With all the advancements that braided lines have seen over the years, it’s difficult to imagine that they were once far inferior to monofilament. As braid grows in popularity once again, it seems prudent to look at the complete history of braided fishing lines and how they have changed over the years.
Before the 1930s, braided fishing lines were made from silk, linen, and cotton but were replaced by polyester in 1930. In 1951, polyester braided lines were rebranded as dacron before their popularity started declining by the mid-1950s. In 1990, braided lines made a comeback after many improvements.
Time has seen many braided line variations, but what came before braided lines? Also, how did braid evolve over the years to stay relevant among anglers?
Braided Fishing Lines Timeline
- Before 1400 AD: fishing was done using animal internal organs and horsehair as fishing lines.
- Throughout history, many materials have been used as fishing lines. Silk, linen, and cotton fibres were braided together to form fishing lines ended up being the most popular fishing lines until the 1900s.
- In 1930, scientists at DuPont discovered polyester’s precursor but decided to shelve it because it didn’t meet the requirements they were looking for. A British company, Imperial Chemical Industries, experimented with this newly discovered polymer and developed terylene (polyester).
- By 1946, DuPont bought the rights to polyester and in 1951 released dacron. This fibre was used in the textile and fishing industries to make braided fishing lines. Braid’s popularity grew, as it proved to be more robust and user-friendly than nylon.
- By 1959, mono (nylon) received several upgrades and replaced braided lines.
- In 1990, braid saw a comeback as competition anglers needed better performing lines. Super-line was born, and braid has been a popular choice for many anglers ever since.
What Was Used As Fishing Line Before Braid
Most ancient civilizations made records of anglers at work, with various tools to catch fish.
In the Bible and other scrolls, record anglers using nets to reap bountiful harvests from the various lakes and Mediterranean sea.
In archaic Egypt, papyrus scrolls and hieroglyphics dating to around 2000 BCE show anglers catching fish with nets, spears, and rods attached lines and hooks.
During the Zhou dynasty in the 4th-century BCE, anglers used silk fishing lines on bamboo poles in ancient China.
In Europe, particularly England, we see that early anglers of the 15th-century used horse hairs as fishing lines.
Another popular fishing line material in medieval Europe was catgut. The sinews extracted from sheep or goat’s stomach linings were dried and braided into usable lengths of fishing line.
As time progressed, the world started using silk, linen, cotton, and occasionally flax as fishing lines instead of horsehair and sinews.
The Drawbacks Of Natural Fibers
These various “natural fibre“ fishing lines were suitable for their time but had many drawbacks.
These materials have a limited life span because they degrade over time and are not very durable.
Horsehair required selecting good quality hairs to string together to make strands. Anglers braided these strands to create more rigid, durable lines. However, individual hair strands weakened over time, resulting in the line snapping.
By the 19th century, silk, linen, and cotton were more popular materials. Although these materials are stronger but become waterlogged and can easily snap under the weight. They would often be covered in a waterproof substance, like oils, to prolong their lifespans.
The Discovery Of Polyester And Nylon
Companies manufactured modern braided fishing lines initially from polyester and nylon. The discovery of polyester dates back to 1930 at the research laboratory of DuPont. A lab assistant to Dr. Wallace Carothers “stumbled” onto polyester while working with polymers.
In 1930, while conducting tests on esters, Julian W. Hill mixed glycols, dibasic acids, and more potent acids to create well bonded, elastic fibres. The research aimed at producing high molecular weight super polymers.
Dr. Carothers shelved this newly discovered polymer material as it didn’t meet the desired characteristics for new fibre. The polymer’s melting points were too low, and solubility was too high.
J.R. Whinfield, J.T. Dickson, W.K. Birtwhistle, and C.G. Ritchie (British scientists employed at Imperial Chemical Industries) quickly picked up the research where DuPont left off. In 1939 they began, and by 1941 they synthesized “terylene,” the first polyester fibre.
The British scientists realized Carothers’ teams’ mistake of not further researching the reaction between ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. During these experiments, they discovered polyethylene terephthalate, which set the foundation for trademarked compounds like terylene and dacron.
After this development, DuPont bought the rights to polyester and by 1946 developed their version of polyester fibre known as dacron. Once dacron was a success, other companies began to produce their versions of the polyester fibres, e.g., Eastman Chemical synthesized “kodel” in 1958.
History Of Julian W. Hill
Julian W Hill, born in 1904, completed a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Washington University, St Louis, in 1924. Once completed, Hill pursued a doctorate in organic chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He achieved this in 1928.
Hill began working at DuPont in 1928, under Wallace Carothers’s leadership. Hill was instrumental in developing a cold drawing technique which led to his discovery of polyester and the subsequent synthesis of nylon.
During his career, Hill progressed to Assistant Director of the Chemical Department and was part of the steering committee from 1932 to 1951. Eventually, he became the Chair of the Educational Aid Committee, which assisted university research into chemistry and physics.
Hill eventually retired from DuPont in 1964.
Dr. Julian Hill died in 1996 in Cokesbury Village retirement community, Hockessin, Delaware, at the ripe age of 91.
During Hill’s lifetime he:
- In 1931, Hill married Mary Louisa “Polly” Butcher.
- He played the violin and squash, and he did figure skating.
- At the age of 40, Hill suffered a polio attack, which weakened his leg and was the cause for his stopping figure skating.
- Hill was a fan of bird watching and had a passion for wildlife.
- In 1988, Hill told the interviewer that plastic would “smother” the human race into extinction.
In the 1930s, the DuPont chemical company was interested in producing synthetic fibres that could replace silk in many industries. In 1928, Charles Stine hired Wallace Carothers as the new head of a new research team at the DuPont Corporation laboratory in Wilmington, Delaware.
This team’s original goal was to synthesize a synthetic rubber, which they achieved in April of 1930. During his experimentation with acetylene, Arnold Collins discovered chloroprene. (A liquid-like substance similar to natural rubber in its chemical makeup). This discovery led to the development of “neoprene.”
This research led to Hill’s discovery of the precursor to polyester, and after the sidelining of polyester, the development of nylon.
The First Braid Line Used For Fishing Applications
After polyester was discovered in 1930 and reintroduced as dacron in 1951 by DuPont, its following gained immense popularity.
Braided fishing lines catered considerably to the saltwater anglers, particularly those who preferred deep-sea fishing. The benefit of a braided fishing line is that it doesn’t stretch, absorb water and is immensely strong for its size.
While dacron reigned supreme, nylon was lurking in the background. During the testing conducted at DuPont, they discovered nylon in the 1930s. By 1939 nylon became a popular material for women’s fashion, particularly hosiery/stockings.
Monofilament and braided nylon fishing lines were around during the same time as the popular dacron.
After 1959, DuPont re-released nylon in its “Stren” line, which started the decline of dacron. As great as polyester was, it struggled to hold knots, could not stretch, and abraded relatively quickly. These, along with other issues, saw a shift from braid to mono.
Braid Development In Recent Years
Braided fishing lines took a backseat in mainstream fishing until their comeback in the 1990s. During this time, competition anglers began searching for a fishing line that would serve their needs in a better way than monofilament could. During this time, development into new materials pushed braid back into the mainstream fishing circuit.
Dyneema, Kevlar, and Spectra began producing strong, user-friendly braids constructed from gel-spun and aramid fibres. The braid’s previous issues in knots that slipped, along with easy abrasion, were no longer as much of a concern.
Modern manufacturers produce braided fishing lines from numerous synthetic materials, wound/woven together.
Braiding is through precise winding or fusing the lines, creating a stronger bond between the fibres. Retailers refer to these lines as “super-lines.”
Braided lines have always had strength over monolines. These improved techniques allow manufacturers to reduce the diameters of braided lines, allowing for enhanced robustness to diameter ratio and the ability to fit superior lengths of fishing lines onto a reel.
These are essential characteristics, especially for deep-sea fishing, which requires a greater line length for when a fish runs, and less surface area for ocean currents to catch.
Often braided fishing lines are used as a “core,” covered in PVC or other plastics to improve their ability to float.
Braided lines are also often tapered, starting with one diameter and increasing to a thicker diameter along the length of the fishing line.
Modern braided lines still have the issue of knots that slip. The other major drawback with these lines is that they are more visible than mono or fluorocarbon fishing lines. The anglers’ technique becomes an important factor in fishing success.
Due to the braid’s lack of stretch, fish that bite “harder” may snap the line. For this reason, anglers add a lead of mono or fluorocarbon to braided lines. One other disadvantage of braid is that it is generally more expensive than monofilament fishing lines.
Overall, braided lines, especially super-lines, are a staple in the competition sector of fishing. Deep-sea and saltwater anglers tend to use braid more often than freshwater anglers. Braid is, however, also used by freshwater anglers.
Happy Fishing & Tight Lines