Fluorocarbon fishing line. Do you like it?

dipbait

dipbait

Joined
Feb 9, 2008
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I bought my first spool of fluorocarbon fishing line and am not impressed with it. Its stiff and heavy and expensive. It backlashes more often than mono. It doesnt cast as far and knot tying is horrendous. I kept trying to tie a trilene knot and its impossible to tie a nice neat knot.Looking at it through a jewelers loupe , because of its stiffness the two loops around the eye of the hook stay separated instead of drawing tight too each other. Ive only used it one time and will try it some more but as of now I like mono much better. The line I tried was Vicious in 15 lb test.

I only used it for plastic worm fishing and It was noticeably more sensitive than mono.

So whats your expierence with it? What am I missing?
 
I use light flourocarbon (under 10lb) as a leader when fishing for something like crappie/panfish or trout. Otherwise I use Fireline on the reel. For heavier leader material I use normal mono, and unless the fish are being really really really picky it works just fine for all intents and purposes. Don't have any experience with flourocarbon over 12lbs so I can't help you with the knots... all of them seem to work just fine on the light stuff.
 
I also have not had good experience with 100% fluoro line. The properties that supposedly it was good for (low memory, low stretch, and invisibility in water), were overrated. It does not have low memory. It does stretch less than mono and it is invisible in water. I found that working with it wasn't worth the price or marginal improvement over mono. I do like the fluo hybrids though. Seem like a good compromise or like rocket said, Fireline with a quality leader in mono. I fish primarily trout and bass.
 
My theory on flouro...

The tackle companies did themselves a big disservice with braided fishing line.
The stuff has a great shelf life, hardly breaks, and when finally worn can be reversed on the reel.
One is going to buy a lot less braid than mono.
(I've had the same braid on my most used reels for a couple years now) where as I'd respool mono a couple times a summer.)
Now the tackle companies need something "better" than braid so they can move more product... make money...
Along comes flouro, endorsed by the pros (read: shills) and now it is something new that fishermen "need."

Remember all this tackle and stuff doesn't have to catch fish, just fishermen.

I'm sure there are times when the invisibility flouro makes a difference, like fishing bait for sharp eyed species like tuna, in ultra clear water.

But for LMB, where the water is usually less than gin clear, the lures look like something from a science fiction movie and the hooks are the size of buicks, I'm not buying the whole invisibility thing...
Maybe less stretch, more feel... but that's about it.

JMHO and I'm sticking to it.
:D
 
I use Fireline on all my reels. When fishing for shy fish like seatrout, i use a fluorocarbon leader.

I havent experienced all the negative things you mention. I manage to tie my knots just fine (i mostly use the palomar knot). I cant comment on the memory, as i only use it as a leader.
 
rocketbomb said:
I use light flourocarbon (under 10lb) as a leader when fishing for something like crappie/panfish or trout. Otherwise I use Fireline on the reel. For heavier leader material I use normal mono, and unless the fish are being really really really picky it works just fine for all intents and purposes. Don't have any experience with flourocarbon over 12lbs so I can't help you with the knots... all of them seem to work just fine on the light stuff.
Click to expand...

I use flourocarbon as leader material only. Especially if I'm going for a species that hunts mainly by site or are skiddish. The heavy weight Flouro is expensive and I typically don't bother with it.

I don't really like mono anymore, not even for trout fishing. The braides are so small now. It doesn't stretch like mono does so hooksets are a little different on small fish, and clearing from snags on brush is a completely different technique for me, but It's growing on me more and more.

A few trips this year we didn't bother putting leaders on my cousin's sons lines. They still caught trout limits with just braid.
 
I like fluoro, granted I only use it for "bottom contact" lures, jigs, worms, shakeyheads, etc. I use both straight fluoro and as a leader with braid. I use 20# P-Line 100% fluoro on my flipping stick which I only make short pitches with 95% of the time so casting distance isn't a factor. I like it because it is so much more sensative than mono, it even transmits bites when the line is semi slack. I've not had knot strength problems with P-Line, I use a standard Palomar knot.
I use 15# P-Line fluoro as a leader on my spinning reel which is filled with 30# Power Pro braid. I use this combo of lines for a little of everything. As mentioned above jigs, worms, and shakeyheads. The sensativity with the braid fluoro combo is great for these lures and I get great hooksets.
So to sum up yes I do really enjoy fishing with fluoro lines.
 
Im gonna try it out a little longer for worm fishing. Ive been studying up on it. According to Tackletour the improved cinch knot is the strongest to use with it, the Trilene will not draw tight properly. It also stretches as much as mono but because it doesnt float on the surface{like mono] creating a big bow in the line , it is then more sensitive and gives a surer hook set, which is my experience .

One more thing , with mono , I always know when the lure touches bottom because the line would slacken up a bit . I kept waiting for the Fluro to slacken and it never did.

Its also suppose to be more brittle , and needs to be cut back and changed more often. I would think that if it is that brittle , the knots would break because of the severe stress put on them. Rearing back on a big fish only to have the knot fail is a sure way to get me back to using Suffix Elite.
 
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I filled a spool with fluoro once, never again. Now I only use it as leader material tied to fireline or braided line, which it performs well at. It is too brittle for my liking. I don't often use lines over 8lb test.
 
I'm going to assume you have a baitcasting setup (you mentioned backlash), so my experience might not be valid as I used fluro on a spinning setup. I first tried 8 lb Berkley Vanish, over three fishing trips. I found the knot strength to be awful. I lost two good sized fish in open water when the line snapped. So I retied, and gave the line a hearty tug, and it snapped right at the eye of the hook. I then tried Seaguar Invizx, also 8 lb. I found this to be much better. The line doesn't break the way Berkley Vanish did. I do have to keep an eye on the line, when it starts to fray, I cut the damaged part off and re-tie to be safe. Haven't lost a fish yet.

I have used Invizx for the last four months, averaging 2-3 fishing trips a week, with about 4-6 hours of fishing per trip. I have no real complaints. I fish mostly weightless plastic worms on my spinning setup for largemouth bass, with the fluro as a main line. This is after years of happily using PowerPro braid (main line, no leader). Most of the other fishermen in the online fishing community strongly suggest that there is a big difference in quality when you step up to the better fluro lines (usually the Japanese ones). If you must use Berkley, their Trilene 100% Fluro is considered good quality, but stay away from the Vanish line.

I suggest you try again, but with a different brand. The better brands are more expensive however, so it's up to you if you want to go that route or not.
 
I too have used the Trilene line for four years or so and have had good results on a spinning set up. The casting is smoother and better than mono, but the knots tend to slip open if you do not tie them tight and properly. I have to try braid some day as I have not really used it, and some of my fishing is in locations with lots of weeds and brush.
 
Don't like it, bought one spool of Vanish and didn't use it very long. I much prefer Power Pro or Fireline. Son and I were fishing side by side all last week, one with Power Pro, the other with Fireline Crystal and we caught fish at the same rate.
 
Vanish is widely considered one of the worst fluoro's of all time so you shouldn't write all brands off just from your experiences with Vanish. Just saying.
 
I only use it for leaders on my fly setups. Did not like Vanish either, but I do love P-line Floroclear. It acts like mono, but is supposed to be as invisible (the same wavelength as fluorocarbon) as fluorocarbon. Also, it is incredibly strong, great tensile strength, and does not "nick" much. It is also thinner than most mono. Typically I run 6lb or 8lb for spinning gear, 15lb for baitcasters. Sorry this kind of turned into a plug for Floroclear, but it is awesome, it seems to bridge the gap between mono and fluorocarbon. If I am not using braid, it is P-line Floroclear.
 
P-Line is the ONLY brand I use for anything other than braid. I also love their braid I just can't buy it locally. My favorite line of theirs is the CXX mono, really strong. I've used fluoroclear in the past but not lately, I remember it being a good line as you describe. I've got other brands of line that I purchased over the years but I never buy anything but P-Line products anymore. I've just never had a reason to look at anything else in a long time.
 
Depends on what I'm doing, for bass and walleyes, I use power pro exclusively. But for late season steelheading I prefer floro and have no problem with knot strength in below freezing weather. I use polmar knot for lures and hooks and double surgeon for leaders.

Also use floro for leaders both for live bait and flies.
 
Ive decided to go back to mono. Heres the final reason as too why. Fluoro stretches just as much or sometimes more than mono. Mono has more elasticity so it snaps back in place. Flouro does not so once it gets stretched , it is now thinner and weaker. Very seldom do I spend a day bass fishing without stretching the line. A big fish or a snag can stretch the line and then the second big fish break it off because it is now deformed.That along the knot issues make me believe that mono would be more dependable.
 
For worm and jigs, I would again urge you to give superlines are try. I've been using them exclusively since fireline first came out and really prefer the extra sensitivity from them. If you are fishing from cover, line visibility shouldn't be a problem. I use 50lbs on my flipping stick and it works very well. Last a few season too, so the cost over mono is a non issue.

Flouro is a niche product for me.
 
I hate braids and Fireline. If I still had a bass boat and had a bunch of rods I'd keep fluoro on one , especially for deep worming on windy days. Now all my fishing is in a canoe, plastic boat or a jon boat and I can only carry two or three rods.
 
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