Mono vs. Flouro?

[Brett's_daddy]

I've always used Berkley Vanish flourocarbon but just bought a new reel and am thinking of trying mono this time in a low vis green, heard that mono has less memory than flouro...is this true? Other than memory what are the differences between mono and flouro (especially the low vis green vs. Vanish)?

[WIGuide]

Vanish has been improved in the last few years, but it's still not a very good fluoro (and that's coming from a Berkley fan). I really like their 100% fluoro as it's less brittle and manages well. The differences between Vanish and a mono are their water absorption, their sensitivity, abrasion resistance, and how they act in the water.

Fluoro doesn't absorb water so it's characteristics stay consistent throughout the day. Mono in general will absorb water and when it does it becomes a little more stretchy.

Fluoro is made out of a more dense material so not only does it sink in the water column, but it also transmits vibrations better and in my opinion creates a more sensitive line. For the same reason, I feel it helps transmit bites better for semi-slack line presentations such as wacky rigging. 

When it comes to abrasion resistance between the two, I feel there's a trade off. In a mono, there isn't as much abrasion resistance, but to me it doesn't seem to lose as much strength if it is nicked. Fluoro is more abrasion resistant, but when it does get a nick in it, it seem to lose strength a bit quicker than a mono. 

As far as how they act in the water, like I mentioned mono floats in most cases, where fluoro sinks. Although the two lines have somewhat similar stretch rates, I think this is why people don't feel that fluoro stretches as much. With mono the line is almost always wanting to rise up in the water column creating somewhat of a bow in your line under water. When you set the hook you're overcoming the slack in the line and pulling it tight and then the line stretches. With fluoro I think the line keeps a more direct path to the bait so when you set the hook with that you only feel the line itself stretch. 

Above are my observations from using both mono and fluoro. Both are good lines and have their place in the fishing arsenal. If I were you I'd venture away from Vanish and at least step up to 100% Pro Grade. If you're worried about the cost difference, I intentionally left the same line on one of my most heavily used rods for two years just to see if it broke down over time. If it did I didn't notice any loss of performance, and still had zero issues with it. If I had to choose between vanish and XT or XL I'd choose either of those mono's before Vanish but to each his own. Figure out what you like and what works for you!

[Brett's_daddy]

Well, I'm not married to Vanish in flourocarbon, what else would you recommend? I really don't want to spend $20 on 200yds. of line but I've heard the Seaguar Invizx is really good.

[roadwarrior]

Try a spool of Yo-Zuri Hybrid, #12 for baitcasters, #6 for spinning. Most guys like it, but some don't. It's inexpensive so if it doesn't work out, you have lost very little. Another line I have been very happy with is Izorline XXX.  

 

[WIGuide]

34 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Well, I'm not married to Vanish in flourocarbon, what else would you recommend? I really don't want to spend $20 on 200yds. of line but I've heard the Seaguar Invizx is really good.

Just use backing and that spool will go a lot farther. I usually respool 3 reels with one filler spool and use that for the whole year. You can use what's left as a leader material on another setup. 

[Catt]

58 minutes ago, WIGuide said:

Vanish has been improved in the last few years, but it's still not a very good fluoro (and that's coming from a Berkley fan). I really like their 100% fluoro as it's less brittle and manages well. The differences between Vanish and a mono are their water absorption, their sensitivity, abrasion resistance, and how they act in the water.

Fluoro doesn't absorb water so it's characteristics stay consistent throughout the day. Mono in general will absorb water and when it does it becomes a little more stretchy.

Fluoro is made out of a more dense material so not only does it sink in the water column, but it also transmits vibrations better and in my opinion creates a more sensitive line. For the same reason, I feel it helps transmit bites better for semi-slack line presentations such as wacky rigging. 

When it comes to abrasion resistance between the two, I feel there's a trade off. In a mono, there isn't as much abrasion resistance, but to me it doesn't seem to lose as much strength if it is nicked. Fluoro is more abrasion resistant, but when it does get a nick in it, it seem to lose strength a bit quicker than a mono. 

As far as how they act in the water, like I mentioned mono floats in most cases, where fluoro sinks. Although the two lines have somewhat similar stretch rates, I think this is why people don't feel that fluoro stretches as much. With mono the line is almost always wanting to rise up in the water column creating somewhat of a bow in your line under water. When you set the hook you're overcoming the slack in the line and pulling it tight and then the line stretches. With fluoro I think the line keeps a more direct path to the bait so when you set the hook with that you only feel the line itself stretch. 

Above are my observations from using both mono and fluoro. Both are good lines and have their place in the fishing arsenal. If I were you I'd venture away from Vanish and at least step up to 100% Pro Grade. If you're worried about the cost difference, I intentionally left the same line on one of my most heavily used rods for two years just to see if it broke down over time. If it did I didn't notice any loss of performance, and still had zero issues with it. If I had to choose between vanish and XT or XL I'd choose either of those mono's before Vanish but to each his own. Figure out what you like and what works for you!

I agree with everything except I have yet to find a fluorocarbon that as abrasions resistance as Big Game.

[J Francho]

If you use an actual fluorocarbon leader material, it's more resistant to abrasion than anything besides steel wire, but you don't want more than a couple feet of it on the end of your line.  It's REALLY unmanageable, even the lighter rated lines.

[roadwarrior]

The new Seaguar Flippin' Fluorocarbon is tough as nails!

http://seaguar.com/freshwater/flippin.html

 

[MainelyBASS]

Wally World sells my favorite fluorocarbon for $10 a spool. Red Label by Seaguar is on 15 out of my 20 setups, the other 5 have braid (dropshot, flipping, topwaters all get brid). I choose fluoro because of the minimal stretch and the transparency of the line in the water, also the fact that it sinks makes it a must for me with crankbaits.

[dave]

1 hour ago, MainelyBASS said:

Wally World sells my favorite fluorocarbon for $10 a spool. Red Label by Seaguar is on 15 out of my 20 setups, the other 5 have braid (dropshot, flipping, topwaters all get brid). I choose fluoro because of the minimal stretch and the transparency of the line in the water, also the fact that it sinks makes it a must for me with crankbaits.

Flourocarbon stretches more,  not less.   Search the site.  Someone did a study...  Google it as well.

[K_Mac]

6 minutes ago, dave said:

Flourocarbon stretches more,  not less.   Search the site.  Someone did a study...  Google it as well.

It may stretch more under static conditions, but it transmits vibration, has a smaller diameter to strength ratio,  and is denser-causing it to sink with less felt resistance in the water. Fluorocarbon is superior to mono in all "contact" techniques in my opinion. I have done my testing on the water, and my choice will always be fluorocarbon with a good copolymer like P-Line CXX or YZ Hybrid a close second. Mono has its place but not on a jig or plastics rod. Catt and others will be along shortly to tell you that mono has been catching fish for a while now and skill, not line is what matters.  

[Scarborough817]

22 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Well, I'm not married to Vanish in flourocarbon, what else would you recommend? I really don't want to spend $20 on 200yds. of line but I've heard the Seaguar Invizx is really good.

i personally really like abraz-x, i've tried vanish and i've never had more problems with break offs 

[J Francho]

Vanish - it's what happens to your fish when you use this line!

[Catt]

4 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

The new Seaguar Flippin' Fluorocarbon is tough as nails!

http://seaguar.com/freshwater/flippin.html

 

Ya really gotta stop that!

I don't wanna try another line

1 hour ago, K_Mac said:

 Catt and others will be along shortly to tell you that mono has been catching fish for a while now and skill, not line is what matters.  

If it matters to you then that's all that matters!

Just because I like Big Game doesn't mean I don't experiment!

[Cgrinder]

Red Label 10 lbs and under is pretty good. Better than a good nylon? Maybe, maybe not. Yo Zuri is decent but feels dead in my hands; casts nicely, knots well, and is very manageable though. If you want good fluoro, you're gonna have to break out the wallet unfortunately.

[MainelyBASS]

On 4/7/2016 at 8:01 AM, K_Mac said:

It may stretch more under static conditions, but it transmits vibration, has a smaller diameter to strength ratio,  and is denser-causing it to sink with less felt resistance in the water. Fluorocarbon is superior to mono in all "contact" techniques in my opinion. I have done my testing on the water, and my choice will always be fluorocarbon with a good copolymer like P-Line CXX or YZ Hybrid a close second. Mono has its place but not on a jig or plastics rod. Catt and others will be along shortly to tell you that mono has been catching fish for a while now and skill, not line is what matters.  

So you're saying that Aaron Martens, Kevin Vandam and Jason Christie are wrong?

[Glenn]

One must resist the urge to get emotional and defensive over....fishing line. 

It won't love you back.  Trust me.  But don't ask how I know! 

 

[K_Mac]

On 4/7/2016 at 11:47 AM, MainelyBASS said:

So you're saying that Aaron Martens, Kevin Vandam and Jason Christie are wrong?

I am not saying any such thing. Everyone of those guys uses fluorocarbon. I am not saying that mono or braid is not great for some applications either. Just that FOR ME fluorocarbon is a better choice for contact baits, unless cover is thick enough to require braid. I will not admit to any emotional attachment to fluorocarbon though. Unless treated carefully it will break your heart.

[Steveo-1969]

I've been using 10# Gander Mountain fluorocarbon for a couple months.  It's thicker than higher priced brands like Seaguar and Sunline but I don't have any complaints yet.  At $20 for 400 yards you can't beat the price either.

[MainelyBASS]

On 4/7/2016 at 0:21 PM, K_Mac said:

I am not saying any such thing. Everyone of those guys uses fluorocarbon. I am not saying that mono or braid is not great for some applications either. Just that FOR ME fluorocarbon is a better choice for contact baits, unless cover is thick enough to require braid. I will not admit to any emotional attachment to fluorocarbon though. Unless treated carefully it will break your heart.

Ok no biggy. I was just responding to your notion that I google "fluorocarbon being more stretchy than mono" When I did that, I found videos and blogs from those guys talking about how fluorocarbon has a lot less stretch than mono. I'm sure if I dug deeper I would have found something that said the opposite, but I will go by the words of  KVD and other pros. I don't need to try and disprove the theory.

[K_Mac]

There are many studies showing that under static pressure FC will stretch more than mono when dry. After they both have been in the water very long the differences are much less. The reason the pro's use fluorocarbon for many techniques is because it works. Some will insist that it only because of sponsorship, but I am not that cynical and have found it also works better for me.

How fluorocarbon feels and handles when I use it are the only real characteristics that much matter to me. How much it stretches and whether it is worth the cost are secondary concerns. If I can't afford to buy it I'll use copolymer instead. If I can save my nickles for the occasional spool of FC, you can bet that's what I will have on a few of my rods. I have found that it lasts longer on my reels than mono or copolymer, which reduces the cost a bit. 

It's all good! Use what you like. It's just fishing.

[Catt]

On 4/7/2016 at 11:47 AM, MainelyBASS said:

So you're saying that Aaron Martens, Kevin Vandam and Jason Christie are wrong?

Do a search in this forum & read  the test results for yourself!

[MainelyBASS]

No need to. You guys are right. Fluoro has more stretch than mono.

[Catt]

44 minutes ago, MainelyBASS said:

No need to. You guys are right. Fluoro has more stretch than mono.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/171709-annual-line-stretch-test-updated-2016/#comment-1944844

 

[iabass8]

flawless science