Sometimes it doesn't pay to skimp

[Glenn]

The line is the only thing between you and the fish. That's we only use the best leader.  Gold Label, from Seaguar Fishing

 

 

[jbsoonerfan]

Totally agree. Just like guys who buy cheap broadheads and bullets.

[islandbass]

@Glenn Very true. I do like Seaguar and have used in the past Invizx and Red Label. Love them both. If Gold Label a “main line” fc or a leader line fc? I will guess it’s designed with the intent of the latter since you mentioned leader. 
 

Also, does gold label lean toward the limp or stiff side of fluorocarbon line? 
 

I have been thinking over this winter considering going an fc leader when I think it’s called for and if I do get say a 200 yd spool, I just realized that if I did use it strictly as a leader material, it would go a long way, much farther than if used fc as a main line as I have in the past. Thanks. 

[bulldog1935]

Fishing for a BR sponsor again, and so soon.

It's bound to get more than a few strikes. 

I promise not to be the guy to mention Toray Exthread - oops. 

 

On a rush out the door on Alaska business trip just about 2 decades ago, brand-R fluoro tippet was all I could pick up at the fly shop on the way to the airport. 

I've never caught a rainbow over 30", and broke off 3 that size at knots on that trip. 

Never fished any fluorocarbon but Seaguar for the next 20 years. 

 

guess I'll have to settle for a Texas tailwater rainbow as my PB

8 hours ago, islandbass said:

...

Also, does gold label lean toward the limp or stiff side of fluorocarbon line? 
 

I have been thinking over this winter considering going an fc leader when I think it’s called for and if I do get say a 200 yd spool, I just realized that if I did use it strictly as a leader material, it would go a long way, much farther than if used fc as a main line as I have in the past. Thanks. 

I use Gold in big sizes, especially on my surf leaders. 

Compared to Blue, it's thinner, more abrasion-resistant, and I'd definitely say stiffer for the same diameter.  That also gives it less memory. 

[roadwarrior]

https://seaguar.com/saltwater/new-lines/gold-label-25

 

Gold Label is sold as leader not mainline, 25 yard spools. Thinner, stronger and more

abrasion resistant than the mainlines. 

[Team9nine]

Big fan of Seaguar (and Toray ?) lines, the only fluorocarbons I throw any more, but until companies start coming out with objective data to support some of their claims, I’m not dropping that kind of coin on line (3X the price of Tatsu) ?

[Big Hands]

I typed most of this up last night, but I see that, in my desire to be as verbose as possible, Team9nine has beaten me to the punch ?

 

I can agree to the general premise that sometimes it doesn't pay to skimp. But the math on this stuff is a little difficult to. . . . fathom.

 

People hem and haw about the cost of Tatsu, and I think it's super pricey as well. I generally use 8 lb leader and have been using Red Label and some Daiwa Samurai in 7 lb and usually buy leader in 200 yard spools usually going through a couple per season.

 

I can't say I'm thrilled with Red Label, and I like the Samurai a little better, but I have lost some fish to broken line and knots even though I try to be very careful. I was contemplating giving something like Tatsu or Abrazix a try for leaders. A 200 yard spool of Tatsu is on sale for about $30 right now and normally goes for around $42 with a cost of $0.21 per yard for Tatsu at full retail and about $0.15 per yard on sale.

 

Gold Label goes for around $16 at the popular outlets that shall remain unnamed, and around $13 at my local tackle shop for a 25 yard spool, yielding a final cost of somewhere between $0.52 and $0.64 per yard.

 

Is there something about this that makes it preferable. . . . way more preferable. . . . than regular fluorocarbon line?

[garroyo130]

48 minutes ago, Big Hands said:

Is there something about this that makes it preferable. . . . way more preferable. . . . than regular fluorocarbon line?

 

If you were a fish ... would you rather eat bait off a paper plate or a GOLD platter?

[Big Rick]

14 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

Totally agree. Just like guys who buy cheap broadheads and bullets.

These two terms no longer can be used at the same time!! Since 2020 ALL ammo is expensive regardless of quality. 

 

Yeah, I get your point. Cheap meaning lesser quality. Unfortunately, as of late about all I can find is "cheap expensive" ammo  

 

Sorry, thread derail. I just couldn't resist. 

 

[jbsoonerfan]

40 minutes ago, Big Rick said:

These two terms no longer can be used at the same time!! Since 2020 ALL ammo is expensive regardless of quality. 

 

Yeah, I get your point. Cheap meaning lesser quality. Unfortunately, as of late about all I can find is "cheap expensive" ammo  

 

Sorry, thread derail. I just couldn't resist. 

 

Hahahaha!!! I guess I should have said "less expensive"

[Choporoz]

Does it stretch less than mono?

[N.Y. Yankee]

Not sometimes, USUALLY!

 

"Sometimes" you will find a real bargain but that's few and far between now.

[Big Hands]

1 hour ago, garroyo130 said:

 

If you were a fish ... would you rather eat bait off a paper plate or a GOLD platter?

I've eaten thousands of meals off of paper plates, and I've never eaten even a bite off of a gold platter, but then again I am not a fish.

[Glenn]

Well first of all guys, it's not a crime to mention other brands.  There's a lot of quality products out there.  So when I mention one brand, it doesn't mean all the rest are trash and you're forbidden to speak their names. Sheesh.  The way some of you overreact sometimes.   LOL

 

Sunline!  There, I said it!  *gasp*  ?  Sunline actually makes pretty darn good lines.  If you use Sunline and like it, keep using it.  You won't have to wear a scarlet letter here because you like Sunline (or any other brand).  LOL

 

On 1/27/2022 at 7:08 AM, Big Hands said:

Is there something about this that makes it preferable. . . . way more preferable. . . . than regular fluorocarbon line?

This leader is thinner and stronger, with less memory and stretch, plus excellent abrasion resistance and near invisibility beneath the surface. Seaguar invented fluorocarbon fishing line, and they own the entire end-to-end manufacturing process. No other company can make that claim.  Seaguar has leveraged this advantage to create Gold Label.

 

Gold Label is a 100% fluorocarbon leader manufactured using a dual extrusion process which unites a strong, sensitive core with a soft, supple exterior – a groundbreaking, proprietary line manufacturing technique that is exclusive to Seaguar. The result is a double-structure fluorocarbon leader that exhibits the beneficial attributes of each of its two resins. With line diameters as much as 18% smaller than other Seaguar fluorocarbon leaders, Gold Label is the thinnest fluorocarbon leader available. When you fish with Gold Label, baits swim more naturally, triggering more bites and helping you to catch more fish.

 

Thinner is better - but there's more to Gold Label than that. The properties of Gold Label ensure that knots snug down tight and strong, whether you’re linking Gold Label to Seaguar Smackdown braided main line, or tying a lure to the business end of your leader. The exceptional tensile and knot strength you’ll experience with Gold Label – as much as 17% stronger than other Seaguar fluorocarbon leaders - means fewer heartbreaks after the strike. Also, with a refractive index that closely matches that of water, Seaguar 100% fluorocarbon leaders virtually disappear beneath the surface, ensuring that fish see your bait without detecting your line. In addition, because Seaguar fluorocarbon leaders offer enhanced abrasion resistance compared to monofilament, you’ll experience fewer line failures from sharp walleye teeth, or from battling giant bass around rocks, docks, and timber.

 

Seaguar is the originator of fluorocarbon fishing lines and leaders, and leverages nearly 50 years of experience in the design and manufacture of 100% fluorocarbons to produce Gold Label.  That's why it's better as a leader than regular fluorocarbon line.

 

[garroyo130]

My understanding is when fishing line is extruded or whatever the process is, the best line is used for leader material, next best for premium line, then regular brand and the low quality/inconsistent line sold to others to sell under their name. I may be way off but I remember reading this somewhere and found it interesting that top shelf premium line and off brand low quality line could come from the same batch. 

[bulldog1935]

let's see Glenn, I gently pick on you about starting 2 threads on a BR sponsor's product in as many weeks, and we're the one's over-reacting.  We like you Glenn, like your posts, and you run a great website. 

Knot strength has always been highest priority for Seaguar, and I believe my post and 20 years' dedication to the product support that. 

 

@garroyo130 the newer fluorocarbons are co-extruded with two different formulations giving the core and surface different properties.  What you really pay for in the highest grade fluorocarbons is that each diameter has its own formulation to optimize those properties. The reason I've mentioned Toray Exthread before, they take this same approach with lines spooled for bulk-loading, and I've found their small diameter lines to be remarkably tough and abrasion-resistant.  @Team9nine has independently made the same observation, and I think we're kind of picking on each other over a couple of threads.  

[Big Hands]

8 hours ago, garroyo130 said:

My understanding is when fishing line is extruded or whatever the process is, the best line is used for leader material, next best for premium line, then regular brand and the low quality/inconsistent line sold to others to sell under their name.

 

IF that is true: I think it could make sense to do it that way because the consistency of a leader could be more critical because it has such a short distance, whereas a segment that isn't quite the same could be more apt to fail when stressed in the short distance of a leader, especially with a braid mainline.

 

9 hours ago, Glenn said:

This leader is thinner and stronger, with less memory and stretch, plus excellent abrasion resistance and near invisibility beneath the surface.

 

According to Seaguar's own website, all of their 8 lb fluorocarbon line (from Red Label, to Tatsu, to Gold Label) is the same .009" diameter.

 

Truly not on a mission to bust anybody's tenderonies, just seeking to understand because I don't know and would like to know. I understand that when you get toward the top of the food chain, a little better starts costing a lot more. It's like that in so many pursuits, and I like that options like that do exist even if they are priced beyond what I am prepared to pay, at least on a regular basis.

 

If I paid $3500 to enter a tournament and I am counting on getting a check so I can provide for my family, it might be a more viable choice. Just like a professional photographer wouldn't shoot the Super Bowl with a kit lens.

 

Just to be fair after starting this thread, I will get a spool of Gold Label and give it a try.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

On 1/26/2022 at 9:44 PM, jbsoonerfan said:

Totally agree. Just like guys who buy cheap broadheads and bullets.

I challenge you to find a cheap bullet anywhere lol

[cyclops2]

BANG BANG   Went my 7X leader.