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Linen line?

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 7:16 pm
by SAFisherman
Hi guys what are the pros and cons to making and fishing with linen line? I haven't been able to find much info on the net so I'm hoping you guys will have some answers. Thanks in advance.

Re: Linen line?

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 9:23 pm
by Olly
Most of the lines anglers use is nylon. Now there are braids made from dyneema and other substances.

Fly lines have a core and a plastic coated outer.

"Cuttyhunk" was I think the name of old linen type fishing lines - until nylon came along. I know it was thick, very thick, and used for sea fishing.

Re: Linen line?

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 9:53 pm
by JAA
:Hat:
SAFisherman wrote: Wed Aug 23, 2017 7:16 pm Hi guys what are the pros and cons to making and fishing with linen line? I haven't been able to find much info on the net so I'm hoping you guys will have some answers. Thanks in advance.
Why do you want to try it? I'm curious.

Re: Linen line?

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 10:46 pm
by Olly
I think he is hoping for a Great White off the coast!

Re: Linen line?

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 6:49 am
by SAFisherman
Just curious really. I've read of silk, gut and horse hair lines and in researching them I came across this. What is horse hair line like to make and use? Thanks for all the feedback.

Re: Linen line?

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 8:50 am
by JAA
SAFisherman wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2017 6:49 am Just curious really. I've read of silk, gut and horse hair lines and in researching them I came across this. What is horse hair line like to make and use? Thanks for all the feedback.
As a callow youth, I read about this and because 'I knew a girl with a horse', I got hold of a quantity of tail hair and spent some time plaiting them to see how it turned out. From those experiments, I reckon you can make a reasonable line, it wasn't too stiff. It was labour intensive though (!), but using three lace-making bobbins and a cushion speeds things up quite a lot. It's the sort of thing that you can do while watching the telly, like knitting.

The hairs vary in thickness somewhat, so for any kind of decent line you need to sort them into similar thicknesses. From memory a hair might vary from about 2-4lb b/s.

To make a long line you have to start with three hairs of differing lengths (cut them up) and then splice in a new hair when you are nearly at the end of the 'old one'. That way you can ensure each join is about the same distance apart. It's worth plaiting a small loop into the 'start' end of the line, once you've an inch of plait, form a loop and plait the loose ends in with the standing part line for about 2". Overlap new hair joins at least 1" as well. Like any long braid you need to 'work it' a bit to even up the strains.

I've no idea how you care for such a line, although I suspect some kind of dressing would help its life along and perhaps make is more supple. I concluded that knots were likely to be hard to tie reliably and whipping the line to a hook was a better proposition. If I was doing it again, I'd look at a four part braid to produce a round section line.

Forgotten I'd tried that... :Hat: hope that helps.

Re: Linen line?

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 8:57 am
by JAA
P.S. My plaiting skills were also then used to make several bowstrings and I made a number of 18" plaited nylon traces out of 8lb Platil used for worming for pike on a local water. These had a loop at one end, attached to a link swivel and the other end had a size 6 long-shank fly-hook whipped on the other. worked well and I never got bitten off, although the traces generally were only good for two or three fish each.

Re: Linen line?

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 9:16 am
by Reedling
I have never heard of Linen line and I would have thought that it would have a problem with rotting. We strive for lines that are consistent in use, not just for our benefit but also so that lines are not breaking all the time and fish pulling around lengths of tackle. Anyways I found this about pool cues....

Back in the day there was no such thing as 'pool cue wrap', cue makers used fishing line which the fishing line companies called Irish linen or Cutty hunk linen.

Cortland being the largest manufacturer of fishing line at the time was the most popular choice, it came in black, dark green, tan and white with green specks.

The line was braided from X number of strands depending on the pound test rating.

Cortland 9 strand was rated at 27 lb test (3 lb per strand) and measures about .025" in diameter, this diameter became the most popular choice. I've seen cues with thinner diameter, probably 7 strand.

Cortland stopped production in 1976 and Penn continued making it for a few more years - Gus Szamboti used Penn after Cortland stopped production.

These braided lines were also made and used by cuemakers in dacron, nylon and silk.

The advantage to fishing line is its consistency in diameter and uniformity of the green specks. It had to be perfect as they made it by the mile and spooled it on spools from 50 yards and up. It couldn't be 27 lb test at one point and a lesser rating at another point.

When Hurlbert and Blue Mountain started making cue stick wrap to replace fishing line consistency didn't matter, hence it has knots, not uniform specks, etc. There is no comparison between fishing line and today's Irish linen cue wrap.

Re: Linen line?

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:43 am
by Olly
I have read the "Cuttyhunk" line was used for tuna and sharking! I would have thought that the strength was a bit more - possibly 100 lb plus.

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/111041947035081910/

Re: Linen line?

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 1:42 pm
by SAFisherman
Thanks for all the feedback guys. This has helped a lot. Cheers :).