Choice is nice, but it's time to draw the line

I figure I must offer an apology to those super-brainy wunderkinds who spend much of their work day slaving over whatever they slave over trying to reinvent the wheel.

But in this crazy business of outdoorsone-upsmanship, I suspect the people behind the so-called new revolution of fishing lines have a tendency to talk to themselves quite a bit.

I believe there are scads of anglers in this area who jump for joy every time one of the companies comes out with a new type of fishing line.

I find it amazing that there is the possibility some of the smaller tackle stores may have to open a next-door annex so every type of line can be stocked and displayed.

Of course there are the usual mono lines that have kept fishermen happy for decades.

But this year the chorus has been expanded even more.

For example, there are stealth lines which were designed to allow an angler to sneak up on a big bass. That one is called the “flammadoodle line.” Then of course there are lines called “Cloudus-Galutus,” created to be used only on cloudy days.

For the musky hunters, some of the stouthearted have turned to the “Brutus-Colossus” super braid, in the 150- to 250-pound test.

Stan Aronsen of Antioch emailed me and complained that when he walks into a tackle store to have new line put on his reels, even the clerks are at a loss for words trying to explain the new stuff that arrived this year.

And when Palatine bass angler Jerry Perkins finds a tackle store clerk demonstrating a tiny bit of knowledge when it comes to new line, the clerk ultimately winds up giving Perkins a lesson in nonsense and double speak.

All you have to do is watch a weekend, outdoors television program and listen to the host proclaim that “zippsky-schmitzski, line will beat anything out there,” claiming to be a supercharged, super-line.

My friends in south Florida brag that the X-Finorama colored lines outperform XT, XL, LMNOP, and the like when they fish for some of the resident toothy saltwater critters.

And with every new kind of line presented to the angling public come an ongoing plethora of seminars on how to use the line with the new knots invented to ensure a no-breakage day on the water.

And then there's the support crew, the front men who will sing the company “line” if push comes to shove. The professional fishing battalion usually comes dressed for the event when appearing in public.

Some of the pros, both in the bass and walleye genres, are sometimes mistaken for NASCAR drivers because of the flood of sponsor patches they wear on their shirts. Fishing guru Ron Lindner once told me he calls these people the “Velcro Set”, primarily because they frequently change sponsorships when budgets are trimmed, and the pro then has to rip off an old sponsor's logo. That act of submission often concerns line sponsors as well some rod and reel company.

Getting back to the main theme, I find it amusing the number of different lines available, when some skeptics wonder if in fact there's much difference at all. Don't blame me, I didn't come up with that notion.

Ÿ Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, and catch his radio show 6-7 a.m. Sundays on WSBC 1240-AM and live-streamed at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.