Just wondering how many of you are using Fluorocarbon tippet material?

If you have been using it what do you think of it? What brands have you tried?

I personally have been using Seaguar, with NO problems for about six years now.

I use Seaguar almost exclusively. I can buy Seaguar in in 200 yards spools for a fraction of the cost of other brands that come in much smaller spools.

I've only used flourocarbon a couple times when a friend handed me a tippet length to use. It seems OK. However, I've never bought any and haven't planned to. It's expensive, and I haven't yet found that it returns value for cost. I began using Maxima leader material in 1974 and have found it to be very strong and abrasion resistant. Steelhead don't seem to be leader shy, except perhaps under the lowest and clearest summer/fall flow conditions. I have used 6# Maxima under those conditions and had some fish break me off on the strike or hook set. So I usually use one of the premium mono nylon brands with the same diameter as Maxima, but with higher breaking strength when I'm fishing under those conditions. Otherwise, 8# Maxima is my year-round, high and low water, fairly clear to turbid water condition leader tippet of choice. My other exception is that I step up to 10# Maxima for the Thompson River. I had steelhead break 8# on the strike twice there, so heavier material seemed in order.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Rio Fluor Flex Plus in clear water situations, other wise and most of the time maxima green
4 lb up to 10 lb. Also been using some P-Line flour the last year, not sure if I like it but its nice and cheap. Always seem to go back to Maxima for 24 years now, don't leave home without it !

Cheers

FL

I really like fluoro tippets for some of my fishing, although it is $$$! I think it works well for trout leaders when fishing waters that get pounded pretty hard, like the Yakima, Rocky Ford. I think it really is harder for the fish to see. The stuff is pretty strong for it's diameter, so you can sometimes go with a heavier tippet than you could with other tippet materials. For my trout leaders, I use Maxima ultragreen for the butt and taper and Orvis fluoro for the tippet and it's worked great for a couple of seasons now. Like Salmo g, I LOVE Maxima ultragreen for steelhead! I think it should have its own religion, as I know many steelheaders worship it. I think it's totally justified. Fisherman have been swearing by this stuff before I was born, and you just can't ignore that kind of loyalty. We'll see if fluoro is as big of a deal 25 years from now...

Salmo g: Have you read "My Story as Told by Water" by David James Duncan? There's a funny short story in there about Duncan buying a fishing buddy some fluorocarbon leader material for his birthday, followed by his friends' reaction when he receives it. Great book for a lot of reasons, but that story seems appropriate

I use it in summer low flow situations but after busting off a nice(and only) winter steelie on the sauk two years ago I am back to 8-10# max ultragreen with normal to low vis.

Homer -
I believe that Seaguar is one of the original lines from Japan and remians a standard . I have tried a number of brands and found that many of the newer "brands" had no way near the "shelf life" - that is like mono as they aged they lost their strength (both tensile and knot).

The general "toughness" of fluorocarbon leads to my major concern with its use. It is inert as heck and lasts essentially forever. This possible long term pollution factor goes against my "green" nature and as a result I have fallen back to old reliable - Maxima Green for the major of my anadromous fishing and Orvis super fine mono for trout tippets.

Happy Holidays and may the New Year bring you tight lines
S malma

Trask,

That book is on my shelf, but I hadn't gotten around to reading it, and sorta' forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder.

BTW, I mostly use Maxima Chameleon, occasionally using Ultragreen for tippets in the summer.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

I use RIO Max and have for about 5 yrs. now. I switched from Maxima because of the IGFA rating and the superior stretch and ease of turnover. I like it. give it a whirl.
I use the the 6kg, test for winter and 4kg for summer.
flourocarbon is OK for trout, i guess. but i haven't fished trout in yrs.

The use of flurocarbon is totally unnecessary.. steelhead are not afraid of a large black string hanging off the end og a fly, that string being 10 lb maxima.. low clear water? dead drift? don't matter steelhead aren't afraid of it PERIOD!

I agree Rob. I use fluorocarbon more for its durabilityand the fact that it sinks. I use mono when dry fly fishing or waking.

... florocarbon works, I spent 2 hrs testing between Seagars Grand max and Maximas Ultragreen, the two best fishing lines in existance in my opinion.

The first hour I swung the Grand max through a giant pod of Searun cutties and a couple Steelies and hooked many within an hour. The next hour swung through the same hole but with Ultragreen, only 1 hookup. I swung again with Grandmax floro, BAM, 4 hookups within 15 minutes.

The Floro has to have some type of MOJO in it. I'm convinced that Floro IS invisible to fish and does increase hookup rates, only on sub-surface and leeches though. If the water is below no more than 12" of visibility I'll use the Ultragreen, otherwise Grandmax all the way.

9.00 for 75yds at Sportco, the BEST deal around! I fish only once a month so the spool lasts awhile.

Peter <><

Sigh .. not sure how this post ran under my 'radar.'

I gave up on flo. leader materal long ago due to cost .. and one onther major "thing." It's too soft/limp.

I'm almost 100% fly rod, usually a spey rod, and I do my leaders with flo carb. main line. Personal pref. is the 'Silver Thread' which you can get through Cabela. Material is 'stiff' and stong with the flo. carb. features, but makes a far better leader material as it 'trasmits' the cast energy out the line/leader to the fly.

In context, most of my leaders are at least 12 foot long, most closer to 15-18 unless I'm using a sink tip or a full sinker line. Yes, I do use a full sink line, and I'm getting more into this as I move along in 'higher water' conditions. Sink tips, uless DAMNED HEAVY, really don't get that deep into the water coloum; a full sinker (as much as they can be a pain in the butt) REALLY get down and dirty in higher flows.

You just have to get used to 'rolling' them back to the surface before the next cast. "major " problem, as the Brit's would say is a 'drowed line.' E.G. It's deep and you hook a fish; thing will stay down and give you an interesting problem of a 'sunk line' if the fish comes up to the surface. As in a full floater, fish goes 'airborne' on you .. By By Mr. Fish