As usual around this time of year, I finally get around to respooling my reels in readiness for the coming fun. Over the previous seasons, I’ve tried lines from many of the recognised manufacturers to try and find one which suits me; this year is no different.
I consider cost to be an important part of any decision I make when it comes to new tackle, and I think that these days it’s something that many anglers put at number one in the list of priorities. Gardner’s ‘Hydrotuff’ retails at around £16.99 for over 1000m. (1/4lb spool). That is more than enough line to fill a couple of deep spools on even the biggest reels, so for the price, it compares with anything else very favourably.
The line I’ve chosen this season is coloured dark brown. I know many anglers do not use coloured line for fear of spooking fish, but much of my fishing is done using back leads over silt, so I want the last few feet to blend in as much as possible. I appreciate that in coloured water, the darker lines may be more visible, but it’s a trade off I’m prepared to make….
Diameter is remarkably thin for the given breaking strain, and when the line is in the water, this becomes very apparent as it is difficult to pick up with the naked eye. At just 0.35mm in the 12lbs version, I’m fairly confident it will be virtually invisible in most situations.
New line can be difficult to load, and if I’m honest, it’s something I’ve suffered with in the past in my haste to get it on my reels. With that in mind, I soaked the Gardner ‘Hydrotuff’ in a mug of water for almost two weeks before use to ensure it wasn’t ‘springy’ and unmanageable when I came to load it. As a result, the ‘Hydrotuff’ came off almost perfectly straight and I had no issues with looping, trapping or damaging the line as it went onto my reels. It’s seems a particularly ‘forgiving’ line too; no memory, no stiffness and no kinking as it gets used, and it filled my spools superbly giving great line lay to reduce any friction.
Casting with ‘Hydrotuff’; I’m not an angler that will tell you that any particular line will add 20-30 yards to my cast unless I can really see a difference. ‘Hydrotuff’ however DOES cast very smoothly and I had no problems with wind resistance, rod eye friction or tangles at the rod tip. I was easily able to achieve accuracy and required distances too, so although it hasn’t added a lot of range to my casting, it has allowed me to hit my targets with confidence.
Line strength was uniform throughout; during my tests against the scales, (12lbs rated) the line broke on average after around 14lbs of direct pressure, and when single knotted, around 10.5lbs, so the rating on the spool was accurate enough. As many mono lines can stretch up to 30% under pressure, I was also pleased to find that the dynamic ‘give’ in Hydrotuff’ was nowhere near that amount, but was sufficient to make playing a fish on balanced tackle extremely enjoyable.
I’ve used the mono in a variety of environments during my tests, from silt to sand, and gravel to ‘chod’. ‘Hydrotuff’ stands up to abuse very well; I did find a tiny bit of damage after dragging the line across a raised gravel bar, but it held up well during my session and didn’t cost me any fish. As usual at the end of the day, I remove the last few feet if I need to ensure the integrity of my rigs, but I haven’t had to do this repeatedly with ‘Hydrotuff’.
Overall, a top quality monofilament line with good knot strength, abrasion resistance and casting abilities. Available from all good retailers, online and from www.gardnertackle.co.uk in 10lb, 12lb and 15lb breaking strains, low viz green and brown colours.
Clint Walker, Feb 2011 ©
