Ice Line Basics

The fish we talk about in part two of the full program.

Recently I was asked by Nathan Krusko of Northeast Ice Fishing to join him on his online radio show about ice fishing. We talked about line choices for ice fishing. In the past few years things have really started to change and more and more choices have begun to come to market. So with these new lines come lots of questions from fellow ice anglers wondering what the best line is for them. Unfortunately there isn’t just one right answer to this question. But what I can do is help give you the info so you can become a more educated angler.

Here is a quick preview of the radio segment I did with Nathan. Below is a quick summary of what we talked about.

Full interview can be heard here.

There is currently 4 basic classification of lines on the market for ice fishing with maybe a 5^th that could be added into the conversation thanks to Berkley and there new uni-filament called NanoFil. You can read more about this line, and my review of this product here. The 4 basic classes are Monofilament, Co-polymer, Fluorocarbon, and Superlines aka Dyneema and Spectra fiber.

The 1^st monofilament was brought to market by the DuPont Company in 1939, mono never really took off until Dupont release a new mono flying under the flag of Stren in 1959. So after that the arms race begun with monos.

Mono is made by melting down nylon pellets and then extruding it to create the different lb test we use today. Mono is a fairly inexpensive line that has become fairly user friendly. There are some characteristics of mono that ice angers need to know and understand. Monos’ can and do absorb water which results in loose knots, decreased sensitivity, they also stiffen and becoming hard to manage due the water inside the line freezing. Mono also wants to float so it affects your jigs sink rate so much so that it may not fall through light weeds and lay on top of them. Companies have started to add special coatings and additives to combat water absorption.

Co-polymers are basically a mixture of two different monos or a mono and fluorocarbon mixed together to take on characteristics of both lines. Generally these lines are a little bit stiffer which means more memory to the line but many will have a much higher abrasion resistance.

There are many benefits to Fluorocarbon; one is that the surface of the line is harder so it will hold up to abrasion from the ice and the sharp toothy mouths of fish like Walleye and Northern Pike. It also has refractive properties that are close to that of water which means it looks more like water in the water to the fish. Think of it has a mirage in the water to the fish it’s there but they’re not really sure it’s there. Carbon also has a higher density then that of mono and it will sink, so if you’re looking to help your jigs sink better or faster this is something to think about. Other benefits to this is that it will not soak up water like mono while you’re fishing it. So the line tends not freeze up and build up with ice easily. These lines seem to become more and more fishable every year.

Dyneema and Spectra aka superlines are maybe the strongest fibers in the world, Dyneema is said to be 15 times stronger than steel on equal weight basis. They also have zero memory so there is no coils of line jumping off the spool when you open the bail. It also has a thinner diameter then most lines so you are able to fit more line on smaller reels and also have higher test rating so you can downsize your reels to help balance out the ice rod better. Super lines have little to no stretch which means better sensitivity.