Fishing lines

[Toddy]

I have some beautiful flax fibres from the plants I grew this year. I had thought to spin and lay, or plait or 4 part round braid, them into a fishing line; but just how fine ought a natural line be? What's a good length? and ought it to taper?

I recall asking something like this a long while ago of horsehair, but they're very different materials.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Eric_Methven]

I have some beautiful flax fibres from the plants I grew this year. I had thought to spin and lay, or plait or 4 part round braid, them into a fishing line; but just how fine ought a natural line be? What's a good length? and ought it to taper?

I recall asking something like this a long while ago of horsehair, but they're very different materials.

cheers,
Toddy

I suppose it depends on what type of lure you intend to use. If fly, it'll need to taper right down. Then you have the trade off of diameter versus strength. I'd be tempted to experiment with a 4 part round braid of five threads per part working down to two threads per part (so you'll have an eight thread line) at the end. Then I'd tie a tippet of horse hair about a meter long and tie the fly to that. Having said all that, I'm just making a best guess.

Eric

 

[bushwacker bob]

IIRC the recorded requirement for a 'browne trout' tippet was 2 horse hairs.