What Line is BEST for Trolling?
When anglers branch into a new technique, such as trolling, several questions often come to mind. One of the most important decisions to get right is choosing the best line for trolling. Monofilament is commonly regarded as the best main line for trolling due to stretch and affordability, however some anglers prefer the smaller diameter of braid. Line capacity and lure depth is maximized with small diameter braid, and a topshot of monofilament can provide stretch for a hookset. In this article, the qualities of monofilament and braid are compared to show how several characteristics affect trolling. At the end of the article, you’ll know how to choose the best line for you.
Small Diameter Line is Key to Maximizing Lure Depth & Line Capacity
Smaller diameter line can cut through water easier, letting lures reach deeper depths. Braid has the smallest diameter when compared with monofilament and fluorocarbon of the same pound test. For trolling offshore, you’ll most likely need between 400 and 700 yards of 60 lb test line, and a reel with this kind of mono capacity tends to be a wide, conventional trolling reel, such as the Penn International 30VISW. To learn more about how much line you really need for trolling, read my article Trolling Depth & Line Length.
| Line Type | Brand/Type | Line Strength | Line Diameter |
| Braid | PowerPro Spectra | 30 lb test | 0.011 in |
| Mono | Berkley Trilene Big Game | 30 lb test | 0.022 in |
| Fluoro | Seaguar Blue Label | 30 lb test | 0.020 in |
The Cost Difference Between Lines Adds Up Quickly
Trolling spreads usually have at least 4 lines out. This means you’ll need at least 4 trolling rods, and 4 trolling reels spooled with a few hundred yards of line. As you can imagine, the cost difference between line types gets exaggerated and quickly gets to an amount most people care about.
To give you an idea of the cost difference, see the table below for the cost per yard and the cost to spool and estimated 4 reels with 400 yards of line each. It’s easy to see here that monofilament is by far the cheapest line option, and it’s also easy to see why fluorocarbon is rarely used as a main line.
Braid is more expensive than monofilament, but lasts longer, which makes the cost difference between braid and mono somewhat even-out over time.
| Line Type | Brand/Type | Line Strength | Cost/yard | 400 yds x 4 reels |
| Braid | PowerPro Spectra | 30 lb test | $0.08 | $128 |
| Mono | Berkley Trilene Big Game | 30 lb test | $0.02 | $32 |
| Fluoro | Seaguar Blue Label | 30 lb test | $0.64 | $1,024 |
Line Stretch Absorbs Shock from Hard Strikes
Hard striking big game fish, like wahoo, will require some shock absorption in the line. Without any shock absorption, you risk snapping your line right off. When trolling, your setup requires some stretch, but exactly how much stretch is more of a personal preference. If using monofilament as your main line, and mono or fluorocarbon as a leader, there will be plenty of stretch in the system to withstand strikes.
When using braid as a main line, there is little to no stretch, which drives the need for a monofilament topshot or leader. A trolling setup needs stretch to set the hook without having the boat speed rip the hook out of the fish’s mouth. If your braid setup includes a monofilament topshot, it will be able to set the hook when a hard strike occurs, without causing the hook to rip out and without breaking your braided main line.
Respools Are Needed When the Line Deteriorates
The quality of monofilament fishing line declines as the line is exposed to sun and saltwater. This drives the need to replace the line on trolling reels at least annually. This can drive the lifetime cost up, and can also be an annoyance. If you neglect to replace your monofilament frequently enough, you could risk losing a trophy fish because your line strength is not what it used to be. Braided fishing line has superior longevity and rarely needs to be replaced at all.
Many big game offshore fishermen will spool big trolling reels up with hollow core braid and splice on a monofilament topshot. When the topshot needs to be replaced, they cut it off and splice on a new one. If they notice the braid has frayed somewhere, they can even cut off a portion of the main line and splice on more hollow core mainline, and then a new monofilament topshot. Splicing hollow core braid makes for an incredibly strong connection with the added bonus of saving money by avoiding a full respool.
I have several of the same trolling reels to improve my preparedness on the water. If I get spooled by a big fish on one of my Penn International 16VISX’s, or if the braid frays on one, I keep a spare spool full of braid on the boat, ready to swap out. This spare spool always comes with me when I’m trolling and I don’t have to worry about whether the braid has deteriorated. It gives me peace of mind that I can maintain my trolling spread, even if something happens to the line on one reel, without needing to buy an extra reel.
Your Reel May Influence the Line Choice
Another consideration to keep in mind is the style of trolling you plan to do. For example, if you bought a heavy and wide reel thinking that you’d keep the rod in the rod holder while retrieving, you could easily use a beefy trolling reel and spool with monofilament and have plenty of line. However, if you bought a stand up rod and a relatively lightweight and narrow trolling reel with the intent to hold the setup during the retrieve, you may need to choose braid to maximize the amount of line on your reel.
The first trolling setup I purchased was a Penn International 16VISX with a Star Paraflex medium heavy standup rod and I spooled the reel with braid and a 100 yard monofilament topshot. The topshot gives me a controlled amount of stretch for the perfect hookset, and the braid maximizes the line capacity on my relatively small trolling reel.
Monofilament is Commonly Used as Leader Line for Trolling
Abrasion resistance, stretch, and transparency are the driving factors when deciding on a leader line for trolling. A leader or topshot is far fewer yards than main line, so the cost isn’t nearly as big of a driver.
Abrasion resistance is needed when trolling around structure such as a reef, palm fronds, or weeds. Line can snag on a reef or structure, and can even weaken if you happen rail a spinning rod on the edge of the boat gunwale. Sometimes when trolling, we get strikes from toothy fish such as barracuda, and abrasion resistance is critical. Sometimes I’ll even use a wire leader when I know there are toothy fish around. Monofilament and fluorocarbon are far superior to braid when it comes to abrasion resistance.
Stretch is often needed in a leader line to help set the hook. It absorbs the shock of the strike without transmitting a hard strike back to the main line and the reel. This shock absorption can add years to the life of your reel and can improve your hookset ratios. It also comes in handy if you get stuck on structure and must tug on your line to get it free.
Transparency is sometimes important, depending on whether your target species are leader-shy or not. Some fish get spooked when they see fishing line, and some don’t seem to notice it. Fluorocarbon is extremely transparent, which is needed when trolling in clear water. When fishing dark ocean waters, monofilament is generally transparent enough.
When trolling, you’ll most definitely hear the terms topshot and leader. To learn about the differences between a topshot and a leader, and how long your topshot should be, check out my article on the subject here.
Can You Troll with Braided Line?
You’re putting together your trolling setups for an upcoming trip, and you know you need to get fresh line on your reel. You’ve never used it before, but you’re wondering if you can troll with braid and decrease how often you need a respool. Braid can be used for trolling in conjunction with a monofilament topshot when using standup tackle and a smaller class reel. Anglers can pack a high amount of braid on a small reel because of the small diameter, and the mono topshot sets the hook with the right amount of shock absorption. Although braid is more expensive, some anglers believe that trolling with braid is the easiest way to achieve the desired lure depth.
As you might imagine, a thinner line can cut through the water easier than a thicker line. For the same pound test line, braid is much thinner than monofilament and helps a lure sink faster. When trolling with crankbaits, the lures tend to rise in the water column as the boat speed increases, making it a challenge to maintain a deep lure depth. This can be frustrating if it affects whether you actually present the trolling spread you’re shooting for.
Thinner line packed tightly on a spool will increase the amount of line you can fit on your reel. This is advantageous if you have a smaller sized reel and you still want to make sure you have enough line for a longer fight. When spooling a trolling reel with braid, be sure to add a monofilament backing or electrical tape on the bare spool to prevent the braid from slipping.
A simple comparison of reel specs shows that the line capacity of braid is much higher than line capacity of monofilament.
| Trolling Reel | Mono Capacity | Braid Capacity |
| Penn International 16VISX | 280 yds 60 lb test | 890 yds 65 lb test |
If you’re in the market for a trolling reel, read my article The Best 2 Trolling Reels for Saltwater to find out why I chose the Penn International.
The cost of braided fishing line is about four times as much as the cost of monofilament line per yard. This gets magnified by the fact that when using braid, you’ll be putting around twice as many yards on the line. Multiply this by the number of reels in your spread, and the cost is dramatically higher than the cost of using monofilament.
Although the cost of spooling your reels with braid is higher than that of monofilament, braid needs to be respooled far less often. Braid is durable and will last years if properly cared for. Hollow core braid is also a popular option on large pound class trolling reels because of the ability to cut off any damaged braid and splice on more hollow core braid. The need to replace an entire spool of hollow core braid can be greatly minimized.
Is It Better to Troll with Braid or Mono?
The different types of fishing line have different qualities which generally make one more suitable for a certain type of fishing. Braid has become increasingly popular over the years, which has many anglers wondering if it’s better to troll with braid or monofilament. The consensus is it’s better to troll with monofilament. Mono has a high amount of stretch for shock absorption, high abrasion resistance, and is the most affordable option when spooling multiple reels. Braid with a mono topshot can be used to fit more line on the reel and help lures dive deeper. Monofilament remains the trolling go-to by most anglers today.
As you now understand, both monofilament and braid can be used as a main line when trolling. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages, and monofilament is the most common choice. I hope this article helps you choose the best trolling line for you. Tight lines, y’all!
