Abrasion Resistance For Fishing Lines – What You Need To Know?

If you’re new to fishing, you might have come across the term “abrasion resistance” and thought, what does that mean?

Abrasion resistance is a fishing line’s ability to resist developing microscopic tears on itself when it rubs against a rough surface. The higher the resistance, the harder it will be for these tears to occur. These tears will progressively weaken your line causing it to break.

In my experience, you can’t avoid abrasion despite your best efforts. So it’s best not to be overly worried about it, but good to understand what can cause abrasion in the first place and how to prepare for it.

What Causes Abrasion Damage To Your Fishing Line?

When fishing, abrasion can happen everywhere!

That being said, I don’t get too concerned with this. I just pay attention to my surroundings to gauge what type of fishing line would best prevent my line from breaking off.

Here are some examples of things that can cause a lot of abrasion to your line listed from worst to least abrasive (In my opinion):

• Fish (teeth, rough bodies, scales, fins)
• Rocks, Reefs, and Barnacles
• Wood logs or any other wood debris floating or underwater
• Bushes
• Sand
• Heavy Vegetation (tall grass, lily pads, or similar)

Not all of these will apply to you, but I can almost guarantee that at least one of these items will apply to you.

It may take some experience to determine how bad some of these items are compared to others. If you have never caught a Lingcod before, you might fully know how sharp their teeth are, but that comes from experience.

I recommend you research what other anglers say about a particular fish to gauge if a fish has teeth or a rough body. Typically a quick photo can give you the info you need.

Suppose you want to learn more about a particular area to gauge its rocky, sand, or heavy vegetation. In that case, google is your best friend. 

A quick search using google images, maps, and any online fishing forum for that area should give you a decent idea of what you can expect.

Which Type of Fishing Line Has The Best Abrasion Resistance?

Now that you have done some research in the area you’re going to be fishing in, and you need to choose your fishing line.

The recommended fishing line types listed as having the most abrasion resistance to least:

• Fluorocarbon
• Monofilament
• Braided

Abrasion resistance should not be the only factor to consider when deciding what fishing line to use. You need to look at all the benefits and negatives of each fishing line to make that decision.

Decide If Your Mainline or Leader Needs To Be Abrasion Resistant.

The next decision you need to make is whether your whole mainline needs to be abrasion-resistant or just the fishing leader.

It could be tempting to spool your reel with fluorocarbon as the mainline if you’re concerned with abrasion because it has the most resistance. But then you would face a whole new set of problems that you would be unhappy with – Like the cost for one!

If you are unsure if you need an abrasion-resistant mainline or leader, you need to step back and take a deep breath. First, you need to understand the difference between a mainline and a leader. 

Secondly, think about the type of fishing you are doing. Do you REALLY need the whole line to be abrasion-resistant to the max? The answer is probably not. 

If you are concerned with abrasion, then 99% of the time, you can get away with a leader. The other 1% of the time is reserved for deepwater fishing, where you are fishing in deep holes and strong currents.

But for the most part, you won’t be doing that, especially if you’re starting off with fishing.

The next step would be determining how long your leader line should be and how strong it should be compared to your mainline?

Your mainline should be monofilament or braid. Most anglers don’t use fluorocarbon as a mainline.

How To Inspect Your Fishing Line For Abrasion Damage?

Remember that abrasion is essentially micro-tears on the fishing line caused by it rubbing against a rough or sharp object.

You may not be able to see these tears visually, but you can feel them. You can judge how rough the bottom is by inspecting your fishing line. It will tell you if you need to replace your leader line or cut off a section of your mainline if it was rubbing against something.

How do you inspect your fishing line?

• Pinch your fishing line with your index finger and thumb.
• Gently run your fingers up and down the line. 
• These micro-tears will feel slightly rough on the line.

Unfortunately, I can’t provide guidance on how rough is too rough, and it should be replaced. There are too many factors involved to narrow that down. You will develop your own comfort level with this once you experience fishing.