Fluorocarbon Line Separating Fact From Fiction

[retiredbosn]

The newest industry darling is fluorocarbon line, the marketing of this line has been so successful that anglers are buying the line in record numbers and using it for every fishing application even those it is unsuitable for. If you don't believe that most of the reason people using this line is marketing, just look at your local sporting goods store. How many underspins are on the shelves now compared to February, never mind that Ashley won on a homemade lure, the fishing industry are going to exploit this to their advantage. The same is true with lines, why aggressively market the most inexpensive line, when you can dupe the market into buying the most expensive? With the exception of NASCAR anglers are the victims of most questionable marketing schemes, its not about getting the best product in your hands, its about what is going to make them the most money. Just look at 2014 classic, Livingston is still pushing the Howler, even though footage clearly shows he caught the majority of his fish on a Rapala. The market has been gobbling up every marketing myth and passing it along as fact, we see on this board numerous questions and myths being passed along as truth, this is not done intentionally but rather by well intended anglers who are misinformed. Today it is hard to separate fact from fiction concerning this line. The purpose of this thread is to shed light on the truths about fluorocarbon line and why it is not the cure all magic bullet that many think it is. I am going to list references at the end all at once.

What is fluorocarbon? What are its physical properties? Weaknesses? Strengths? These are some of the questions we will explore.

Fluorocarbon line is a fluoropolymer, what is that? A fluoropolymer is a fluorobarbon based polymer made up of carbon and fluorine, it exhibits multiple strong carbon-fluorine bonds. It is characterized by a high resistance to solvents, acids, and bases. You can readily see that this polymer has many applications and fishing line was a happenstance that was championed by two employees of the Kureha Corporation in Japan. Its first applications were as insulators in wiring, as film in capacitors and because of its resistance to UV rays an additive to paints. Fluorocarbon line is made of PVDF. PVDF is a specialty plastic material in the fluoropolymer family; it is used generally in applications requiring the highest purity, strength, and resistance to solvents, acids, bases and heat and low smoke generation during a fire event. The story of how this remarkable fluoropolymer became fishing line can be found here 

Other characteristics are that the polymer is crystalline in structure and possesses high density and has strong piezoelectricity properties. Basically that means it can take physical force and transmit that as electrical current when under strain. These three properties is what make fluorocarbon line so sensitive. But it comes at a cost, the worse being that it is brittle when compared to nylon, it deforms when stretched and weakens, kink it and it is broken only the outer shell is holding it together. Fluorocarbon line shares more properties of glass that it does to nylon.

Myth 1 Fluorocarbon does not stretch or stretches less than mono: this statement is incorrect, tests have shown that fluorocarbon line does stretch and many times depending on brand it stretches more than mono. Now the really bad news, fluorocarbon does not recover from being stretched, and in fact it weakens the line dramatically. Mono on the other hand being a nylon thread recovers from being stretched and retains it strength. So what does this mean to the angler? Any time you catch a fish, get hung up on the bottom and break off the line, pull the line free from being hung up; set the hook, you are inadvertently weakening the line. Not a good thing

Myth 2 Fluorocarbon is invisible underwater especially when compared to mono this claim is hard to prove or disprove. For one we do not know how fish see, but from tests that have been published the difference in the visibility factor from nylon mono to fluorocarbon is slight to non-exisistant. For those who want to know, the refractive index of water is 1.333 Fluoro is 1.42 nylon mono in clear ranges from 1.53 to 1.62 the difference mathematically is extremely slight. Of more importance is how we use the line, many anglers will fish a larger diameter line when fishing fluoro, why not it's nearly invisible right? Here is the problem, increases of line diameter also increases line drag which increases vibrations put off by the line passing through the water. This increase in vibration will be felt through the fish's lateral line, making it more detectable. So it really is a toss up, but the refractive index of the lines are so close that this is a moot point.

Myth 3 Fluoro is stronger than nylon mono for its diameter size, this is not true, the published line diameters and testing results categorically prove this false. Example Berkley Trilene XL 10 lbs test line diameter is .011 Seaguar Fluoro lines 10 line is .012 diameter.

Myth 4 Superior knot strength Really? Please, the palomar knot retains 98% of line's rated knot strength when tying nylon mono and only 72% when used with Fluoro, the best tested not for fluoro was the improved clinch at only 78%, To keep the math simple it breaks down like this using 10lb test mono will break at 9.8lbs using the palomar, fluoro 7.2lbs.

About the only claims that manufacturers of fluorocarbon make that are true are abrasion resistance, sink rate and UV resistance. Let's talk about these and see what the trade offs are.

Abrasion resistance, the most abrasion resistant lines are stiff because of the hardness of the line, the memory is greater which makes the line harder to manage, but that can be dealt with using KVD line and lure conditioner. The real trade of comes in line strength, brittleness and poor knot strength. The harder the fluoro the more condense the crystalline bond, what this translates to is a line that is easily broken. Kink line like this and it is as good as cut, but the problem is that you don't see it, but as soon as the line comes under a load and snap the outer shell breaks and there goes your fish.. Stretch this line and it is weakened by at least 50% as documented by published tests. Anyone who has been in the Navy or Coast Guard can tell you how stretchy nylon is. Put a 5 inch line under load until it breaks and it snaps back like a rubber band destroying everything in its path. Nylon can stretch and recover without any loss of strength, stretch a hard fluoro and the crystalline structure fragments, the line is disfigured many times. But here is the problem, if your line stretches and becomes thinner can you really tell while on the water, we are talking about hundreds to thousandths of an inch. The entire length of line is compromised but you can't see it.Softer more supple fluorocarbons are available but then you loose the abrasion resistance advantage, the line is no more resistant to abrasion than your typical nylon mono.

Sink rate. Fluoro is denser than nylon and sinks 3 times faster, no offset in performance. Except it makes this line useless with topwater baits like Spooks, sammys, poppers or any floating presentation. Great for deep water presentation of jigs, worms etc, less line bow but again it is so slight to be negligible in real world applications.

UV resistant. Again fluoro is almost impervious to UV rays so yes its better than mono in this category. But lets take a moment are really see how this plays out. Mono starts breaking down after being exposed for 100 to 300 hours, do you leave your stuff laying around in the sun without moving it for 5 days? Then the only part of the line that is compromised is the top layer of line on the reel and the line going through the guides. If you are actually using the rod then the line exposure to the sun doesn't cause any degradation to the line. It is in movement and being submerged etc. So unless you are laying your rods out in the sun for 5 days at a time this is a moot point. Add to the argument that the line that is exposed is constantly being trimmed when switching out baits and retying your line you quickly realize that this supposed benefit does not equate to added performance of the line.

Now lets consider some other factors, I'll start with weight. Since fluoro is denser it also weighs more, which results in higher force needed to get the spool rotating, which only adds to the problem of the line being stiff and harder to manage. On average fluoro weighs 75% more than mono, so on a reel's spool the weight added requires more force to start and stop rotation.

Fluoro is stiffer than nylon mono, this is due to the cellular make up of the line. I keep going back to this because it can not be overstated. Because of its cellular make up the line is brittle, which results in weaker knots. Add to this the fact that the line does not "bounce back" after being stretched but weakens and I start questioning the use of fluoro for anything besides a short leader. Due to the fact that a kink actually breaks the line and it makes no sense to put it on a reel, its going to kink, crush and deform.

I also want to touch on knot strength again. You hear people state over and over to tie your knots carefully especially when using fluoro, people automatically assume it is because of the line's stiffness and you don't want to deform your line while tying a knot. However more importantly is fluoro's low burning temp, tighten a knot with out spitting on it and you will scorch the line. Tie a palomar with fluoro, don't lubricate it, cinch it down tight, now look where the standing line goes into the knot, see that little crushed spot? It's not crushed, its burnt and it will break right there on a hook set.

Sensitivity; due to the density of the line and crystalline structure of fluoro it transmits vibration nicely, or in other words its more sensitive than mono. But how much is a very subjective thing. Another element adding to sensitivity is closed cell construction, fluoro is very water resistant sure it absorbs water but only microscopic amounts, nylon mono soaks up allot of water, which is why almost all tests conducted on mono has to be conducted on line that has been soaked. The open cell construction of mono also lends itself to loosing vibration to the water column before you can register it.

In conclusion what is the angler to do? Mono has its drawbacks, and fluoro has allot too. In my mind the answer is simple use a hybrid line, by this I mean a line that is composed of fluorocarbon and nylon that is combined at the molecular level and not just a mono that is coated with fluoro. A line that has closed cell construction so sensitivity is amplified, a line that stretches and bounces back without compromising integrity, a line that is denser than mono but not so dense that it interferes with lure presentation. In short a line that gives you the best qualities of nylon and fluoro and none of the negatives. That's a tall order but there is a line that meets these requirements and anyone who has been a member of this site for very long already knows what it is, the only line that is currently marketed as a hybrid line, Yo-Zuri Hybrid. There may be others on the market, I truly do not know. Most lines are marketed as a copoly, and there is no real definition to that, is it a line that has a core of mono and a fluoro coating? Honestly it is useless as a improvement to either type of line. Actually most lines are a copolymer, what I mean by that is the lines are a mixture of two different types of nylon;marketed as a copoly or a mixture of different fluorocarbons. This is how they make lines that have more abrasion resistance or a line that is softer, etc. So what you are looking for is a hybrid line, where the fluoro and the nylon are mixed on a molecular level to give you the best properties of each without sacrificing performance. Of course you could always go with a braided mainline with different leaders and do just fine. But the problem there is where the lines join, because there isn't a leader knot that retains 50% of the original line's strength. Your 30lb braid mainline tied to a 20lb fluoro leader will break at 10lbs, just the nature of the beast. So good luck in choosing the line for you.

EDIT: After reading Tim Kelly's post and being reminded of the FG knot, I need to redact my original post to read. When using a braid mainline and fluoro leader consider tying the FG knot. This knot which really isn't a traditional knot provides the angler with the best knot available. It is ultra thin and retains at least 98%of the original line's strength. Tutorial on the knot here

https://youtu.be/pjzUb5QRKuk

Sources:

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewfluorocarbontest.html

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewfluorocarbon2.html

http://www.bigindianabass.com/big_indiana_bass/the-truth-about-fluorocarbon.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoropolymer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinylidene_fluoride

 

[EvanT123]

Retiredbosn,

Quite a long read there and hopefully I get the point. Don't believe the hype?

[tomustang]

Don't forget about fluro sinks and nylon floats, the density helps that.

Like I said before, don't believe what the box tells you and what the pros rep about it cause they are being paid to promote it. Regardless of why they use it they still repeat what it says on the box.

[Tim Kelly]

While fluoro is a pain to use it definitely has advantages which are worth putting up with in my view for certain presentations. I like it for drop shot and any presentation where you are fishing semi slack. Without a doubt the density of the line makes it feel different in these situations. Mono works great in a lot of situations, though the stretchiness makes it less useful if you're fishing long casts as the hooksets are more difficult. Braid has advantages when fishing at range, in vegetation or with topwaters due to it's properties of floating, no stretch and the ability to cut through soft vegetation. It is hopeless in wood or around sharp rocks or mussels though as it has no resistance to the rocks or mussels and digs into wood. BTW, if you tie an FG knot to join the braid to the leader it is easily a 100% knot and the leader will break before the knot every time.

 

There's no point being anti FC as it has it's place, just like the other line types do. Whether the benefits outweigh the disadvantages to you personally is something you can only decide by trying all the line types out.

[the reel ess]

Jimmy Houston, Bill Dance and a handful of other pros are already hawking copolymer line from Hi Seas.

[Jason Penn]

sink rate is exactly the reason why i use fc for plastics & jigs.

[Preytorien]

I try flouro from time to time, but I always find myself going back to braid or braid + leader. 

[A-Jay]

Nice work Boats.

 

After reading your most in depth thread here, I felt this would add a little value.  There is no doubt that I enjoy and allow myself to be persuaded by the fishing industries marketing & advertising efforts.   And by & large most claims made have a fairly small amount of truth.  But I'm OK with it in most cases knowing that there is no magic bullet and that any benefit I derive from a product is going to depend on my ability to utilize it's proper application & use.   

 

What you have described here, may be more in the way of Propaganda than Advertising, although these days the two are often hard to tell apart.

 

Marketing Basics

Marketing is a broad business function that involves the activities included in developing and communicating messages promising value to customers, clients and the community. It is much broader in scope than advertising, and also includes public relations and other forms of business communication with the public. Marketing processes often begin with market research to learn about the marketplace, which results in the development of marketing objectives, strategies, message formation and delivery.

 

Advertising Basics

As noted, advertising is more specific than marketing. A company's advertising plan is typically included within its marketing plan. Advertising is a paid message delivered through a mass medium that attempts to persuade the target market to learn about a brand, like it or go out and purchase it. It is the paid-for element of ad messages that separates them from public relations, which does not involve the purchase of media space and time.

 

Propaganda Basics

Propaganda is communication that promotes a particular idea or way of thinking. Its message can include facts or deception; in either case, its intent is to persuade the audience to buy in to the message-sender's point of view. As it relates to business, propaganda is more subtle. A company may participate in the delivery of a message that supports its purpose, but that does not directly reveal the business' involvement.

 

A-Jay

 

[fishindad]

Enjoyed the informative read, thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinions about fluorocarbon as a fishing line. Like most others here, I've tried braid (PP, Fireline, 832), mono (Tectan), copolymers (too many), and fluorocarbon (mostly Sunline) and braid/fluoro leader. There is no perfect line for all fishing situations. No question braid manages better than other lines especially on spinning reels. Braid is the strongest line for its diameter. Braid excels in grass fishing and it floats unlike mono or fluoro. But it's the least invisible. Thus the braid/leader marriage.

 

Yes, straight fluoro is a pain to use but the way I see it, trout/steelhead anglers have used it as leader material and we 'assume' trout are more line-shy than bass. Saltwater anglers have been using fluorocarbon much longer than bass anglers and they deal with much bigger and tougher fish than bass (greater abrasion resistance). And I think we can all agree that flats fishing (ultraclear, shallow water) for bonefish is probably the most difficult thing to do stealth-wise. Finally, Aaron Martens has been one of the most vocal proponents of fluorocarbon line and I dare you to find a more successful pro bass angler the past 5 years. My rookie opinion is if one wants a single fishing line that can combine the the best characteristics of mono and fluoro and is low cost then yes, a copoly like YZH (which I use and love) is the one to choose. But, if one wants to gain every possible edge or advantage in fooling a bass then why not use the characteristics of fluorocarbon line to your advantage? No reason not to utilize every possible advantage as long as it doesn't end up costing too much time and money. 

 

A-Jay brings up very important points about the fishing industry (and others) and marketing to we anglers. A great example - the Senko. Every company has a knockoff. Yes, the original Senko still costs more than the others. But nothing and I mean nothing works better than the GYCB Senko. Same with fluorocarbon line manufacturers. We all know many attempts (pick a company) are less than optimal and the consensus "best" (as of now Tatsu), which I haven't yet fished with is also the most expensive. That is where we as consumers need to figure out what is propaganda and what is true marketing of a product. Spend your hard-earned dollars wisely and don't judge a product based solely on knock-offs that don't represent the real deal.

[F14A-B]

Nice work! Good read...

[retiredbosn]

Regarding Tim Kelly's post, I can't believe I forgot the FG knot. By far the strongest line to leader knot and easy to tie. Thanks for adding that.

[Bass_Fanatic]

That why any smart fisherman will use all lines for different applications. I have braid on my frog rod, punching rod, swimjig rod, and Alabama rig rod. Mono in my top water rod. CXX on my spinnerbait rod, squarebill rod, and less rod. Floro on my mod depth crank rod, 3 deep diving crank rods, jig rod, trig rod, Crig rod, shaky head rod, and a few mutli purpose rods. I like floro, but I know it's not the perfect line for all situations.

[DTack]

  But the problem there is where the lines join, because there isn't a leader knot that retains 50% of the original line's strength.  Your 30lb braid mainline tied to a 20lb fluoro leader will break at 10lbs, just the nature of the beast. So good luck in choosing the line for you.

 

 

Is this based on a steady pull or a "snap" type pull?  Sorry I didn't go through and read all of the sources and tests.

Sorry, just read Tim Kelly's post, about the 100%.  my mistake, I don't like to delete posts though!

[Shockwave]

Interesting read.  I moved away from Flouro mainly because of cost alone.  I'll tie it to braid as a leader on my spinning rods but all but one of my baitcasters are spooled with copolymer.  My Frog rod has all braid.  I do believe flouro has its place but I also believe that there is a lot of hype that comes along with it.  

[Turtle135]

Well written post, very informative and nice to have all that information in one spot to pass on to the fluorocarbon fanatics I regularly fish with. The deforming (and losing break strength issue) is the primary reason I do not use flourocarbon. It is either that or I am too old a dog to learn new tricks . They will probably have to bury me with a spool of Trilene XT monofilament for fishing in the next life.

[FryDog62]

"That's why any smart fisherman will use all lines for different applications."

 

This is true, but 3 years ago 8 of my 12 rods were strung up with fluorocarbon.  Today I have 1 rod that I use for drop-shotting with fluorocarbon as a main line.  I have 2 others that I use braid as a main line and have a fluorocarbon leader.   The other 9 rods are either co-poly or mono.  

 

Why the big change for me?  #1) Fluorocarbon stretches more than mono or co-polymers and I can't stand setting the hook with a rubber band.  #2) Its a tangly PIA even with line conditioners, pre-stretching etc.  Is it really worth the extra hassle?  #3) I have found the overall strength of the fluorocarbon line to be lower than mono/co-poly... not just knot strength but overall line strength.  

 

For those of you that saw my line stretch test I posted recently, it seems to back up #'s 1 and 3 above.  #2 is anecdotal, but I think most people agree it has a higher rate of rats nests, loops, coils, etc.  Expense is #4 to me... if it really were a superior line - yes, I would pay more for it.  

 

-Fry

[CRANKENSTIEN]

 

 

 Finally, Aaron Martens has been one of the most vocal proponents of fluorocarbon line and I dare you to find a more successful pro bass angler the past 5 years. My rookie opinion is if one wants a single fishing line that can combine the the best characteristics of mono and fluoro and is low cost then yes, a copoly like YZH (which I use and love) is the one to choose. But, if one wants to gain every possible edge or advantage in fooling a bass then why not use the characteristics of fluorocarbon line to your advantage? No reason not to utilize every possible advantage as long as it doesn't end up costing too much time and money. 

 

 

 

 

Great post Retiredbosn,  Thanks,   I have gone to 10 lb cxx or15 lb mean green on all but one of my baitcasters. Braid on my heavy pitching stick and either braid or a light cxx on my spinning.  I used floro for a few years but it's durability  was my problem.  I do not cast conservatively and I will backlash every now and then.  Weakness put into the floro from the small kinks was my biggest issue.  I can understand why some fisherman can be more successful with floro, fishindad hit that.  For this fishing Dad it doesn't fit my style or budget.   My next line purchase will be Yo Zuri copoly, there is just to many good things said on this forum not to give it a try.  

[J Francho]

I started using fluorocarbon a long time ago. Using it for bass fishing is a relatively recent thing. We used fluoro leaders for salmon and trout both in float and drift with pin or spin tackle, and for fly fishing. It was also starting to catch on in pike and musky fishing. It was clear, tough, and sank. Clearer than wire, almost as tough, and didn’t float a small fly. It came in small spools usually something like 25 yards for $10 TO $25, depending on the size. Sounds EXPENSIVE? Yep. But you only used a few feet at a time, and the salt guys swore by it, so…I, and many others looked for applications in our fishing where it would be an improvement.

This leader wasn’t appropriate for reel fill at all. I think this is where fluoro got its reputation for poor handling. It’s no exaggeration to say the leader material would fly off the spool. It wasn’t meant to be put on a spool. It was used for the business end, while the main line was traditional nylon line, or more recently, braided or fused microfilament line.

Eventually, line makers started making reel fill. Actually, I think I read that they tried selling this stuff as long as 40 years ago, so there might be a bit of prejudice and bias there, too. Reel fill makers tried to address the issue of handling on a small diameter spool, and casting by softening the formula. I have no idea how – co-fluorocarbons, copolymers, whatever they did, it wasn’t a standard thing. The different products vary greatly in their characteristics widely – much more widely than the four or five “mono” lines we became familiar with as bass anglers.

Truth, lies, fact, fiction, marketing, propaganda… This I know: there are few different things I do to catch bass, and fluoro – specifically, InvisX and Tatsu fit the program. I can say the same for braid like Power Pro, Hevi-Core, and 832, fused lines like Supercast, and so called copolymers, like CXX. Note, there is no traditional “mono” in that list. I’m rarely specific about brand recommendations, but line choice is so personal, and the selections so varied, I’m adamant about sharing what I use, how I use it, and why it’s working for me.

To make any declaration about any line in general terms is irrelevant and possibly uninformed to the point of being ignorant. But, if you tell me you tried, and it didn’t fit your program – how YOU catch bass, then I believe you and there is no room for debate. Only sharing experience remains. There’s some interesting things distilled in this thread, but nothing that sheds any new light on the topic to the point that I’m rethinking my line choices. I certainly don’t feel duped by using what I use – to the contrary – it’s the best system I’ve come up with to date. That’s always subject to change.

[hoosierbass07]

 Good post.  I've tried fluorocarbon of and on the last three years and I come to the same conclusion - this stuff is trash compared to mono.   I don't know what the fishing pros are smoking (I guess lots of money from their sponsors) but all the fluorocarbon line and  fluorocarbon coated line have felt lame compared to strong and dependable mono.  I do have one reel with braid on it with a fluoro leader Iv'e been using for Texas rigs and it is sensitive but I get the feeling it's sensitive more from the braid than the fluoro leader.  

[Darren.]

To make any declaration about any line in general terms is irrelevant and possibly uninformed to the point of being ignorant. But, if you tell me you tried, and it didn’t fit your program – how YOU catch bass, then I believe you and there is no room for debate. Only sharing experience remains. There’s some interesting things distilled in this thread, but nothing that sheds any new light on the topic to the point that I’m rethinking my line choices. I certainly don’t feel duped by using what I use – to the contrary – it’s the best system I’ve come up with to date. That’s always subject to change.

 

Experience is the plumb line, IMO.

 

I agree with this last paragraph, John.

To use a post-modern term, everything

is relative to you and your experiences.

 

And "always subject to change."

 

What works for me may not work in the 

same manner for you...and so on...

[papajoe222]

Jimmy Houston, Bill Dance and a handful of other pros are already hawking copolymer line from Hi Seas.

I would too, if they were paying me to.  The fact that a celebrity or a pro endorses something, doesn't mean it's better. I've seen sponsored tournament anglers use baits, rods and line that weren't their sponsor's because winning was more important at the time.

[Jason Penn]

I started using fluorocarbon a long time ago. Using it for bass fishing is a relatively recent thing. We used fluoro leaders for salmon and trout both in float and drift with pin or spin tackle, and for fly fishing. It was also starting to catch on in pike and musky fishing. It was clear, tough, and sank. Clearer than wire, almost as tough, and didn’t float a small fly. It came in small spools usually something like 25 yards for $10 TO $25, depending on the size. Sounds EXPENSIVE? Yep. But you only used a few feet at a time, and the salt guys swore by it, so…I, and many others looked for applications in our fishing where it would be an improvement.

This leader wasn’t appropriate for reel fill at all. I think this is where fluoro got its reputation for poor handling. It’s no exaggeration to say the leader material would fly off the spool. It wasn’t meant to be put on a spool. It was used for the business end, while the main line was traditional nylon line, or more recently, braided or fused microfilament line.

Eventually, line makers started making reel fill. Actually, I think I read that they tried selling this stuff as long as 40 years ago, so there might be a bit of prejudice and bias there, too. Reel fill makers tried to address the issue of handling on a small diameter spool, and casting by softening the formula. I have no idea how – co-fluorocarbons, copolymers, whatever they did, it wasn’t a standard thing. The different products vary greatly in their characteristics widely – much more widely than the four or five “mono” lines we became familiar with as bass anglers.

Truth, lies, fact, fiction, marketing, propaganda… This I know: there are few different things I do to catch bass, and fluoro – specifically, InvisX and Tatsu fit the program. I can say the same for braid like Power Pro, Hevi-Core, and 832, fused lines like Supercast, and so called copolymers, like CXX. Note, there is no traditional “mono” in that list. I’m rarely specific about brand recommendations, but line choice is so personal, and the selections so varied, I’m adamant about sharing what I use, how I use it, and why it’s working for me.

To make any declaration about any line in general terms is irrelevant and possibly uninformed to the point of being ignorant. But, if you tell me you tried, and it didn’t fit your program – how YOU catch bass, then I believe you and there is no room for debate. Only sharing experience remains. There’s some interesting things distilled in this thread, but nothing that sheds any new light on the topic to the point that I’m rethinking my line choices. I certainly don’t feel duped by using what I use – to the contrary – it’s the best system I’ve come up with to date. That’s always subject to change.

how's the hevi-core workin for u?  i would love to find a good sinking braid for spinning tackle

[Fisher-O-men]

I have popped many fish off on the hook-set with a FC leader on braid mainline.  Always broke at the lure.  Went to a copoly leader.  No problem.  Wish I had those fish back!

[FishTank]

My two cents on this.....

 

I use line for what I feel is it's best intended purpose.  My general rule of thumb is as follows....

 

FC> Jigs, most soft plastic (especially weightless senkos and such)

Mono> Crankbaits 

Hybrid Lines> multipurpose here.  I like it for spinning gear.  Most 6lb test works for me.

Braid> Punching heavy stuff and thick coverage.  Overall, I am not a fan of braid as general all purpose line.  I will save my breath as to why and move on. 

 

On FC though, depending on the line, I like how it handles for most bait casters.  I have never had any real issues with it.  My big thing with FC is that it last longer,IMHO, than mono and I can depend on it to be, for most part, consistent in it's properties.   My only gripe is the cost.  Like most fishing things with added benefits, the amount of return does not equal the price. 

[HoosierHawgs]

I would too, if they were paying me to. The fact that a celebrity or a pro endorses something, doesn't mean it's better. I've seen sponsored tournament anglers use baits, rods and line that weren't their sponsor's because winning was more important at the time.

If that's what we are talking about, I'd like to refer you here: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/148744-crankbaits-can-you-fully-effective-with-only-one-brand/?fromsearch=1