It's obvious how important fishing line is to a fisherman. It's the link between him, and that potential trophy swimming below. With fishing's incredible popularity, a wide variety of fishing lines have been invented for almost any fishing situation. But how do you chose which line is right for you? This can be a vital, but sometimes difficult question to answer. Fortunately, if you break down your unique fishing situation, you can figure out that there are only three major things you need to think about:

• What are the different types of Fishing Line?
  
• What Fish Species am I after?
  
• What is it's Habitat?
  

If you can figure out these two things, you can figure out the fishing line that's perfect for your favorite fishing hole!

Types of Fishing Line

There is an innumerable amount of different brands, sizes, strengths, and colors, of fishing line out there. So where to begin? Well we can first break down all fishing lines into three distinct categories:

• Monofilament, or fishing line composed of a single strand, is the most common and cheapest fishing line. Many anglers prefer this type of line for it's ability to stretch under load. Unfortunately, some monfilaments easily succumb to abrasion in heavy cover.
• Fluorocarbon fishing line is a recent developmentwhich is made up of a fluoropolymer. Fisherman value this type of fishing line for both it's great strength and it's ability to virtually disappear in water. However due to it's very low stretch, fuorocarbon lines have been known to break under too much pressure.
• Braided and Super Lines can be considered the strongest by diameter of all fishing lines. Consisting of many tiny strands woven together, braided lines can handle incredibly large fish. Unfortunately due to their woven nature, braided and super lines remain moderately visible to fish in clearer water.

Fishing Line by Species

After reviewing the varying types of fishing line available, it's time to consider what kind of fish you are looking to catch. As different fish species have varying sizes and strengths, it's important to match your fishing line accordingly. Here are a few tips on a couple of the more popular fish species:

• When persuing the Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, keep in mind the strength of these prized game fish. Consider using a braided or super-line if water clarity permits, or if fish are finnicky, fluorocarbon could be a strong second choice.
• Panfish and Trout can usually be taken on light monofilament. However in the case of wary trout of panfish in particularly clear water, fluorocarbon fishing line may be substituted merely for it ability to vanish in water.
• Large gamefish such as Pike, Muskie, and large Catfish are almost exclusively caught on super-strong braided and super-lines. In the case of fish such as muskie and pike, wire leaders are used due to the fish's toothy mouths!

Fishing Line by Habitat

Lastly, after considering the line type and target species, it's time to think about where and what the fish are living in. Considering this factor is vary important because different fish habitats have very different demands on fishing lines. Some of the more common fish habitats you will have to prepare for are:

• Heavy, weedy cover such as lilypad mats and hydrilla beds can play havoc with your fishing line. Strength and abrasion resistance are far more important than low visibility in these situations. Therefore a braided or super-line would be your best choice.
• Clear streams and open water can also be a difficult situation to chose fishing line for. In these settings fish are much more wary of highly visible lines such as braided and super lines. But where those lines fall short, fluorocarbon shines. With it's relatively high strength, great sensitivity, and most importantly near invisibility, fluorocarbon is nearly a perfect choice.
• Monofilament fishing lines can be a great stopgap for almost any fishing situation. As long as cover isn't too abrasive or water clarity too extreme, simple mono-line is a great choice. Mono-lines also make up the bulk of fishing lines used for spin-fishing and ultralight fishing.