Fishing lines are specified in various ways and each may be useful to you in one way or another.
PE ratings are a Japanese way of specifying diameters and most reels will have written on it how many meters of a certain PE line will fit on the reel. Some anglers like this system as it helps to determine how much line will fit on the reel.
Diameter in mm. This is a traditional way to rate the thickness of the lines but there is some hot debates on how this is measured with braided lines as some pressure will flatten the lines.
Monofilament line strength in lb. Monofilament lines are not often referred to in the PE system and are still rated in lb and also kg. Most lines will slightly overtest on it’s ratings but IGFA pre test lines are also available, which test slightly under it’s rating, which makes it possible to claim IGFA records.
Braided line strength in lb. Most braided lines are rated in lb but unlike monofilament lines, they often test over it’s rating by a considerable amount. It is thought that some manufacturers took into consideration the fact that knot strength isn’t as high as monofilament tied knots and also braided line breaks much quicker on a fast pull than a slow pull as braided lines have no stretch. This is also referred to as shock load. This “overtesting” causes considerable confusion amongst some anglers that don’t understand why braided lines aren’t rated at close to it’s actual breaking point.
This list shows the relationships using modern high end braid and monofilament as example:
| PE (Gouw #) | Diameter (mm) | Monofilament line strength (lb) | Braided line strength (lb) | Weight gm/100m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.4 | 0.100 | n/a | 6 | 1.2 |
| 0.6 | 0.128 | n/a | 8 | 1.8 |
| 0.8 | 0.148 | 2.2 | 10 | 2.4 |
| 1 | 0.165 | 3.5 | 15 | 3.0 |
| 1.5 | 0.205 | 4.4 | 20 | 4.6 |
| 2 | 0.235 | 5.8 | 25 | 6.1 |
| 2.5 | 0.260 | 6.4 | 30 | 7.3 |
| 3 | 0.285 | 8.8 | 35 | 9.2 |
| 3.5 | 0.310 | 9.6 | 40 | 10.6 |
| 4 | 0.330 | 14.2 | 50 | 12.1 |
| 5 | 0.370 | 15.9 | 60 | 15.2 |
| 6 | 0.405 | 17.4 | 80 | 16.7 |
| 8 | 0.407 | 25.6 | 100 | 20.0 |
| 10 | 0.520 | 32.7 | 120 | n/a | 12 | 0.570 | 33.1 | 140 | n/a | 14 | 0.620 | 44.4 | 160 | n/a | n/a | 0.910 | 81.6 | n/a | n/a |
