Line Class Tests

BACK

Line manufactures have no governing body or scientific standards on what they choose to rate their fishing lines at.  The line manufactures are pretty much free to put any pound test rating on their fishing line.  Majority of them will place a smaller rating on their line then what the line will actually break at.  Why do they do this?

Look at the words and terms the line manufactures place on their packaging:  Finest, Super, Strong, Tough, Durible, Abrasion Resistant, Finest Quality, Best Performance, and Fighting Power.  The goal of these companies is to made the angler feel that they are choosing a line that is not going to break.  Line breaks will cause a loss in tackle and a loss of a fish in the boat.  Strength is their key.

Lets look at the 10 lb test Ultra Green line that Maxima produces.  In our area, I always hear from the steelhead and salmon anglers that are targeting fish in the river systems that this is the best line to use.  The main two reasons is that the color of it matches the cloud water in the river, and the second reason is that it is very strong.  It is pretty simple to see why anglers feel this is a strong line.  It is rated by the company to break at 10 lbs.  However, the actual breaking strength when tested by IGFA was 13.9 pounds.  That means that this line is actually 39% stronger than listed.  No wonder why anglers think it is a strong line.

Most anglers do not really care about this.  They just want a strong fishing line, whether it be mono or braided, and usually they want it to be as thin as possible.  The anglers want to make sure they don't lose tackle and don't lose fish. 

There is a group of anglers that do care about this.  These anglers fish for Line Class Records.  Line Class Records are kept by both the IGFA and National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.  If you are an angler who is seeking to fish for line class records, your starting point should be to choose the right line.  Some line manufactures make what they call IGFA fishing line.  These lines should test out to what the manufacture rates them at.  These lines are difficult to find in tackle stores.  You may have to have them order it for you, or you can search for them on different Internet fishing webstores.  Otherwise, you can send in line samples to IGFA or the Hall of Fame and they can test your lines for you, but they to charge a small fee for this service.

One company out there that is really leading the way for the others (line manufactures and line testing) in this area of fishing is called Johnston Tackle Corporation.  Not only are they posting the results of their line tests, they are also posting the results of their competitors.  They have some very informative tables (though it is a bit dated, 1998) on this topic showing the breaking strengths and diameters.

As we send in line samples for testing, we will input the findings in the table below.