Float fishing without monofilament line is nearly impossible. Your fishing line will drift and won’t let your presentation flow properly down the river. 

Monofilament (also known as mono) line has a near-neutral buoyancy that makes it the only choice for topwater floating.

Float fishing has really gained popularity in North America in the past decade. Turning many inexperienced anglers into exceptionally successful anglers. If you’re going float fishing for steelhead, we’d also recommend using beads.

Best Monofilament Line for Steelhead

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This advanced monofilament line comes in a large 330 yard spool that gives you more than enough line to cast. It has a 50% lower stretch capability and UV absorption than a standard line, and it’s very resistant to abrasions. This will help prevent the line from snapping or snagging.

Pros

• 330 yards per order
• Very sensitive
• Resistant to abrasions

Cons

• Can have too much memory
• Not extremely sensitive

Best Monofilament Lines

There are thousands of float fishing lines available, and this can make choosing the best one challenging. However, we’ve picked out five great options ranging from 8 pounds up to 12 pounds and outlined them for you below.

Sufix Superior (8lb, Yellow)

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This line won the top-rated monoline award by “The Professional’s of Sport Fishing Magazine” in the 130 pound class. It has some of the highest tensile strength, and this line is very resistant to abrasions, fraying, or snapping. You’ll get a controlled stretch for a very fast recovery.

Pros

• Excellent hook setting power
• 1720 yards of line
• Has a low memory

Cons

• Can sink too fast
• Not UV-resistant

Ande A18-8GE Premium Mono (8lb, Bright Green)

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This is a medium soft monofilament line that works well for float fishing. The high abrasion and absorption resistance of this line makes it great for long fishing adventures, and it won’t drag your lure down. The bright green color is easy to see.

Pros

• Comes with a high absorption resistance
• Very bright green color
• Has great line memory

Cons

• May separate with repeated use
• Can weaken where it stretches

Stren High Impact Mono (10lb, Blue)

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This monoline comes in four colors ranging from clear to blue and green, and you can pick from six different sizes. This is a shock-resistant line that works well for game fish that like to fight. It’s durable enough to use in saltwater without corroding.

Pros

• Available in several sizes
• Has a high shock absorbency
• Coated to survive salt water

Cons

• Problems with line memory
• Coating can wear off

Berkley Trilene Big Game Mono (12lb, Green)

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This line ranges from 10 pounds up to 50 pounds, and you get 340 yards in each purchase. The bright green color is very easy to see, and the line comes with excellent line memory. This helps you reel and cast without tangles.

Pros

• Available in several weights
• Get over 300 yards per order
• Great line memory

Cons

• Twists with more uses
• Color may not be as bright

Berkley Trilene XL Smooth (12lb, Clear)

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This super strong line has excellent sensitivity and it’s very versatile. You can use it with several lures or baits, and it resists kinks and twists with extended use. You’ll get excellent castability with this line that is perfect for float fishing.

Pros

• Very versatile and strong
• Resists kinking or twisting
• Very sensitive

Cons

• Get a small amount of line for the price
• Not UV-resistant

Monofilament Fishing Line Buying Guide

Monofilament Line Explained

Monofilament fishing line has several unique properties that make it a viable option for drift fishing. In order to help you get a better understanding of this line, we’ll go over the biggest selling points below.

Inexpensive
Arguably one of the biggest draws with float fishing line is that it’s inexpensive. This makes it accessible for anyone who wants to try it, regardless of their budget. You also get a lot of line in every purchase, and this increases the time you can spend out learning how to drift fish.

You can even buy several different types of float fishing line. For example, you can get over 330 yards of line for under $20. You can buy a few different line types for under $100.

Sink or Float Line
Float line can be much thicker than traditional fishing line, and it contains a single line of fiber. To make these fibers, you melt a mix of polymer before forcing it through tiny holes that force the fibers to form strong lines. They come in several different thicknesses and sizes.

Float line also has several color combinations like red, green, blue, fluorescent, white, and clear. They’re cheap to produce, and this makes them popular because it’s relatively inexpensive to get hundreds of yards of line.

Line Memory
Line memory refers to the curls that naturally occur when a line sits on a spool for extended periods. These curls can make getting a smooth cast or reeling your line in exceedingly difficult. With traditional fishing line, there isn’t much you can do to reduce it.

Monofilament fishing line isn’t immune to line memory. However, it’s relatively easy to fix it. If you have curls in your line, run the line under warm water for a minute or two. Gently heating the monofilament fishing line like this will remove most of the line memory.

Knot Friendly
With traditional fishing line, you can compromise the line’s strength each time you tie a knot. These knotted areas get weaker, and it makes it easier for the line to snap when you’re trying to reel in your fish, and it’s putting up a fight.

The steelhead mono line is very knot friendly. Because it has a higher textile strength, you can confidently tie several large knots without sacrificing the line’s durability. Some lines even offer almost 100% knot strength as long as you use a premium mono line.

Stretch
Normal fishing lines will stretch a small distance. However, they’ll snap relatively quickly with continued pressure. The monoline has a much higher stretch capability. If you get it snagged while it’s drifting along, the line can stretch up to as much as 25% without weakening or snapping.

What’s more, when you bring the line back, it won’t have a compromised strength factor because it had to stretch out. You’ll be able to case it again and again without worrying about weak areas.

Mono Line FAQ

Does Monofilament Float?

Monofilament fishing line has a the distinct benefit of being neutrally buoyant. In other words, it does sink. However, it sinks extremely slowly. This is great for lures where you don’t want the line to weigh them down like topwater lures.

The line will slowly collect water as it sits on the top of it. Eventually, the water will cause the line to sink below the surface. However, it’s so slow that you’ll most likely reel in before this happens.

What’s The Best Mono Size Line For Steelhead?

If you’re fishing any of the waters in the Ontario region during winter, then we’d highly recommend using a 10-14 lbs float line.

Why Use 10-14 lbs Mono?

Most anglers I’ve encountered use this for two reasons:

It gives us confidence that no matter the size of the Steelhead on the hook won’t break our line.

Also it’s easier to untangle. Trying to untangle your line while your wading in the water in negative weather is not fun.

What is Mono?

This is a shortform for monofilament which implies that it’s a single strand of filament material line.

What Material is Mono Line Made From?

Different makers can use different material however nylon is the most popular brand that is used for mono fishing line.

Difference Between Drift Fishing and Float Fishing?

Drift fishing is a specialized fishing technique using a boat. When you drift fish, you kill the motor and allow the boat to move freely with the current and wind over areas where you believe the fish are. You can use drift fishing with mid-water fishing techniques with flying-collar or jig setups, or you can use it for bottom fishing.

Float Fishing is rigging your set-up with a bobber or float rig and letting your presentation drifting slowly down the river.