Did some quick and dirty on line strength by joining different lines together and breaking them apart, ended up testing at least 2 dozen spools.

I was curious how heat, age weakens the line I have sitting around the garage. Also wanted to be sure my leaders would not break my mainline / braid.

Most of what I found reinforces some common knowledge. Uniformly, generic cheaper than stren line is at least 2 test pound weaker than name brand. However, 40# Big Game will easily break off 50# Eagle Claw, so at higher tests cheaper line gives you even less.

Braid is not always stronger than mono. 40# Big Game will break 50# Spiderwire Braid over 1/2 of the time. However, at lighter weights braid is stronger than rated, i.e. 6# braid will break 8 pound mono most of the time.

Mono will lose almost 10 percent strength given enough summers in a garage. However, peeling off the out layer or two the line will be stronger.

Fluoro should be trashed after it gets old / hot, as I've found 25 pound leader material as weak at 18 pound mono, 20 pound leader broken by 10 pound mono! If you are using fluoro as a leader, go ahead and buy actual fluoro leader material as it will at least be a strong as stren or similar quality mono.

Trilene XT will break Pline CXX of the same weight. ... copolymer seems to handle a hot garage / age the best as witnessed by old 8 y/o Trilene breaking off new Pline. I can break off 15 pound CXX with 14 pound Trilene XT about 1/2 the time, again the Trilene has been sitting for years. Trilene XT, Berkley Big Game, Pline CXX are tough as nails for leader material.

Double surgeon's loops never failed at the knot or the join. break at the knot. The loop itself only broke once with pline 10#, this is after perhaps 50 tests. In other words, the surgeon's loop clearly surpasses line strength, at least out of the water. Really hard to imagine an easier knot.

... future tests if I get the motivation and time....
put line in the oven at 130 or so degrees for a day, see how it compares w/ same line not heated.

I'd suggest you compare lines with similar diameter. I've got some Japanese 18 lb test line that has the same diameter of Big Game 10 lb. If you compared the 10 lb Japanese line to the 10 Big Game, it would seem weak, though it is much smaller diameter that's probably more like Big Game 6. The American brands seem to be the worst for under rating lines and the Europeans seem to be the truest. The Japanese vary with brand. Some are fairly true, while others are under rated like the domestics.

Thanks for your efforts.

Thanks for the info Tony, but really man..... you have too much time on your hands! lol

Thanks Robert R. Yes, that is a truer comparison. Some Japanese line, Pline cxx is thicker than any other line of same diameter I had except for generic line which just sucks anyway.

SaltyDawg, darn you are right. Why the heck did a waste an afternoon that I could have been fishing! I had done some searching to see what was out on the net and couldn't find much. Of course now I find all sorts of articles.

Here is a good one... shows line strength @ 10# rating.
http://www.gamefishin.com/wa/features/linetest.htm

And look there is Ande fishing line(someone's favorite) right there next to last on the Lbs Sq Inch/dry test! Good article


Ande green
.012 Daimeter
11.142 Breaking point
98506.422 Lbs Sq Inch/dry

Yes, Ande is weak in next to last place, but maybe just maybe it breaks just where it should. Do other line companies have trouble knowing at what test their line really breaks. Ande holds more line class records than all other lines combined.
I like and use Ande works excellent for me, I guess I just like weak line.

Funny how that weak line keeps setting all those records. I guess I like weak line also.

Ande hold those records because it is IGFA rated not becuase it is a better line. If you are just going to bait fish and only cast a couple of times an hour Ande will work fine.

IGFA rated means the line breaks exactly where its rated not at some pie in the sky figure that line companies that can't make uniform line deal with. Oh yeah this line breaks anywhere from 11-14 lb so rate it at 10. Those fishermen will talk about how strong it is.
As for casting a couple of times an hour, I wish that was true but like most other things you voice an opinion on its skewed at the angle you choose to start the argument about. Trying to put people down because they fish a different method. Something like my way or its wrong.
No you are just a young guy who thinks he can only get noticed and given att-a-boys, when he bucks the established methods andexperienced views. On some subject you are very correct but some others not so much. You like to cause controversy and dispute what anyone says that holds a different view than yourself.
You remind me of myself when I was young, dumb, full of stuff, and thinking I knew it all. As you age you soon realize the truths.
I've used all the major brands of line some good others so-so at best, about fifteen years ago I started using Ande. I have tried other lines since then and some work fine but I still prefer Ande.
I use Ande because its very good line with low memory, lots of stretch, strong, and affordable. Now if you kept twenty R&R strung up a they get used 5-7 day a week by everyone and anyone, you most likely wouldn't use the most expensive latest&greatest stuff. I use two big rolls of Ande per year and that runs me about $2 a week.
Don't judge others by your misconceptions.

I use Yarn.