# Fluorocarbon or mono?



## windblows

Mono is less abrasion resistant. It also offers more flex, which can be good for lures with treble hooks like topwaters and diving plugs.


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## Smackdaddy53

I’ve used Trilene Big Game clear 20# mono as leader material on my braided line spinning reels and baitcasters for over a decade with no issues. Flourocarbon has more density so it sinks and the abrasion resistance and clarity is really not worth the extra cost in my opinion. I will use Seaguar blue label for fly tippets but that’s about it.


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## bryson

Knots seem to hold better in mono.

Unless you're fishing pretty dang clear water, I don't think it makes much of a difference.


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## Skram

Why replace after every trip? They will last a good while, just replace or cut back if you notice any chaffing or nicks.


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## tailchaser16

Mono. None of the fish I catch seem to mind.


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## SomaliPirate

I do fluoro about 80% of the time but I go with mono if the water is cloudy.


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## windblows

I find the abrasion resistance of fluorocarbon to be worth it in my neck of the woods with many oysters and spartina grass. I've tried both, but keep coming back to fluoro.


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## FishWithChris

I throw mono when.... I run out of fluoro. I replace as needed; when the leader has too much abrasion due to oysters, rocks, teeth, etc.. and is too short to properly use. Trust your knots, if you're starting with 24" of leader (a lot), use until it gets down to less than a foot... 

no idea about you kids with mangroves, we don't have those up this here way.


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## karstopo

Nylon and fluorocarbon leaders both catch fish. I got comfortable with fluorocarbon long ago and just stick with it, but I’ve also had spools of nylon leader degrade becoming very weak so that might color how I feel about nylon. I know I can leave around fluorocarbon leader material out in the garage and it’s going to be good for years and that hasn’t been true for me with nylon. I think most people never have had nylon monofilament go bad on them, but I have read about others that have had it degrade, so I guess it’s like the lottery. As much as the OP reports using in a week, the nylon may never have time to degrade. 

If you stick with fluorocarbon, Hi-Seas fluorocarbon leader has worked well for me and costs about 60% of Seaguar blue label. I’ve got a 50 yard spool of 15# Hi-Seas I’ve had for about two years now and still has plenty left. Cost me $10.99. 

It’s hard to know if one or the other material is better. I never know until the day of if I’m fishing shell or no shell or clear or dirty water plus I like long fluorocarbon leaders when I’m fishing a little deeper so fluorocarbon just fits better for the overall fishing I like.


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## Smackdaddy53

We have lots of shell here too. Don’t let those fish whoop you.


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## southerncannuck

Skram said:


> Why replace after every trip? They will last a good while, just replace or cut back if you notice any chaffing or nicks.


It’s not a hard and fast rule but if I cast a few hundred times with a rod I cut off about 6’ of braid and add a fresh leader.


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## permitchaser

I wonder how many world records where set with mono. I think Ande mono has some abrasion qualities. I have used both and generally used what I have. I wonder what the next fishermen catching line will be


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## jimsmicro

I think fluoro sucks. It’s stiff, doesn’t hold knots as well, and is expensive. I use Ande brand.


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## Viking1

The marketing people will tell you fluoro has a density close to that of water so it is harder for the fish to see verses mono. Personally after many years of fishing I have not seen a big difference on the number of strikes I get between the two. My only rule of thumb is if I am fishing top water I use mono because it is more buoyant and if I am fishing on the bottom I use fluoro because it sinks better. One thing I have learned is do not buy off brand fluoro especially "Diamond Presentation." I have lost several fish when my line broke at the back of my loop knot with the Diamond brand. I have had good luck with Bass Pro fluoro and is less expensive than some of the name brands. On mono I always use Ande.


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## lemaymiami

Fluorocarbon has one big advantage over mono- particular in the heavier sizes... Monofilament leaders always come with a bit of a coiling problem - and you really have to work at it to straighten them out. With fluoro, no matter how "coiled" up it is all that's needed is to anchor the leader to something and pull hard once and it straightens out.. and stays that way.

Since at times we're using 40, 60, and 80lb leaders that makes a difference - particularly with fly leaders.


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## Scott Kor

I can only speak for fly leaders not spin leaders. As Viking1 said, mono for top water and fluoro for everything else. However, fluoro doesn't seem to sink as fast in salt as it does in fresh (just my observations) due to salinity. I just saw some videos comparing the abrasion resistance between two like diameter lines. One being a brand name fluoro and one being a brand name mono. Although manufacturers sometimes say fluoro is better against abrasion, it wasn't in this test. They also tried a second brand name fluoro and it still was less abrasion resistant than the mono. Surprising. If this is accurate, I may still go with fluoro and just go up a size because I do think that it is less visable.


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## Scott Kor

lemaymiami said:


> Fluorocarbon has one big advantage over mono- particular in the heavier sizes... Monofilament leaders always come with a bit of a coiling problem - and you really have to work at it to straighten them out. With fluoro, no matter how "coiled" up it is all that's needed is to anchor the leader to something and pull hard once and it straightens out.. and stays that way.
> 
> Since at times we're using 40, 60, and 80lb leaders that makes a difference - particularly with fly leaders.


Do you think this applies more or less to "hard" mono? I see videos of Capt Chard extolling the virtues of Hatch hard mono for use in tarpon leaders. (understanding of course that he is on the pro staff)


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## TheAdamsProject

I use Fluorocarbon almost exclusively except with using topwater plugs or flies. The mono floats and has a little added stretch for treble hooks in the plugs. Outside of that, Fluro gets the nod for my hand tied fly leaders or when using a leader to braid on spinning tackle. Be sure you are using the right knots and wet before setting. Hard Mono like Mason is a slightly different animal but has its place.


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## lemaymiami

Almost all of my pre-tied big fish leaders use Mason Hard Mono -but only for the tippet (breaking strength) portion of that leader... All of my fly lines have a permanent butt section spliced directly onto the fly line - that butt section is usually either Ande premium mono or Sufix Superior. Each butt ends in a loop - and the fly leader is looped to that. Here's a pic of the loop end of a typical big fish leader with a bimini twist and a doubled surgeon's loop at the butt end of things...








this is all hard Mason 20lb...

Back to the big fish leaders... each hard Mason tippet has a fluoro bite tippet on the end (also called a shock tippet by some). Here's a pic of various leader wheels (pre-tied fly leaders done in pairs, each joined by a common 30" bite tippet, then the pairs are looped together to form a continuous chain).








The first number is the tippet strength, the second the fluoro bite tippet. In use you simply pull off a leader to get to the extended bite tippet then cut the bite tippet in half so you have a ready made big fish leader with a 15" bite tippet that will tie down to around 12" or a bit less for IGFA purposes...
Once the fly is attached the leader is looped to looped to the butt section - a very quick change proposition...

Back to the butt section for a moment since it's critical... Here's how I set up butts on various sized fly lines...
6 or 7wt - 3-4' of 30lb mono
8 0r 9wt - 4- 4.5 ' of 40lb mono
10 wt - 5' of 50lb mono
11-12 wts - 6' of 60lb mono Remember you'll be attaching a 3 to 4 foot leader to the butt section so add that amount to the numbers given for a total leader length....

All of this is for the dark waters of the 'glades - or for fishing at night... leader lengths change considerably if you're fishing places with super clear water like the Keys.... where you need much longer leaders


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## Scott Kor

lemaymiami said:


> Almost all of my pre-tied big fish leaders use Mason Hard Mono -but only for the tippet (breaking strength) portion of that leader... All of my fly lines have a permanent butt section spliced directly onto the fly line - that butt section is usually either Ande premium mono or Sufix Superior. Each butt ends in a loop - and the fly leader is looped to that. Here's a pic of the loop end of a typical big fish leader with a bimini twist and a doubled surgeon's loop at the butt end of things...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> this is all hard Mason 20lb...
> 
> Back to the big fish leaders... each hard Mason tippet has a fluoro bite tippet on the end (also called a shock tippet by some). Here's a pic of various leader wheels (pre-tied fly leaders done in pairs, each joined by a common 30" bite tippet, then the pairs are looped together to form a continuous chain).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The first number is the tippet strength, the second the fluoro bite tippet. In use you simply pull off a leader to get to the extended bite tippet then cut the bite tippet in half so you have a ready made big fish leader with a 15" bite tippet that will tie down to around 12" or a bit less for IGFA purposes...
> Once the fly is attached the leader is looped to looped to the butt section - a very quick change proposition...
> 
> Back to the butt section for a moment since it's critical... Here's how I set up butts on various sized fly lines...
> 6 or 7wt - 3-4' of 30lb mono
> 8 0r 9wt - 4- 4.5 ' of 40lb mono
> 10 wt - 5' of 50lb mono
> 11-12 wts - 6' of 60lb mono Remember you'll be attaching a 3 to 4 foot leader to the butt section so add that amount to the numbers given for a total leader length....
> 
> All of this is for the dark waters of the 'glades - or for fishing at night... leader lengths change considerably if you're fishing places with super clear water like the Keys.... where you need much longer leaders


Thank you Bob. Great info. Love the leader spools idea.


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## lemaymiami

Can't claim it as my own idea... Way back when, I took a job to do 100 fly leaders for a tarpon tournament fanatic (believe it or not the specs were 110lb Maxima bite tippet to 15lb hard Mason leader...) and that's the way it was asked to be delivered, in paired leaders loop to looped continuously in a way that allowed the angler to pull one off at a time - ready to go.

When the job was done my strong hand was noticeably larger than my weak hand - despite using a batting glove to tie the knots onto a strong nail set in a heavy board so that I had consistent leverage for knot tying purposes... I could do all the knots required in my sleep (two bimini twists per leader - as well as a surgeon's loop on one end and a hufnagle knot to connect the heavy heavy bite tippet to the other end of each leader...

Wish I could say that was the only time I bit off a bit more than I asked for in the tackle arena...


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## Capnredfish

I use Berkley Vanish 17lb flouro. I don’t replace it unless it gets nicked. I usually tie it long enough so where it meets mono is well into rod away from top. Then I cut off at hook through out the day and retie hook as needed. Not much waste.


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## Guest

southerncannuck said:


> I replace my leaders after every fishing trip. I’m using fluorocarbon now but I’m considering using mono to save a few bucks. I go through about 6’-12’ of leader material a week.
> The water I fish in is turbid. What are you opinions? Pluses and minuses to using mono.


Check out the brothers on you tube [Salt Strong]. They do exhaustive tests comparing different flouros, flouro to nylon, etc. They test knot strengths and abrasion resistences. Pretty cool stuff!


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## Guest

Viking1 said:


> The marketing people will tell you fluoro has a density close to that of water so it is harder for the fish to see verses mono. Personally after many years of fishing I have not seen a big difference on the number of strikes I get between the two. My only rule of thumb is if I am fishing top water I use mono because it is more buoyant and if I am fishing on the bottom I use fluoro because it sinks better. One thing I have learned is do not buy off brand fluoro especially "Diamond Presentation." I have lost several fish when my line broke at the back of my loop knot with the Diamond brand. I have had good luck with Bass Pro fluoro and is less expensive than some of the name brands. On mono I always use Ande.


And you do have to wonder how many trophy fish have been landed using "vastly inferior, old school" mono over the years?


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## SomaliPirate

I replace my leaders every trip, and as needed on the water, unless it's a fly leader and then I use it long past the point where I should have changed it.


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## Drifter

I will say that I sight fish for 90 percent of the fish I go for and besides big migratory tarpon, I don't really see any refusals not related to me just plopping it on the fishes head. Seems like, snook, reds, trout, baby tarpon all just smash whatever I put in there. I use Rio tapered leaders, then just tie on a bite leader. I have used the same leader for the last 12 days of fishing and clipped the end of the bite off next to the fly like 5 times. If I have flouro, its because I forgot to look.


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## Smackdaddy53

Drifter said:


> I will say that I sight fish for 90 percent of the fish I go for and besides big migratory tarpon, I don't really see any refusals not related to me just plopping it on the fishes head. Seems like, snook, reds, trout, baby tarpon all just smash whatever I put in there. I use Rio tapered leaders, then just tie on a bite leader. I have used the same leader for the last 12 days of fishing and clipped the end of the bite off next to the fly like 5 times. If I have flouro, its because I forgot to look.


You should come to my neck of the woods if you want a challenge, reds spook if a shrimp farts within a mile radius.


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## Drifter

Im going to take you up on it one of these days!


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## Brett

Ande pink mono, from 6 lb to 40 lb is all I use.
20 to 40 lb is used for leader material.
Why? It disappears in the water.
Red is the first visible light wavelength absorbed in the water column.

Plus I'm cheap and buy bulk.


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## Smackdaddy53

Brett said:


> Ande pink mono, from 6 lb to 40 lb is all I use.
> 20 to 40 lb is used for leader material.
> Why? It disappears in the water.
> Red is the first visible light wavelength absorbed in the water column.
> 
> Plus I'm cheap and buy bulk.


I understand the science behind it but clear just seems to be more transparent than pink.


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## lemaymiami

That’s what many, many of us used... before fluorocarbon came along (and what I’d go back to if fluoro were no longer around).


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## southerncannuck

Brett said:


> Ande pink mono, from 6 lb to 40 lb is all I use.
> 20 to 40 lb is used for leader material.
> Why? It disappears in the water.
> Red is the first visible light wavelength absorbed in the water column.
> 
> Plus I'm cheap and buy bulk.


 Pink Andes was my line of choice for off shore fishing.


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## redchaser

Brett said:


> Ande pink mono, from 6 lb to 40 lb is all I use.
> 20 to 40 lb is used for leader material.
> Why? It disappears in the water.
> Red is the first visible light wavelength absorbed in the water column.
> 
> Plus I'm cheap and buy bulk.


Red and any other color only dissapears in the water column after reaching the depth through which the light in that spectrum can no long penetrate or is full absorbed by the water, so that may be rpudent if you're fishing deep, in shallow water the pink or red line is still going to show up as pink or red. 

Where I fish the water usually has at least some degree of turnbidity to it, so the difference in appearance of Fluoro or mono doesn't have a significant impact on bites. Fluoro may or may not be more abbrasion resistant, but I feel that for myself, and advantage in abrasion resistance (which I haven't really experienced) os negated by teh fact that I am much more competent with and sure of my knots in mono. I use Ande premium to tie my fly leaders, unless I'm traveling to somewhere like the Keys or the Caribbean . The Ande line knots extremely well, is fairly abrassion resistand and stiff enough to make a good leader without being so stiff as to be hard to tie good knots in, plus it's readily available and fairly inexpensive. It will degrade from UV light so every once in a while I replace my spools, but it's cheap enough to do that on the regular.


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## bryson

Smackdaddy53 said:


> I understand the science behind it but clear just seems to be more transparent than pink.


I've never quite grasped the idea of adding color to something clear, under the premise that it will make the clear thing... more clear? I'd rather start without it in the first place. Now if making a clear line is difficult for whatever reason, then yes -- I'd err on the side of a red tint rather than any other.


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## Zika

I use Seaguar Blue Label fluoro 20-pound for all my normal inshore leaders except tarpon. Tie on about 20 inches and clip back as necessary until it's too short. There are a lot of places where the water is stained enough mono would work just as well and I've also used Ande in those instances. But in the super clear shallows where I often fish, the fluoro does make a difference at least in my confidence level. It isn't expensive in the great scheme of tackle costs and I usually buy a few spools when it's on sale.

Years ago I bought an empty flare/ammo can from an Army surplus store and keep all my extra line in there in the garage. It has an airtight seal and the line lasts forever.


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## Chasntuna

Or freshwater and inshore, I've had good results over the years running straight p-line flouroclear on casting reels and using it as leader material with my reels that carry Spectra. On the casting reels, it casts well (12 and 15#), as leader material, it ties easy (crazy alberto or seguar knots )and has good abrasion resistance. I do use Blackwater FC from 30# to 150# or Seguar on my long range West Coast trips targeting tuna.


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## Guest

Capnredfish said:


> I use Berkley Vanish 17lb flouro. I don’t replace it unless it gets nicked. I usually tie it long enough so where it meets mono is well into rod away from top. Then I cut off at hook through out the day and retie hook as needed. Not much waste.


Plus the Vanish is only about $10/250 yds.


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## Chad Cohn

I have a few spools of mono that I use for leaders depending on where and what I'm fishing for. Usually tie on a 24in leader and trim down from there, once under 10in I'll cut back some of my braid and re-tie everything. Chasing bass usually a 15lb for topwater plastics and 20lb for throwing worms, jigs and pretty much anything else. If I'm on the coast I usually go with 30lb just to make me feel better when throwing artificials. If we're chunking cut bait or even live bait I may go up to 40, again just to make me feel better.


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## Hicatch

I spent 10 years working with the company that imports and distributes Momoi fishing lines as well as nearly 30 years in the fishing tackle industry, and without question the toughest leader material is Nylon 6/12. There's only a couple manufacturers that produce this for leader material as it is mainly used for toothbrushes and brush bristles; Momoi X-Hard and Makai Punisher are two brands available. Fluorocarbon, despite popular opinion, is not as abrasion resistant as nylon co-polymer monofilament; several independent tests have confirmed this. Additionally, fluorocarbon does not have the tensile strength or elongation which nylon co-polymer fishing lines exhibit. However, fluorocarbon, is significantly less visible and in certain fisheries is the only option to get the bite; primarily the bluefin tuna fishery. For me I use fluorocarbon in all applications except top water and fly leader construction where only the bite tippet is fluorocarbon.


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## topnative2

Be aware.....Ande premium will not stand up to an IGFA testing>>label breaking strength is much less than actual breaking strength ...an example..12lb is actually 15lb etc

And, it is thicker than other mono-s

Ande tournament is suppose to be right on.


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## Zika

Interesting feedback, Hicatch. I've tried some regular Momoi line in the past but wasn't familiar with the X-Tra Hard stuff. A quick search of retailers only showed line strengths for big-game, however. The lightest I could find was 80-pound test.


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## Smackdaddy53

Zika said:


> Interesting feedback, Hicatch. I've tried some regular Momoi line in the past but wasn't familiar with the X-Tra Hard stuff. A quick search of retailers showed line class for big-game, however. The lightest I could find was 80-pound test.


80 is perfect for fishing around heavy shell...


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## Zika

Yes, Ande Tournament line is designed for world records and those applications that stipulate exact line compliance like in tournaments.

Most braided line will typically over-test as well.


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## southerncannuck

Smackdaddy53 said:


> 80 is perfect for fishing around heavy shell...


It can be used to harpoon fish


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## lemaymiami

Years and years ago back when local south Florida anglers were hot after world records... Here's how we worked with Ande lines... My club (the Tropical Anglers Club) actually had first rate manual tensile strength meter. We'd buy bulk spools of Ande (1/2lb, 1lb) then do three breaking tests on each spool to see what the true strength was and note it on a piece of masking tape stuck to the end of the spool... Most of us learned that if we were concerned about records to simply use one size smaller than the line class you were aiming at.. In other words - 10lb Ande for the 12lb class, 15lb Ande for the 20lb line class, etc. 

That worked well enough that a fair number of our members were current or former world record holders... 

Years later, when the super braids came along the passion for world records dropped off dramatically since almost every braid known - wildly over-tests 
-even after it's been on a reel for a while...


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## Fishshoot

How about the momoi hi catch leader material? I have a buddy who guides and loves it! Uses it for tarpon leaders 60-40-20 to fluoro bite


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## lemaymiami

Did a night trip last night and came off the water after midnight... We were tossing flies at small tarpon (20 to 40lb range). It was slow night that started off badly when I realized that my 9wt had a broken stripping guide (insert popped out after the metal frame got a crack in it...). As a result we were forced to use my 8wt (a bit light - but do-able).

Although we struggled a bit one of my anglers did stick a full forty pound fish on the 8wt - and we were off to the races... Thirty minutes later the fish was at the boat... The leader? My usual 20lb hard Mason mono connected to 40lb fluoro...

Classic sight fishing under one of the bridges that connect Miami and Miami Beach...


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## karstopo

Jeff Bezos has or had as of yesterday 100 yards of 20# Berkley Pro Spec Fluorocarbon Leader material for $7.44. I don’t know if it’s any good, but I’ll find some use for it, mid section maybe, tippet. If it’s really crappy, I’ll use it for LMB/catfish leaders.


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## Zika

Will be curious to hear your impression of the Berkley Pro Spec, karstopo.


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## karstopo

Normally, 100 yards is $30, so I don’t know what’s up with the low price. Says it’s new and fluorocarbon is hard to degrade so I thought it worth a shot. I never liked the berkley vanish fluorocarbon all that much, seems a little out of round.


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## BobGee

southerncannuck said:


> I replace my leaders after every fishing trip. I’m using fluorocarbon now but I’m considering using mono to save a few bucks. I go through about 6’-12’ of leader material a week.
> The water I fish in is turbid. What are you opinions? Pluses and minuses to using mono.


I’ve been using Seaguar AbrazX in 25 pound test for my redfish/trout leader. I buy it in 200 yard spools. My non-scientific opinion is that it works just fine.


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## Doublehaul

Hicatch said:


> I spent 10 years working with the company that imports and distributes Momoi fishing lines as well as nearly 30 years in the fishing tackle industry, and without question the toughest leader material is Nylon 6/12. There's only a couple manufacturers that produce this for leader material as it is mainly used for toothbrushes and brush bristles; Momoi X-Hard and Makai Punisher are two brands available. Fluorocarbon, despite popular opinion, is not as abrasion resistant as nylon co-polymer monofilament; several independent tests have confirmed this. Additionally, fluorocarbon does not have the tensile strength or elongation which nylon co-polymer fishing lines exhibit. However, fluorocarbon, is significantly less visible and in certain fisheries is the only option to get the bite; primarily the bluefin tuna fishery. For me I use fluorocarbon in all applications except top water and fly leader construction where only the bite tippet is fluorocarbon.


Great info thanks. So, in regards to nylon and it's abrasion resistance you specify co-polymer monofilament (momoi and Makai) is tougher than fluoro. I was under the impression that regular monofilament (ANDE or Trilene) is also more abrasion resistant than fluoro. Is that correct? 

Sounds like calling the nylon 6/12 a "monofilament" is a misnomer-i'm guessing that the 6 is wrapped around the 12(?)

Thanks


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## karstopo

https://www.rtpcompany.com/products/product-guide/nylon-612-pa-polyamide-612/

Naw, just one of the other nylons being made like nylon 6, 6/6, 11, 12. BASF makes the Nylon 6 right down the road from me.


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## Doublehaul

karstopo said:


> https://www.rtpcompany.com/products/product-guide/nylon-612-pa-polyamide-612/
> 
> Naw, just one of the other nylons being made like nylon 6, 6/6, 11, 12. BASF makes the Nylon 6 right down the road from me.


ahhhh. Ok, thanks. Just trying to figure out how much of those claims is marketing. Under impression that regular mono is still more abrasion resistant than FC. catch fish on both though.


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## TheAdamsProject

Just because red or pink color disappears underwater doesn't mean the object that is that color disappears, it just loses its color. I have found for my inshore and freshwater leader the Sunline Sniper to work the best. The diameters are smaller than most while maintaining equal breaking strength and yes it is a little expensive but not as bad being a 200yd spool.


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## karstopo

The tests covering abrasion resistance I’ve seen seem off and may not translate very accurately to actual fishing conditions. The tests I’ve seen use dry material and it’s well known nylon softens up and ultimately weakens over time exposed to water so that alone will make nylon that’s been wet a while more prone to cuts than dry nylon. Fluorocarbon doesn’t have the elastic properties of nylon so fluorocarbon stretched too far will permanently be weakened and misshaped even after the load is removed unlike nylon. The tests I’ve seen sort of unfairly penalize fluorocarbon on these two points. 

A better abrasion test I think would look at how the nylon or fluorocarbon was damaged by contact with various materials under a measurable load. How much material on the lines was removed and how deep into the line was the damage, both with well wet and dry lines.


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## Hicatch

Doublehaul said:


> Great info thanks. So, in regards to nylon and it's abrasion resistance you specify co-polymer monofilament (momoi and Makai) is tougher than fluoro. I was under the impression that regular monofilament (ANDE or Trilene) is also more abrasion resistant than fluoro. Is that correct?
> 
> Sounds like calling the nylon 6/12 a "monofilament" is a misnomer-i'm guessing that the 6 is wrapped around the 12(?)
> 
> Thanks


It is "monofilament"; 6/12 are the nylon resins used in the extrusion process thus making it a co-polymer.


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## karstopo

“There are many types of nylons commercially available. The versatility of nylon makes it one of the most widely used engineering thermoplastics. Commercial nylons include nylon 6, nylon 4/6, nylon 6/6, nylon 6/10, nylon 6/12, nylon 11 and nylon 12. The numerical nomenclature for nylon is derived from the number of carbon atoms in the diamine and dibasic acid monomers used to manufacture it. The ratio of carbon atoms is what gives each nylon type its unique property characteristics.

Nylon 6/12 was developed as a low moisture absorbing nylon. The low moisture absorption characteristics are derived from its chemical structure; the greater the number of carbon atoms separating the amine groups, the lower the moisture absorbed. With lower moisture absorption, nylon 6/12 does not swell like nylon 6 or nylon 6/6. The reduction in moisture absorption results in a polymer with less ductility than nylon 6 or nylon 6/6. The physical properties and HDT of the polymer are also lower due to reduced crystallinity on the polymer.

Like other nylons, nylon 6/12 is very easily modified to improve wear resistance and physical properties via fiber reinforcement and internal lubricants. nylon 6/12 compounds are used in a wide range of applications including gears, cams, structural, and electrical components. Nylon 6/12 is an excellent candidate material for applications requiring good physical properties, high heat resistance, moisture and chemical resistance and good dimensional stability.”


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## Smackdaddy53

I like real world testing, not sandpaper on a cylinder. Trilene Big Game 20# clear has been great. Sight cast trout in gin clear foot deep water, caught lots of big reds and jacks. I did notice in Florida that snook wouldn’t touch my offering unless it was flourocarbon and anything larger than 15# diameter wouldn’t get touched. I guess snook can see better than trout.


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## karstopo

What got me on fluorocarbon originally was a couple of places I fished for hefty trout using bigger walk the dog type top-waters like skitterwalks. I noticed I got more fish using fluorocarbon than nylon. These fish were in deep water and sometimes I would leave the topwater stationary for 20 seconds before getting the strike.

Finding that out was an accident because I tossed over a topwater, worked it a little, then had something distract me and had a 23” trout hit the topwater just sitting there for a long time, I wasn’t even looking at the lure. 

Maybe the fluorocarbon worked better there because it doesn’t stay floating on the surface film for anytime in higher test ratings like 15-30#. Coldwater trout have been known to veer off dry flies from nylon monofilament silhouetted high on the surface tension. 

The water tended to be very clear, though, 4 feet plus of visibility at times so it might have been that. 

Anyway, the experience changed how I felt about fluorocarbon so I’ve stuck with it even if it isn’t necessary to get the fish the majority of the time. I fish real slow at times in winter clear water or clear surf and I do think it helps get more fish in those places. I get a good amount of sheepshead on the fly and those fish are always inspecting terminal tackle for signs of trouble.


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## jasonrl23

southerncannuck said:


> I replace my leaders after every fishing trip. I’m using fluorocarbon now but I’m considering using mono to save a few bucks. I go through about 6’-12’ of leader material a week.
> The water I fish in is turbid. What are you opinions? Pluses and minuses to using mono.


I use original Ande for my main line. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled snook off pylons will fully abraded line and got them in. 

Anytime I’ve tried other mono it seems to be way to flexible and just disappoints.

I only use fluoro if I’m flat lining live bait in clear water


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## Doublehaul

jasonrl23 said:


> I use original Ande for my main line. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled snook off pylons will fully abraded line and got them in.
> 
> Anytime I’ve tried other mono it seems to be way to flexible and just disappoints.
> 
> I only use fluoro if I’m flat lining live bait in clear water


yeah, I use ANDE to make up my leaders and have been happy with it.


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## LowHydrogen

karstopo said:


> What got me on fluorocarbon originally was a couple of places I fished for hefty trout using bigger walk the dog type top-waters like skitterwalks. I noticed I got more fish using fluorocarbon than nylon. These fish were in deep water and sometimes I would leave the topwater stationary for 20 seconds before getting the strike.
> 
> Finding that out was an accident because I tossed over a topwater, worked it a little, then had something distract me and had a 23” trout hit the topwater just sitting there for a long time, I wasn’t even looking at the lure.
> 
> Maybe the fluorocarbon worked better there because it doesn’t stay floating on the surface film for anytime in higher test ratings like 15-30#. Coldwater trout have been known to veer off dry flies from nylon monofilament silhouetted high on the surface tension.
> 
> The water tended to be very clear, though, 4 feet plus of visibility at times so it might have been that.
> 
> Anyway, the experience changed how I felt about fluorocarbon so I’ve stuck with it even if it isn’t necessary to get the fish the majority of the time. I fish real slow at times in winter clear water or clear surf and I do think it helps get more fish in those places. I get a good amount of sheepshead on the fly and those fish are always inspecting terminal tackle for signs of trouble.


Reading your post made me think of a day I was trying to Bass fish a couple years ago. I kept getting work calls, and when I'd be on the phone, my Texas rig worm would just start swimming off, after a couple abruptly ended calls the bulb went off. Apparently those fish liked 0 movement because I hadn't caught anything up until that point. I called my Bass mentor to tell him about it and he was like oh yeah dead-sticking is a deadly tactic when they're not active. I was blown away that casting a rubber worm out and not touching it was actually a named tactic..... boring, but it was effective lol.


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## JRHorne

LowHydrogen said:


> Reading your post made me think of a day I was trying to Bass fish a couple years ago. I kept getting work calls, and when I'd be on the phone, my Texas rig worm would just start swimming off, after a couple abruptly ended calls the bulb went off. Apparently those fish liked 0 movement because I hadn't caught anything up until that point. I called my Bass mentor to tell him about it and he was like oh yeah dead-sticking is a deadly tactic when they're not active. I was blown away that casting a rubber worm out and not touching it was actually a named tactic..... boring, but it was effective lol.


My son caught his first bass this way at our lake place. 4" slider worm Texas rigged. He was 3 and just casting out the side of our pier under the neighbors pier. We were in the water 15 foot away. This lake is about 3 foot deep where he was fishing and so clear I would be able to tell if I had a hangnail while standing in the water. He thought he hooked the stairs of the pier. Nope, nice pounder bass. Even better? This was about 3:30 in the afternoon in the middle of the summer!


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## Newman

Brett said:


> Ande pink mono, from 6 lb to 40 lb is all I use.
> 20 to 40 lb is used for leader material.
> Why? It disappears in the water.
> Red is the first visible light wavelength absorbed in the water column.
> 
> Plus I'm cheap and buy bulk.


Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way.
This is hard to explain, but I’ll give it a college try:
1. Visual color is actually a reflection of said color (wavelength of light) due to the absorption of all other wavelengths (colors); a green leaf is green because all the other colors in the spectrum are being absorbed except yellow and blue (makes sense as sunlight is mostly those wavelengths and green leaves need to absorb), the reflection is seen as green.
2. White is the reflection of the whole spectrum, Black is the absorption of the entire spectrum (notice how it heats the quickest).
3. As light passes thru the water column different wavelengths are absorbed at different depths.
4. Red is absorbed the shallowest. What color do we get when all colors are absorbed? Black. Pink probably appears as a grey.
5. Cajun Line pulled a very smooth marketing trick on the fishing industry.


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