Techniques Where FC Main Line Is A Must ?

[ChrisD46]

What techniques do you consider using FC main line a must versus using braid , mono or co-poly main lines ? ... I'll go first :

 

1. T-Rig Worms & Creature Baits (#12 lb. - #17 lb. FC)
2. Wobble Head , Pitching Jigs  &  Football Jigs (#12 lb. - 17 lb. FC)
3. C-Rig (#15 lb. - #17 lb. FC)
4. Crank Baits : Lipless , Square Bill (#10 lb. - #12 lb. FC)

 

*The above applications are the only ones I feel reasonably sure about using an FC main line for  - other techniques such as :  Swim jigs , jerk baits , flipping into cover , drop shot and  shaky head could go either straight FC main line or some other kind of line  ... Your thoughts ?

[waymont]

None for me, I hardly ever throw a crankbait, but if I do I'll still use a leader. I use braid to leader for everything; except I'll use straight braid with frogs, and when the water is really dirty.

[BigAngus752]

What is so magical about fluorocarbon?

[islandbass]

IMHO, none are a must for FC line, but it can be useful for things like the drop shot in ultra clear water and the bite is tough. I don’t think I have ever used fc line greater than 8# test.
 

For cranks,I’d rather have the resilience of mono any day over fc or braid. It’s much more economical too. 

[king fisher]

None.  I do use fluorocarbon, and appreciate its advantages in certain situations, but could easily get by without it.

[fishwizzard]

For me, anything I fish where I will let it fall on a slack line or work with slack in the line, fluoro is a "must".  I fish mostly jigs and plastics, so I have fluoro on most of my combos from 7lb up to 20lb.  

[Finessegenics]

12 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

For me, anything I fish where I will let it fall on a slack line or work with slack in the line, fluoro is a "must".  I fish mostly jigs and plastics, so I have fluoro on most of my combos from 7lb up to 20lb.  

 

Is that because fluoro is supposed to be more sensitive? It certainly feels more sensitive to me. I swear that I can feel a lot more when I run a fluoro leader compared to a copoly one. And I usually go 50/50 on them. My deciding factor is usually water clarity, unless I'm fishing a surface bait. Maybe it's just a mental/confidence thing. 

 

Edit: I forgot to add that I'm not sure if the extra sensitivity would apply on a slack line, hence my question

Edited November 19, 2020 by Finessegenics

[FishTank]

I don't think it's a must but more of a personal preference.   For me, I like it for jigs and soft plastic. After that, its debatable but it is my go to for line in general. 

[fishwizzard]

13 minutes ago, Finessegenics said:

 

Is that because fluoro is supposed to be more sensitive? It certainly feels more sensitive to me. I swear that I can feel a lot more when I run a fluoro leader compared to a copoly one. And I usually go 50/50 on them. My deciding factor is usually water clarity, unless I'm fishing a surface bait. Maybe it's just a mental/confidence thing. 

 

Edit: I forgot to add that I'm not sure if the extra sensitivity would apply on a slack line, hence my question

 

Slack line sensitivity is the only reason I put up with fluoro.  If you have a friend who is willing to humor you it's pretty easy to test, get about 30-40' of line, tie a sinker on one end and told the other in your hand.  Close your eyes and have your friend tap line near the sinker with a pencil as you slack/tighten it.  Fluoro vs braid is night and day once the line gets slack.  Fluoro vs mono is less so, depending on the mono.  

[ChrisD46]

All useful replies ... Makes me curious to perhaps try a touted low stretch mono / co-poly like Sufix Advance Mono or Spiderwire Ultimate Mono to test sensitivity . 

[Hook2Jaw]

I prefer straight fluorocarbon for most bottom contact baits.  I do have two casting rods I run braid to leader on, but those two pull double duty.  One is my heavy worming and jigging rod but it also pulls double duty as my punching rod.  The other is also a worm and jig rod that pulls double duty as my frog rod.

 

For most everything else that isn't topwater and not a spinning rod I'm running 12-17# fluoro on it.

[dodgeguy]

None

 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

15 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

Fluoro vs braid is night and day once the line gets slack.

That depends on a bunch of different variables.  FCs are all different as far as stretch, sensitivity and memory goes.  The conditions play a big part as well.  In cold water FC hardens and tends to coil when the line is slack, at that point you lose contact.  FC that has been on a spool for a few months tends to coil as well.  I run FC on the majority of my casting gear and braid to leader on the majority of my spinning gear and when the water gets frigid I go to mono because its much easier to manage then FC.  One of my favorite things about fluro when compared to braid and mono is that it tends to sink.  So when the wind is blowing FC doesnt bow nearly as much because most of it is under the water.  Slack line sensitivity is important but the advantage braid has over fluro is that you can see it.  So you dont need to feel anything, you will see the bite before you feel it.  Everything has pros and cons, it all comes down to preference. 

[Bandersnatch]

17 hours ago, BigAngus752 said:

What is so magical about fluorocarbon?

Same question I have. It can't be magical 

Anybody have a recommendation if a floro that has little stretch but is still manageable? 12lb tatsu was unbearable to me. Looking in the 15-20lb range 

[J Francho]

Stretch and invisibility are not major selling points for using FC line for me.  It sinks, is dense, transmits bites well, knots well, manageability, lasts for YEARS, and is made with precision are.  You get all this with Tatsu and Invisx.  Seaguar products are the most consistent I've used, and they are the only ones I'll use anymore for FC mainline and leader material.

[ww2farmer]

None for me too.

 

But I also will not fish without a FC leader,(except frogs and top water)

 

Braid to leader is the best of both worlds IMHO.

[Team9nine]

I would never say fluorocarbon is a 'must,' as you can (and we probably all have/did) catch bass for years and years before using it. That said, it is on nearly 100% of my baitcasters (except for 1 or 2 braid setups - frogs, etc.). I don't have a single mono/copoly setup in the bunch.

[TnRiver46]

5 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

None

 

+1. I don’t even think I have a spool of it anymore 

[Michigander]

Braid to FC leader on everything. If I had a dedicated frog rod, I would probably skip the leader there though.

 

I get more bites with a FC leader rather than straight braid.

I'm more likely to not get immediately broken off by a pike because the FC leader provides some shock absorption.

When my reel birdsnests, I can pick out the braid and still trust that it wasn't compromised, unlike FC.

 

[redmeansdistortion]

I use it for leader material on some of my rigs, others I use mono.  Most of my trout fishing is done with a fluorocarbon leader, they can be very line shy and it does help.  For bass, I like mono because of the abrasion resistance.  As a for instance, there's a lot of sharp rocky cover in Lake Huron and they hold a lot of pig smallies.  Big Game is an excellent leader in that sort of setting. 

[Johnbt]

I finally decided to try fluorocarbon line after a lifetime of mono, straight braid and hybrids.

 

I signed up for an Amazon Prime credit card a couple of months ago and was given a $100 credit. I used it, along with some of my own money, to buy 2 1000-yard spools of Tatsu - 15# and 20#. I also got 5% cash back for buying it on Amazon using the card. 

 

I spooled one on a Metanium MGL and one on a Steez. I already owned some line conditioner. So far I've caught fish on spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, medium-diving crankbaits and a few on other things including 5" Senkos.

 

I love this stuff. What's not to like.

 

I just received 3 200-yard spools of Invizx from Bass Pro. They were on sale for $11.99 each and I was ordering an 11" seat post so I got some. We'll see how it goes.

 

 

I'm sold, although I haven't tried it yet in freezing weather.

[Mike L]

18 hours ago, J Francho said:

Stretch and invisibility are not major selling points for using FC line for me.  It sinks, is dense, transmits bites well, knots well, manageability, lasts for YEARS, and is made with precision are.  You get all this with Tatsu and Invisx.  Seaguar products are the most consistent I've used, and they are the only ones I'll use anymore for FC mainline and leader material.

Ditto!!

 

Same can be said for Sunline products.  (Sniper and Shooter) but that’s just my preference. No leader tho 

 

 

 

Mike

[Teal]

It's not a must.  But I do like to keep it in my CRANKING rods as opposed to mono.  Most of mine are braid to mono.  But I do have 3 jig rods, one of them has straight 16lb fc.  I also have one worm and moving bait rod with straight FC as and option too.  It's a confidence thing for me

[Bankc]

To me, it's less about technique, and more about water clarity.  But even then, there's no real "must".  About the only technique that I can think of where I wouldn't ever want to use a particular kind of line is fluorocarbon with topwaters.  It can mess with the action.  But even then, I'm sure I could make it work if I had to. 

 

[TnRiver46]

5 hours ago, Johnbt said:

 

 

I love this stuff. What's not to like.

 

 

For me personally, the price! I’m still using the same 4 spools of mono I bought when I was like 24 for a total of $12 (I’m 36 now). I doubt I’ve spent $100 on line in my entire life and I fish way more than 99% of the population