Fluorocarbon tippet

[Ed007]

I have been on the search for a new fluorocarbon tippet. I was using Rio fuoroflex strong and SA absolute fluoro and they have treated me well, but it is so expensive. I was looking for a more affordable option. I tried Bozeman Fly works and Trouthunter and was not very impressed with them. I am currently thinking about trying Hanak Competition Fluoro. It is a quality company and is at a reasonable price ($14 for 50yds). Has anyone used this? If so what are your thoughts on the tippet? I am also open to other suggestions if anyone has any. Thanks.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

I have been on the search for a new fluorocarbon tippet. I was using Rio fuoroflex strong and SA absolute fluoro and they have treated me well, but it is so expensive. I was looking for a more affordable option. I tried Bozeman Fly works and Trouthunter and was not very impressed with them. I am currently thinking about trying Hanak Competition Fluoro. It is a quality company and is at a reasonable price ($14 for 50yds). Has anyone used this? If so what are your thoughts on the tippet? I am also open to other suggestions if anyone has any. Thanks.

IMO fluoro can be worth it depending on your application.

Otherwise it is a waste.

Example, don't use for dry flies.

So use it properly and pay the price for a good fluoro when the application suits, you found one you like, you likely won't find an equal at a cheaper price.

 

[Ed007]

I tightened nymph about 90% of the time so I am a believer in fluoro

 

[sixfootfenwick]

I tightened nymph about 90% of the time so I am a believer in fluoro

I am too , a believer in fluoro, I love it for spring creeks and streamer fishing.

 

[Bamboozle]

I use fluoro for everything including dry flies (trust me it DOESN'T pull them under) because it is more abrasion resistant, lasts longer and doesn't flat spot as easily as mono.

However. like my regular fishing line, I only buy good stuff price be damned considering you are talking about something that costs LESS than $ .50 a yard.

I was huge fan of Seaguar Grand Max when it was available and I also like Orvis Mirage.

Bottom line, I don't know about you but with gas @ $3.50+ a gallon, good beer @ $15 a six-pack and cigars @ $5.00 and up, a couple of bucks worth of tippet material an outing is far from the most expensive "tackle" item I consume.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

+1 use for everything but dries. I nymph a lot and change my tippet much less often than mono because of the abrasion resistance- this reduces the price of use differential. I have no preferred brand, I look for sales. I've used Frog's hair, Mirage. I buy 100y spools which reduced cost per yard and reduces plastic packaging waste. Fluoro also stores longer than mono, which actually is a negative because it stays in the ecosystem longer if you break off on the bottom.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

+1 use for everything but dries. I nymph a lot and change my tippet much less often than mono because of the abrasion resistance- this reduces the price of use differential. I have no preferred brand, I look for sales. I've used Frog's hair, Mirage. I buy 100y spools which reduced cost per yard and reduces plastic packaging waste. Fluoro also stores longer than mono, which actually is a negative because it stays in the ecosystem longer if you break off on the bottom.

I'm with you on this, including the Mirage,which Ive heard negatives about. I really like that Fluorocarbon and use it often.

 

[PennKev]

I was looking for a more affordable option. I tried Bozeman Fly works and Trouthunter and was not very impressed with them.

What were you dissatisfied about?

 

[Ed007]

Bozeman was stiff and seemed to break easily. Trout hunter was good except you would run into section that seemed "weak". It would break VERY easy. When you would tie a knot and pull it tight it would break. And it would not break at the knot. It would break 6 maybe 8 inches from the knot(not from line burn). I would pull about 5 feet of tippet off and get rid of it and then the tippet would seem fine. Like there were sections that were defective. I also had a buddy that had the same problem with Trouthunter

 

[rancid waders]

P line fluorocarbon.. 200 plus yards per spool.. the old guys have been using it for years

 

[Silent Ocelot]

Example, don't use for dry flies.

I disagree. If your reasoning for this is that fluorocarbon will sink your dry that is a myth. In fact in some instances it is beneficial to run fluorocarbon for dries as this will eliminate shadow cast by nylon sitting on the surface. Think dry fly fishing skinny clear water. Also fluorocarbon stretches less so a more responsive hookset is achieved when using it. I personally use nylon with dries in the very few instances I use them because I like as direct of a connect to a fly as physically possible. There is an ever-so-slight belly with fluorocarbon from leader to to fly when fishing dries with fluorocarbon.

 

[Silent Ocelot]

P line fluorocarbon.. 200 plus yards per spool.. the old guys have been using it for years

I like P-line. Used the 4 lb. fluorocarbon (blue box) when spin fishing. I still have a spool of the 2 lb. fluorocarbon and the 4lb. copolymer. The copolymer seems a bit warped from years of improper storage but the knots seem to hold up fine. I don't use the P-line 2lb. that much anymore as I have other finer tippet materials that are stronger and have higher test lb. ratings. I've felt that P-line is good stuff.

 

[Silent Ocelot]

Trout hunter was good except you would run into section that seemed "weak". It would break VERY easy. When you would tie a knot and pull it tight it would break. And it would not break at the knot. It would break 6 maybe 8 inches from the knot(not from line burn). I would pull about 5 feet of tippet off and get rid of it and then the tippet would seem fine. Like there were sections that were defective. I also had a buddy that had the same problem with Trouthunter

I seem to have had similar issues with Trout Hunter. I left a spool in my car and when I started pulling off tippet it was frail and warped. I deemed it unusable. Waste of $25. I don't want to bash on Trout Hunter, I think it's good stuff. When I initially experimented with higher end tippets that was the first brand I bought and I think it ties nicely. The example I provided as to why I didn't like it after letting it roast in my car is situational and not a valid review of the product. I don't think many things like being heat cycled in a car with it's windows rolled up.

Having bought my first spool of Cortland tippet last NOV I am really sold on it and think it is the best (to my knowledge). There's something to be said about using 7X for home trout nymphing, something I thought was initially foolish, and bumping up to 5X for steelhead and landing them successfully. I'm strictly buying Cortland now.

 

[Silent Ocelot]

For good "budget" tippet I prefer Seaguar Invizx 4lb. At $23.99 for 200 yards a spool of it will definitely last me the year, which breaks down to $2 a month to run this tippet and I won't be using it now because it's summer and I'll be "sniping" panfish on topwater patterns with nylon tippet and/or leaders. I think the Seguar is strong and ties well. I like using it as my connecting point from my tippet ring to the initial fly. This length is several feet and then I connect my initial (top fly) to the secondary fly with a thinner more expensive tippet. This is a much more economic way to fish. I could never buy the little tippet spools and use those SOLELY as my tippet. Too expensive. Only time I will run my Cortland 5X solely is when fishing steelhead in shallow clear water. The 5.7 lbs. of breaking strength is as light as I would be go when going for steelhead.

Also you can fit all 200 yards of the line on a tippet spool if you have the patience. I like to avoid reusing the Orvis spools because they have the integrated cutter that can become problematic when applying the line to the spool. In this instance I will spool the line onto the tippet spool going in the opposite direction of the tippet cutter.

 

[KELORGO]

Cortland makes different tippets. Do yourself a favor and try their Ultra Premium fluorocarbon tippet. It is by far the best I’ve used for euro nymphing. I can drop a full tippet size and still feel confident that I won’t break off a fish. Haven’t lost a fish due to a knot breaking or slipping since I switched to it.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

I disagree. If your reasoning for this is that fluorocarbon will sink your dry that is a myth. In fact in some instances it is beneficial to run fluorocarbon for dries as this will eliminate shadow cast by nylon sitting on the surface. Think dry fly fishing skinny clear water. Also fluorocarbon stretches less so a more responsive hookset is achieved when using it. I personally use nylon with dries in the very few instances I use them because I like as direct of a connect to a fly as physically possible. There is an ever-so-slight belly with fluorocarbon from leader to to fly when fishing dries with fluorocarbon.

My reasoning is this isn't where it shines in its design. It's also more expensive.

Mono is cheaper and works just fine for dry flies.
I never said it sinks dry flies 🤷

But I disagree with your assessment on shadowing.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

As an example.

Fluorocarbon allows a greater amount of natural light to pass through it whereas monofilament tends to refract light.

Underwater fluoro is less visible and sinks easier.
Great for subsurface.

Mono naturally has more buoyancy and refracts light. This is great on all accounts on the surface film, which it allows my flies to float higher and also is laying on top of a film that is refracting light already. I believe this makes it less visible than when it is subsurface.

That said, while I know fluorocarbon line won't sink my dry fly, you will never convince me it can make a let's say Elk Hair Caddis, ride as high and as long as mono.

Everyone has probably heard the claim that because fluorocarbon is more dense (1.78) than nylon (1.1) then it will sink faster. While this is true, what you rarely read are the actual sink rates and their subsequent practicality.

According to the BIB article “If you take two pieces of line, one nylon monofilament and one fluorocarbon, sink them in a column of water and time their drop rate, what you’ll find is that it takes the nylon monofilament about 45 seconds to drop 30 centimetres (12″) in the water column. A similar piece of fluorocarbon will make that same 30 centimetre (12″) journey in about 15 seconds, still 3 times faster than nylon but not overly fast in the big scheme of things. If you think of your average cast and retrieve taking somewhere between 30-60 seconds, under its own accord the fluorocarbon will have only had the chance to move 60 – 120 centimetres (24″ – 48″) down into the water column in that time period.

Only 15 seconds to sink 12 inches or 45 seconds to sink 36" between your rod tip and the fly is a good way to get micro drag on some waters. In dry fly applications I'll pass on fluorocarbon.

YMMV

 

[sixfootfenwick]

As far as shadowing, as mono gets a little bit used, it collects water by absorbing it and it will sink just below the film. When this happens, shadowing is virtually gone and it still doesn't sink at a rate like fluorocarbon. Being just below the light refractory of the surface film keeps it less visible than when in the middle water column, but you won't have a dip like fluoro that can cause micro drags.

Other than all this, fluorocarbon is worth the money when fishing subsurface and for is abrasion resistance. It's also great in spring creeks like Big Spring or the Letort, where that water is very clear and slow and it's "invisibility" along with its abrasion resistance is an asset. It's wonderful for smallmouth that want to rub you on rocks or large game.


It isn't worth the money on regular trout waters fishing a beetle.

Basically, it makes me think of this. An angler can have a 9'5wt on Penns, a great rod designed for trout. It will do well there, and then he thinks to himself I'm going to go to the big river in the afternoon and catch smallmouth. he uses the 5wt, it works well at times and ok at others but is doing something it wasn't designed to do. Meanwhile he has a 9' 8wt in the car.

Anyone can fish how they like, what makes them the most comfortable and to do what they think works or what works for them. I'm just saying, for all the touting that is done about the advantages of fluorocarbon and the money spent on it, I cant understand why an angler would spend a few bucks for the advantages of mono in it's applications.

 

[Silent Ocelot]

Cortland makes different tippets. Do yourself a favor and try their Ultra Premium fluorocarbon tippet. It is by far the best I’ve used for euro nymphing. I can drop a full tippet size and still feel confident that I won’t break off a fish. Haven’t lost a fish due to a knot breaking or slipping since I switched to it.

I have the Premium Fluorocarbon, truly awesome stuff. I have the same level of confidence using mine. I can rip flies out of trees on 5X.

 

[Facemelted]

I have been on the search for a new fluorocarbon tippet. I was using Rio fuoroflex strong and SA absolute fluoro and they have treated me well, but it is so expensive. I was looking for a more affordable option. I tried Bozeman Fly works and Trouthunter and was not very impressed with them. I am currently thinking about trying Hanak Competition Fluoro. It is a quality company and is at a reasonable price ($14 for 50yds). Has anyone used this? If so what are your thoughts on the tippet? I am also open to other suggestions if anyone has any. Thanks.

If you're looking for a new brand to try. Look at Cortlands Top Secret and Fulling Mills Masterclass Fluoro. They're really good in all fields.