Excel Fluorocarbon Fishing Line vs TRILENE BIG GAME: which is safer?
BERKLEY TRILENE BIG GAME is the clear pick. Bass Pro Shops Excel Fluorocarbon Fishing Line carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Bass Pro Shops
Excel Fluorocarbon Fishing Line
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
LikelyPFAS and fluorine-based degradation products
PossibleMicrofiber shedding
ReportedPhysical entanglement and choking hazard
Our pick
Berkley
TRILENE BIG GAME
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
LikelyUV degradation and embrittlement
PossibleMicroplastic release during use
Where these two actually differ
- We flag PFAS and fluorine-based degradation products, Microfiber shedding and Physical entanglement and choking hazard on the Bass Pro Shops and not on the Berkley.
- We flag UV degradation and embrittlement and Microplastic release during use on the Berkley and not on the Bass Pro Shops.
- The Bass Pro Shops is Fluorocarbon polymer monofilament line where the Berkley is monofilament nylon fishing line, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 55 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Berkley is the one to buy.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More fishing line: see the full ranking