Are all flourocarbon lines pretty much the same?

[Craig DuShane]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to make some 18"-24" flourocarbon leaders (probably 6lb flouro) to tie to the ends of braided lines.

Is there any specific flourocarbon line you guys swear by, or are they all pretty much the same?

Thanks,

-CD

[Leo Nguyen]

Flouro are all the same, beside the newer ones are thinner, while still having the same test pound strength. Stick with whatever fit your budget. I always get a good 100yd from Berkley or PLine for $4 during sales. Work fine for me.

 

By the way, learn to tie Blood Knots for flouro to braid. So far, it's the strongest knot I've used. If you're lazy, double Surgeon's knot will be just as effective. I know this knot by heart because my father was a doctor, and my mom worked with him as assistant nurse for a decade or so. I used that knot since I was 2 as I started out my fishing days with rip cord nylon ropes from parachutes.

[Craig DuShane]

I was planning to attach a barrel swivel between the braid and flouro. Is that a bad idea? I heard it would help against line twists when using certain casting/retrieving lures.

What knot do you use at the flouro to terminal tackle connection?

Haha, parachute ropes, that's cool. I was talking to a guy while browsing around looking at different lines and he said he was going to try using some outdoor patio thread because it was so much cheaper than braid. Would that work? Like maybe for your long placement/non-casting cheap poles? Just tie a flouro leader?

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I use barrel swivel, most of the time. This is a "no-brainer" for me, as I generally only use braid on my telescoping poles.

I'll be using #18 woven nylon for trot lines and bush lines. And Leo, well, he comes from another country and didn't start out with access to the things we take for granted.

In fact, I suspect there was plenty of parachute cord around when he was young.

I wouldnt use these things on fishing reels, though, except perhaps as backing.

[Leo Nguyen]

Barbell or barrel swivel is fine with your rig. When I use live baits to present them at the top of the surface, I don't want them to sink. Quite fun to see a fish jumps out of the water while inhaling the live bait or a foam float lure. That's why I use blood knot to tie braid to flouro leaders. If I want slow sink, fully sunken (drop shot/Texas/Carolina), I use braid, to swivel, then leader.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Im with Leo - pretty much all the same. Use them as any other leader.

I use fluorocarbon for leaders, too. I dont really see a pressing need for it as leader material, and it at least seems that mono would do as well with panfish.

 

[Thomas Holland]

When you are just using the fluorocarbon for leader material, yes they are all going to perform pretty much the same.

However, just for clarification for those interested, not all fluoro lines are going to perform the same when used for a main line. I have used many different fluoro lines over the years, and I have decided that, in my opinion, the best fluoro line for people just looking to try some out is Seaguar Invizx. It has more stretch than many others, but it is also much softer and has less memory. This basically means that it handles much easier than most of the others, especially on spinning reels.

My personal favorite is Sunline Shooter Metan Invisible, but it is pretty pricey and can be a bit finicky at times.

Sorry that this was a bit off topic, but I figured that it might be useful to someone.