Surf fishing is the method by which anglers throw artificial or natural bait from the shore or where the waves are breaking. “surfing” comes from making waves in a body of water.

As a result, professional anglers often use waves and tides to their advantage despite the potential challenges they may pose when fishing.

However, choosing the right fishing gear is also a complex problem. Below, I will mention some ways for you to choose the best fishing line for surf casting.

Factors to consider when choosing surf fishing line

Casting distance

Fishing distance is one of the essential factors in deciding whether your fishing trip will be successful. Be realistic that if your fishing line is short enough, you cannot fish as decisively as you can surf. Therefore, your fishing line needs to be long enough to surf. Usually, the fishing line length should be from more than 100 to 150 yards, depending on whether you fish offshore or near shore.

Durability

A fishing line with good durability will be suitable for surf fishing. One of the reasons is that good durability will help you avoid the risks of fighting strength with fish. A highly durable fishing rod will help you stay with the fish, and high durability shows that the quality of the fishing line is good.

High pound test

In addition to being highly durable, the fishing line needs to ensure a high weight-test durability. Surf fishing can target large targets like tuna, but you can’t get cockfighting eggs. Weight test durability shows how much weight the fishing line can withstand. If you are not strong enough, you will quickly lose your goal. Typically, the pound test of fishing line will be 30lb for mono and 100lb for braided fishing line.

Day or night fishing trip

Choose a fishing line with good visibility if you are determined to fish at night. Otherwise, this is optional. Having a fishing line with good visibility at night will help you quickly detect the condition of your fishing line or whether your target is being attracted. Choose a fishing line with good visibility if you are determined to fish at night.

Otherwise, this is optional. Having a fishing line with good visibility at night will help you quickly detect the condition of your fishing line or whether your target is being attracted.

When and what tips to use a fishing line for surf casting?

To make it easier, I will compare the pros and cons of each type of fishing line. From then on, we will determine our needs.

Monofilament

For beginners, the mono fishing line is a great choice when using both the main line and the leader. Mono fishing line is versatile and easy for light- to medium-weight spinning setups. This makes surf fishing with lures in general or at surf fishing spots more convenient.

Mono line is excellent for beginners and versatile for light to moderate spinning setups in most surf fishing spots. Mono line anglers often target larger species such as sharks, tuna, striped bass, or redfish and are ideal for rubbing and abrading the leads when fishing for sharks. Additionally, a mono fishing line makes casting easier when you need a heavy line between the main braid and sinker and for topwater fishing when buoyancy and tension are needed.

Tips for using monofilament line for surf casting:

To surf fish with monofilament, remember that choosing the right line for your target species and rod/reel combination is essential. Additionally, use heavy mono leaders and braided main lines to create casting distance and absorb shock from larger fish. Finally, replace strings regularly to prevent damage and maintain durability and sensitivity.

Braided

Anglers use braided fishing lines for surf fishing when targeting powerful fish such as surf perch, corbina, tuna, salmon, sharks, or tarpon due to their incredible diameter-to-its-diameter durability.

In addition, a braided fishing line is also suitable for finesse fishing with small lures when the rod is light and when you need maximum sensitivity. It’s best to cast long distances using braided main lines, such as when casting new baits in the surf or casting baits for stripers.

Tips for using braided line for surf casting:

Remember that combining braided fishing lines with fluorocarbon or mono leader when surf fishing will solve visibility and stretch issues. For finesse fishing, use a longer leader for stealth and sensitivity. At the same time, you must be cautious when setting hooks with a braided line and use a single casting leader appropriate to the weight size when casting large sinkers or lures.

Fluorocarbon

With lightweight fluorocarbon fishing lines, anglers often use them as leaders and mainlines for surfing and shore fishing in clear waters or targeting species with keen eyesight. The bait is smaller and offers more sensitivity due to low stretch, which is excellent for fishing for finesse with light lines.

Tips for using fluorocarbon line for surf casting:

Be thoughtful in choosing the strength of your fluorocarbon leader or main line, and often, the decision is made based on the line rating of your rod and reel. Fluorocarbon is commonly used as leader material for toothless surf baits, often combined with a braided main line for added benefit. It is suitable for rigs designed for fishing fresh bait in the surf and for applications requiring abrasion resistance.

What is the best fishing line for surf casting?

Monofilament

In contrast to a multifilament or braided fishing line made from multiple strands, a monofilament fishing line, also known as “mono,” is made from a single strand of plastic material. The mono fishing line usually comes in transparent colors, like the mono color in the photo below, but it is also available in bright, solid colors.

The monofilament fishing line will be the choice for anglers who want to surfcast because of its pros to others.

• Durability: A fishing line that is super strong and has good holding power that does not easily slip off the reel will be a suitable choice for Big Game. At the same time, the fishing line is quite durable and can be used for several years without seeing damage from knots or the body of the fishing line. And I like Berkley‘s mono line because of their durability.

Berkley Trilene Big Game Monofilament Fishing Line

• Performance: A fishing line that can minimize troubles during surfing fishing will be a great choice. You must choose a fishing line that works well on spinning reels, spinners, or spinning reels and works well for rocky areas.
  
• Visibility: Contrary to freshwater fishing, which requires limited visibility of the fishing line, surf casting is excellent when the fishing line can be seen well at night when it is colored and transparent during the day. At the same time, the displayed color of the fishing line will help us attract large fish and act as a signal to challenge it.
• Price: Mono fishing line often has a simple production structure, so the price will be cheaper than other lines. Partly so you can equip fishing lines that suit your goals; the other part will help you quickly replace them if damaged.

However, the mono fishing lines will have some cons, such as follows:

• Knot strength: This is one of the essential factors in surf casting because if the knots are strong enough, you will efficiently perform many different techniques. Mono fishing lines will often be small in diameter and seemingly invisible, making it difficult for you to tie knots. This will make it easier for the fishing line to knot while reeling.
• Memory: Mono fishing line will quickly create more memory after being used for a while. Therefore, choosing a fishing line that can limit this will help you increase your fishing ability.

Braided

Many synthetic materials, such as Spectra, Dyneema, and Kevlar, are woven together using advanced machinery called braided fishing lines. In 1953, the YGK company launched the first polyester braided line for hand fishing. In 1970, YGK continued to innovate braided lines by introducing polyester braided lines for reels, demonstrating the early development of braided fishing lines.

The purpose of the braided invention is to create a fishing line that is strong, flexible, and durable. The braided fishing line also has some outstanding pros.

• Durability: This is undisputed with braided fishing lines because their strength is considered the best, with better resistance than mono. In addition, braided fishing lines are often intricate to break when used in the sun or harsh environments such as saltwater fishing.
• Thickness: Braided fishing line will be smaller than mono fishing line. Therefore, it seems complicated for them to slip off the reel when fishing and limit the rotation of the fishing line during the fishing process, especially surf casting.
• Smoothness: The smoothness of the braided fishing line will be an advantage compared to other lines because the smoothness will help you limit some troubles during fishing, especially surf casting when it requires you. You will need to cast the fishing rod continuously or Big Game fishing. For me, a fishing line that is smooth and comfortable increases my chances of success in surfing, like PowerPro’s Spectra fishing line. Such smoothness also means that the fishing line is unlikely to twist when you pull and release the fishing line.

Power Pro Spectra Fiber Braided Fishing Line

• Along with that, some limitations of the braided fishing line also need to be mentioned, such as:
• Knots: The knots of braided fishing lines require you to use specialized techniques. Therefore, this will be a minus point for new anglers because if you cannot be flexible in creating knots, it will be difficult for you to catch in surf casting.
• Price: In terms of price, I would be willing to pay a higher price than a mono fishing line because the structure of the braided line is more complex. However, choosing the correct price often depends on how much you spend on a braided fishing line and playing a big game.
• Visibility: Braided fishing lines will quickly fade, especially when exposed to the sun. However, this is a minor drawback for you to eliminate braided fishing lines in your choices.

Fluorocarbon

In 1971, the birth of the Flocarbon fishing line caused a new turning point in the fishing world; the first invention came from the Japanese company – Seaguar.

Fluorocarbon fishing line is made by mixing hydrogen, carbon, and fluoride. What makes the difference is that the chemical properties of fluorocarbon make the fishing line significantly more durable and more resistant to abrasion.

• Visibility: Different from the other lines, fluorocarbon fishing lines will have the ability to be very invisible in the water, and this is an excellent choice for clear waters and shallow surf areas where finicky fish live.
• Stretch: Compared to mono fishing lines, fluorocarbon fishing lines have less stretch, making them more sensitive and helping anglers detect subtle bites and quick strikes.
• Resistance: Fluorocarbon fishing lines have the best resistance to UV rays and durability among other fishing lines because they combine the advantages of braided fishing lines and mono fishing lines. And this is my experience while using Kasting’s FlouroKote fishing line.

KastKing FluoroKote Fluorocarbon Fishing Line

Based on the resistance test of mono and fluorocarbon fishing lines conducted by Salt Strong channel, they showed that mono fishing lines would lose their strength when immersed in water for a long time compared to fluorocarbon fishing lines. This is also one of the factors to consider if you want to choose a fluorocarbon fishing line for your surf fishing trip.

However, fluorocarbon fishing line will also have specific cons affecting your fishing process, such as:

• Price: Price will be a big problem for fluorocarbon fishing lines because they have a high price compared to the general market. If you are a newbie, you should not use fluorocarbon fishing lines to perform surf casting.
• Stiffness: The hardness of fluorocarbon fishing lines is also a minus point; more specifically, this type of fishing line will be stiffer than mono.
• Knots: Sometimes, a fluorocarbon wire has a lower knot strength than a mono wire.

Related Questions

Is braid or mono better for surf casting?

You should use only braided lines for surf fishing with bait rather than mono, especially when you want to get the bait into a deep and far hole; braids can help because they allow you to throw farther.

A braided fishing line also allows you to fit more lines on the reel while maintaining a weight heavier than mono. However, you can use a braided fishing line in combination with a mono fishing line to help increase your fishing experience.

What is the best line weight for surfcasting?

If you use a 3-oz sinker, consider using a 30lb (15kg) leader; a 4-oz sinker uses a 40lb leader line, etc. If you don’t use a shock leader, be prepared to see your expensive equipment go in the distance frequently.

Conclusion

Consider choosing a mono line if you are new or unfamiliar with fishing line combinations. This type of line is cheap and easy to find on the market. In addition, its good resistance will help your fishing line have enough strength to fight big fish in Big games.

However, with more experience, consider using a braided fishing line combined with the mono leader; this will help you perform more fishing techniques.

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