Mono Shooting Lines

Pete Laskier getting throttled in AK.

I’ve never gravitated towards mono shooting lines for Spey casting, mostly because mono is hard to hold on to.  However, mono has some huge advantages over other running lines.  First, because of its fine diameter, it shoots faster than extruded or braided lines.  Consequently, it tangles less and shoots farther.  Second, you can hold larger loops of line, which also aids in reducing tangles.  More so, it pulls less water into the guides than other running lines, which is a huge benefit in the colder months of the season. -Less water in the rod guides means less guide freezing and warmer fingers.  Last but not least, it’s cheap! 

However, it’s still hard to hold on to.  That said, my good friend Andrew Bennett from Deneki Outdoors recently showed me an easy trick to help with the grip issue.  (Andrew later informed me that Alaska West head guide Ed Ward showed him this trick) Simply wrap the top six inches of the upper grip of your Spey rod with plumbers tape.  The tape will give you sufficient grip on the mono during the cast.  Although many anglers will still prefer an extruded running line like Airflo’s Ridge Running Line, those looking to add a few feet of distance with less tangles will love mono.

-TL