2nd Annual Line Stretch Test

Last year I did a line stretch on 9 different lines and I added 9 more this year. Many line manufacturers market their product as low stretch and I wanted to find out which lines actually stretch less than others. I used all 8 pound test lines in monofilament, co-polymer and fluorocarbon lines for these tests.

I used a 12 foot piece of each line and hung an 8 pound weight to see how much each line stretched in inches. Below are the results – least stretch to most stretch.

Lines Brands Tested
1) Trilene XT (Mono) 21-1/4 inches stretched
2) Yo-Zuri Hybrid (Co-polymer) 22-1/8
3) Sufix Seige (Mono) 22-5/8
4) P-Line CX Premium (Co-polymer) 23-1/2
5) Maxima Treazure (Co-polymer) 24-1/2
6) Trilene XL (Mono) 24-3/4
7) Tectan Superior (Mono) 25-7/8
8) Berkley Sensation (Mono) 26-1/8
9) Sunline Sniper (Fluorocarbon) 26-1/2
10) Gamma Touch (Fluorocarbon) 29-1/4
11) Original Blue Stren (Mono) 29-3/4
12) Gamma Edge (Fluorocarbon) 31-0**
13) Bass Pro XPS (Fluorocarbon) 31-3/4*
14) Stren 100% (Fluorocast) 31-3/4*
15) Seaguar Tatsu (Fluorocarbon) 32-3/4
16) P-Line 100% (Fluorocarbon) 33-0*
17) Seaguar Invizx (Fluorocarbon) 36-0**
18) Berkley 100% (Fluorocarbon) 38-3/8

*Line snapped once and was re-tested
** Line snapped twice – length estimated

Broken Down By Line Type
3 Co-polymer lines average stretch: 23.4 inches
6 Monofilament lines average stretch: 25.1 inches
9 fluorocarbon lines average stretch: 32.2 inches

Line Diameter
Line diameter can have an effect on stretch, but 9 of these lines all had the same diameter (.009 inches). Those lines are broken out below. The overall results are similar for the 3 different line types.

P-Line CX Premium (Co-polymer) 23-1/2
Maxima Treazure (Co-polymer) 24-1/2
Tectan Superior (Mono) 25-7/8
Berkley Sensation (Mono) 26-1/8
Sunline Sniper (Fluorocarbon) 26-1/2
Gamma Touch (Fluorocarbon) 29-1/4
Bass Pro XPS (Fluorocarbon) 31-3/4*
Seaguar Tatsu (Fluorocarbon) 32-3/4
Seaguar Invizx (Fluorocarbon) 36-0**

Overall observations
-Newer Co-polymer lines being marketed specifically as “low stretch” for the most part seem to be accurate.

-Fluorocarbon tends to be the line with most stretch – this can be a good or bad thing depending on how you plan to use the line.

-Monofilament tends to be somewhere in the middle, although those with a thicker diameter (i.e. Trilene XT .011 and Sufix Seige .010) did stretch less.

-Line diameter may have an effect on the stretch of certain lines, but overall, lines of the same diameter seem to reflect that Co-polymer and Monofilament lines still stretch less than Fluorocarbon.

-In this test, fluorocarbon lines tend to break easier when stretched to their maximum breaking strength.

Last year I ended up using Trilene XT and Yo-Zuri Hybrid as main lines, and overall seemed to work pretty well. This year I plan to experiment with P-Line CX Premium Co-Polymer.

I will also string a few poles with braid, but am going to use Berkley 100% fluorocarbon as a leader. Adding 4 feet of a stretchier line to zero-stretch braid can add a little forgiveness and maybe prevent tearing hooks out. I’m choosing Berkely because even with as much as it stretched, it did not break as easily as some other fluorocarbon lines did.

I’d be curious to see the results with a 4 lb and a 2 lb weight.

Thanks for the results.

Good info frydog!
Count me as one of those who are a bit surprised to see the results.

I already mentioned other concerns in a previous post so won’t delve into that again here.

One thing I would like to see though is an abrasion test of some sort on all these lines. For me anyway, just the fact that fluoro is less likely to be seen by the fish is only half (at most) the reason why I use it as a leader. With all the zeebs we have in the lakes & rivers I fish the most, abrasion resistance is huge when it comes to lure loss.

I still like fluorocarbon lines and have no plans to change my leaders from fluoro to mono although once my current supply is used up, I may have to give the Berkley fluorocarbon line a try.

A huge part of why I don’t instantly go out and make a change after seeing the results of these test is my own test.

What test am I talking about?

The one where me and my clients go out fishing, trip after trip, using fluoro leaders on every line we put in the water for quite a few years now. Looking back and thinking about the number of fish we’ve lost due to broken lines or knots, which is essentially zero, why would I change whats worked so well.

I like the info frydog has posted. It is good info to know but by no means the only thing we should look at when trying to determine which line is best for how we fish.

Frydog thanks again for the work you put into this, it is really interesting. I have been using P-Line CX for three years and really like it. I”m hoping they come out with a Hi Viz in it sometime.
I for one really appreciate your test. Just thought I had to tell you this before the negative people roll in.

Ha! Thx Nord lol. If there weren’t negative people would there be web sites?

This is cool stuff. Thanks for the time in doing it.

Personally I have made a shift back to mono lines from those that were fluoros. My preferred Mono is XL and the heaviest I use is 6 pound and that’s on my Lake Superior casting rods. I buy the XL 4 pound on bulk spools for my panfish and crappie fishing and those rods/reels get a line swap three or four times during the open water season. I have noticed that once the XL gets nicked its not real stable so changing out the light lines is simply a cure-all to some of the problems that mono’s can hand out.

I might have to cast up a lead 4 pound weight and try this testing myself using some of the 4 pound lines I have tried over the years next to the XL. Some of the ones that I thought broke too light are Berkley Sensation, Tectan. The Suffix Siege was another decent light line. I don’t know if it means anything to stretch or breaking limits but I use a clear line.

I liked the results of the P-Line CX Premium co-polymer. Almost as little stretch as Trilene XT and Yo-zuri but smaller diameter and I would think very good sensitivity. If you use lighter 4-6 pound lines might be interesting to try. I got the clear and its fluorocarbon coated and thin so maybe it’s fairly stealthy and sensitive. …and it didn’t break like the fluorocarbons of same diameter.

Fry how long did you hang the weight on each line? Did you get a lot of stretch right away or did it take awhile?

I drop the weight gradually to prevent line snap and most lines reach max at approx 20-25 seconds. I have an egg timer and take measurement at 30 seconds.

Wow that is incredible, are you going to try it with less weight? I wonder if the stretch will be proportional to the reduced weight. Did you observe the line after the weight was removed? Did it retract?

I did the stretch test to the maximum line rating to try to show as much possible difference between the various lines. I could do the test at for instance 4 pounds but my guess is the difference between lines will be closer and harder to really see how one line might vary from another.

I did observe the lines after (where I could). The co-polymers and monos didn’t seem to be worse for wear but the majority of the fluorocarbons snapped and coiled up.

Very interesting!
Thanks for taking the time to do this as well as the time for the detailed report.

Anyone using Shooter or Toray Fluorocarbon? Have heard they are low stretch and may add them to the stretch test.

Awesome information Frydog! Thank you for posting.

I am very curious about this and have a few questions for you:

1. What temperature was it when you performed the tests?
2. Can any of these lines exceed their rated strength? (9 or 10lb weights?)
3.If you performed the same test horizontally rather than vertically, would the results be the same?
4. Out of the lines that broke – did any of them break at the knot? If so, what knot were you using?
5. How would this experiment be affected if the weight was suspended in water rather than mid-air?

Again, great work!

FryDog62 wrote:

I did the stretch test to the maximum line rating to try to show as much possible difference between the various lines. I could do the test at for instance 4 pounds but my guess is the difference between lines will be closer and harder to really see how one line might vary from another.

I did observe the lines after (where I could). The co-polymers and monos didn’t seem to be worse for wear but the majority of the fluorocarbons snapped and coiled up.

This is exactly what I’ve noticed with repeated use of the PLine Fluoro as a leader. Usually after a day of catching, the line has begun to coil and stretch. Everything I can tell, the strength of the line is still there, just that it has stretched.

Cool write up. I may try the Copolymer.

Joel, sorry I’ve been traveling – will answer what I can:

1) Temperature was indoors approx 70’degrees. Line had been stored inside since purchased.

2) My guess is the fluorocarbons were not rated to exceed 8 pounds and that is why they have snapped. Of the mono/co-polys I have heard that Yo-Zurich Hybrid and Trilene XL are rated to a higher breaking strength. Tectan says it is designed thinner to break at/close to breaking strength (it did not snap).

3)Horizontally, Hmm – I don’t know but not sure it would affect results … maybe? But not sure how.

4)None broke at the knot (I used a double Palomar). Breakage was up the line from the weight.

5)Maybe different since it would probably weigh less underwater.

That help? Wish I could do this test a number of different ways but not sure it would make a difference when comparing the lines to each other. The other test I am contemplating on at least a few of the lines would be to conduct the same test with a 4 pound weight… Will see if I get time.

-Fry

Thanks for sharing FD!

When I snag with my 25 pound mono and stretch it to the front of the boat, I’m always wondering if the snag is moving or the boat.
Looks like it could be all three!

Be interesting to see the results if all the lines were soaked in water for an hour or two before testing. Absorption properties play a factor into all this as well, great test thanks for putting in the time.

Old post but has some cool information in it. I didn’t realize how much stretch there is in the line before reading this.
FryDog, looks like I missed the 3rd thru 7th annual test.