Fluorocarbon Line Separating Fact From Fiction

[masterbass]

I started using sniper this year after being a braid w/leader user exclusively.  I fish senkos weightless and t-rigged A LOT so I use fluoro exclusively on my go to combo for this presentation:  nrx893/alphas sv.  So far here is what I like about it so far:  sink rate, slack line sensitivity and bottom contact sensitivity.  The sink rate is important for this presentation because you don't want too much of a bow of line on top of the water.  The senko sinks straight down instead of swinging back to you.  A lot of bites occur when the senko is dropping so the slack line sensitivity comes into play.  And here are the cons for me:  finicky, expensive and questionable durability.  It's finicky with overruns and you have to be careful not to get kinks or it's going to break.  I also find it doesn't cast as easily as braid and skipping with it is tricky.  If you get hung up and need to break off, it stretches and weakens the line.  I'm used to using braid and being able to keep the same line on it for years.  I don't think fluoro will last nearly as long which leads to the expense of re-stringing reels over the course of a season.  I also have to use line and lure conditioner which is a little more of a pain.  Do the pros outweigh the cons for me?  The jury is still out, but on my senko rods for sure.  I still have braid/leaders on the majority of my rigs, but may try fluoro on my jig combo.

[HoosierHawgs]

The floro is a higher dollar and th company makes more that is reason enough. Braid is a high dollar too but it last a long time.

I still think the profit margin has to be higher for fluorocarbon lines. They can't be that expensive to make. Like honestly?

[masterbass]

  I just recently picked up 12 lb  Sunline Super flourocarbon at a local tackle shop after having a few break offs ( not even at the knot ) with seaguar abrazx on my jerkbait rod. It comes in 200 yd spool for $ 14.99 which is very reasonable for this type of line and so far I have been very impressed . That said I only have had it on for about 6 outings which is a small sample size so I want to be cautious about giving it a recommendation.  I've probably have landed about 60 plus fish with it with no issues so far as a couple of times the jerkbait was a key lure for me . 

 

  I also picked up a spool of Gander Mountain flourocarbon in 12 lb test and the box it says it's made by Sunline, I will put that on my deep diving crank rod after we get through the spawn and move into the summer bite .I have not spooled it on yet so obviously I have no opinions other than I like that it comes in a 400 yard spool and runs $ 19.99 which is very appealing . The only thing that stinks is that my local store does not carry the 12 lb test and I had to order it online which I found to be strange that they have other brands in 12 lb test but not the housebrand ? Time will tell if this is a good deal . 

I saw the gander mountain fluoro was made by sunline.  Hopefully someone can give a review because it was priced right.  I wonder if it is just sunline super repackaged.

[CRANKENSTIEN]

Just out of curiosity I added the members that you can tell are for sure not floro users  (12) , neutral  (9)  and big floro users  (10).   HMM   

[J Francho]

I have some three year old Invisx and two year old Tatsu in 6# size on two spinning setups that get use quite a bit. No need to change either yet. Wonder what costs more?

[F14A-B]

Tatsu is bank isnt it? I mean compared to invisx.

I would have to say that would make invisx a comparable line at better pricing, correct?

[J Francho]

I guess. Tatsu is a better line than Invisx. Invisx is better than most.

[HoosierHawgs]

Just out of curiosity I added the members that you can tell are for sure not floro users (12) , neutral (9) and big floro users (10). HMM

I'm not a user. I'm just curious. I'd like to try it... But for me its hard to sink money into something I may not like

[F14A-B]

I'm not a user. I'm just curious. I'd like to try it... But for me its hard to sink money into something I may not like

Wait till you buy a new truck or home & think I don't know if I like it.. That's the pits there, lol

[J Francho]

9/10 of "liking" something you bought is getting used to it.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

True and avoiding preconceived notions

[bassinn]

Since I started fishing 20+ years ago, I've always used Berkley Trilene XT without any problems. Then some of my bass fishing friends said flouro this and that, so I tried out Seagar InvisX. It casts really well but if it touches anything in the water like rocks, trees etc. it becomes very weak. I moved over to Berkley Trilene 100% Flouro and it seemed much better and stronger especially in rough conditions. Did I catch more fish using these lines? Not that I could notice. Did I waste a ton of money? Yup!

 

What happened before flouro? Were we all still catching tons of fish? Can we really say that flouro is making us more productive on the water? Maybe it's the lures, better presentation, or maybe you're in the right place at the right time? Who knows.

 

Also there has been some outings where my friends kick my butt and they are using the cheapest line, rod/reel, and lures you can find. I'm sure all of you know some people like that.

[riskkid 2]

9/10 of "liking" something you bought is getting used to it.

True this, I've tried different stuff and quite frankly I'm not sure I'm a good enough fisherman to really tell the difference except maybe for sink rate. I'll keep trying different stuff, I went from P line CX to Red Label Flouro on most set ups. I think I'm catching a few more fish with the flouro but I attribute that to my skills improving more than the line change. I think when you are used to something and it is working for you it's a big confidence builder. Some folks swear confidence is one of the most important factors in successful fishing.

[sully420]

You get what you pay for and we all have preferences. All you need to do is understand how you like to fish and make your purchase based on what you want out of your equipment. For me its sunline fc sniper and suline fx2 braid. Also trilene mono stretches way more then fluorocarbon.

[MrBigFishSC]

I use all 3 in different setups. I never use fluoro on BC because it's the worst for me with that equipment. I have only had one bad experience with fluoro and attribute that to a bad spool. Normall use Sunline FC and P-Line CX (fluoro coated). Regarding mono I use BPS Excel in bulk and re-spool a lot. It's cheap and works great for me.

 

It is true that you have to pay more attention to your knot tying and the quality of knots with fluoro than the others (again, to me). Knots are always important but a poor knot will kill you with fluoro as I learned when first trying it out. I fish fluoro for drop shot and senkos like a lot of people. Double palomar well lubed holds great for me.

[the reel ess]

I used Vanish 17# for years without incident. It was my pitching and T-rig line. And I mean the exact same line on the same reel, unchanged. It was extremely sensitive with much less stretch than mono and a little more than braid. It seems the purpose of this thread is to discredit floro. If it didn't have its place pros wouldn't be using it. They would take the check and use something else.

 

I finally changed it out for braid because I wanted that rod to double for frogs. And honestly I think the whole visibility thing is overplayed, especially where I live. I still have a little for leaders if I want to use one.

[WRB]

Surprised I missed this thread.

My first experience with FC line was on a salt water trip to catch white sea bass for brood stock about 1983.

John Dority of JD's tackle handed out leader spool of 25 lb test FC to use on a dropper rig with live squid. Had claimed the fish can't see it and it will improved our catch rates. The anglers who tried FC leaders out fished everyone who didn't use it on this trip. I was hooked on FC.

The next marlin and tuna trip to Cabo we all had FC leader material up to 100 lbs. by the end of that trip we had so many line and knot failures the FC went into the trash can.

1988 Aaron Martens introduces the local bass anglers to Sunline Shooter FC line in 100 meter spools, 10 to 20 lb test. Aaron is winning a lot of tournaments using FC Shooter, so again I get hooked on FC and learn to tie the SD jam knot. Sunline Shooter price keeps going up to $35 a 100 meter spool, so I start looking for alternatives at lower a price point. Nothing is close to Shooter's performance for about 15 years until Sunline cones out with Super Sniper at 1/2 the price of Shooter, cost problem solved, performance is almost as good.

Knots are still a problem with FC, must be tied correctly. For me the low coeffient of water drag translates into better strike detection when fishing jigs. Knots are a problem and line management is a problem using FC, so I only use it for jigs and worms during the day time. I use premium mono at night due to ease and reliability of knot tying and can get away with larger diameter line.

FC line is a permanent part of bass fishing today, until something comes along that's better.

There are some very good FC lines available, however they all are over $35 / 100 meters...too expensive for most bass anglers.

Tom

[snowy]

I use Seagar Invisx 15# on most and #8 Lb on my Finesse spinning rods. The only time i use braid is on my Carolina Rig, and the only time I use Mono is on my Topwater rig. 

 

I can keep the invisx on for 2-3 years depending upon how much I use each rod, I usually will spray the line with conditioner 2-3 times a year. I just cut off a couple of feet when it gets scuffed and keep fishing.You can't do that with Mono, it will degrade with heat and sunlight and become brittle and break very easy.

 

I don't even listen to the FC ney sayers, to me Seagar Invisx is the top fishing line out there and it's all I use in Floro line. I'm sure the Tatsu is better but it's just crazy priced.

[Further North]

I always find it interesting when someone has a bad experience with something - often years ago - and vows to never use it again.  This ignores different brands, different products within a brand, the idea that it may have been user error...or that it was simply a bad individual product (made on a Monday, so to speak).

 

I tried fluorocarbon when I first got back into fishing...didn't like it...tried some other brands, other types...still didn't like it...but I checked back now and - and I learned a bunch of things - then and there are some places where it is the best possible choice.

 

Most often I use it for leaders, tied on to braid...or onto a fly line...but there's other times when it's fine on its own.

 

I've never understood the mindset that leads to what I'll call a "purist" mentality.  It's a limiting behavior that insulates the believer from improvements and opportunity to learn and grow...

 

...For instance, I fly fish...but I am not a "fly fisherman". I use spinning and bait casting gear when it works best...or when I want to.  I have plenty of examples of things I've learned in one kind of fishing that crosses over to another...putting it all together makes me a better fisherman overall.

 

Ignoring fluorocarbon because I didn't like it years ago would have left me with a gap in my tool box...and - for me - that'd be bad...

[anthonyfip]

I have been catching more fish since switching to at least a fluorocarbon leader.  Maybe the fish fell for the hype as well? Lol... I also agree with the post regarding many line for different applications.  It does cost a bit more, but I would say it is more worth paying $15 to spool my reel that only cost $60 than some people who are paying $300 and more on reels! That's where the marketing trickery is really happening!  To each their own