Best Fishing Line for Bluefin Tuna
Best Fishing Line for Bluefin Tuna
Bluefin Tuna can grow to enormous sizes, like over 1,400 lbs. Most average around 200+ lbs, which is still quite large. You are going to need some really strong fishing line to bring one of these monsters to the boat.
So what fishing line will give you the edge when doing battle with Giant Bluefin Tuna?
Monofilament Fishing Line
Monofilament fishing line has been used for many years to catch tuna. It is strong and durable but it is also stretchy. Mono fishing line is also very abrasive and will wear rod guides. Monofilament is larger in diameter and so it takes up valuable space on fishing reels. Fishing reels hold much less mono fishing line than braided lines. Mono fishing line will work but there are better choices.
Braided Fishing Line
Braided fishing line is the best choice for large fish like Bluefin Tuna. It is very strong, durable, smooth, less stretchy and has zero line memory. It's is also very small in diameter which means you can hold more line on any given fishing reel, almost double the line.
Braided fishing line comes in several designs or construction. It can be 4 strand, 8 strand, 12 strand or 16 strand braids. The more strands, the smoother the line and the stronger the knot. The best is 16 strand braided fishing line. It's very strong, up to 500 lb. test, and very smooth. 16 strand braided fishing line creates very little friction on rod guides which reduces line break risk. Knot strength is also increased. Knots are the weak link.
8 strand braided fishing line is also an excellent choice. It is less expensive than 12 or 16 strand lines but still has excellent performance properties. 4 strand is good but it's more coarse or rough because it's only 4 strands braided. The strands are larger in diameter. It is still very strong.
In conclusion, I'm not going to recommend a particular brand of braided fishing line because most are likely made by the same manufacturing plant in China. I have used many brands and could not tell the difference. I think most are very good.