Fluorocarbon Lifespan

[bazzelite19]

Ok ik fluorocarbon has a greater lifespan then mono from limited water/UV absorption but with that being said how long do you guys trust fluorocarbon before changing it out. I know this can depend on if your tourney fishin or fun fishin but in general how long?

[Hot Rod]

It really depends on a lot of factor like what pound test it is, what cover you've fished it in, what technique it was used for and if it was on a baitcaster or spinning reel.  Dragging a jig through rocks with 8# test is going to limit the life of floro more than pitchin' 25# in weeds.  Also the brand of floro makes a big difference.  I use Segaur red label or invisx and I can get at least an entire year out of it with two exceptions: spinning reels w/ 8# get chinned out a couple times a year and crankbait rods w/ 10# get changed out a couple times a year.  But I've had rods rigged w/ 15 or 20# that have fished two seasons w/ the same floro and don't seem to loose its performance.  It just doesn't deterioration or get nicked as quickly as mono.  Let the line tell you when its time to change, when the casting performance decreases or it gets kinked/nicked/twisted up.

[WRB]

Ok ik fluorocarbon has a greater lifespan then mono from limited water/UV absorption but with that being said how long do you guys trust fluorocarbon before changing it out. I know this can depend on if your tourney fishin or fun fishin but in general how long?

Good question, from a material stand point FC line has superior shelf life than mono (Nylon) line. The biggest degradation factor with mono line is temperature extremes, it degrades above 105 degrees or below freezing, FC withstands temperature higher and colder than anglers can tolerate.

What kills FC line is being fished, not from the elements but from being over stressed being stretched. FC line does not recover when stretched and weakens as a result of having a reduced diameter after you pull on the line with enough force to yield the line. The fact that most FC line is expensive most angler will not change the line often enough or retie knots as often as they should.

Tom

[bazzelite19]

I was pulling on some seaguar invisX and i noticed it stretched then rebounded about halfway back, but not all the way. This might change brand to brand but its an interesting note.

[Long Mike]

I don't know.  All of my reels but one have braid on them, which has lasted for years.  Of those reels, all but one have BPS flouro leaders, which are initially about six feet long.  I re-tie as necessary, until the leader is about 18" long, then the line gets a new leader.

[Sam]

You can use a "filler" on your reels to reduce the amount of good line but still have the correct amount of line on your spools.

I store all line inside my home to avoid temperature extremes.

I also use a lot of line during the fishing season as I use most of the line on a spool.

I will take off the old line ever few weeks and totally respool fresh line on the reels. I also do this before each of the 10 or more tournaments I fish. Is it expensive? Yes, but I still have nightmares about the ones that got away because my line snapped.

Like on the Rappahannock River when a beautiful three pounder grabbed my shaky head and I lost her when my line snapped as I stuipidly did not check for abraisions or knicks nor retie the knot after the last fish I had caught.

I cut a lot of line off when I fish if I feel any knicks, abraisions or cuts plus I retie after two or three fish.

I consider line to be another usable staple in my arsnel and using fresh line is just part of the expense of fishing.

Just consider using a backing of line on your reels so you don't have to put 100% of your fresh line on a spool.

And by the way, did you know you can tell the manufacturer's date of the line? Some manufacturers stamp the codes on the spool and you can figure out how old the line is.

Also, if you want fresh line go to a tackle store that turns over the line fast. You will then know that the line is the freshest it can be and that it has not been sitting on the shelf for a long period of time.