Fishing involves many techniques; the factors influencing these techniques can vary from fishing location, time of year, water temperature and size and species of fish. Hence the choice of a fishing line has to be done very carefully. Fishing lines come in various specifications to suit different requirements; some fishing lines can be customized by color for client requirements; some are heavy while some others are light. The specifications and packaging of fishing lines also vary.

Primarily fishing lines cater to two main categories:

1. Sport fishing
2. Commercial fishing

A few types that can suit one or more categories of fishing are:

• Monofilament Lines
• Standard Lines
• Premier Lines
• Trimmer Lines

Conventional fisherman and fly-fishing people usually prefer Fluorocarbon fishing lines for various reasons.

The ends of a fishing line

The two ends of a fishing pole are called 'Tag End' or 'Standing End'. The tag end is also known as the 'live end', 'running end' or 'working end'. This is because this is the end of the fishing rod that is used to tie the knot. The opposite end of the 'tag end' is the 'standing end' or 'standing line'; the part of the fishing rod that is not involved in tying the knot, it is the unfinished end and leads to the reel.

Tag End

The tag end is a crucial part of a fishing rod because it is the end used to tying the fishing knot and refers to the short end of the line left over after the knot is tied. Whatever the knot, it can fail for any number of reasons from insufficient wraps or rounds of the knot resulting in the knot getting undone to the tag end being trimmed too short.

Sometimes, beginners forget to trim the core end after tying a knot. Not trimming it altogether to avoid some mistakes can be handy at times but problems arise when a tag end becomes too long. An untrimmed core end can end up making the knot heavier or cause unwanted drag especially in shallower waters where the fish can be alerted by the presence of the line.

How much of the tag end should be trimmed?

Leaving it untrimmed is not a suggestion or recommendation experienced anglers would advise. The ideal length of a tag end depends on

• the knot being used,
• the number of turns or wraps in the knot,
• the weight and type of fishing line being used,
• thickness and diameter, and
• the confidence of a fisher in the knot being secure.

The recommended length of a core end after a secure knot is tied is 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch. Here it is interesting to note that there are variations in the metrics and scales used for fishing rods from the Western world to the Europeans to the Japanese.