Fluorocarbon

[HarmonH]

Ive been hearing a lot of talk about fluorocarbon this season and I am wondering if anybody knows much about this line? How can it be compared to traditional mono of braid?

[slurpie]

Cant tell you alot, but fluro sinks and is more clear in the water or harder for fish to see.

[desert_bulls]

I noticed that it has a lot more memory then regular mono. I usually use it for tying live bait rigs and when I run braided line, I use it as a leader.

[Genofish]

I have been thinking of using it as a leader when using braided line for jigging walleyes in rocky areas.

[whitebassman]

Flurocarbon is practically clear underwater as it is very similar to the refractive index of water. It does not stretch like mono and is relatively more limp of a line. Therefore I use it as a leader to my braided lines, as it gives me the clear leader, without the stretch of mono. I love that stuff. Unless you need the stretch of mono, I'd go with Fireline Crystal and a 6ft fluorocarbon leader using uni-uni knot to connect the two lines.

[HarmonH]

Ah so its used more for a leader im hearing huh

[PerchJerker]

I think flouro has a few applications where it really works well. It's not too good for an everyday or all purpose line, but for certain things it works great.

It's not stretchy like mono so it has a lot better sensitivity, but it's not as soft as mono so it can be harder to deal with, especially on spinning reels and when tying knots.

As mentioned, it works great for leaders in clear water. Some guys like it for live bait rigs too, although the fact that it sinks really hurts it as a live bait rig in my opinion. It's also very popular for casting crank baits on casting reels --- the casting reels handle the line well, it has good sensitivity, and it sinks so you get a little more depth for your crankbaits.

I also use it at times in the winter, in super clear water or for super finicky fish.

[JBMasterAngler]

I only use it for ice fishing so far. When it comes to buying new line every spring I can't not buy the cheap trilen mono even though I always tell myself I'm gonna try something new every year.

[TrophyEyes]

I only like it as a leader. I didn't like how it spooled on a reel.

[Deitz Dittrich]

As many have already stated, it can be tough to manage on a spool. More so on spinning gear.. I do use 6lb on my Dropshot rod.. and its fine.. but you get up to 8 and it has more memory and does not cast as as well.. However, on a baitcaster its not all that bad. It does cost more, for good stuff...

[mainbutter]

Light lb tests are regularly used on baitcasters as main line for bass fishing, especially by tournament fishermen.

I personally use it as a leader material. I can change a lure just trimming and retying in less than 30 seconds usually, so I don't even need a snap swivel. It's nice and invisible underwater due to an extremely similar refractive index compared to water.

It has greater sensitivity than mono, not just due to slightly less stretch (though it stretches more than braid), but also because it is denser. Vibrations travel through it faster and for longer distances without dampening.

In addition, in higher lb tests it performs well as bite-protection against toothy critters. Last summer I didn't use steel leaders at all except on a few occasions of musky fishing. Most of the time I used 25lb triple fish fluoro tied directly to my lure. Multiple 35''+ pike, a half dozen muskies, and dozens of smaller pike were caught on my fishing trip to Ontario. Every single one was caught with 25lb triple fish fluorocarbon for leader. Not a single one bit me off. I did trim and replace slightly damaged fluoro as needed if one of the toothy critters caused damage.

~100lb test fluorocarbon is regularly used as leader for musky fishing. I assume it's about as tough as mono in that application as well, since I regularly use 100lb mono for leader for shark fishing.

[fishorgolf]

Everything perchjerker said. I actually use it for jigging in very light tackle situations. 4 maybe 6# test on a UL rod. I like to use this combo on very light biting walleyes in the early spring. Like perch said it does not have the stretch of mono or the zero stretch of a braid which sometimes exactly what is needed to get that just right hookset.

[lindy rig]

Huh, I use it as my "everyday" line and it works great. Mainly 6lb test for walleye fishing. I personally think it has less memory than mono. Or at least to say I really never have a coiling problem and I use it with a spinning reel.

Agreed with higher sensitivity over mono. Less stretch. The sinking factor could be an issue on some live bait rigs.