The great ‘line’ debate

Hi once again my Ofishinadoe friends.

As there has been a dearth of amusing anecdotes recently and very little happening on the “local” fishing front apart from Short Fin Tuna (Bonito or Skipjack) and Long Fin Tuna (Albacore) I decided this month’s article would have to be a bit more serious by necessity.

After being out on a few friends’ boats I thought I might join the “Mono or Braid” fishing line debate and save some of you Fisheroos out there some misery.

While experienced fishermen will tell you “Braid is Best” because it is thinner and therefore less visible in the water, and has no “give” or stretch  which means  the angler has a much better feel of what is going on at the sharp end of the line I feel the part-time Fisheroo should know both sides of the story.

I am a Big Game fanatic and as such take out amateur anglers with a view to catching the biggest beastie out there, with the least problems and that’s where Mono (monofilament) comes in. The more lines you troll the better chance you have of hooking the big ones but it also means, especially in “lumpy” weather, the more chances of tangled lines, commonly known as knitting. Mono is much cheaper (Scottish upbringing) and easier to untangle while Braid is a total nightmare to untie and usually needs cutting and the subsequent re-rigging and the time involved without hooks in the water is time lost fishing. So for trolling I believe in using nothing but Mono, so for “big game” don’t believe the advertising which, to my mind, should be targeted at single line “bottom” and fresh water fishing.

This month’s tip :- When making Tuna “belly strip” dead bait, always use Short Fin Tuna as this bait seems to holds together and moves through the water much better than its Long Fin cousins.

And finally, thanks to the young man who wrote to me after reading my last article – script as follows:-

I am staying in Phuket for the next week and I was curious if you had any need for deck hands aboard fishing boats for a few days? I read your article in the paper and would love to help out if it is needed!

Thanks.

Answer:-

Sorry Xxxx – good try – let me see your work permit and certificates to run a boat – even then the Thais might kill you for taking their job

Tight lines
Jimmy

Reply:-

Haha, thought I would try. Just keen to get onto a boat and can’t afford to charter! Thanks.

First published in the Phuket News