Everyone who trolls should use some sort of method to mark their lines so that lures and/or baits, running both long and short, are always riding in the desired spots. This helps eliminate tangles when making tight turns and makes it easy for the captain to glance back and quickly search the area surrounding each bait for the telltale sign of a shadowing marlin. Most crews trolling with mono can simply swipe the line with a magic marker once all the lures are positioned correctly. A lot of crews mark their lines inadvertently when they tie on floss chaffing loops to go in the outrigger clips.
But for those who use superbraids, it's hard to keep the floss loops from sliding, and the braid's color sometimes make black marks hard to see — although it's not a problem when using white.
However, if you want to make a more permanent and extremely low-profile mark, braided lines allow you to splice a small piece of dental floss or tape through the braid. Just thread some floss on the smallest rigging needle you have and pass it through the braid. Tie a couple of knots in both ends of the floss and trim each end, leaving small tag ends protruding through the line for easy-to-see marks.
Peter B. Wright
Stuart, Florida
