Most professional fishermen will tell you that they keep at least three different line thicknesses with them for fishing trips at all times. But why is this? Isn't one line enough to catch fish? Well that's where things get a little bit complicated.
Even though a fishing line is a fishing line, different thicknesses will allow fishermen to catch different fish. Think of it like this: if you were a small carp that saw a piece of potential food floating in the water, would you approach it if the piece of food had a hugely thick line making its way to the surface? Probably not.
Thinner lines are better suited to catching these sorts of fish, with thicker lines being better suited as the scale of fish increases. The main reason that fishermen alternate their lines is because they are planning on targeting different types of fish. Thinner line will obviously be weaker than thicker lines, so it's much better suited to catching fish that are considered light weights.
On the opposite scale; if a fisherman was intending to catch a larger fish, say a sea bass, blue marlin or tuna - a thin line simply wouldn't do. Even if the fish was to get hooked, the chances are that the line would snap before the fish even got close to being reeled in.
That's where thicker lines come in handy - they may be more visible to smaller fish, but you won't be going for small fish - you'll be aiming for the bigger ones. There are certain lines that can boast the strength of much thicker lines, while being thin. These are usually made of a high-density resin or similar material and will be able to hold a lot more weight.
But as with most lines, they will have a breaking point and investing in these types of lines can become quite expensive. So as you can see, it's a much better option to keep a variation of line types close to hand, just in case you realize that there may be bigger fish in the lake or river that you're fishing.
If you're confused on the types of line and their varying strengths, just refer to the detail that mentions weight on their packaging. This number can be anywhere between 0.001g and 200lbs, but don't worry - you won't have to go for the upper end of the scale; that's reserved for deep sea fishing. A line of 1lb, then 5-6lb and then 12-13 lbs is more than sufficient for most fishing trips.
Even though a fishing line is a fishing line, different thicknesses will allow fishermen to catch different fish. Think of it like this: if you were a small carp that saw a piece of potential food floating in the water, would you approach it if the piece of food had a hugely thick line making its way to the surface? Probably not.
Thinner lines are better suited to catching these sorts of fish, with thicker lines being better suited as the scale of fish increases. The main reason that fishermen alternate their lines is because they are planning on targeting different types of fish. Thinner line will obviously be weaker than thicker lines, so it's much better suited to catching fish that are considered light weights.
On the opposite scale; if a fisherman was intending to catch a larger fish, say a sea bass, blue marlin or tuna - a thin line simply wouldn't do. Even if the fish was to get hooked, the chances are that the line would snap before the fish even got close to being reeled in.
That's where thicker lines come in handy - they may be more visible to smaller fish, but you won't be going for small fish - you'll be aiming for the bigger ones. There are certain lines that can boast the strength of much thicker lines, while being thin. These are usually made of a high-density resin or similar material and will be able to hold a lot more weight.
But as with most lines, they will have a breaking point and investing in these types of lines can become quite expensive. So as you can see, it's a much better option to keep a variation of line types close to hand, just in case you realize that there may be bigger fish in the lake or river that you're fishing.
If you're confused on the types of line and their varying strengths, just refer to the detail that mentions weight on their packaging. This number can be anywhere between 0.001g and 200lbs, but don't worry - you won't have to go for the upper end of the scale; that's reserved for deep sea fishing. A line of 1lb, then 5-6lb and then 12-13 lbs is more than sufficient for most fishing trips.