Flourocarbon....

[BPACA]

anybody use flourocarbon on a regular basis....looking for a recommendation .....got to get some soon

[BPACA]

I've heard Gamma is pretty good?

[zooker]

don't start using it it is a waste of time..

[Rebbasser]

I've been happy with Seguar and have heard good things about BPS fluoro. Stay away from Vanish.

[Patrick Krueger, Jr.]

Originally Posted by zooker

don't start using it it is a waste of time..

I concur. I was on a salmon charter on the fourth on Lake Michigan and the captain agreed. The memory is frustrating and it costs too much. Even for leaders I stick with mono.

Look at zooker's number of posts, read some, he knows what he's talking about.

[dodgeguy]

i was a flouro hater like some of you guys.seguar invizx changed all that.

[zooker]

Originally Posted by Patrick Krueger, Jr.

Look at zooker's number of posts, read some, he knows what he's talking about.

patty-o furniture done got me all blushin now lol..

zooker

[Bender]

Avoid Vanish at all costs from what I hear from people I know that tried it. Up here in gin clear lakes it seems to help. I like P-Line Florocarbon and BPS floro. Or, my favorite for suppleness and castability is P-Line Halo. $$$ butworth it IMO.

[islandbass]

SeaGuar Invizx. No need to lool any further. Done deal.

FC in the right hands is deadly. Just ask all the smallies I've nailed this season.

[BPACA]

thanx for the replies...I'm newer to floro.....just don't use it that much because of costs...but for my tournaments I like to use it....It does have some good properties....

[FlyRod]

Originally Posted by BPACA

thanx for the replies...I'm newer to floro.....just don't use it that much because of costs...but for my tournaments I like to use it....It does have some good properties....

Though I am not in the advice business I will relate my own experience and discovery re low-visibility line.
Perhaps you could try P-Line FloroClear (Correct spelling...no "U".) This is a co-filament line that offers reduced visibility, better behavior than most fluoros, and costs far less than pure fluoro. I use it for all sub-surface applications (Cranks, Traps, SOME softies, Jerk Baits, etc.) other than those for which I use super-braids.
FloroClear sinks almost as readily as pure fluoro so it's not suitable for most topwater applications save, perhaps, for "constant motion" lures such as toads and buzz baits. For topwater one should generally use a regular mono, one with high abrasion resistance, BTW, such as P-line CXX.
To be candid, the only times I make use of pure fluoro is when I fish soft plastics, jigs, or other "slow" lures on braid. In those instances I employ a fluoro leader, always P-Line Fluorocarbon Leader (not regular flouro) which is sold in 25 meter spools. It's a tad pricey but well worth it.
I fish buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzbaits, toads, spinnerbaits, and SPRO Frogs on braid with NO leader since the environment and/or speed of retrieve makes visibility less of a factor.

Enjoy,

FR

[BPACA]

BUZZZZBAITS...lol...

We'll I'm gonna be fishin mainly jigs and soft plastics of the variety...I'll have two rods with mono on them for cranks or topwater in the morning....

[bassthumb32]

i use almost exclusively fluro very happy with the results.

[FlyRod]

Originally Posted by bassthumb32

i use almost exclusively fluro very happy with the results.

If you like fluro you'll LOVE fluoro!
Naturally, I prefer FLYRO!

FlyRo(d)

[patchino22]

I am reading all this negativity towards Vanish....why? I mainly fish plastics and use Vanish. I have gone back and forth between Vanish and P-Line Flouroclear and I like the Vanish a lot more. I have had no problems with it and I have landed some hogs with it. Please explain why I should avoid it.

[Rebbasser]

Pachino-my experience with Vanish was it was extremely stiff and broke real easily. In all fairness, though, it was when I ws first using fluoro so there was a learning curve going on.

[FlyRod]

Originally Posted by patchino22

I am reading all this negativity towards Vanish....why? I mainly fish plastics and use Vanish. I have gone back and forth between Vanish and P-Line Flouroclear and I like the Vanish a lot more. I have had no problems with it and I have landed some hogs with it. Please explain why I should avoid it.

Patchster,

To begin with you are comparing apples to oranges...well, more like peaches to nectarines. That's because Vanish is a "pure" flUorocarbon while P-Line FloroClear (no "u") is a cofilament, basically a parallel blending of fluoro and mono.
I'm delighted that you've had good fortune with fluoro, especially given that you use Vanish, whereas most folks I've heard from have not been so fortunate. In fact, my own experience (with Vanish Transition, to be precise,) was less than salubrious. I will admit that there MUST be a better fluoro or two out there.
Use what you will, of course, and best wishes, but I still believe that using P-line Floroclear in lieu of pure fluoro means little loss and some gain, especially in the area of line costs.
Side note: Frankly, I wish I felt comfortable using braid in ALL applications, since that would be the most cost-effective approach of all.
Anyway, given that the most-quoted reason for using pure fluoro is it's purported "invisibility", I feel compelled to note that MOST water, lest it be gin clear, will sufficiently conceal virtually any line, especially when fishing with a fairly fast retrieve. Frankly, I cannot recall any occasion wherein I felt that a pure fluoro would have conferred an advantage over FloroClear.
I'm open-minded, though, and DO feel that the pure flouro leaders I employ with braid are critical to what success I enjoy.


FR

[bassthumb32]

it was the first fluro i used and i hated it so much i took it off my reels after one outing and vowed to not use flurocarbon again. but then i started reading that it was what was winning most of the pro tournaments so i started using bass pro flurocarbon line and i love it p line flurocoarbon is awesome but fluroclear is not. if you can afford it sunline makes the best flurocarbon. the pro i know gave me some. i just wish i could afford to buy more.

[skeeter944]

I know that I am gonna get hit for this, but I love Berkley Vanish Transition. It is a very good line IMO, I use 20,17,14, and 8lb tests. It rocks for Soft Plastics and Jigs. I have used this line for about 8 months now and I have never had a fish breakoff. I fish atleast 5 days a week also.

[jooleyen]

I haven't used any other fluorocarbon lines other than Vanish so far, but I am very happy with it.

[hackattack]

vanish SUCKS!
I love maxima flurocarbon and vicious is good also.

mostly vanish sucks because the very first time I used it I broke off a fish over 6 lbs. right in front of me, I watched it eat my senko...grrr...

[patchino22]

Thanks for an honest answer Reb. From reading everyones post, I get the impression that it really depends on the fisherman and what they like......and the experiences they have had. I hope everyone has a GREAT 4th of July and is able to get a line wet!

[Redneck4woodmont]

so let me get this straight, I need to use mono for topwater stuff, braid or superline for heavy cover, and flouro for everything else? also i heard that berkley's fireline is pretty good, is this true??

[Rebbasser]

Originally Posted by Redneck4woodmont

so let me get this straight, I need to use mono for topwater stuff, braid or superline for heavy cover, and flouro for everything else? also i heard that berkley's fireline is pretty good, is this true??

Sort of. The reason mono is recommended for topwater is because it floats, unlike fluoro which sinks. You don't need to use superline in heavy cover but is a good idea IMO-I once pulled a 20 lb flathead catfish through a flooded treetop after it hit a jig-thought it was a monster bass-but I never would have boated it without braid. Fluoro-I use it but discovered, like Zooker, that I really like P-Line Floroclear. Mono with a fluoro coating. It sinks, handles extremely well and is a real joy to use. One of the few lines I have discovered that really is both limp and tough.

I did read not too long ago to NOT use a Palomar knot with fluoro-use a trilene knot. Apparently the Palomar kinks the line, which is the kiss of death with fluoro. If it kinks you better replace it.

[FlyRod]

Originally Posted by Rebbasser

I did read not too long ago to NOT use a Palomar knot with fluoro-use a trilene knot. Apparently the Palomar kinks the line, which is the kiss of death with fluoro. If it kinks you better replace it.

This reenforces my earlier comment re knots. Actually, I strongly disagree that the Palomar itself is the "kiss of death". POORLY tied Palomars (or any other poorly-tied knots) ARE the "smooch of doom".
My friend Reb can attest he's seldom seen me lose lure and/or fish due to "Failurus Catastrophicus Palomaris" so that must mean that my diligence when creating that knot pays off, as well it should.
Any knot...ANY...can "fail", but only if the tyer thereof has selected a vastly wrong knot for the purpose and/or tied it poorly. That harkens back to the need for friction and loop-twist avoidance as stressed in my initial post (this thread.)
In short, don't blame any but the true culprit...sloppy inattention to detail.
Now, here's a consideration sure to cause some head-scratching...
Since the knot is the weakest link, if only by a small margin, in the fisherman-to-lure/fisherman-to-bass connection, it makes sense to "protect" the knot (can I get an "Amen" here?) Okay, so I always rig, or at least attempt to, my softies with the entire knot just covered by the plastic "nose" of the lure. Also, I peg (rubber pegs ONLY...more about that in a sec.,) my weight AND I use a weight with a cupped rear. This is so that it's less likely that any hard or abrasive material can slam against the knot. In cases where I use a pegged BEAD with the weight sliding freely I peg the bead firmly AND assure that there is a bit of soft plastic cushion extending above the knot. Are you getting the idea here? Good. That means your knot failure rate may well decrease.
But, Uncle Fly, why not the good ol' toothpick for pegging? (I hear you cry.) Well, boils and goiters, that's easy...Wood is harder than rubber, is more likely to damage the line than rubber, and has virtually no shock absorptive quality.
Part Deux:
Now, and this is a real goody...Of all the knots the Palomar exposes less "knot" when properly tied. Huh Wot
Well, think about it. A Trilene knot, an improved Clinch, etc, "stacks" line further up the standing portion, beyond the hook eye. Ergo, you have more vulnerability to knot damage UNLESS you go even further past the eye with the soft stuff. Even if you do, the cup in the back of the weight may not be deep enough to avoid hard metal impacting the knot when snag or strike occurs.
Of course, "burying" the knot helps prevent a fish's teeth from doing damage as well.
Until my OWN empirical evidence condemns the PROPERLY tied Pal Of Mine Knot, I'm gonna stick with it.

Maybe this'll learn ya', durn ya'!


FR