Superline or Monofilament

Should cat-chasers choose the old standby monofilament line, or select one of the newer superlines? This is a good question, and one that probably defies absolute resolution.

Much depends on fishing style, location, presentation, etc. Let me back up a bit and remind our readers that I effectively defected from the extremely hi-tech world of musky fishing to re-invent myself as a catfish angler. I still _really_ enjoy chasing muskies, but these days, nine times out of ten if I'm in a boat and it ain't duck season...well, it's likely I'm drowning a chunk of cut bait in water that looks like a $5 espresso drink from Starbucks.

In musky angling I used only superlines. I would hit the water with 5-7 rods spooled with varying weights of superline, mostly Tuf-Line as that was (and is) my favorite of the superbraids. The primary reasons were diameter and sensitivity. For my crankbait rods, I spool up the thinnest 25-35lbs test line I can find, because I get better distance on the cast, and better depth on the retrieve. If you've ever spent an afternoon chucking and retrieving a huge "Ernie" crankbait, your back and shoulders will thank you for every extra inch you can gain on cast and depth.

When I started catfishing again, I opted for only monofilament. I spooled all my cat rods with solar green Berkely Trilene Big Game in weights from 17 to 35 lbs. The primary motivation here was that the green line showed up remarkably well against the turbid waters I frequent, and the I could snap the mono with a leather glove if it got hung. Ever wedge a 2.5oz egg sinker in some boulders and try to break off 65lbs Tuf-Line? You could use that stuff for anchor rope. I also liked the abrasion resistance and the shock resistance of the mono. With my style of catfishing, sensitivity is generally not a concern.

I look back on these decisions, and setups and realize that the best solution in both styles of fishing is to use both types of line. I am certain that I have lost muskies at boatside on a superline/stiff rod combination that would have been boated on monofilament. I am equally certain that I have missed hooksets on nice cats because of line stretch that could have been avoided with superline.

Here's what I mean: it is very difficult to keep a musky hooked up on a short (say 3 foot) line whan he's got a 4oz wooden jerkbait hangin off his face. He's got all that weight to throw around and use as leverage. Most musky rods (especially jerk-bait rods) are necessarily stiff and have fast actions (ever try to cast a 2oz bait with a 5-weight flyrod?). Adding a zero-stretch superline to that mix makes it very, very difficult to land that really-mad-getting-you-wet-on-the-short-line toothy critter.

In catfishing, sometimes we end up in a situation that is less than perfect for a hookset. Some extra bow in our line, boat drifting in to the bait, fish running at you, etc. You probably know all the reasons... Often we recover just fine, we've got a high gear-ration reel, and pick up that line extra fast, and slam the hook home. Other times, we do our best, try the hookset and only get a spongy feeling that makes a cat-chaser's stomach flip over. Often, I think the extra 3-4 inches of stretch may make the difference here. Fishing is like baseball in a lot of ways. You have to play the odds, be aware of the statistics, and realize that although you're playing on a big field, it's a game of inches.

My answer to the question is really still evolving, but I think there's not only room for both, but necessity for both line types in the cat-chaser's arsenal. I think this summer will find me with more of my musky rods in the jon-boat, and some of my cat rods in the musky boat, too. I think I'll try a 14" sucker minnow on a big circle hook hanging under a balloon on a weed edge somewhere.