The Cutting Edge: COMPUTING / TECHNOLOGY / INNOVATION : Spun Gel Lines Are Latest Angle in Fishing Gear

CHICAGO —  Sportfishing has come a long way since great-grandpa dipped his bamboo pole in the water, and it’s on the verge of another revolution.

Technology has already spawned a school of sophisticated electronic depth finders for tracking underwater activity. Over the years, rods have shifted from glass to lightweight, flexible graphite, and reels have become easier to operate.

Now, according to Al Lindner, veteran angler, writer and president of In-Fisherman Inc. in Brainerd, Minn., attention is turning to the fishing lines themselves, which have evolved from cotton string to braided Dacron to monofilament nylon fiber.

“The next revolution will be a new type of line--spun gel,” the former Chicagoan said in a telephone interview. He said manufacturers are clambering to get the premium-priced spun gel lines into production. Deliveries should start later this summer, and Lindner predicts they will make sizable inroads in the market by next year.

These lines, with a low- to no-stretch factor of 3% to 5%, will make hook-setting easier. In contrast, monofilament lines typically have a stretch factor in the range of 20% to 25%. The new product also will provide better knot strength, he said.