How to Measure Fishing Line Length

Know how much line you have before you go fishing.

Measuring the length of a fishing line is a tedious but necessary task if you want to determine how much line you have remaining. This can be especially important if you plan to troll for fish or go on a deep-sea-fishing trip. You can ensure you have ample line for your trip, and you can use your knowledge of the length of your fishing line to gauge approximately how far you are from any fish that you catch based on the portion of line remaining on your reel.

Things You'll Need

• Fishing line
• Yardstick, meter stick or other rigid-length measuring device
• Writing utensil
• Paper

Instructions

1. Hold one end of the fishing line so it is flush with the end of your measuring device at the end with the lowest number.

2. Stretch the line down the length of the edge of the measuring device, while ensuring that you keep the line straight and taut.

3. Pinch the line with the thumb and forefinger of your non-dominant hand (the hand not used for writing) at the exact spot where it meets the opposite end of the measuring device.

4. Draw a mark on a piece of paper using your dominant hand to signify that you have exhausted the length of the measuring device. If you choose not to perform this step and lose track of how many times you have exhausted the length of the device while measuring, you will have no choice but to restart from the beginning.

5. Hold the pinched portion of the line so it is flush with the end of the measuring device labeled with the lowest number.

6. Repeat Steps 2 through 5 until you reach the end of the line.

7. Record the exact measurement of this last portion of the line, along with the units of measurement. (For example: If the end of the line falls on the mark on a yardstick representing 28.5 inches, record 28.5 inches.)

8. Record the length of the measuring device in the units used in your measurement. (For example: If you used a yardstick and your measurement was in inches, record the length of the yardstick as 36 inches.)

9. Multiply the number of marks on your paper by the length of the measuring device.

10. Add the result obtained from the previous step to the length of the last portion of the line from Step 7. This is the length of your fishing line.

References

• "Fishing: The Complete Guide to Basics"; Craig Ritchie; 2007
• "The Pocket Fishing Guide: Freshwater Basics, Hook, Line & Sinker"; Wade Bourne; 2007