I can't stand fishing with fluorocarbon line! I've tried it on two of my go to setups (baitcasting and spinning) the past two seasons and ended up cutting it off and going back to my tried and true Trilene XT! If I feel that I need to use floro I just tie a leader onto one of my setups that has braid on it. Am I missing something?

Its just you

2 minutes ago, MassBassin508 said:

Its just you

 

LOL....thanks!  

I see this come up all the time. An op who hates fluorocarbon and a bunch of other posters chime in saying it's  impossible to manage. Honestly I just don't get it. I love flouro. I have no problems with manageability, even with some of the tougher lines like shooter.

Obviously use what you want but if flouro seems like something you want to use,stick with it. Eventually you'll figure it out. To me it doesn't handle much different than mono.

I've found the use of kvd line is a big help. 

You're not missing a thing. I, too, thought I had to try it because all the cool kids were using it. I got tired of bringing the rods inside the house the night before, spraying the spools the night before, tucking them in at night, spraying them 43.7 minutes before using them, having to troll the line out every 17 casts etc etc etc... All the rituals you have to go through just to use this stuff is unbelievable. And to top it all off I don't think I got a good hookset on a single jig fish because the stuff is like a rubber band. "Oh but fluoro is low stretch"... lmao

I tore it all off and went back to braid/fluoro leader on everything and back to catching fish.

The only thing that stuff is good for is leader material.

I don't use it much anymore, but when I do it's either Tatsu, Flipping, or Finesse Fluoro from Seaguar. Expensive, yes, but excellent lines that handle so much better than other fluoros I've fished.

I use sniper on my weightless plastics and finesse combos.  There is no doubt it is more finicky than braid or mono, but it has it's place in my arsenal.  Line and lure helps a lot.

same here,just never really could get used to it. Big Game is what I use. or braid.

Yes, you're missing something - the art of casting. But if braid gets the job done for you, then go with it.

No issues with fluoro for me and I almost never use line conditioner.  I actually put on 12 Big Game on a crank rod last weekend and didn't like it one bit.  If you don't have any problems with XT and braid, stick with it.  No sense frustrating yourself if you have something that works for you.

If you have trouble with FC, you are not alone.  Some people on this forum probably, based on their posts, spend hundreds of dollars searching for the perfect FC.  And in the end, there is nothing about FC for line that is a compelling advantage.  It certainly is heavier than the options, so it makes going deep easier.  And also screws up using it for surface lures.  But its transparency and increased sensitivity advantages, if any, are not compelling.  Ask for objective data and you'll most likely come up empty.  The data there are on stretch doesn't prove that it has any advantage over mono.  

 

So for me, I just don't fight FC any more, using it only for leaders when I'm using sinking presentations.  If I don't want the higher specific gravity, I use hard mono for leaders.

 

Good for those who are happy with it; I never reached that stage.  

I wrote off FC after the initial run came out and anyone who tried those first ones knows why - they were bad. 

 My Spinning gear applications are all Braid (and leader) No Exceptions -  Any & All Nylon there is just a PIA.

Revolving spool tackle is a mix of braid, mono & I've tried a few coploy products; as copoly stocks were exhausted, I chose not to resupply. 

As the most recent FC products had reportedly improved, and despite swearing it off, I gave FC another shot (last season). 

I found that I liked it for sub-surface moving baits presented on a moderate or moderate fast stick; mostly treble hook baits, spinnerbaits & vibrating jigs. 

As long as I am willing to condition the line as needed, re-tie often and of course pay the piper, FC had become a viable tool for me. 

That said, FC represents less than 50% of my baits and Braid & Mono share the majority of the work load. 

Finally, whenever I am fishing in a place that is known for super large / fish of a life time Trophy Bass, I use Mono.

I just make shorter casts.

A-Jay

You can't be sloppy with fluoro.  There's little margin for error, whether it's knots, backlashes, or line twist.

 

Line is a very personal choice.  If someone can't stand one type, and I like it, I'm not offended.  I don't think less of the other guy for not liking it.  There times one's choice in line makes no sense, but if it's working for them, great.  When it doesn't, and they run into problems, that's we are all here for.

 

Also, @A-Jay is a knuckle-dragger-leader-tying-braid-only-on-spinning.

6 minutes ago, J Francho said:

You can't be sloppy with fluoro.  There's little margin for error, whether it's knots, backlashes, or line twist.

 

Line is a very personal choice.  If someone can't stand one type, and I like it, I'm not offended.  I don't think less of the other guy for not liking it.  There times one's choice in line makes no sense, but if it's working for themn, great.  When it doesn't, and they run into problems, that's we are all here for.

 

Also, @A-Jay is a knuckle-dragger-leader-tying-braid-only-on-spinning.

 

A-Jay 

 

I think that FC definitely has its benefits. I really like it for bottom contact baits. Flouro is getting better and better all the time as technology improves and processes and materials get more refined, but to take advantage of that you will have to spend a little extra money to get the products that are the most refined. I am willing to spend the extra money on a premium FC line like Tatsu or Sniper because of this. If I were restricted to only using some of the lower grade products, I might not bother with FC either.

After growing up with using mono I started using braid and absolutely loved it.  Braid is by far my favorite and for a few years it was all I used.  After trying to build my rod arsenal into individual setups for different techniques I found that there are benefits for each line.  Right now I use braid and fluoro with one having mono.  I can't stand the mono line and it reminds me of the issues I had with it growing up.

 

Mono always seems to have the most memory and has always been a pain on spinning reels.  It like to jump off the spool and it clumps up and gets in knots.  I've had pretty good experiences with fluoro so far and have really noticed the extra stretch is has.  Braid is still my favorite.

I am a Trilene XT fan as well. Probably has something to do with having fished with monofilament for decades before fluorocarbon arrived on the scene. I truly detest breaking off fish (still angry about a smallmouth that broke my 6 pound test back in 2002) and there are any number of ways to damage flouro. It is just not for me and would not offer any significant advantage for 95% of the fishing I prefer to do.

I can't stand it as a main line. I do like it for leaders though. 

 

I've been told it transmits bites better on weightless plastics over braid, but I didn't find that to be true. If you don't know how to fish weightless plastics and just let them fall on complete slack then maybe, but line doesn't make up for bad technique.

Pretty much switching to braid w/ FC leader.  When I want a lighter, more clear main line I use Yo-Zuri.  Like many others I had line management problems with FC main line but whatever works for you, took a while to determine what works best for me.

There's no perfect line, you're always giving up something to gain something else when picking between lines.  

 

You don't need magic sprays, the most expensive lines, or any other voodoo to make FC work for you, you just need more practice.  Some FC's are more manageable than others, but even the cheaper ones are fine if you do your part correctly.  The other line types are more forgiving, which means they will cover up for the mistakes you make...To the point where you won't even know you're making them if that's all you've ever fished with.  

 

There's nothing that says you NEED to use it, but if you do try it you would be well served to put in the time to get past the initial learning curve before writing it off.  Even if you don't keep using it, if you become proficient with FC it will make you much better when you go back to mono/braid.   

 

It's not hard to get the hang of it, but it does require effort on your part...Remember when you learned how to use a baitcaster?  Took practice, time, and effort to get it down but now it's second nature right?  Same principle applies to learning FC (or anything for that matter).  

 

We're often reminded that fluorocarbon sinks, but Sufix-832 braid also sinks, but how often do you hear that?

The diameter of 20-lb Sufix-832 is 0.009", the diameter of 20-lb fluorocarbon is 0.018"

(exactly twice as fat). Which line material will give your diving plug greater depth: fluoro or braid?
 

It's no wonder why fluorocarbon knots cannot be trusted....how can you expect to tie a knot

in a line-material you cannot see      Well, whatever it is I'm missing by not using fluorocarbon,

at least I never have to spray conditioner on my line and never have to spit on my knots.

 

Roger

57 minutes ago, Logan S said:

 

You don't need magic sprays, the most expensive lines, or any other voodoo to make FC work for you, you just need more practice.  Some FC's are more manageable than others, but even the cheaper ones are fine if you do your part correctly.  The other line types are more forgiving, which means they will cover up for the mistakes you make...To the point where you won't even know you're making them if that's all you've ever fished with.  

 

 

That about sums it up in a few more words than I used  I've been giving this a lot of thought the past couple weeks, and it really seems to come down to your ability or level of experience as a caster. Outside of the other arguments for or against, if you're having line management issues when using fluorocarbon on a baitcaster, then your casting skills could use a little work. 

 

I hated Fluorocarbon when I first tried it as well. It seemed to jump off the spool and knots would break easy.

 

I have since converted and become a believer for my finesse fishing. I am almost exclusively fluorocarbon on my spinning gear.

 

I solved my issues by:

 

1) Not filling my spools more than 3 quarters full.

 

2) Upping the lb test I was using (8lb minimum)

 

3) Wetting my knots and pulling them slowly to tighten.

 

4) Recently started using line conditioner. KVD brand and Reel Snot.

 

 

I have it as a main line on probably over 20 reels, also use a lot of mono/copoly. I have braid on 2 outfits. I am glad we have options for line. Not every line is ideal for every situation, person or reel/breaking stystem.