Flourocarbon Breakage Issues

[barroncooper]

this very well could be my own fault, I'd just like to ask anyway. I'm having frequent break offs on all of my flouros. i'm using tatsu in 20 and 15 and sunline sniper in 14 and 20. how long does flouro last. i've been spooled up now with these for about 4-5 months. does heat and direct sun make flouro more brittle? my rods stay in my vehicle sometimes. I'm using mostly the double san diego jam knot with the improved clinch thrown in there too and just breaking off like crazy and I'm not a hard hook setter. this definitely seems to be an issue with the line. I'm just trying to figure out if i caused the issue by leaving my rods in my tahoe sometimes in the heat. thanks in advance guys.

[dodgeguy]

change the line more often.i don't know anybody who uses flouro that long.

[barroncooper]

yeah that's what i figured but that's how long it's been on there. It hasn't gotten a ton of usage in that time. significantly less than the spools before. i think that because it sits in my hot car during the summer that the heat and magnified sinlight might dry it out and make it brittle. who knows. time to respool.

[BobP]

I leave fluoro on the reel until there's too little on the spool to fish. For me, that may be a year on some reels. No problem with breakage but I always store reels in the garage where temps rarely reach 100 degrees. I hear fluoro is not damaged by UV light like nylon lines, but I'm a little skeptical since UV seems to degrade just about any man made material. So does heat. I use the same knots as you, but different fluoro brands (usually cheeper!).

[Packard]

Have you tried KVD Line & Lure conditioner? It could help and isn't expensive. Those are very nice lines and shouldn't encounter problems like that.

[Hooligan]

change the line more often.i don't know anybody who uses flouro that long.

Uhhh? Fluorocarbon has longer life on the reel than mono. I've got a couple spools of Tatsu that is now through its third season.

The problem is heat in the vehicle.

[tboydva]

I don't have any experience with your line, but I have tried other fluorocarbon lines (can't remember exactly which) that broke easily and I was very dissatisfied. I've gone completely to BPS fluor (in a white box). In my experience, you can't break that stuff! When I first started using it, I made the mistake of wrapping the line around my hand to break it off. Got a nice cut for the effort. Like BobP, I use it until the spool gets empty. If you can afford it, I'd try different lines to see others might perform more up to expectations.

[NBR]

I have fluoro on a reel for at least 3 years and it is just fine. At the price I can't be changing more than necessary!

[barroncooper]

yeah i keep em sprayed down with KVD. i'm not complaining about the lines at all. these are the 2 best flourocarbon lines that i've used. I think that the heat from staying in my truck for days at a time during the summer is what's doing them in which would be my fault. I just notice a lot of people complaining about flouro breaking off and I'd be willing to bet that they're not taking care of it like they should or not taking the proper precautions when tying their knot. any way looks like it's time to buy some line. thanks for all the replies men.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The heat probably isn't doing it any good, but fluoro will separate the men from the boys in the knot tying department for sure.

[CWB]

The heat probably isn't doing it any good, but fluoro will separate the men from the boys in the knot tying department for sure.

My thought exactly. Be sure to ALWAYS wet the knot and cinch it down slowly but tight. As others have said, I have had it on a couple reels for more than a year and one reel was on it's 3rd year and had no issues. $20 and up for 200 yds, I'm gonna do my best to make it last. Big-O taught me something I've been doing religiously. Before heading in for the day, clean your line. Make a long cast and reel in the line through a clean towel. Seems to help.

[pitchinthejig]

Uhhh? Fluorocarbon has longer life on the reel than mono. I've got a couple spools of Tatsu that is now through its third season.

The problem is heat in the vehicle.

100% correct you dont have to change fc that much if its a high quality fc like in your cause the stuff lasts a very long time.... the heat is killing the line keep it out of heat when not in use.

[BassThumb]

I tried an experiment this year, going a full season with 15 and 17 lb. Trilene 100% on two heavily used jig/pitching rods. I planned on using the line as long as I could just to see how it would react, and I figured at some point I would have to replace the line once it started breaking unexpectedly. To my surprise, I never broke off a single time that wasn't Northern Pike related.

The rods stay in the boat locker during the entire season and it stays a little more humid in there than I would like, but they never really get too hot. I used an Improved Clinch knot and treated the line with KVD Line and Lure about every third or fourth trip.

[NBR]

My experience is that flouro reacts poorly to back lashes.

[KC Bass Fanatic]

My experience is that flouro reacts poorly to back lashes.

x2. I use P-Line 100% and XPS fluoro and both get weak spots if backlashed.

[Hyrule Bass]

change the line more often.i don't know anybody who uses flouro that long.

i dont think this is the problem at all. i think its related to leaving his reels in a hot vehicle all day making the line weak.

i dont get why people feel the need to respool every trip or even multiple times per year. line does not go bad that fast unless severly mistreated. its one thing if the reel is low on line and doesnt have enough to fish effectively with or something along those lines. i never respool unless im low on line for that reel or just want to try a new line. my line never goes bad over the course of a season or 2 and i never have break off issues...

[J Francho]

change the line more often.i don't know anybody who uses flouro that long.

6# Invisx on a spinning reel since spring '10. 12 Trilene 100% since mid summer '10. Here's a good one...8# Sufix Siege MONO! on my centerpin reel for third winter season.

All get treated liberally with KVD L&L

[.ghoti.]

Where is the break occuring? If it's up the line from the bait a few yards, then it's a kinking issue. Flouro will kink enough to create a weak spot if a backlash is "yanked out". Pull them out gently.

If you have the tell-tale hook or curve at the very end of the line, your knot is breaking. When tying knots in flouro you must lube the knot liberally and tighten the knot very s-l-o-w-l-y.

I wouldn't worry about the heat much. Line is extruded under high temperatures. You will not get the interior of your Tahoe anywhere near high enough to cause this problem.

[JigMe]

I have had my share of problems with flouro, and to avoid breakage issues I have started to changing my line twice per season. Also, ill fill the spool half full with mono then spool it with flouro.

[pitchinthejig]

back lashing will spoil a spool of some fcs very easy... softer more stretchy fc's do better fighting off kinking however your harder more sensitive less stretchy stuff does not like a back lash if it is more then a over run and you come to a spot and it locks up it will kink its self very easy and you will have a line failure at that spot. another thing is this if the line is digging in on the sides of the spool when setting a hook it will cause a weak spot if you ever notice that happening it will only happen with thin line 6-8lb line on a casting reel then go with a heavier line on that reel.