Main Line:
I want to say right from the start that for bank-angling purpose’s you do not need a main line anything thicker than 5lb or 10lb not even braid. The last few years we have been using 5LB line and with this line weight and thickness we have caught some amassing big fish. When you are targeting barbel and you now that they are biting in general, then you can move up to 10lb line. Line thickness has a huge influence on casting distance.
Type of Line:
There I believe in monofilament line for the following reasons.
The price in general are good, it cast easy, has a high knot strength, it is abrasive resistant, it has a good stretch especially when you have a big fish for that initial shock, and for strength to diameter that is all you need, very low memory and good visibility, see my next point.
Colour of line:
As far as I am concerned it really doesn’t matter and it has no influence on bank angling. To give an example my choice of line colour is visually because I like the colour and it looks nice but also on one reel I will have orange and on the other one I will have yellow line, the only reason is to remind me the orange is at a distance of 65m clipped in and the yellow is clipped in on 85m. Just for that visual reminder for me. I must say the other reason is for the colour line is also the visibility against the water it just makes it easier to see the line against the water.
Which Brand or Manufacture:
There again it is a personal choice, over the years I have used Double X High Abrasion line, for the reasons above.
Leader Line:
Use monofilament line for bank-angling. Here again I use Double X High Abrasion line 18lb to 20lb. Fluorocarbon line can also be used but for bank-angling it is a overkill and the price does not justify it. Colour, it really does not matter I just switch my yellow line to an orange leader and vice versa, just for you reel in is to see where your leader is. The leader lies in any case flat on the bottom, simply put colour does not matter!
Function of a Leader Line
In South Africa we cast quite a long distance so to get to that distance we use thin line 5lb, 7lb and 10lb, so if you tie your trace directly to the main line it will simply snap of when you cast hard, it is there to take the punishment. And when your leader is in you can add a bit more pressure on landing the fish. Just a general rule, the leader is double the rod length and two to three time around the reel.
