Merwin: Are You Sold on Fluorocarbon?

seaguar

Fads and fashion in fishing tackle seem to wax and wane in waves according to the marketing hype behind them. For the new year, one hot thing seems to be fluorocarbon lines. There are more brands and more varieties (like the Seaguar example shown here) being touted in more and more advertising.

So here’s the question: Who’s actually using them?

Fluorocarbon does have some advantages over common nylon monofilaments: less visibility in some circumstances, a little less stretch (hence, more sensitivity), and much greater abrasion resistance. On the down side, fluoro can be stiffer and harder to handle on spinning reels, can be more difficult to knot well, and it sinks–so it’s not for surface lures. It’s also more expensive than mono.

I fish fluorocarbon occasionally as a leader on braid when bass fishing. And I’ll sometimes use fluorocarbon flyfishing tippet for fussy fish like winter steelhead that have been in the river for a while. When trolling for trout and landlocked salmon in the spring, I think fluoro line might get me a few more strikes.

But I also think fluorocarbon is kind of a mixed bag, and I’m not really committed to it. So help me make up my mind here. Are you fishing fluoro, and why? Or haven’t you bothered to try it….