Jackson: Choosing the right fishing line is anything but simple

It's been said for as long as I can remember that the weakest link between a big fish and the fisherman is the line, as well as the knots used in the tying of lures to that line.

Companies that manufacture various styles of fishing lines seem to make life in the fishing world very complicated these days. We anglers continue to wade through the morass.

All of us, average anglers and self-anointed experts alike, listen to the hyperbole spilling out of the mouths of angling pros. We pay handsome amounts of cash, hoping a particular brand of line is the answer.

And many of us plod through Saturday morning outdoors TV drivel from people who laid out $2,500 to buy a video camera, then instantly became pitchmen for a once obscure brand of line.

Believe me, and I speak from personal experience, line choices require help from knowledgeable friends, long-time experienced anglers or anyone with an informed opinion.

The beginning angler is fresh meat for counter clerks in the big box stores, who already have their own personal preferences and try and convince the customer that there's only one choice.

Behind the clerk is an endless display of fishing line hanging from pegs. Choosing which line choice is the right one can be daunting. I've seen catalogs as well as retail back-counters stocked with more than 20 types of fishing line.

I recently went through my tackle storage cabinets and discovered a treasure trove of unused, shrink-wrapped mono from when I purchased a 2,500-yard spool back in 1973. I opened it and cut off a chunk to test it for breakage. It was as solid as the day I purchased it. That brand was Garcia's Royal Bonnyl.

I don't have space here to list all the brands of line — some still kicking, others gone but not forgotten. They include Vicious Braid, Zilla Braid, Crappie Max, MagiBraid, P-Line, FireLine, XZebco OmniFlex, Outdoor Fishing Line, Spider Wire, Momol's Hi-Catch, Maxima, Off Shore and Ande. Berkley wowed the minions with their famous Trilene in XL and XT.

Personally I was highly satisfied with Schmorgaline XXX, which I used to lasso cans of tuna at the supermarket.

I'm sure many of you have your favorites, which you use year after year.

One of the bright stars in recent years is the highly popular, new and improved versions of fluorocarbon.

When this magic, almost invisible mono-like wonderline first hit the shelves, anglers started complaining that one popular brand kinked up so badly it was being stripped off reel spools fast enough to make heads spin. In a year or two the problem was solved, but one could only assume the highly valued market share the company had took a severe kick in the drag.

But then the flood of competition brought more brands of fluorocarbon to the forefront. Coupled to the newer brands came the claims of superiority over the older names.

So here we are in 2015, with gajillions of lures hanging on the tackle shop pegs, and line companies trolling for new customers with tons of advertising money being spent to tie up a premium market share spot.

What's an angler to do?

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.