I've Had It With Flourocarbon Line!

[papajoe222]

I know the majority of my problems with FC are a result of the way I set the hook and the knots that I use, but I'm tired of having to think about what line I'm using when tying a knot let alone before I set the hook.  I can count the number of fish I missed last week as a result of the line breaking, but it would take both hands and an extra digit.  It even happened when I was casting a 3/4oz jig.  I'll admit I did miss a couple of fish on long casts I'd made with mono, but at the very least, I got my lure back.

My solution is to cut up the remainder of the two spools of FC that I have into little itty bitty pieces (therapy) before recycling and spool the majority of my reels with braid and a copolymer leader.  I trust the extra knot more than I trust flourocarbon.

Thanks for letting me vent.  Like if you feel the same.

[F14A-B]

Yep... And have for a long time!

[A-Jay]

Eventually anglers are going to have to face the reality that Fluorocarbon line is just a PIA.

The problems associated with it seriously out weight any benefits realized.

 

The shear number of threads where post after post document all the same problems by so many anglers tell the story.  Manageability and weak knot strength are routinely detailed as challenging characteristic of the line.

 

 Believing that Monofilament line is inferior to fluorocarbon is a matter of opinion; but it's not mine.

 

Have there been many threads recounting where anglers are having problems with mono line leaders parting at the knot ?   A quick search will answer that.  The low numbers in the search results would indicate that it's not a problem.

 

To the anglers who use fluorocarbon leaders successfully, congratulations, you've managed to slay the dragon. 

 

  We rarely hear from the mono leader uses. except to post up pictures of nice bass.

 

A-Jay

[Preytorien]

I use flouro for 2 things alone....

 

1. Ultralight flouro for my crappie spinning rig

2. Flouro leader for my rod with braid

 

I've used and considered the benefits of flouro, and like others have mentioned, I found myself worrying too much about my line. I pretty much have zero worries when I use braid. Oddly I find myself still worrying about my leader though....but I will continue to use it.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Ha I just walked in from outside put 12# Sniper FC back on my Core50. Wasnt anamored, as others seem to be, with FC towards end of last year but willing to have at it again. I didnt have break-offs though my gripe is the stretch(lots) and extra effort involved working bottom presentations through weeds.

[Brian Needham]

HMMMM,

 

I suppose I differ here. in 3 years of fishing FC I have had one knot failure, that I can recall.

granted, I make the knot drip with spit while tightening it down and will not use a imperfectly tied knot.... I am the same on my mono setups too.

 

each his own, if you are not confident in using FC then I wouldn't use it either.

 

for sake of conversation, how are you setting the hook and what knot are you using? I ask because those are two points you mentioned.

[iabass8]

I differ as well...

 

Sorry you guys have such poor results /w fluoro. I for one love the stuff and don't have any of these mysterious break offs or knot failures that people seem to have. I do pay for the good stuff though...

 

I should say I didn't have any issues /w cheaper Fluoro like XPS and sunline sniper either. 

 

I hate leaders and never saw the point.I very much prefer using one line. Then again, i don't use braid unless I'm slop fishing.

[Tywithay]

If you're thinking about which line needs which knot, you're thinking way too hard. I use one knot, regardless of whether it's braid, mono, fluoro. I don't even remember the last time I lost a fish due to knot failure with any line. The big key for me was getting away from the crap line and using good stuff like Shooter, Tatsu, and Sniper. I hated fluoro at one time, but now it doesn't bother me at all.

[Smallmouth Hunter]

15 lb berkley big game is what I have been using for a long time now and it is far superior than any other fluoro I have used due to price and strength too.

 

Oh, and did I mention it is $30 for 3000 yards..

[Jrob78]

I differ as well...

 

Sorry you guys have such poor results /w fluoro. I for one love the stuff and don't have any of these mysterious break offs or knot failures that people seem to have. I do pay for the good stuff though...

 

I should say I didn't have any issues /w cheaper Fluoro like XPS and sunline sniper either. 

 

I hate leaders and never saw the point.I very much prefer using one line. Then again, i don't use braid unless I'm slop fishing.

This describes me as well.  I've never had trouble with fluoro breaking at the knot, you just have to be vigilant in how you tie your knots.  That said, I certainly wouldn't use fluoro if it didn't work for me and I had the problems the OP is having, can't blame you for not using it.

[Todd2]

Welcome to the club. I joined last year, lol.

[Tywithay]

15 lb berkley big game is what I have been using for a long time now and it is far superior than any other fluoro I have used due to price and strength too.

 

Oh, and did I mention it is $30 for 3000 yards..

It's nice because you can also spool it up on your weed whacker, in a pinch.

[jtharris3]

Call me old fashioned but my reels spooled with Trilene XT in green have always and continue to put fish in the boat for me! I tried the FC but didn't like the way it felt and performed at all. I do use braid on some reels and have no problem with that either. Keep the FC and I'm going to drive on with my XT.

[Darren.]

Interesting, if not common, topic.

 

I have XPS fluoro, and I'm a guy who only uses it as leader material.

 

Mostly I use P-Line Floroclear (fluoro-coated line) and love the stuff.

 

I find pure fluoro a little finicky. I have confidence and then I don't. Glad I spool with braid and use leaders. Easy to change a leader out than it is to respool a reel.

[ww2farmer]

 

 

To the anglers who use fluorocarbon leaders successfully, congratulations, you've managed to slay the dragon. 

 

 

 Wow....I'm a dragon slayer??? I'll go with it. It's a little more manly than my previous title of Turgid illusionist.

[A-Jay]

 Wow....I'm a dragon slayer??? I'll go with it. It's a little more manly than my previous title of Turgid illusionist.

 

 

OK - perhaps I was a little over dramatic on that one.

 

 It's been a while since I've even used FC line and I think I've finally gotten over how PO'ed I was when it kept parting.

 

I am enjoying being on the other side of the fence though.

 

A-Jay

[papajoe222]

So I was a bit misleading in my original post; I still have flouro on my cranking reels. I use the same knot, but my hook set with cranks is more of a reel and sweep where with my single hook presentations it's more like I'm swinging for the fences, trying to cross their eyes and see how far out of the water I can make 'em fly at the same time. That's just the way I learned with the short, broom stick rods and stretchy mono that was available to us back in the stone ages.  Seems like all I do is swing and miss with FC.  I'm hitting around .850 with braid and mono and I still swing for the fences. Besides that, I'm a hard headed, card carrying old fart.  We don't like change.  Now where is my Little Green Box? 

[AQUA VELVA]

Berkley Trilene, every reel, every year, fish in the boat, no problems afloat.

[ColdSVT]

Wow...im a flouro lover lol

Have it spooled on 7 of 8 rods...the only exception is my topwater rod. Never had any breakoffs that i didnt deserve, no knot failures, no separation...nothing but pure joy save for the occasional backlash

I use invisx and tatsu from 12# up to 20#...love it!

[JGBassinAL]

I am with the majority here. Just like Tywithay, I only use one knot and I have never had knot failure. I use mono for topwater, square bills, and one deep cranking setup. Everything else is fluoro. If there is a kink above my knot when I make it, I cut it off and retie. I also check my line often for fraying and retie multiple times throughout the day. Fraying could be why you are breaking off. If I'm throwing crank baits off rocks or bottom contact baits I check my line every ten minutes or so and after every hang up. I use braid with a fluoro leader on my spinning setups (I use the alberto knot) with either 6 or 8 lb fluoro, and my connection knot has never one time broken. Not even when I set the hook on a log or rock and pull as hard as I can to break off when I can't get it loose. It has also never broken at the knot of my fluoro at my lure. Personally, I have never had trouble with fluoro or mono, so I use fluoro on my setups that I see fit. I will say that I use Sunline FC Sniper, and when I used Seaguar Red Label I didn't enjoy fluoro as much. Totally worth it for the more expensive fluoro as it is was more manageable than the cheaper stuff. Also, KVD Line & Lure conditioner makes it even better!

[nowicki2005]

I've always strictly used invisx and I have only had one bass break off because of knot failure and that happened to be when I had just caught a bass and the line was a little frayed but I was only about 30 yards from the boat ramp going back in. I had that one more cast thing going on not expecting to get anything and hooked into a solid 4 pounder that broke off but toally y fault.

Ive only been using bait casters for the last year and have never thrown anything under 40 pound braid on them. Spooled up a *** just a few days ago with 12 lb invisx and some kvd and had no problems whatsoever as far as manageability.

Also, to say I always wet my line when tying my knots would be a lie. I still never break off.

[RoLo]

My dislike of fluorocarbon line is not related to knot strength or line breakage, I've never encountered those problems.

My dislike for fluoro is the result of being spoiled by limp, manageable braided line then trying to cope with a stiffer,

less manageable line. I just want fishing to be fun and don't want to cope with any tackle that causes me to settle

or to tolerate, on the contrary, I want my tackle to tolerate me...LOL

 

I once spooled fluorocarbon on a spinning outfit to give it a shot, and that was a fiasco.

I was already spoiled by limp, well-behaved braid, so I wasn't impressed by rat-nests from hell.

In fact, some fluorocarbon is just about as stiff as the titanium wire I use for my pike leaders.

On my last go-round with fluorocarbon, I spooled Seaguar Tatsu on a casting reel. Once again,

I was already spoiled by non-stretch braided line, so could not adapt to the wimpy bungee-cord sensation.

During the hookset, I actually found myself taking a step backward to reduce the line stretch (that stuff had to go).

 

Fluorocarbon is touted as having a refractive index similar to water, but I wonder how many fish

know or care about that. We all know that bass are NOT frightened by long bristle-guards, double rattleboxes

and big treble hooks, so why are we expected to believe that the sight of a fine filament should cause alarm?

Ironically, line-watchers commonly complain that they have trouble seeing thin braided line. On the other hand,

I've seen fluorocarbon line in sunlight that looked like an incandescent icicle.

 

Because fluorocarbon sinks and polyethylene floats, many anglers believe that fluoro line

produces less line belly than braided line. If you're casting at anchor, the belly in the line will depend

on the buoyancy of the lure (floating lure - neutrally buoyant lure - slow sinking lure - fast sinking lure).

However, if you're drifting or trolling it's an open-and-shut case, braided line will create less line-belly

than fluorocarbon line. The fatter the line diameter, the greater the cumulative water resistance,

and the greater the water resistance, the greater the bow in the line. If your drifting, this will mean

you'll need more weight to hold bottom; if you're trolling, this will mean the lure will be riding shallower

than the same lure trolled on braided line.  

 

Roger

[SirSnookalot]

I've never used f/c line but have used f/c leaders, leader line is not the same.  I tried it for the stealth attributes for some salt water species, despite accolades from both pro and amateur I found it to be nothing but hype.  I did find that more attention was needed to secure a good knot, once tied right they held just fine and lines were not more prone to break.  I must be on a drag kick as many of my recent posts mention setting the drag to the line.  I don't care what kind of lines, leaders or knots being used, if the drag is right that chain should not break, providing none of the components have any damage.  Getting broke off from a bass is something I just can't comprehend or even enters my mind.

I see no advantage to f/c.

[ww2farmer]

OK - perhaps I was a little over dramatic on that one.

 

 It's been a while since I've even used FC line and I think I've finally gotten over how PO'ed I was when it kept parting.

 

I am enjoying being on the other side of the fence though.

 

A-Jay

I will say....I ONLY like it as leader material. I hate it as main line.

[Chris at Tech]

For me I'll say that FC takes a little more "ongoing maintenance" in the form of regular applications of line conditioner but that's a very minor inconvenience. I've used it to fish jigs, plastics, cranks and jerk baits, but going forward will use it only for jigs and plastics not for any performance reasons but just because I saw no improvement over mono or copolymer for moving baits and see no reason to spend more

8lb Invisx on my 2500-sized spinning reels, and 10/12/15/17/20 Berkley 100% Fluoro on my baitcasters have served me well. And palomar only for me.