When should I be using fluoro?

[Doubles]

Okay, I am not a fan of fishing with fluoro. I don’t like the way it feels & handles. That said, I know it has become a necessary evil. I like fishing with braid, and have it loaded in all of my reels.

Here is my question: Can I just put fluoro leaders on the reels I have braid loaded on? I mostly fish 3/8 jigs, soft plastics with 1/8 oz weights, ned rigs on spinning gear, and 3/8 - 1/2 oz swimbaits, and senkos. And which fluoro should I buy for these leaders? And how long should the leaders be? All these questions indicate how rattled I am at the prospect of using fluoro.

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance. 

[Pat Brown]

For me it's 'never'

 

I use big game 12 or 15 or 20 lb for everything except frogs and buzzbaits which get 40 lb 4 strand braid.

 

Braid is by far my least favorite line to fish with but is a necessary evil with frogs and buzzbaits in thick grass.

 

I don't hate fluorocarbon but I vastly prefer big game to any fluorocarbon Ive tried.

[PaulVE64]

All my reels are braid and all my leaders are (12# to 20#) mono.

I use an FG knot and the leader is shorter than the rod.

 

That said I would like to find a fluoro i liked for dropshot and neds.

[Mobasser]

I also use Big Game for casting reels. For your spinning rods, you don't have to use flouro. You might try a co poly line. Lots of guys use Yo Zuri Hybrid or P Line.

[Mike L]

I use flouro for everything except for 2 presentations which I use braid and it never let down. 
I’ve tried different lines over the years and settled on Sunline Sniper and Shooter depending what I throw where. 
 

I don’t use leaders 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[gim]

I use fluorocarbon in two ways: as leader material to prevent bite offs from pike with specific moving lures, and as leader material when fishing in ultra clear water with rocks around for abrasive resistance.

 

Whether the fish can see the line is up for debate, but in ultra clear water where fish are highly pressured, I am not taking any chances.  Its a variable I can control, so I'll control it.  Virtually every pro on tour is doing it and their livelihood is on the line, so that's good enough for me.

 

If you don't have northern pike or muskies around, the first reason probably doesn't apply to you.  I use Seaguar Blue Label for that in 20 or 30 pound test with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and crankbaits.

 

For the finesse stuff in clear water, I use 8, 10, or 12 pound Seaguar Invisix that is directly tied to my main line which is braid.  The rocky lakes I fish have zebra mussels and they are sharp.  Fluoro tends to hold up better around them.  I still inspect the line regularly for damage and replace as needed.

[Bankc]

You don't need to use fluoro if you don't want to.  I jumped on the fluorocarbon bandwagon for a while and hated it.  I hated the memory most of all.  I also hated the cost and how it didn't last that long.  I was told to buy better brands of fluoro.  So I did and while they were better, they didn't solve my issues with it.  I was told to use line conditioner.  So I did, and again, it made the problems better, but didn't solve them.  Then I realized that fluoro was attempting to solve problems that I hadn't have (visibility and abrasion resistance), while introducing problems that I didn't need.  The water around here is stained and there aren't really any clams, mussels, pikes or muskies to speak of.  So I went back to braid and haven't regretted it.  

 

I will on the rare occasion use a fluorocarbon leader if I feel like I need fluoro.  But I rarely do.  It's not for everyone, and it's not for me.  

 

Now I'm not telling you NOT to use fluoro either.  Lots of people love it.  I'm just saying that if you don't like it, don't feel pressured into using it.  

[gim]

43 minutes ago, Bankc said:

Then I realized that fluoro was attempting to solve problems that I hadn't have (visibility and abrasion resistance), while introducing problems that I didn't need.

Absolutely true.  No reason to reinvent the wheel here.  Use it if there is a reason to.  If not, well, there's more than one way to skin a cat. 

[Bird]

90% of the water I fish is gin clear so all my spinning has 15lb braid to a 6 foot flouro leader, 8-12lb sunline sniper.

All casting gear is straight braid.

 

[rocketsurgeon]

All of my surf/inshore/offshore saltwater gear is all braid to fluoro. Freshwater is mostly all fluoro for casting and spinning, I have found that I like the slack line sensitivity and abrasion resistance above all else. Frog/buzzbait/topwater rods and  some of my BFS rods are the exceptions.

[TheSwearingAngler]

My .02 is worth exactly that.. I’m a braid to copolymer leader guy. 10-15lb high viz braid on spinning to 8 yo-zuri hybrid. 20-30 braid on casting with 12lb YZ hybrid.. 50lb straight braid for punching and frogging.

[Bankbeater]

A few years back I used fluoro for t-rigs and jigs.  I didn't care for it and never used it again.

[gim]

Let's bring in @T-Billy on this subject.  I know what his answer will be...

[FishTank]

I use fluorocarbon for almost everything except two spinning rods, one BFS setup, one crankbait rod and one topwater/jig rod. On the spinning rods, I'm braid to leader and on the topwater, I cut the leader off depending on what I'm doing and go straight braid, especially in vegetation. 

 

For leader, I like Seaguar Gold Label and Sunline Grand Max. For straight fluorocarbon,  I like Sunline Sniper Invisible and BMS. I'm testing out Varivas AAA and so far, it's as good as Tatsu. For mono, I like Sunline Machine-gun Cast.

 

I have never had an issue with fluorocarbon but have several issues with mono and braid.  For me, mono only lasts a few outings depending on how and where I fish but I can get a whole season or two with fluorocarbon.  I have had Tatsu last for four years and only changed it because it was running low. 

[T-Billy]

It's not a necessary evil. It's not necessary at all IMO. If you're happy with braid stick with it. If you want to use braid to leader, go with a quality abrasion resistant mono, or Yo Zuri Hybrid for leader material. An Alberto with an extra wrap through the loop is the only leader connection knot I use and have zero issues with it.  

[FryDog62]

I use fluorocarbon for anything bottom contact, or when I need a uniform sink rate. Braid plus leader makes a “hockey stick” shaped presentation where you either have to reel up line quickly to take the slack out, or sometimes… miss bites altogether. 
 

Applications that are always fluoro for me include: crankbaits, Neds, dock skipping wacky worms/flukes, Free Rig, Scat baits, paddletails/underspins… 

[Dan N]

I’m in the “never” camp. 
I’ve done it, not impressed. 

[Fishingmickey]

     I use Fluorocarbon, I like Fluorocarbon and I will continue to use Fluorocarbon on the majority of my reels. I do not tie the palomar knot with Fluorocarbon. I used the improved clinch knot. The SDJ knot would probably work fine too.  I use fluorocarbon for crank baits, spinner and chatterbaits and all bottom contact baits. I don't use fluorocarbon for top water baits or frog fishing.  Mono and braid get the nod for those two types.

     I have tried many brands and types of fluorocarbon line. I have settled on three different choices. Seaguar Invisx, SeaguarTatsu and Diawa Samurai are the ones that I prefer and have found that work best for me.

     Fluorocarbon line has it's pluses and minuses. I will not elaborate on them here. It would be a TLDR post for sure,

FM

[PaulVE64]

3 hours ago, Bird said:

90% of the water I fish is gin clear so all my spinning has 15lb braid to a 6 foot flouro leader, 8-12lb sunline sniper.

All casting gear is straight braid.

 

What knots?

[Woody B]

Use what you're comfortable with.   I don't think Bass are lined up in the murky depths laughing because "he's not using flouro".....or mono, or braid or whatever.   

[Bird]

16 minutes ago, PaulVE64 said:

What knots?

@PaulVE64

Leader knot is Alberto.

Double Palomar for Hook/ bait with fluorocarbon.

 

[Jig Man]

8 hours ago, Doubles said:

Okay, I am not a fan of fishing with fluoro. I don’t like the way it feels & handles. That said, I know it has become a necessary evil. I like fishing with braid, and have it loaded in all of my reels.

Here is my question: Can I just put fluoro leaders on the reels I have braid loaded on? I mostly fish 3/8 jigs, soft plastics with 1/8 oz weights, ned rigs on spinning gear, and 3/8 - 1/2 oz swimbaits, and senkos. And which fluoro should I buy for these leaders? And how long should the leaders be? All these questions indicate how rattled I am at the prospect of using fluoro.

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance. 

Yes you can put leaders on your braid.  I do that on spinning reels.  On bait casters I use straight fluoro except for top water which is straight braid.  I only tie one knot for the bait, Pitzen.  The best braid to leader that I have found is the fg knot.  I like the leaders to be longer than my rod..

[steves191145]

I've switched to a copolymer and eliminated fluoro.  Last year the river was the clearest I've ever seen and the smallmouth were skittish  mccoy mean green worked just fine.

[A-Jay]

10 hours ago, Doubles said:

Okay, I am not a fan of fishing with fluoro. I don’t like the way it feels & handles. That said, I know it has become a necessary evil. I like fishing with braid, and have it loaded in all of my reels.

Here is my question: Can I just put fluoro leaders on the reels I have braid loaded on? I mostly fish 3/8 jigs, soft plastics with 1/8 oz weights, ned rigs on spinning gear, and 3/8 - 1/2 oz swimbaits, and senkos. And which fluoro should I buy for these leaders? And how long should the leaders be? All these questions indicate how rattled I am at the prospect of using fluoro.

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance. 

22 replies so far and no 2 are a like.

May not answer your questions directly but it does indicate that these anglers feel successful with a wide variety of line, leader combinations.  And so can you.

Also seems many bassheads here have let experience be their guide to whatever they settled on.  IMO, the best way to go.

So for reply 23. I will tell you that I use 

10 - 17 lb FC on casting gear and 8 - 20 lb braid mainline on spinning gear with 8 - 12 lb mono or fc leaders.  I prefer long leaders, at least 3 rod lengths if not more. 

Good luck

A-Jay

[GReb]

My amateur opinion is use whatever you have confidence in. Flouro may be best for some applications such as suspending baits, sinking/bottom contact, when you need added depth on divers, or clear water/light line situations.  Whether or not it’ll put more fish in the boat in not definitive.  You just have to try it for yourself and decide. 
 

Personally I use it on my worm rods. It seems to have a more consistent rate of fall and maybe a bit more sensitivity but that’s all subjective. I will say that I wasted a lot of money before settling on a product I liked. A lot of flouros, especially in heavier weights, really were a pain to use and constantly needed attention.  
 

The only other time I use it is on smaller flat sided cranks such as a frittside or OG slim. It seems to get a little better dive and more action. But really I just have caught a lot of fish using it for those applications and have confidence in it. 
 

A good copolymer line is perfect for most normal fishing situations for me personally. Cheap, lasts, casts well, and has great knot strength. Supplement braid for thick vegetation such as punching or frogging. 
 

Fwiw I use Trilene 100% flouro in 15lb for worms and Invisx in 10lb for small cranks. Those were the sweet spot lines I found considering performance and cost. McCoy Mean Green copolymer is my main line.