13 hours ago, Bazoo said:

Lets say for deep texas rigging, sure, fluoro would be better. But that's specialty. For normal texas rigging, would not mono work?

Nothing empirical.....very feely....But I sense a very big difference between fluoro a d mono for all bottom contact.

(BTW, I don't consider deep Texas rig to be specialty at all.  It is an everyday presentation most of the year for me.  Though, maybe we should define deep)

  As @Columbia Crawsaid, try some decent fluoro and let us know.  I like Seaguar Invisx, though even the Red is better than a lot of similarly priced fluoro from other mfrs

7 minutes ago, PGA Dropout said:

So first off, ignore pros unless you're trying to be one.

 

You can pay attention to Feider though because he's hilarious. Swindle too.

 

Second, it does matter what line; the degree though is up for debate.

 

I'm pretty sure this forum is partly, if not wholly, responsible for Big Game's market share.

 

This post is lighthearted. 

That's the general idea. I might not ever be a pro angler in the sense of being on tour, but I want to be at the same skill level.
 

I am thinking of entering some local tournaments.

 

2 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Nothing empirical.....very feely....But I sense a very big difference between fluoro a d mono for all bottom contact.

(BTW, I don't consider deep Texas rig to be specialty at all.  It is an everyday presentation most of the year for me.  Though, maybe we should define deep)

  As @Columbia Crawsaid, try some decent fluoro and let us know.  I like Seaguar Invisx, though even the Red is better than a lot of similarly priced fluoro from other mfrs

Thanks.

 

For me, deep is over 10 feet.

The Learning Curve of Fishing Floro.

 

 

 

Buy inexpensive floro.

 

Eventually backlash it and it gets kinked up.

 

You either strip the majority of it off or fix the backlash and end up losing a fish or a lure because of said kink.

 

You then realize that cheap floro is junk.

 

You buy something slightly better.

 

Eventually backlash it as well.

 

You smarten up and make sure there's no kinks this time. You strip a ton off or maybe even the whole spool.

 

You buy something even better.

 

 

 

Moral of the story. Be prepared for some learning curves and getting your wallet out.

 

It can be frustrating and expensive at the same time.

 

If funds are limited, stick with mono.

 

 

I don't have any issues using FC.  But then again, I use Seaguar InvizX, Tatsu, and R18.  Those are premium lines (especially the R18) that are priced accordingly. 

 

But Seaguar invented fluorocarbon fishing line.  They own the patent, plus they make their own line - from resin to packaging, they have full quality control over the entire manufacturing process.  That's why I trust it so much, and that's why I don't have any issues with it.

2 hours ago, Boomstick said:

 

To be fair, I haven't had issues with the heat in Massachusetts either, I just mentioned that because mono is environment temperamental. 90 degrees isn't a problem. Perhaps if I left it in the car on that 102 degree day we had in June, I may have experienced the line misbehaving a bit.

 

Freezing does weaken mono line though, that's well documented. Hence why come spring, all my mono reels get new line even if they got it in the fall. I'm lazy and do mine once a year.

Fair enough, no worries my man

 

I’m gonna spend $26 on a spool of 12lb invizx and use it on my M caster for smallmouth. Current, rocks, wood, weeds and mussels; it’ll be a good test on performance. I don’t top water fish almost at all, but I wouldn’t be worried about that anyways. Casting jigs and Texas rigs will be what I run on it. I’ll be honest after a few trips and will not hesitate at all if I’m wrong. Stay tuned…

1 hour ago, Bazoo said:

For me, deep is over 10 feet.

I'd venture to guess that well over 50% of all my casts, including all presentations, are bottom contact over 10' deep at some point in the retrieve. 

This thread is blowing up with information.

There is a wealth of information available on both sides of the debate.

I do not have a bunch to add except to say

that when I want any presentation to go and stay deep,

FC is my choice.

The difference between the depth maintained by mono vs FC

was cemented in my mind several years ago.

While on a trip south of the border, we were fishing

1 oz. shaky heads with a 10-inch worm on humps in 25–35 feet.

We were fishing the same baits but I was using 20 lb mono

and Big Fish Jeff was using 20 FC (InvisX).

My mono would not stay deep/on the bottom. 

while his FC did—and oh boy did it. 

HE TOOK ME TO SCHOOL.

Since that day, I made the switch and never looked back.

A-Jay

 

15 hours ago, Bazoo said:

fluoro has all kind of orneryness compared to mono.

Not the top of the line stuff. Instead of fooling around with something like BPS fluoro, the best move is to buy once cry once. Get a spool of Tatsu and break it down into several runs. You can divide a 200 meter spool down to 4 runs of 164' and spool that on top of the backer of your choice. For Fluoro, I prefer braid as backer as it lays flat and it won't join the party during a fluff-up if you have one.

 

You won't be slinging most conventional bass lures far enough to get down to the connection knot in most cases, so don't sweat it. Doubt you're casting much more than 100'. Maybe 120'.

 

At the end of the day you'll be able to tell yourself and anyone else your final opinion from an educated viewpoint. None of us here can divine your capabilities as a caster or the GPA of your thumb, so that variable will remain a mystery. If you report that a line as supple and mono-like as Tatsu is unruly, it's safe to assume your skills are still lacking. On the other hand...I'm pretty sure you'll dig it.

From what I'm gathering, fluoro is only really beneficial when used on pressured waters.

1 minute ago, PhishLI said:

Not the top of the line stuff. Instead of fooling around with something like BPS fluoro, the best move is to buy once cry once. Get a spool of Tatsu and break it down into several runs. You can divide a 200 meter spool down to 4 runs of 164' and spool that on top of the backer of your choice. For Fluoro, I prefer braid as backer as it lays flat and it won't join the party during a fluff-up if you have one.

 

You won't be slinging most conventional bass lures far enough to get down to the connection knot in most cases, so don't sweat it. Doubt you're casting much more than 100'. Maybe 120'.

 

At the end of the day you'll be able to tell yourself and anyone else your final opinion from an educated viewpoint. None of us here can divine your capabilities as a caster or the GPA of your thumb, so that variable will remain a mystery. If you report that a line as supple and mono-like as Tatsu is unruly, it's safe to assume your skills are still lacking. On the other hand...I'm pretty sure you'll dig it.

Yeah, I'll have to try something better than the Big Game fluoro I currently have.

10 minutes ago, Bazoo said:

From what I'm gathering, fluoro is only really beneficial when used on pressured waters.

Not true. It isn't invisible beyond a certain diameter. .007" is the size that's been quoted. That's extremely light line.

 

Around here, before the weeds come into bloom, it's very effective for low light or night fishing in cold water where the presentation is slow and near or on the bottom. It's quite easy to feel the difference compared to other lines regarding the transmission of feel whether that's a bite or whatever you're bringing your lure through. Abrasion isn't my issue around here, so fluoro doesn't matter in that case, but for feel it's something special when the bites are subtle from cold and sluggish fish.

 

P.S. Fujita came in 3rd last weekend using a 16lb leader during a northern smallmouth tournament.

And just as a PSA ~ I've mentioned this a bunch of times.

If you're bargain shopping for InvisX or Tatsu, Bulk spools may be the way to go. 

1000 yd spools can be had on Amazon  (vs TW) for a substantial discount.

InvisX averages at least $25 less and Tatsu can be $50 less.

Just add it to your cart and 'watch it' - sometimes it's stupid cheap.

Just say'in.

Pretty sure the bait monkey would approve of this message.

 

A-Jay

32 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Tatsu, Bulk spools may be the way to go. 

1000 yd spools can be had on Amazon 

 

Yep, this is what I'm doing going forward.

 

Not messing around with 200 yard spools anymore.

 

Number 1, it's cheaper.

Number 2, there's less waste.

 

Nothing worse than putting say 140 yards on and you have 60 yards left. You can use the excess for leader material but if it's a size you don't use you are SOL.

 

3 hours ago, Bazoo said:

From what I'm gathering, fluoro is only really beneficial when used on pressured waters.

That is just the near invisibility factor. There are other benefits on top of that.

 

See my first post, I tried to cover all the pros and cons of fluoro so you can decide if fluoro is right for you.

 

The thing I didn’t mention us that certain knots tend to slip. The palomar is not recommended with fluorocarbon. I would recommend the uni with 4 or 5 turns, knot slippage for me is almost a non factor.

Whatever you buy, buy bulk spools on sale.

 

I still haven't tried Tatsu. I will think about switching my 16 lb Sniper out for 15 lb when the bulk spool runs out.

1 minute ago, PGA Dropout said:

Whatever you buy, buy bulk spools on sale.

 

I still haven't tried Tatsu. I will think about switching my 16 lb Sniper out for 15 lb when the bulk spool runs out.

Tatsu is very good line. So is Shooter and Daiwa J-Fluoro. I ended up getting bulk spools of the latter on TW’s Black Friday sale a couple years back but have plenty left since I get multiple seasons from it

3 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

Tatsu is very good line. So is Shooter and Daiwa J-Fluoro. I ended up getting bulk spools of the latter on TW’s Black Friday sale a couple years back but have plenty left since I get multiple seasons from it

 

I have concerns about Tatsu being a little too soft but if the Sniper is holding up, it'll probably be fine.

22 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

That is just the near invisibility factor. There are other benefits on top of that.

 

See my first post, I tried to cover all the pros and cons of fluoro so you can decide if fluoro is right for you.

 

The thing I didn’t mention is that certain knots tend to slip. The palomar is not recommended with fluorocarbon. I would recommend the uni with 4 or 5 turns, knot slippage for me is almost a non factor.

Very good point on the knots - I’ve gone pretty much San Diego Jam Knot across the board, and haven’t had any failures to speak of. I do still use a Palomar for dropshot hooks, but I don’t see the slippage in light leaders.

53 minutes ago, ElGuapo928 said:

Very good point on the knots - I’ve gone pretty much San Diego Jam Knot across the board, and haven’t had any failures to speak of. I do still use a Palomar for dropshot hooks, but I don’t see the slippage in light leaders.

I often use a palomar for drop shots too and rarely have issues. A correctly tied palomar will often hold but it’s a little bit of a wildcard so I recommend the uni and you don’t have to worry about it

1 hour ago, PGA Dropout said:

 

I have concerns about Tatsu being a little too soft but if the Sniper is holding up, it'll probably be fine.

If you’re worried about abrasion resistance, I would go with Shooter. I rarely have abrasion resistance issues with any of the three I mentioned but Shooter is supposed to be the best for that.

4 hours ago, Boomstick said:

I often use a palomar for drop shots too and rarely have issues. A correctly tied palomar will often hold but it’s a little bit of a wildcard so I recommend the uni and you don’t have to worry about it

If you’re worried about abrasion resistance, I would go with Shooter. I rarely have abrasion resistance issues with any of the three I mentioned but Shooter is supposed to be the best for that.

 I was tying a snell for a while, but I found it took too much time. 

 

I’ve been experimenting with the Decoy swivel hooks, which kind of make the knot a non-issue. 
 

 

As a casual fisherman, I see no advantage. I’d rather use mono and respool more often. It’s cheap. And if it costs me a fish or 2 , occasionally, I really don’t care. I don’t fish for money, and I let them all go anyway. To each their own. I understand some guys take things more seriously than I do.