Interesting Read - Fluoro

[BrackishBassin]

Ran across this in a saltwater forum I frequent. Interesting information and worth a read. 

 

https://activeanglingnz.com/2016/01/04/the-fluorocarbon-myth/

[APK62]

Great read !

[A-Jay]

Old News.

A-Jay

[WRB]

There are no panaceas with fishing line...none!

I have struggled with FC for decades, a love hate affair.

The last paragraph of the attached article, before it's summary, is important to bass anglers. FC gives anglers better feel for what bottom contact lures are doing and that is the primary reason to use it. Poor knot strength and casting performance are reasons not to use it. The article didn't go into what I believe is a virtue with FC line and is coeffient if drag going through water is very low and coupled with better feed back is a real benefit to bass anglers. Line and knot failures at unopertune times is a real deasater to bass anglers. Dammed if you do and damned if you don't, I finally chose not to use FC line, not because of the expense, because of random line failures.

Tom

[BrackishBassin]

18 minutes ago, WRB said:

There are no panaceas with fishing line...none!

I have struggled with FC for decades, a love hate affair.

The last paragraph of the attached article, before it's summary, is important to bass anglers. FC gives anglers better feel for what bottom contact lures are doing and that is the primary reason to use it. Poor knot strength and casting performance are reasons not to use it. The article didn't go into what I believe is a virtue with FC line and is coeffient if drag going through water is very low and coupled with better feed back is a real benefit to bass anglers. Line and knot failures at unopertune times is a real deasater to bass anglers. Dammed if you do and damned if you don't, I finally chose not to use FC line, not because of the expense, because of random line failures.

Tom

 

Curious how the drag coefficient would be different between mono and fluoro of the same diameter. 

[Russ E]

31 minutes ago, WRB said:

There are no panaceas with fishing line...none!

I have struggled with FC for decades, a love hate affair.

The last paragraph of the attached article, before it's summary, is important to bass anglers. FC gives anglers better feel for what bottom contact lures are doing and that is the primary reason to use it. Poor knot strength and casting performance are reasons not to use it. The article didn't go into what I believe is a virtue with FC line and is coeffient if drag going through water is very low and coupled with better feed back is a real benefit to bass anglers. Line and knot failures at unopertune times is a real deasater to bass anglers. Dammed if you do and damned if you don't, I finally chose not to use FC line, not because of the expense, because of random line failures.

Tom

+1

[WRB]

27 minutes ago, BrackishBassin said:

 

Curious how the drag coefficient would be different between mono and fluoro of the same diameter. 

It's easy to test for yourself if you have a boat. Cut off anything that is tied onto the end of you line and let out about 30 yards of line and drag it behind the boat at walking speed. You can feel drag of the line going through water, mono of the same diameter will feel much heavier then FC line and when you make slow wide turns the mono stays in the wake in a bow, FC straightens out with very little bow.

I drag line behind my boat often to untwist it and that is how I discovered the difference in drag pressure.

Tom

[BrackishBassin]

4 minutes ago, WRB said:

It's easy to test for yourself if you have a boat. Cut off anything that is tied onto the end of you line and let out about 30 yards of line and drag it behind the boat at walking speed. You can feel drag of the line going through water, mono of the same diameter will feel much heavier then FC line and when you make slow wide turns the mono stays in the wake in a bow, FC straightens out with very little bow.

I drag line behind my boat often to untwist it and that is how I discovered the difference in drag pressure.

Tom

No time to take the boat out due to my twin boys, so I'll have to take your word for that. But that's definitely interesting. I wonder if it might have to do with the fact that mono soaks up water. Can't think of any other reason unless there are differences in how smooth the line is at the microscopic level. 

[WRB]

Nearly everyone who fishes with both Nylon mono and FC thinks mono stretches far more than FC because they feel drag in the water not the line streching and believe the mono is strecthing when it isn't. The bottom line is the line must be tight, no slack or bow in the water to put enough to force to stretch line and then the force must approach the materials yield strength, about 30-40% of it's ultimate tensile strength.

With 10 lb test line for example the force to stretch it is between 3 to 4 lbs, that fully loads up a MH bass rod before the line can start to stretch.

Keeping in touch with lures is important and perception is important, if you believe FC gives you better feel with less stretch, that is important.

Tom

 

 

[Team9nine]

I'm looking for the right emoji to insert here, but I can't quite find it in the available list...

[Mike L]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

There are no panaceas with fishing line...none!

I have struggled with FC for decades, a love hate affair.

The last paragraph of the attached article, before it's summary, is important to bass anglers. FC gives anglers better feel for what bottom contact lures are doing and that is the primary reason to use it. Poor knot strength and casting performance are reasons not to use it. The article didn't go into what I believe is a virtue with FC line and is coeffient if drag going through water is very low and coupled with better feed back is a real benefit to bass anglers. Line and knot failures at unopertune times is a real deasater to bass anglers. Dammed if you do and damned if you don't, I finally chose not to use FC line, not because of the expense, because of random line failures.

Tom

I need to stop repling to these threads...

I've been useing flouro for years and have not had the problems most of you keep saying you have.  

 

If the knot is tied correctly there is no "poor knot strength" just because you're useing flouro.

If your reel isn't adjusted correctly there is no "poor casting performance" just because you're useing flouro..

 

All I know is I'm convinced that the benefits of useing a quality flouro for presentations that will benefit from it, far out weigh any real or percieved negative.

Flouro is not a panacea, but niether is braid, co ploy, or dare I say mono.

 

Now all the Mono Forever guys will jump all over me again, and come up with all the science, testing, polls, and opinions that will prove....Ahh, never mind 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Jeff H]

Trivial BS.  Use whatever you want/like.  I'm happy with my mono... and braid in some cases. 

[wdp]

To me, FC has improved greatly over the last 15 years. When I first started using it, it was very stiff and very unmanageable. I also had a lotta knot failures & line breakages, especially with Berkley Transition. Tried a few others that were better in the failure department, but were still stiff & hard to use. 

 

The last few yrs I've been using Invizx in 12 & 15 lb test for all my cranking. It's great line & very manageable. Not all FC lines are created equally. 

[WRB]

I am good at tying knots and won several knot tying contest, so that isn't my issue with FC line, it's FC line knot strength under fishing conditions when the knot is stressed quickly it may fail. If you haven't had a big bass break you off near the boat you are lucky. This rarely happens to me using mono and I am annal about retying knots, checking my line and setting my drags. 

Watching bass over 8 lbs break the line for no apparent reason will get your attention and it's happened to me more often than I care to remember with FC line. Keep in mind I use light line 7 lb to 14 lb test and have tried them all over the past 25 years.

Tom

[Mike L]

I feel for you, I have had fish break me off useing flouro, but if I remember right it wasn't at the knot  but above it.

I assumed it was on a weak spot as I had a backlash a few casts before and was rushing to get it out so I blamed it on that. 

 

I admit, thats the biggest problem I have useing flouro, really have to be extra careful when that happens. 

 

 

Mike

[clh121787]

3 hours ago, Mike L said:

I need to stop repling to these threads...

I've been useing flouro for years and have not had the problems most of you keep saying you have.  

 

If the knot is tied correctly there is no "poor knot strength" just because you're useing flouro.

If your reel isn't adjusted correctly there is no "poor casting performance" just because you're useing flouro..

 

All I know is I'm convinced that the benefits of useing a quality flouro for presentations that will benefit from it, far out weigh any real or percieved negative.

Flouro is not a panacea, but niether is braid, co ploy, or dare I say mono.

 

Now all the Mono Forever guys will jump all over me again, and come up with all the science, testing, polls, and opinions that will prove....Ahh, never mind 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I'm with Mike on this one. 

[A-Jay]

 I was a serious FC hater for a long time.  The characteristics of very poor knot strength & unexplained, random line failures when it was first introduced completely turned me away. 

Fast forward a few years.  Improvements in the product had others singing praises of FC.  I decided to give it another try.  Admittedly, though I tried to go into this second ‘test’ with an open mind, because the line had burned me so bad (insert cost me several nice fish) I was very skeptical.

After a bit of time & some trial & error, I began to gain confidence in it as well as having some decent success.

I now use FC as part of my every day fishing.  I am very careful with the line; meaning I treat it often, my knots are done with full attention, and contrary to what many do, I change it out; not as often as my mono lines.  However, after I end for end it on the reel one time, and I as soon as it shows signs of wear, I can it.   At least once perhaps twice a season depending on use.  This has works for me as I have not had any of the 'problems' associated with my first rather brutal FC experience. 

Bottom line for me is that FC a tool that I use to help catch fish.  If it’s doing that successfully and in a manner that I believe is a bit better than another option, I’ll use it. (except in Mexico)  So to that end, I’ve been using FC this year exclusively for my jerkbait & spinnerbait fishing.  And in both instances I’ve had some fairly respectable results which included personal best fish.

YMMV.

A-Jay

[fishwizzard]

The main issue I have with floro is that when I have to pull out a snagged lure, it seems to break far up the line, rather than at the knot.  I have noticed this across a few different brands and weights.  While it is not a huge deal, I would rather just leave a lure in the water then a lure and 15 yards of line hanging off of it.  

 

I am going to give premium monos a try next season.  I have been using Shooter Defier Armilo a good bit this year and have really liked it, even for jigs and other bottom contact lures.  

[J Francho]

12 hours ago, Team9nine said:

I'm looking for the right emoji to insert here, but I can't quite find it in the available list...

[Team9nine]

10 minutes ago, J Francho said:

 

 Here's what I know. I fish braid with fluorocarbon leaders extensively on spinning outfits, primarily 4-8# test of various lengths. Going this route puts much more stress on the fluoro leader, and both connecting knots, than if you were running straight fluoro, which I do on nearly every baitcast outfit. Over the past several years, I have landed numerous state "best in class" sized fish this way, including double digit sized hybrid stripers, channel and flathead cats, as well as buffalo and grass carp to near 40 pounds. If there were significant issues around fluoro, I would have experienced them by now. 

[NYWayfarer]

I have used straight fluorocarbon and hybrid lines like Kastking Fluorokote and I prefer the hybrid line. It really seems to be the best of both worlds.

 

With straight fluorocarbon I do have knot and line breakage at weird times and spots. I have experienced none of these issues with the hybrid line. The Fluorokote has been a godsend for trout fishing as I have been able to use heavier line and still catch them.

[Todd2]

And the endless debate goes on...much like Ginger or Mary Ann (yeah, showing my age). There likely will never be a winner...I'm a mono and Mary Ann guy...lol 

[Glenn]

[Todd2]

3 minutes ago, Glenn said:

I literally laughed out loud...good stuff.

[Turtle135]

2 hours ago, Team9nine said:

 

 Here's what I know. I fish braid with fluorocarbon leaders extensively on spinning outfits, primarily 4-8# test of various lengths. Going this route puts much more stress on the fluoro leader, and both connecting knots, than if you were running straight fluoro, which I do on nearly every baitcast outfit. Over the past several years, I have landed numerous state "best in class" sized fish this way, including double digit sized hybrid stripers, channel and flathead cats, as well as buffalo and grass carp to near 40 pounds. If there were significant issues around fluoro, I would have experienced them by now. 

What pound test flouro do you run on your baitcasting outfits? and how frequently do you break fish off?