Carp Fishing Buying Guide, Part 3 – Carp Mainlines

This entry was posted on 22nd October, 2014

Read other parts of this guide: Part 1 – Carp Fishing Rods Part 2 – Carp Fishing Reels Part 3 – Carp FIshing Mainlines Part 4 – Carp Fishing Bite Alarms Part 5 – Carp Fishing Indicators

Due to the popularity and positive feedback received from our last Carp Fishing buying guide we thought it was about time we wrote and published an up to date, new version, so here goes…

Carp Fishing Buying Guides – Carp Reels Once you have chosen your reel you’ll obviously need to fill it with some line! Now depending on what you prefer you may choose braid or monofilament. Both are very different, braided lines have a much smaller diameter for there breaking strain, for example a 60lb braid would be the same diameter as some mono mainlines of 10-15lb. Braided lines have no forgiveness in them which can be good and bad on different occasions, as they have no stretch it means you get to feel every contour of the lake bed and every head shake of the fish (this can lead to some heart in the mouth moments!) but it can also equal some hook pulls near the bank. Braid isn’t the most abrasion resistant either and can require some careful handling, a taught braid is like cheese wire, and it can also be prone to wind knots. For these reasons as a mainline we would recommend starting off with monofilament, there’s always time to experiment with braid, and its perfect when used in conjunction with a marker rod or spod rod, but we’ll talk about that later.

A monofilament mainline around 10-15lb should be absolutely fine for the majority of carp fishing, you just need to take into account the weight of leads you are casting, type of water your fishing and the size fish your targeting.

A great cheap all round carp fishing line is the Daiwa Sensor mono, it’s without doubt one of the number one monofils in the UK. It has scooped multiple awards, landed two British record carp and is popular with anglers across all disciplines. Available in both clear and brown, and sold in bulk spools or smaller 300m spools. With a reputation for exceptional reliability, a rugged performance, Sensor has delivered amazing durability, suppleness, consistent diameter and superb knotting. This is one all round line we would definitely recommend!

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Daiwa Sensor Monofiliment

– Type: Monofiliment - Colour: Brown & Clear - Abrasion Resistant: Yes - Distance Casting: No - Breaking Strains: 4lb-10lb - Spool Size: Bulk

Buy The Daiwa Sensor Mono

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If you are looking for something slightly more specific then there are lots of lines on the market all designed for different things, with the majority of lines either designed for casting, or for there abrasion resistance. One of these lines was the excellent Korda Adrena-line, however this has since been discontinued and replaced with Korda’s new all singing, all dancing mono, the Korda Touchdown range.

It’s been designed as a performance mono to help you feel more as the lead impacts the bottom; it has been achieved by reducing the stretch, while maintaining the abrasion resistance and casting performance. It sinks well and has great knot strength, meaning it ticks nearly every box in what you require from a Carp Fishing line. Available in two versions, a low-vis green and a dark brown colour to suit all the lake bed conditions that you're likely to encounter.

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Korda Subline Mono

– Type: Monofiliment - Colour: Green & Brown - Abrasion Resistant: Yes - Distance Casting: No - Breaking Strains: 10lb, 12lb 15lb & 20lb - Spool Size: 1000m

Buy The Korda Subline Mono

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If long distance casting isn’t your forte and you need a slightly more rugged line, with a high abrasion resistance then once again we would recommend something from Korda, this time the Korda Subline.

Subline Carp mono has been specifically designed by Team Korda to cope with all extreme fishing requirements. The line has been tested for many years in the Korda lab and has out performed all others in terms of toughness and knot strength. It is now the preferred choice amongst many Carp anglers, when faced with heavy weed, snags or the abrasive terrain of gravel.

By using the latest line extrusion technology, Subline exhibits outstanding suppleness with the stiff wiry feel often found on super tough reel lines. In addition to all this Korda have added a very dense material to the formula ensuring the line sinks exceptionally well. Available in the key, popular breaking strains with the addition of a 20lb version for dealing with extra heavy duty carping and European work - subtle green and brown colours are available.

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Korda Touchdown Mono

– Type: Monofiliment - Colour: Green & Brown - Abrasion Resistant: Yes - Distance Casting: Yes - Breaking Strains: 10lb, 12lb 15lb & 20lb - Spool Size: 1000m

Buy The Korda Touchdown Mono

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