Media) and I realized the trouble with demonstrating tight line tactics when the leader cannot be seen. Chameleon wouldn’t do.
Likewise, when I started guiding in , many anglers came to me with plans to learn Mono Rig tactics. And I quickly realized that those who were new to the game were much more comfortable when they could see the full butt section.
Because if you’re coming from the experience of casting with a fly line, your eyes are searching for that visual reference in the cast. Furthermore, even for those accustomed to casting long leaders, watching loops of line helps tremendously when trying to correct a lob style of cast and return to the benefits of fly-line-style casting with a Mono Rig.
Again, for most situations, I prefer Chameleon, but when visibility is a benefit, I now choose Sufix Superior Neon Fire, because it has what I’m looking for.
There are more colored lines available than ever. And for a leader junkie, buying the next brand and the latest color to come off the line is a pretty cheap hobby.
I’ll leave a list of the lines I’ve tried below. But first, it’s important to understand what I’m looking for.
The butt section of a Mono Rig is the driver. Most anglers recognize how different thicknesses of material affect the performance of the leader. We’ve previously walked through those differences, those advantages and disadvantages of Standard, Thin and Micro-thin Mono Rigs. While it’s easy to understand how much more punch and power a twenty-pound butt section has than a five-pound butt, the composition of material and its effect on performance is not so obvious.
Years ago, I published an article titled, Is a Soft Sighter Best? And much of what I argued about sighter material applies to the rest of the leader as well. In fact, it’s even more important.
READ: Troutbitten | Is a Soft Sighter Best? Not Always
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Different Mono Rigs and Euro Leaders — What Works When and Why
Stiff material carries more power. It transfers energy more efficiently. It holds the casting loop better. It casts more like a fly line. And for many of us, that ability to cast a Mono Rig with the performance of a fly line, helping push flies and the leader itself to a target is an enormous advantage. This is a very different approach than relying on the weight of the fly or split shot to bring the leader along behind it (like a spin or bait casting approach).
READ: Troutbitten | It’s Casting, Not Lobbing
So we look for monofilament that is stiff rather than soft. But, the trouble is, most stiff monofilament holds a coil. It has memory once it’s on the reel for a while, especially in the thicker diameters used for building standard leaders that cast well.
We stretch all leaders at the beginning of a session. But then some of that line gets wound back to the reel while fishing. The worst of the stiff monofilament coils easily and quickly, especially in colder temps, mostly below thirty degrees Fahrenheit.
But the best stiff line remains flat for many hours, if not the whole day, even in cold weather. Chameleon does this. And Sufix Superior Neon Fire is similar.
Some soft monofilaments actually stiffen up a good bit in colder weather, but soft lines become even softer in moderate and warm weather. The worst soft monofilament becomes almost gummy, but even the best of them has a tendency to twist and kink. Soft lines are not durable, and they lack significant power for building great casting loops — soft lines have no punch.
Opaque lines are the most visible, because they are not transparent. But any line that carries enough dye to be solid in color is also soft. There’s something in the dying process that changes the composition. And I have never found an exception to this.
I’ve tried so many lines through the years that I’ve seen these trends. Red and orange dye usually makes a line softer, while greens and yellows are usually stiffer.
These subtle differences in lines are really not so subtle once you hold them in your hands all day and spend time casting. Most dedicated anglers have developed strong preferences for their own leader builds.
For the way I cast, for what I describe and show so often with the Troutbitten Mono Rig, a stiffer leader is better. But it’s difficult to find a visible, stiff leader material that also handles well and doesn’t have much memory.
Sufix Superior Neon Fire is the best hi-vis line I’ve found, nearly matching the performance of Chameleon.
I use it in 20, 15, 12, 10, 8 and 6 pound to build butt sections and tapered transitions for Mono Rigs. I keep the same formulas for my leaders and substitute the hi-vis for Chameleon, when I want that visibility.
Here’s a link to all the Troutbitten Mono Rig formulas:
READ: Troutbitten | The Full Mono Rig System — All the Variations, with Formulas and Adjustments
And here’s a link to the Neon Fire Sufix Superior . . .
Buy Sufix Superior Neon Fire HERE, and Support Troutbitten
I told you I was a leader junkie. Here’s an incomplete list of other visible monofilaments I’ve used. For all of these, I’ll compare my experience with diameters suited for a Standard Mono Rig, with a butt section of around .017”.
Amnesia
Red, yellow, green, blue and orange — regardless of color, Amnesia is a good option. But it holds a coil in cold weather, and I don’t care for the feel of a flat (oval) line in my hands. Ironically, Amnesia can have quite a bit of memory coming off the reel. (Yes, even after it’s stretched.)
OPST Lazar Line
This is good stuff, and I wish it came in thinner diameters. The 30 lb is a little thinner than 20 lb Chameleon, so it builds a good Standard Mono Rig butt section. It does have memory in cold weather, and in warm weather it gets pretty soft. Not my favorite. But it is highly visible in both pink and green. Here's a link.
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OPST Oval Line
Also highly visible. It coils and twists less than the Lazar Line. But I don’t love the feel of an oval line, and it’s not as powerful as many other lines of equal diameter. Here's a link.
Other Sufix
Sufix Siege, Elite and Advance all have hi-vis colors. I’ve been through many, and I’ve built sighters from them. However, full butt sections always have too much memory for me, especially in the green/yellow colors.
Stren
Gold and Blue Stren are another option for a visible leader. I find both to be too soft for how I like to cast.
Various Fluorocarbons
Fluoro is stiffer than nylon, so why not use fluorocarbon leader material for the butt sections? Fluoro sinks easier, so it’s not good for mending, when I choose to lay the leader on the water. Fluoro also holds too much coil coming off the spool.
Tenkara Lines
I was excited to try my first Tenkara line, many years ago, thinking that they just might be the answer. Again, no good. These lines are great until they’re spooled up on a reel. Not a problem for the Tenkara angler though . . .
Sighter Material
The colored mono sold as bi-color or tri-color is very soft. For me, it’s a poor choice for building full leaders. Ever notice that these lines are all the same consistency across brands? The colors vary a bit, and some of the dye bleeds in certain brands, but all of it is the same, very soft material, with no power and poor durability. Fine for building soft sighters. Bad for full leaders.
Pierre Sempe Indicator Nylon
This is the latest popular line in the competition scene. It’s light for the diameter, and it’s a unique material. The trade off seems to be durability. I find the Pierre Sempe to be very delicate compared to other monos of the same diameter. By this I don’t mean breaking strength. I mean it has low abrasion resistance and doesn’t hold up well to heavy use. Also, Pierre Sempe comes in sizes no larger than 2X, so sadly, a Standard Mono Rig is not an option. Here’s a link.
Generic Opaque Lines
Some fly fishing brands are now selling what seems to be the same opaque line under their own label. Spools of this line are cheaply available from China, and it has about the same properties as most sighter material, so it’s too soft to make a full butt section with the performance that I’m after. These lines are interesting, though. And I’m anxious to find a stiffer version.
READ: Troutbitten | Ask an Expert: For Tight Line and Euro Nymphing, What’s Your Butt Section?
The lines above are the notable options. Some of them may be exactly what you’re looking for. I listed each of them, because I either used them as my go-to hi-vis line for a while, or because they are a popular line among other anglers.
I’ve also tied up and fished with a slew of lines that didn’t work out. Monos from Berkley and Ande, furled monos, braided lines and just about everything you can think of.
Truly, after all of that, Maxima Chameleon remains my favorite. But for a hi vis monofilament, Sufix Superior Neon Fire is my go-to line right now.
Fish hard, friends.
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Although your fishing rod and reel may get most of the credit when a trophy fish is landed, it’s really the fishing line that has done majority of the heavy lifting. Making sure you have the correct fishing line is one of the most crucial decisions to be made when picking a new fishing setup or spooling a new fishing reel.
In this buyer’s guide, the BCF’ing experts will be running you through all you need to know when choosing a new fishing line. We’ll be talking about the different types of fishing line, what size line should you use, the importance of a leader, plus a few handy tips and tricks that will help ensure your next fishing adventure is a cracker.
When it comes to fishing line there are three very distinct types available to the fisho: braid, monofilament and fluorocarbon, each type with its own individual characteristics and benefits. Although no fishing line can claim they are the best, there are definitely some styles of fishing that are better suited to one over the other. Below we will take a squiz at the different types and see what they are best used for.
Gel spun Polyethylene line, more commonly known as braid, can lay claim to being one of the key factors that revolutionised the tackle industry in past decades. Braid has helped pave the way for the exceptional tackle design and quality of the fishing gear we see and use today. It has also been the catalyst for the popularity of lure fishing, which has gone gangbusters around the globe. Braid is seen as the first choice for lure fisherman, as the thin diameter, minimal stretch and zero memory allows for superior contact with your lure. It's equally at home whether fishing rivers, estuaries, offshore or in freshwater impoundments. Braid dates back as far as the 15th century when fisherman would use braided horsehair as fishing line. These days there is a constant supply of new and different products coming out of both the USA and Japan to fit any fishos needs. The benefits of using braided line are:
Monofilament (mono) or nylon has been a popular pick for many fishermen over the years. Chances are your first fishing experience would have been with mono because it is simple to use, doesn’t tangle easily and is cost effective. The first monofilament line was invented in , originally made from a mixture of water, coal and air and was renowned for its very high strength. Nowadays you will find quality mono lines coming from Japan, France, Germany, USA and of course home sweet home, Australia. Mono is still readily available and used by many anglers but for a lot more specific fishing situations, whether you are fishing the rocks or break-walls at your local river mouth, wetting a line at the beach with the family or out for a spot of trolling chasing gamefish. The benefits of using monofilament line are:
Fluorocarbon, or fluoro as it commonly named, has become an extremely popular item for anglers of all skill levels. Whether used as a leader material or mainline, the advantages of using fluoro in your fishing setup is extensive. Fluorocarbon is made using a similar method to standard monofilament lines, however, in the final stages of construction it is packed tighter and receives an extra additive which makes it denser and more transparent. When fishing ultra-clear waters or chasing weary fish species, the almost invisible characteristics of fluoro can be a game changer. Most experienced fisherman have also begun using a length of fluoro as a bite leader as the abrasion resistance and low visibility helps entice more bites and avoid bust offs.
When it comes to what size line to use, it really comes down to personal preference, but there are several factors you should consider which will help ensure you choose correctly.
Whether you’re targeting barramundi in the impoundments, flatties from the river mouth, snapper from the coastal reefs or billfish from the deep blue, each species is completely different but catchable with the correct fishing line. It’s important to choose a breaking strain that roughly matches the average size or weight of your quarry. Also, do they have a mouth full of pearly whites? Some species such a mackerel have sharp teeth that make light work of most line classes. Do they fight dirty? While some species like trevally will play the game nicely and swim away from cover once hooked, other species such as mangrove jack have a reputation for playing dirty and have you bricked in a heartbeat.
Many fish love structure, it provides a source of cover while also attracting baitfish. Structure is both a fisherman’s friend and foe, as many forms of structure such as rocks and mangroves can make light work of fishing line. In most situations it can be handy to bulk up your line class to avoid the line being cut on sharp objects. All types of fishing line can be used around structure, but it is important to remember that braid does struggle with abrasion so mono or fluoro may be a better alternative.
When fishing deeper water, the advantages of using a thin diameter line are enhanced. Thinner lines cut through the water and create less drag, this can be useful for getting your lure or bait to the bottom and will also provide you with better connection. Braid would be the best pick for this situation as it is much thinner than other types of line and its lack of stretch lets you feel every bite through your line, even in the deepest of water. Jigging braid has line indicator markings so when fishing you know how deep down the bait is.
The addition of a leader to your fishing rig is an absolute necessity. Not only does a leader help to provide natural bait presentations through the low-vis materials it is constructed from, but also its superior abrasion resistance can be the key to helping you land many trophy fish. Ranging from as light as 2-4lb for finessing bream and trout, 8-12lb for most river and estuary species such as trevally and flatties, 40-80lb for chasing horse barra and reef dwellers, through to 150-300lb for chasing marlin and other gamefish.
Come on down to your local store and let our knowledgeable team help you find the line that best suits your individual needs, or simply order online for collection at your nearest BCF store.
Braid tied to leader using an FG knot.
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