Flourocarbon leader or line

[arbogaster]

I just got done watching 4 different seminars given by charter captains and all of them mentioned flourocarbon line as being one thing they believed in. Are these guys and the rest of you who use this stuff mostly using flourocarbon line and not flourocarbon leader. Is it different if we are talking tying flies or using leaders for leadcore. I can not see someone using $30 worth of flourocarbon leader material on then end of one leadcore setup. I could maybe see them using it to tie flies and meat rigs. I know the stuff is made differently and the leader material is supposedly much stiffer than mono and gives better fly action supposedly.

[1mainiac]

I use the leader material for my flies but I use P Line Flouro Clear for the leaders on most of my core and copper setups. My riggers are 20lb Maxima on one set and 25lb Big Game on the other set which I also use with my slide divers.

[tangled mess]

I use floro carbon leader for my copper leaders 30# blood run the same for my sliders and the 40# leader for my diver leaders and flys it makes a huge difference in the number of bites you get in a trip I believe

[jimbobber]

I use floro leaders for all my flies,lead core,copper,free sliders and dipsey leaders and yes i believe it makes a huge difference!

[fishsniffer]

I also use fluoro on everything except my riggers.

[killerbe20]

I use floro carbon leader for my copper leaders 30# blood run the same for my sliders and the 40# leader for my diver leaders and flys it makes a huge difference in the number of bites you get in a trip I believe

Second that

[Paulywood]

Me too. Too many guys who fish a lot more than I do (including Captain Don) have told me they have tested it and it makes a difference. Who am I to argue?

[Line Dancin]

I have used gamma then went to seagaur abrax which was a good line but a little more expensive. For walleye i always used p-line flourocarbon in 12lb for leaders.

[SeaCatMich]

I use fluoro 20# line for my leadcore and copper leaders because of the transparency. For fly and meat rig leaders I use 40 & 50# leader material for the stiffness and durability. At this past spring's fishing shows I found what I thought was a pretty good price ($9) on the heavy fluoro leader in 50 yard spools by Rapala. I'm not sure I would spend the $40 for the 50 yard Seaguar leader material.

I don't know that there is a significant difference between the line and leader material for what we use it for.

[FsnMachine]

I bought some Seaguar leader material a few years ago. Now I just use P-Line flourocarbon line. I can't tell the difference between the expensive leader material and flourocarbon line.

[southtrollsouth]

I just got done watching 4 different seminars given by charter captains and all of them mentioned flourocarbon line as being one thing they believed in. Are these guys and the rest of you who use this stuff mostly using flourocarbon line and not flourocarbon leader. Is it different if we are talking tying flies or using leaders for leadcore. I can not see someone using $30 worth of flourocarbon leader material on then end of one leadcore setup. I could maybe see them using it to tie flies and meat rigs. I know the stuff is made differently and the leader material is supposedly much stiffer than mono and gives better fly action supposedly.

Great question. We have used fluorocarbon leader material on all flies, diver leaders and copper rigs for almost ten years now. We feel the abrasion resistance and near invisibility far outweighs the limper, stretchier and less durable fluoro line that is closer to mono in terms of visibility. We have tried fluoro line on our riggers and notice a big increase hits. However even the fluoro line is expensive to the point that its tough to justify spooling and respooling your rigger reels several times a year like we do. Fluoro leader is the best for the above applications and does cost more. But, as most guys wrap a couple hundred bucks into every trip in tackle/fuel, etc..the xtra $10 for fluoro leader is easily justified if you can get more hits and fish landed each trip because of it. Our catch rate as measured pre fluoro leader vs post fluoro leader is very noticeable, particularly in dangerous situations cutting across wire divers, rigger cables and abuse at the net.

[sherman51]

i was using vanish fishing line for my leaders and switched to seaguar leader and i did notice i was getting more hits. im fishing for walleye in lake eries central basin. and i plan to stick with the seaguar. just my opinion.

sherman

[Hooked Up]

I started using the flourocarbon leader line on everything execept the rigger rods..I figured I could use all the help I can get!

Unfortunately I don't get out enough to tell if it made a huge difference:(

[SeaCatMich]

i was using vanish fishing line for my leaders and switched to seaguar leader and i did notice i was getting more hits. im fishing for walleye in lake eries central basin. and i plan to stick with the seaguar. just my opinion.

sherman

Maybe Berkley has improved it, but when I first tried fluorocarbon line it was the Vanish. It was terrible. Didn't knot well, poor durability, inferior breaking strength. It took me another 3 or 4 years to try fluoro again. Sorry Berkley, but I'm not planning on spending my money on it again to see if it has improved. Other brands... Cabelas, Seaguar, PLine, Rapala, Vicious... have all been much better quality.

[its an addiction]

I use Cabela's brand 20lb Flurocarbon Line for the leaders on my leadcore and copper rods, which is generally a 25-30 foot leader.

For retying flies, and for connections from my dipsy to my spoon or flasher fly, I use the more expensive fluorocarbon leader material in a heaver lb test (30-40lb)

I can't say what type of difference it makes, as this is always how I've done it now for 4 years. I will tell you there is no way in he** I would use the expensive leader material on the end of a leadcore line with how much it costs.

[Spoonin Around]

i use it for everything... from tip up leaders to my ultra light rods for panfish all of my walleye stuff jigging an trolling an leaders on all my salmon an steely stuff

[kingfish123]

I run 30# clear p-line on all of my leaders for copper and lead then I run 40# gamma floracarbon for my fly leads never had a problem with bites.

[Dr Hook]

Maybe Berkley has improved it, but when I first tried fluorocarbon line it was the Vanish. It was terrible. Didn't knot well, poor durability, inferior breaking strength. It took me another 3 or 4 years to try fluoro again. Sorry Berkley, but I'm not planning on spending my money on it again to see if it has improved. Other brands... Cabelas, Seaguar, PLine, Rapala, Vicious... have all been much better quality.

Same problem with Vanish on my end as well. Seaguar was a bit better but I'm very satisfied with the Gamma I've been using.

[Aaron_Mcfly]

you dont see it as much as you did when floro was new but unless it says 100% fluorocarbon its a mono blend...

I know for fact that the Cabelas brand leader material is blended(and cloudy)

[diztortion]

Same problem with Vanish on my end as well. Seaguar was a bit better but I'm very satisfied with the Gamma I've been using.

Same experience with Vanish, however Berkeley 100% Fluorocarbon is great.

[ChampionShip]

I realize that it costs a bit more (alot more in some cases) but if it can help, I don't see why you wouldn't use it. Lake water isn't getting any dirtier.

[Cork Dust]

I realize that it costs a bit more (alot more in some cases) but if it can help, I don't see why you wouldn't use it. Lake water isn't getting any dirtier.

Good point, the visible light spectrum now extends to somewhere around 90' at mid-day in Lake Michigan due to invasive mussel filter-feeding related impacts. When the sun's angle is 15 degrees or lower, with respect to the horizon, nearly all light is reflected off the water's surface;as sun angle increases, light penetration also increases. Obviously, surface chop and cloud cover also influence light penetration in water. If you fish outside of the "magic windows" of near-dawn and near-dusk, visibility at depth can become an important consideration, influencing presentations and lure selection. The one additional point I would add is to use a fluorocarbon compatible knot to minimize break-offs at the knot.

As a former fishery research biologist, I'll add that salmon see "best" in a six to ten inch window in front of and slightly above their snouts. This is where they have very good visual acuity, as well as depth perception. So, if you embrace the model of feeding fish being drawn into your spread by the vibration signature(s) of your gear as it is dragged through the water;the next two components that occur before someone shouts "fish-on", are fish being attracted to the lure's motion signature, as well as its ability to stand-out against the background space-light of the water column, which is most influenced by lure color and lure paint/applique pattern.

Dr. Borgeson's group equipped around two-dozen Lake Huron chinook salmon with bathymetric sensors that reported their vertical postion in the water column in 2003-2004.. They found that chinook move frequently from depths to near-surface waters at roughly four to six hour intervals.

[CITM]

I think the original question was "do you use flourocarbon line or flourocarbon leader (material)".

I use Seaguar InvizX flourocarbon line, 20# for leadcore, copper and rigger leaders, and 40# for flies. I tried the Seaguar Red Label for leaders on long lines toward the end of the season and had a lot of breakoffs.

[Pioneer]

Seagar and Offshore angler 100% floro for me. Like Mark said it can't hurt. I have had less knots break with the Offshore brand. I like that stuff alot.