why 'vertical' line?

I see a lot of comments about people wanting a vertical line.

Why is this?

because when going over pinnacles and the like, you don't want to get
hung up? Is that the only reason or is there more to this?

Is there a particular style of fishing that really wants a vertical line, like
say yo-yo-ing with a metal jig?

I have found that casting a lighter fishtrap out, letting it sink to the bottom and retrieving it to the boat maybe off the bottom, seems to get a few rockfish, particularly blues and blacks, which I have heard aren't always on the bottom.

clearly this doesn't work so well right in the kelp, but it seems to work in between the kelp and outside the kelp.

Maybe I'm asking when I want a vertical line and when it doesn't matter.

No angle no tangle, less hang ups.  Its also been my experience that in the yak you get more solid hook sets when your gear is vertical.  There's been a few times where I let my swimbaits get too far away from me and when I get hit I'll swing and miss.
Vertical lines are preferable for most drift fishing applications.

If it bows out too far you will lose sensitivity because the line curves down instead of going straight down.  It becomes very difficult to tell if you're on/near the bottom, and does increase the likelyhood of a snag.  If you want to fast drift mid-water for blacks/blues/olives, it's a good way to go though.  I heard once that a guy who did alot of crappie fishing rented a skiff in santa cruz and trolled small grubs mid-water off the kelp beds and did really well on blues/blacks using that crappie technique.

so is there a specific type of line that works better as a verical line, or is it just a matter of using the right amount of weight?

thinner line (braid, lower test mono) will have less water resistance and require less weight, but I think normally you just add weight until it'll stay pretty vertical.  there are some notes about this on the salmon fishing article from stuart on this website.

thinner line (braid, lower test mono) will have less water resistance and require less weight, but I think normally you just add weight until it'll stay pretty vertical.  there are some notes about this on the salmon fishing article from stuart on this website.

Thanks!!

For vertical jigging presentations like rockfish you cant beat spectra...its the $hit!