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Merwin: Does Bioline (Biodegradeable Fishing Line) Measure Up?
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September 30, 2009
Merwin: Does Bioline (Biodegradeable Fishing Line) Measure Up?
So how about the new biodegradable fishing lines and flyfishing-tippet materials? A little-known company called Bioline has for the past few years been marketing a corn-based polymer fishing line that is clear and that the company claims will biodegrade naturally within 5 years. This in contrast to common nylon monofilament that can persist in nature for as long as 600 years.
Wright-McGill has recently bought Bioline (or so I’ve been told) and is newly marketing the product as spools of flyfishing tippet. I guess they figure fly anglers will be most willing to pay a premium for an environmentally friendly fishing product. This is all so new that it doesn’t yet appear on Wright-McGill’s website. But when Bioline was selling 30-yard tippet spools, retail was about $10 each or roughly twice the cost of premium nylon.
So how does this stuff measure up? I obtained a size 4X sample tippet spool from some Wright-McGill reps at a recent trade show. The spool is labeled as .009-inch diameter and 6-pound test. On my own micrometer and line-testing machine, the 4X Bioline measured .011-inch and slightly more than 7-pound-test (dry).
A “normal” 4X nylon tippet will be .007-inch and approximately 6-pound-test. Flyfishing-tippet is ordinarily scaled and sold by diameter, not pound-test. That means all spools of 4X should measure .007-inch, regardless of brand or strength. Unfortunately, Wright-McGill is not following that industry-wide convention and appears to be scaling the Bioline tippet sizes by strength instead of diameter.
That quibble aside, the Bioline tippet does seem workable as a leader material. And unlike discarded or lost nylon--which is a substantial environmental hazard--it will biodegrade fairly quickly. (The makers say, by the way, that full strength is retained for 8 to 10 months.)
The fly in the ointment is price. Wright-McGill hasn’t posted prices that I’ve seen yet, but a 30-yard spool of Bioline tippet was retailing for about twice the price of nylon. So maybe the bottom-line question is this: How green is your wallet?
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Comments (12)
I think flyfishing might be a good introduction for the product, but not because flyfisherman are generally more eco-friendly. It's the scale of use. Taking normal use such as break-offs and fraying aside, I replace a lot more main lines. Tippets get replaced when the nippers have just worked down too far. Annually though I replace just for maintenance about 600 yards of mono lines on ultralight and medium spinning outfits. The cost is a much bigger factor there. On the other side, I really don't like leaving line in the water. I generally come home, particularly if wading a stream, with 50 yards of line I didn't arrive with. Bio-degradable line, if it could hold up for a year before breaking down, and only break down when exposed to the elements, would be fantastic.
Hopefully the price will shortly go down and acceptance up. The catch 22 is that those who care about the environment are going to do what they can to retreive their waste line and probably gather others' from the shore when found. Flipping that, if someone doesn't care enough to pick up the birds nest they had to cut free or empty can of corn, they probably aren't going to shell out an extra few bucks for biodegradable line. I hope this line of products matures to practicality either way.
For tippet, yes I think this is a good product. I tried some of the heavier lines (4-lb) and (8-lb) for some spinning tackle this summer, and I'll be honest, the 8-lb was an outright disaster. Seemed to have memory issues and because of that didn't care for the way it casted one bit. The 4-lb was a bit better and more manageable. Actually, the more I used it, the better it behaved. Naturally, if thinner is better, would think the tippet would be great.
I actually did a review of the Bioline (and compared it to Trilene XL) on my blog. I'm not here to plug my blog, but if you want to read more just Google it, I'm sure you'll find it.
Regardless, I love the concept and once this technology is refined I plan on jumping on in full force.
I don't see myself buying bioline tippet. I snip off 2-3 inches of tippet when I tie on my fly at the most. I just let that fall into the water. That piece is too small to be harmful. Any other line I happen into finds the bottom of my pocket and is there until I find myself near a trash can.
I don't think the guy who leaves large globs of line in or on the water is going to pony up the extra cash for biodegradable line.
I do like the concept.
Full-strength life for 8-10 months? Product can easily sit on the retailer's shelf for that long, if not properly rotated. Add in more time for shipping, distribution, etc., and that leaves a big question mark regarding durability and strength.
No, thank you.
As a complement,(with Proverbs post), 5 years is a long time in/on
the water.I better dispose properly all mi line,tippets and old leaders. Anyway bioline is welcome.
Hey Proverbs - the 8-10 months is only for when the product is removed from it's packaging. I'm assuming the tippet comes in an airtight recyclable foil package like the normal line does, so should have no issues with shelf-life if never opened.
Not your fault, I would have read it the same way too.
Seems that people that should be using it wouldn't buy it anyway. But, then again, we all lose line every once in awhile. I'll wait until it is more refined and they start following conventions - does the 4x behaves more like a 0X? Geez, something else is our lives made from corn.
Nice line mic.
Sounds promising, but like previously stated, most guys that care enough to buy the stuff, don't throw large amounts of line in the water or bank anyway. The price is unfortunate, but most new stuff is usually high. I don't fly fish, but I do believe he occasional 'break-off' I experience with my fishing tackle is pretty harmless. The jerks that leave big wads of line on the banks cause the serious harm, and I doubt they're gonna start spending double for their line.
Just an update on this product, as of October 7:
According to an e-mail this morning from Linda Martin at Wright & McGill, reading, in part, as follows:
"Read your blog on Bioline. Bioline tippet material was shown at the Fly Fishing Retailer show in September. Wright & McGill had just acquired the company two months prior to that and had tippet packaging mocked up for display. Our marketing programs and product research and development have not been completed, but we anticipate this product will retail at $5.99 per tippet spool."
So apparently the price will be less than it was when Bioline itself was selling tippet spools. That's a good thing.
I think this is a great idea. We need more eco-friendly/green products in outdoor sporting, there just really isn't that much out there. We all should be doing our part to make up for the lazy people who really don't care and trash our lakes and rivers and don't pick up after them selfs. Although my only concerns are the quality and price of the product.
It's all very simple... bioline is for people who don't know how to clean up their line mess.
Post a Comment
I think flyfishing might be a good introduction for the product, but not because flyfisherman are generally more eco-friendly. It's the scale of use. Taking normal use such as break-offs and fraying aside, I replace a lot more main lines. Tippets get replaced when the nippers have just worked down too far. Annually though I replace just for maintenance about 600 yards of mono lines on ultralight and medium spinning outfits. The cost is a much bigger factor there. On the other side, I really don't like leaving line in the water. I generally come home, particularly if wading a stream, with 50 yards of line I didn't arrive with. Bio-degradable line, if it could hold up for a year before breaking down, and only break down when exposed to the elements, would be fantastic.
Hopefully the price will shortly go down and acceptance up. The catch 22 is that those who care about the environment are going to do what they can to retreive their waste line and probably gather others' from the shore when found. Flipping that, if someone doesn't care enough to pick up the birds nest they had to cut free or empty can of corn, they probably aren't going to shell out an extra few bucks for biodegradable line. I hope this line of products matures to practicality either way.
For tippet, yes I think this is a good product. I tried some of the heavier lines (4-lb) and (8-lb) for some spinning tackle this summer, and I'll be honest, the 8-lb was an outright disaster. Seemed to have memory issues and because of that didn't care for the way it casted one bit. The 4-lb was a bit better and more manageable. Actually, the more I used it, the better it behaved. Naturally, if thinner is better, would think the tippet would be great.
I actually did a review of the Bioline (and compared it to Trilene XL) on my blog. I'm not here to plug my blog, but if you want to read more just Google it, I'm sure you'll find it.
Regardless, I love the concept and once this technology is refined I plan on jumping on in full force.
I don't see myself buying bioline tippet. I snip off 2-3 inches of tippet when I tie on my fly at the most. I just let that fall into the water. That piece is too small to be harmful. Any other line I happen into finds the bottom of my pocket and is there until I find myself near a trash can.
I don't think the guy who leaves large globs of line in or on the water is going to pony up the extra cash for biodegradable line.
I do like the concept.
Full-strength life for 8-10 months? Product can easily sit on the retailer's shelf for that long, if not properly rotated. Add in more time for shipping, distribution, etc., and that leaves a big question mark regarding durability and strength.
No, thank you.
As a complement,(with Proverbs post), 5 years is a long time in/on
the water.I better dispose properly all mi line,tippets and old leaders. Anyway bioline is welcome.
Hey Proverbs - the 8-10 months is only for when the product is removed from it's packaging. I'm assuming the tippet comes in an airtight recyclable foil package like the normal line does, so should have no issues with shelf-life if never opened.
Not your fault, I would have read it the same way too.
Seems that people that should be using it wouldn't buy it anyway. But, then again, we all lose line every once in awhile. I'll wait until it is more refined and they start following conventions - does the 4x behaves more like a 0X? Geez, something else is our lives made from corn.
Nice line mic.
I think this is a great idea. We need more eco-friendly/green products in outdoor sporting, there just really isn't that much out there. We all should be doing our part to make up for the lazy people who really don't care and trash our lakes and rivers and don't pick up after them selfs. Although my only concerns are the quality and price of the product.
Sounds promising, but like previously stated, most guys that care enough to buy the stuff, don't throw large amounts of line in the water or bank anyway. The price is unfortunate, but most new stuff is usually high. I don't fly fish, but I do believe he occasional 'break-off' I experience with my fishing tackle is pretty harmless. The jerks that leave big wads of line on the banks cause the serious harm, and I doubt they're gonna start spending double for their line.
Just an update on this product, as of October 7:
According to an e-mail this morning from Linda Martin at Wright & McGill, reading, in part, as follows:
"Read your blog on Bioline. Bioline tippet material was shown at the Fly Fishing Retailer show in September. Wright & McGill had just acquired the company two months prior to that and had tippet packaging mocked up for display. Our marketing programs and product research and development have not been completed, but we anticipate this product will retail at $5.99 per tippet spool."
So apparently the price will be less than it was when Bioline itself was selling tippet spools. That's a good thing.
It's all very simple... bioline is for people who don't know how to clean up their line mess.
Post a Comment