Best Line For Surf Fishing in 2023 (Real Reviews Inside)
Today we discuss Best Line For Surf Fishing. Ever heard of the saying,” The tool is only as good as the one who wields it?” This may have been true at a time when much of the technology in place sucked. Not anymore! Now, with the nitty-gritty details that manufacturers put into each and every product, you are bound to find something that makes a difference.
Fishing rods are no exception. Gone are the days when it was just a stick with a string on the end and something on the string to indicate whether a fish has taken a bite. Nope, now everything is so advanced, they even use special thread to reel in the fish. And that’s what I am here to talk about. So for all, you surf fishers, I give to you the best line for surf fishing!
10 Best Line For Surf Fishing in 2023:
- KastKing SuperPower Braided Fishing Line
- Power Pro Spectra Fiber Braided Fishing Line
- Berkley Trilene Big Game Monofilament Custom Spool
- KastKing FluoroKote Fishing Line
- Reaction Tackle High-Performance Braided Fishing Line
- Stren High Impact Monofilament Fishing Line
- KastKing SuperKast9-9 Strand Braided Fishin
- FISHINGSIR MonoPro Monofilament Fishing Line
- Handing Braided Surf Fishing Line
- Hercules Cost-effective Ultra Cast Braided Fishing Line
1. KastKing SuperPower Braided Fishing Line
We unveil this list with KastKing’s SuperPower Braided fishing line. As the name itself gives away, this is a braided line with powerful knot strength. As is with most braided lines, this is good for catching larger fish thanks to the lines being thicker than others. Despite the thickness, the line floats on water which makes it easier to fish.
The fishing line is also made of KastKing’s unique own fiber, which is made of polyethylene with high molecular mass. To understand how strong this is, a vest of this material can protect you from gunshots! The choice of material is extremely important, because it gives the line excellent tensile strength, even though the lines are small (more on that in a bit).
The line is also quite strong, which it has to be to catch larger fish. But regardless of that, you get a whole bunch of line strength options. Strength choices range from as low as 6 lbs. with a diameter of 0.07mm to as high as 80 lbs. with a diameter of 0.50mm, which comes in 8 strands.
Now, the uniqueness of this fishing line is exemplified by the line diameter. This basically shows how big the line is, and in the case of this, it is much smaller, and not just compared to other competitors within the same category, but also among non-braided fishing lines. Here is where the material comes into play because with such a small diameter it would be easy to tear unless the thing it is made of is something special.
It also has low memory, meaning it stays straight after you unwind it. Good for a lot of things, such as being able to cast further into the water, for one. And of course, due to the material it also has really good abrasion resistance too. Overall, it is a great addition to your fishing kit and will make any fishing experience better.
| pros | cons |
|---|---|
| Great value for money. Extremely durable. | Color fading. |
2. Power Pro Spectra Fiber Braided Fishing Line
Power Pro is next on the list with its own fishing line. It comes in a multitude of colors ranging from green to moss green and to as different as Vermillion red and Hi-Vis Yellow. This one, much like the last, is also braided. This means that you get thicker lines of strands joined together, made for the purpose of heavier lifting of course!
The line itself is made of Spectra Fiber, but you knew that already! Spectra is a modern line material brand, and it has a good name for a good reason. The fiber is hard, yet light. The kind that can take quite a bit of strain without tearing, yet float on water.
The reason for this is the fact that Spectra Fiber is made of lower-density molecules of polyethylene, a chemical that is strongly bonded. This makes the Spectra Fiber strong despite the apparent weightlessness.
Like the previous name, this too has a plethora of choices regarding the line strength. It varies from as low as 8 lbs. and as high as 1500 lbs. within choices of various lengths too, mind you. You can get a line that is as long as 3000 yards (I know, insane!) with a strength of 150 lbs. Even the thought of such a combination is mouth-watering………. unless you are the fish!
Likewise, too, are the choices of diameters on this line. The fact that this is braided, combined with the material choice, tells you a lot already. But we will still say it; the diameters are insanely low, with the smallest a meager 0.005 inches in size. Imagine all the lines that will stay coiled up because it takes up so little space!
Compounding these is the fact that it has almost no stretching. Sensitivity is the name of the game here, and this one is a sure winner at it!
| pros | cons |
|---|---|
| Long-lasting color. Strong. | Reflects too much light. |
3. Berkley Trilene Big Game Monofilament Custom Spool
Berkley takes a detour from the previous ones, starting with the colors available. Here, apart from a common green colored shade, you have a steel blue, clear, and even a coastal brown, which looks like a mixture of brown and gold. As for the green lines, even they look quite nice on the spool.
Now, this one is a monofilament line, which means the line is endless, smooth, and monotonous. The unique part about this particular bit is that it is quite smooth, making it easier to move around the spool, and easily seen by people. Plus, they end up being quite brightly colored, so that adds to human visibility, but at the same time makes sure fish (which can’t see all colors equally) are unable to.
This fishing line, unlike the others, uses nylon instead. If you aren’t savvy about this kind of thing, you still might know a little about nylon. And that is because nylon occupies the middle ground in terms of characteristics such as tensile strength, elasticity, and abrasion resistance. You get some of everything, but not a lot of one.
As with the others, you also get a variety of strengths and lengths. Strength begins at 8 lbs. and goes up as much as 130 lbs. Naturally, there are many different lengths, and with the strength, you get different corresponding diameters too. Unlike in braided, polyethylene lines, the diameters are somewhat larger, which is apparent when you see it.
Also with the package comes a bit of stretching. Not that it is completely useless, of course, but you do lose out on some precise response to tugs on the line. But on the bright side, stretching means that the rod will be able to dissipate energy, a property that is needed when catching or reeling in fish with soft flesh.
Needless to say, this is a different kind of line, for different purposes.
| pros | cons |
|---|---|
| Outperforms strength ratings. Decent stretching. | High memory. |
4. KastKing FluoroKote Fishing Line
This is another ‘different’ fishing line in numerous ways. KastKing decided to make this a single color, which is basically no color. The line, unlike others of KastKing’s, is only available as clear, meaning it is translucent. As is with most translucent lines, it gets extremely difficult for fish to see underwater. Ingenious, right?
Now the name gives away the fact that it is a combination of fluorocarbon and copolymer lines. As opposed to monofilament lines, you get better strength, less stretch, higher bonding, and abrasion resistance than what most monofilament lines provide. At the same time, you can get it at a price well below what sole fluorocarbon costs. Hence, this is essentially an economical alternative.
Now, the main material is the copolymer. This fabric gives the line the essential properties of most braided lines, including low memory, higher durability, and better casting. But unlike most braided lines, the line is given fluorocarbon on the exterior of the line, which is what enables it to have a translucent color and significantly reduce line visibility in the water.
Now, the FluoroKote line also comes in a wide choice of strengths and lengths. The strength varies on weights of 2 lbs. approximately, with the lowest available strength being 4 lbs. while the largest is a decent 30 lbs. And of course, with the length, you also get a few variations, with the longest length available an impressive 300 yards long.
Another impressive feature is that the diameter of the line is lower than even many braided lines and also basic copolymer fishing lines too. This means that not only do you get much more of the line coiled on the spool, but you also get a line that is denser.
And finally, the line settles into the water quickly and is quite responsive to tugs.
| pros | cons |
|---|---|
| Stronger than the stated pound test. Extremely durable. | Retains some memory. |
5. Reaction Tackle High-Performance Braided Fishing Line
The Reaction Tackle High-Performance Braided line is another excellent braided fishing line. First of all, we just have to tell you this: You get a massive choice of colors, as many as 11 different ones. These include shades of blue, green, orange, red, and even one multicolored line with 5 different colors in one.
The fishing line is braided, which makes the line thicker and stronger. Needless to say, you can catch larger fish with this line much more easily, and, with a plethora of choices regarding strength; the rest of the work is a piece of cake!
Speaking of which, you also get spoiled for choice with the strength and length. The lowest strength you get on this line is a 10-pound test, while the highest is a mammoth 200-pound test! Call us if you ever find a fish that big! In addition, you also get to choose from a wide range of lengths, starting from 150 yards and rising to 300, 500, 1000, and finally 1500 yards in length.
All this talk of strength and length takes us to our next point, the line material. This is made of a unique fiber known as UHMWPE. It is the strongest fiber available anywhere, which makes it supremely powerful, extremely durable, and of the highest grade. It also means that the line has negligible stretching and almost non-existent memory.
And we have to let you in on a little secret, to make up for the slightly larger lines they even have a unique, blue camouflage line. While it may seem hideous coiled around the spool, once in the water it is like air to the fish!
But it does have one flaw, and that is slightly larger diameters. But don’t let that take away all of the glorious details, because overall this line is quite the stellar performer.
| pros | cons |
|---|---|
| Strong color retention. Superior underwater invisibility. | Thicker than other braided lines. |
6. Stren High Impact Monofilament Fishing Line
This fishing line is quite different from the rest. There are 4 color variants of this fishing line which are quite well camouflaged depending on the type of water, which are smoke blue, Lo-Vis and Hi-Vis greens, and a clear variant. Needless to say, regardless of which you pick, invisibility is a huge focus.
The name already gave away the fact that this is a monofilament fishing line. As is with most monofilament lines, meaning you get no twists and turns, just a long line of……. Well, fishing line! It also means that it is the right kind of line for catching fish such as salmon, whose mouths can get ripped off without shock absorption. More on that later.
The line is made of nylon, which you know by now is a fairly common material for fishing lines. Because this fishing line needs to get go of a bit of strength for balance the choice of nylon makes sense, you need a balance of strength, durability, and stretching. Plus, nylon is also the most used fabric which is synthetic, especially for fishing lines.
Speaking of which, you also get quite a few combinations of strength, length, and diameter. The minimum strength is a 10-pound test, while the highest is a 30-pound test. The diameter, obviously somewhat larger, starts at 0.30mm and goes up to 0.55mm, a standard range for monofilament lines. As for length, the largest you will get is 1275 yards.
As stated, there is a decent stretch on this line for dissipating shock, specially designed for taking on line-punishing game fish. This particular line is great for saltwater catches as a result, because most saltwater fish require a bit of subtlety.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why this fishing line stands so far out from others.
| pros | cons |
|---|---|
| Doesn’t coil when being pulled from the spool. Retains strength. | A bit too much memory. |
7. KastKing SuperKast9-9 Strand Braided Fishing Line
No products found.When it comes to fishing lines, the SuperKast9 is a top-of-the-line premium line of fishing lines that performs exceptionally well. It comes in a single, moss-green color which looks on-fleek when outside water, and when inside remains difficult to see underwater for the fish.
The line is braided, meaning it is denser, and especially so because of the way it is made. The unique design means that it uses 9 strands of the material, known as MultiTuf PE fibers, wrapped into the line. Plus, the fibers also have high density, making them strong and durable as a result.
Although it is available only in a moss green color (moss because that is the color of underwater vegetation. Aha!) you get a bunch of strength and diameter choices. The length is a standard 300 yards for all strengths, but strength varies from a 10-pound test to as high as an 80-pound test. The diameter range, correspondingly, is 0.40mm to 0.43mm.
The winding on the fabric is done using KastKing’s unique Reverse Spiral Winding Technology, which basically transpires into a line where the fabric leaves no open space between the fabric strands. By reducing this, not only do you get insanely smaller cross-sections of fishing lines but also make the line perfectly cylindrical.
As a result, it is easier to cast, tie knots and generally maneuver. You also get the whole package in terms of endurance, this line has an excellent tensile strength (won’t tear easily even if pulled too hard) and abrasion resistance is insanely good on this! You can basically use this fishing line on all kinds of environments; whether it is rocky or heavily vegetated this line can take it all.
While this is quite pricey, you get what you pay for. And what you pay for is an insanely strong, 9-fiber line that does a stellar job.
| pros | cons |
|---|---|
| One of the strongest fishing lines. Insanely good damage resistance. | Loses color. |
8. FISHINGSIR MonoPro Monofilament Fishing Line
Another monofilament fishing line brand on this list, this one is a standout among the mono fishing lines because of its superior quality. From the other monofilament lines, you should expect a whole bunch of colors available, and it does deliver on that. You get a choice of blue, green, lime green, red, and clear.
The fishing line is made of nylon, which seems obvious at this stage. Given the fact that most monofilament fishing lines need to have all kinds of qualities to a certain degree, nylon is the right kind of material that can give the sweet spot between strength, space utilization, density, shock absorption, and of course, cost.
But unlike regular nylon, this is made of copolymer which makes it somewhat stronger than regular nylon lines. Because of this, you also get relatively lower memory than most other nylon and superior abrasion resistance too.
You get an enormous range of strengths with this, and the combination comes in a manner where the stronger the line, the lower the length. The lowest strength is a 4-pound test, and it comes at a mammoth length of 2735 yards. I mean really, what are you going to do with that long a line? Thankfully, the 6-pound test has a 2185 yards length, the 8-pounder 1750 yards, and so on. The strongest line is capable of taking up to 130 pounds.
It is also quite convenient to use because of its ease and versatility. Needless to say, this gets the job done quite well.
| pros | cons |
|---|---|
| Good camouflaging. All-rounded performer. | Excessive stretching. |
9. Handing Braided Surf Fishing Line
If anything speaks volumes, this brand of fishing lines does more than anything else. And that is because the first thing that will catch your eye is how big the spool is! It is massive! And it is only available in three colors gray, blue and green, all of which happen to mix well with watery environments.
Going back to the huge spool, this becomes a necessity because regardless of which color or what strength of line you buy, you get 547 yards of line. That’s it. While that measures up to 500m, you have to ask Handing why they make it so big!
As for the strengths themselves, you do have ample choice. Too bad the weights are a bit weird……. You start with an 18-pound test line, and it goes up in random increments all the way up to 96 lbs. We don’t know why they do it like that, but hey at least the maximum limit is quite decent right?
And we didn’t even mention that it is braided that is also made of MultiTuf PE fibers. Remember them? Well, this one is made of 8 strands of this material wrapped together. You basically get the whole benefits of having such amazing material, yet you get them at a much more affordable price.
Also similar to braided lines is the fact that this one too is extremely sensitive on the end and has almost no stretching. You see where this is going. What you are getting is a typical braided line made of supreme-quality fiber. Can’t go wrong with this, can you?
| pros | cons |
|---|---|
| Great value for money. Good durability. | Thicker than most braided lines. |
10. Hercules Cost-effective Ultra Cast Braided Fishing Line
The last name on this list is another value-for-money pick for fishing lines. But before we get to that, we talked about being spoiled for choice before. Well, in terms of color, this is the most choice you will get, with exactly 15 different choices of color. There are various shades of green and blue, with some yellow ones, an orange, and lastly a multicolored version.
This, too, is a braided line with quite a bit of thickness and the ability to carry larger fish. But the key part of this is the material and architecture of the line. This is made of UHMWPE, the world’s strongest material used in fishing lines. To make things better, 8 strands of this are wrapped together to form this line, that too in a diamond weave structure. What this means is that the cross-section is shaped like a diamond, reducing gaps between strands.
As for the strength of the line, as usual, you get a lot of choices. There are 4 variations of length for each strength weight, with lengths of 109, 328, 547, and 1094 yards available to choose from. The weights start from the 10-pound test and increase gradually all the way up to 300 pounds. You get a lot of choices in between too so you can pick whatever suits your fishing needs.
And of course, it has superior knot power and abrasion resistance, thanks to the UHMWPE, as well as negligible stretch and extreme sensitivity. Basically, you get the work. At a great price!
| pros | cons |
|---|---|
| Economical choice. Durable line. | Poor color retention. |
Best Line For Surf Fishing Buying Guides
Although most of the ones that you will find on this list will carry out surf fishing amazingly, as you have seen they have different characteristics. Now, we will go over some of these qualities that your fishing line ought to have, and ones you should consider when you make the choice.
Material
The first thing to look at is the material from which the line is made of. We can basically distinguish it into either synthetic fibers, or more specifically nylon, and polyethylene fibers.
Nylon is basically made of polyamides that are structured into lines, which is what lets the polymer be used to make string-like objects, such as fishing lines. It has existed for ages, and you can basically find many things that are made of nylon. It is also popular for very good reasons. It is cheap and balanced so you can use it for many purposes.
As for polyethylene, it emphasizes strength and durability so you lose out on some of the other properties. It is used in expensive, high-quality fishing lines. All of the ones, including UHMWPE and MultiTuf PE, are forms of polyethylene. These are well-bonded and tend to be able to take quite a bit more load than nylon.
They are firmer than steel, which is what makes them good for a quick catch. The strength gives most of these lines low memory and very little stretching. Low memory means that it is more likely to retain its shape instead of following the one that you make when you coil it around, for example.
While stretching is easy to understand, no stretching is desirable when you need to immediately catch a fish, or if you want the tug on the line to reach your arms more efficiently and quickly. They also tend to have higher tensile strength, so they tend to have smaller cross sections (i.e. lower diameters) for being able to carry the same weight as others.
Line Category
Fishing lines come in either braided, monofilament, or thermal filament kinds.
Braided lines are basically ones with multiple fibers wrapped into one, making them generally thicker than the rest. You will find braided lines are used for heavy-duty fishing, such as offshore tuna. Although these do come in many strength options, for the most part, these are your go-to lines for catching large fish.
Monofilament is simply a single filament that makes up the line. This is basically a single strand that has no interruption, no twists of any kind. It is just a clean stretch of fiber. Because of this, monofilament lines tend to have an even surface and plain texture. You also get good stretching from them, which is why monofilaments are usually used with nylon.
But then you also get really good camouflage on these lines too, because of the clear colors and natural-looking patterns. Overall, as you can see, braided and monofilaments are opposite ends of a spectrum. They do different things and have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Thermal filaments are a compromise here. These are basically called thermal because the fabrics are bonded together by heating. This gives the lines more strength for a lower diameter but takes away some of the stretching and invisibility.
Line Strength
Line strength refers to the weight that a line can carry. The basic idea is that you need to be able to carry maximum weight on the line, which basically sets a standard for how big a fish the particular line can carry. Seems simple enough?
But someone too clever might suggest taking the one with the greatest strength so that you can catch everything. Ah, but there’s a catch here! Higher strength often means that the line is heavier, which poses a whole host of other problems like portability. Imagine the kind of work you would need to put in to catch a mere 4-pound trout, for example?
The sweet spot is basically finding the right strength for the kind of fish you intend to catch. A good starting spot is WHERE you intend to fish since it is an important determinant of the sizes of fish present there.
Castability
Being able to cast better will need to tick two simple boxes. It needs to be light, and it needs to be designed in a manner so that it gets out of the spool quickly. Other factors that you could think of are streamlining to travel through the air better, and line texture so that there is less friction when uncoiling from the spool.
Memory and Stretch
Memory refers to the ability of the line to retain the twists and loops that it was originally in. Ideally, you want less memory on the line for smooth functioning and less interruption.
Stretching is basically elasticity, which determines how much energy it dissipates while expanding. Low stretching allows you to feel a tug faster on your hands, letting you know you have caught the fish promptly.
But high stretch can get you to catch fish with soft flesh which would otherwise be torn, letting you deal with fish such as salmon. If you know about how fishermen ‘fight’ the fish, stretching is what lets them do it.
Final notes
Well, now that you know quite a bit about the best line for surf fishing, we suggest you first determine where exactly you want to fish and what kind of fish you will find there. Next, think of the budget you have for the fishing line.
With these two done, find the line that suits your fish and your budget! Simple! Which one you end up with is all on you so we will leave you to that. Adios, amigos!