line breakage with flourocabon

[brianbjk]

I do most of my fishing on a small clear lake and i have always used 8lb mono, but i throw a lot of weightless worms (wacky), so last year i tried the switch over to flouro,  i had a couple of hits and the line would break at the knot.  question being what would u recemend as far as tying on flouro, what am i missing              thanx for any suggestions

[KYbass1276]

Make sure you wet the line good before cinching down the knot or it will fail http://bassresource.com/fishing/fluorocarbon.html  This might help you as well.  Welcome to the forums

[roadwarrior]

Welcome aboard!

I have experimented with a number of fluorocarbon lines and haven't found one I like yet.

[dave]

I was at the Fishing and Boat Expo in Baltimore this past weekend.  Marty Stone gave a seminar on finesse pitching and flipping.  He commented that being sponsored by BPS he was risking being fired but,   the best  flouro out and hot with the pros is Gamma.  $30 for a 300 spool.  He wasn't the only pro that talked about it.  After reading a couple of posted by roadwarrior last year,  I tried out Yo-Zuri Hybrid.  I'm switching 100% to it this year.  

[R520dvx]

I use flouro and love it. I have never had a problem with it breaking at the knot. There is a good article on another site about why the knot fails.

[J._Bricker]

Brian- I'd suggest using a palomar knot, and don't forget to wet the line when tightening the knot.  I also like to use Berkeley Vanish "Transistion" for the same purpose, as I like the color to help me line watch.  Good luck, JB

[burleytog]

The most important thing to remember when using flouro is to make sure the line around the knot is properly lubricated. I put the un-tightened knot in my mouth before cinching. Do it slowly as well to avoid a lot of friction.

The only time I've ever had flouro break was when fishing a carolina rig without retying for about 5 hours.

I straightened two Gamakatsu EWG 3/0 worm hooks last year using 12 lb. Vanish and a palomar knot.  Got hung on rocks, darn near broke the rod.  Line never broke.

[T-rig]

What diameter line where you using? It's funny but same thing happend to me last week.

I lost a nice 5lb. bass right at the dock. The 8lb. fluoro (leader only) I was using broke right at the hook.

I allways lubricate the line but this bass swallowed the hook and I guess there was just too much

friction on the line. I just switched to a heavier line diameter (the fish suposedly don't see line anyway)

and haven't had that problem since.

[T-rig]

Roadwarrior,

Try YGK Nitlon DFC fluorocarbon (Japanese brand) if you cen get your hands on it.

You'll like that I bet!

[burleytog]

T-rig, what might have happened with your line breakage is that the line could have been caught in the hook eye.  That spot where the end of the wire has been bent over to form the eye.  I have had that happen a few times.  Some brands of hooks are worse than others in that regard.

[T-rig]

That's a possibility but the line was very frayed right where it broke.

[Grey Wolf]

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rocknfish9001]

I used 6lb. vanish for a while, then threw it all away because i had to tie about 20 knots to get one that doesnt break. But when i did get a good knot, you couldnt break that line no matter what. Some lures held knots better, and some could never hold a knot. I tried palamor knots with no improvement, so im assuming that it was the line that is giving me problems. And by the way, i did not think that the line was very abrasion resistant at all.

[Triton_Mike]

Hey Guys,  A little secret about using flourocarbon and while using fluorocarbon you will NEVER have another knot break with fluorocarbon.  I like the braid knot for ALL types of lines to be honest.  No more putting your bait through a loop which is especially a pain with treble hook baits and namely big swimbaits.

Here is a link.  BTW Only wrap your line around the main line 4 times.  No need for wrapping it around 8 times like the picture shows (thats for when using braided line to prevent slippage)

http://triplefish.net/knots_.html

Mike

[.ghoti.]

Burley hit the nail right on the head. Whatever knot you use, wet it well and tighten it s-l-o-w-l-y. That's the key. Friction generated during the knot tightening process will weaken flouro lines more than mono. I was ready to give up on flouro for this reason until a friend gave me this tip. Works every time.

Cheers,

GK

[Siebert Outdoors]

Check your line regularly for frays or knot wear.  Not only on flouro but all lines.  This will save you in the end of losing fish.  

If you dont moisten the knot it will break almost every time or it will pull out.

[BARON49_Northern NY]

With all the clear water here on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence river I switched to fluorocarbon line a couple years ago and went nuts tring to find a knot that would not break on me.  I agree that the braid knot or I personally like the double improved clinch knot, or the double Trilene knot work the best with fluorocarbon lines.  The Palamar is probably the worst knot you can use as it cuts against itself and if not tied perfectly will break under pressure.  Where as the Palamar is the best knot for braided lines I have found.  The blood knot works really well when putting a fluororcarbon leader on braid.  One little trick I use with the blood knot is just a tiny drop of super glue.  Since using the double Trilene knot and the blood knot with a little super glue I rarely if ever break at the knot.

[The_Natural]

I haven't had breakage issues with any of the fluoro's I've tried, and I've tried a bunch of different brands.  I'm using Vanish right now and love it, but I haven't tried it in the lower lb tests yet.

[brianbjk]

thank you everyone for the suggestions, cant wait for spring to give floro another shot

[Triton_Mike]

Guys,  Actually friction (heat) has nothing to do with fluorocarbon.  Most of the fluorocarbon lines are made from a fluoropolymer called polyvinylidene flouride...PVDF for short. PVDF is a high-grade engineering polymer with good temperature properties and extremely good chemical resistance. You don't see a lot of it around the house, but it is used for a lot of piping, valves, seals, musical instrument strings and in air filters. It has several other applications in the electronics industry such as membranes for fuel cells and batteries.   This comes straight from a materials scientist for 3M technologies who just happens to be a fisherman as well.  

Having said that it's MORE important to tie a clean perfect knot.  The palomar knot is tricky because the line can overlap and cause it to cut into itself.  If you tie a GOOD CLEAN palomar knot you'll be fine but the braid knot which is easily tied doesn't have the tendency to get tangled when you cinch the knot hence a pretty knot every time.  Try it and you will see what I am talking about.  It is bar none the best knot to use when using fluorocarbon line.  

Mike

[The_Natural]

Fluorocarbon is just another product that could possibly buy you another couple of bites throughout the day.  It's not guaranteed, but fishing is very competitive, and I want every advantage I can get; whether it be super sensitive rods, red treble hooks, fluorocarbon, or spending extra for a few Lucky Craft baits.