Fluorocarbon vs Nylon Tippet Discussion

[Bamboozle]

As someone who fishes 8X often, used to fish Pezon et Michelle labeled as 10X back in the day and more recently Varivas sold down to maybe 12X, I can tell you it's a marketing gimmick and unnecessary unless you are Tanago fishing.

I can also tell you attempting to land anything other than a bitterling on sub 1 lb test is an exercise in futility.

In regards to the X system, it's SUPPOSED to decrease by .001" and maybe a pound in test as you progress down the X scale . Most manufacturer's sell 8X that is .003" and diameter is everything as it relates to X size.

Hitenia 8X is .0041 meaning their 8X is everyone else's 7X so draw your own conclusions as to what their 14X is in reality.

 

[JeffK]

The X scale is a holdover from drawn gut leaders with each X being a pass through a die about 0.001" smaller starting with a 0.011" roughly starting point. Manufacturers often play fast and loose with the X system and a micrometer is your friend - I don't think the X system is in international standard, only a tradition.

 

[PaTyer19021]

Flouro's main advantage is that it sinks. For nymphs, that may very well justify using it. With streamers, I doubt that either makes much of a difference. And if you want your leader to float, say to suspend a wet fly an inch under the surface, I don't believe adding floatant is going to keep flouro from sinking.

Forget "flouro is less visible". I've seen enough photos of flouro underwater to know that's simply not true. Floating nylon is less visible. OTOH, floating nylon can cast a shadow, whereas sunken flouro doesn't. If shadows on bottom are a problem, maybe flouro might be in order. I don't know, since I refuse to pay the cost difference.

I've been catching fish on nylon leaders for almost 60 years. I see no compelling reason to switch.

I been doin this stuff for 50 yrs now dont see any reason to spend so much more
for florocarbon technically in some science lab it may prove stronger and sinks
faster an the nerds can argue all day while the trout are laughin their *** off

 

[afishinado]

I been doin this stuff for 50 yrs now dont see any reason to spend so much more
for florocarbon technically in some science lab it may prove stronger and sinks
faster an the nerds can argue all day while the trout are laughin their *** off

From actual experience on (actually "in") the stream I find fluorocarbon tippet material a lot tougher and abrasion resistant than nylon, although I still use nylon for dries since it is more supple and seems to float better when I compared my fluoro tippet.

Not long ago I was on the stream on a cold day early in the season and had to resort to flossing the rocks nymphing all day to hook up with any trout.

Early in the day I ran out of 5x fluoro tippet and did not have an extra spool with me so instead I used nylon tippet for nymphing.

I did think much of it until the late afternoon when I realized how many times, when I checked my tippet, it was rough and abraded and I had to retie over and over again compared to when I nymph using fluoro.

No doubt, from my experience anyway, fluoro tippet is a lot more abrasion resistant than nylon.

And if price is your reason not to use it, I guarantee I tied and retied more feet of nylon that day to match or exceed the higher cost of fluoro.

Not to mention the actual hassle and lost fishing time by cutting off my rig, retying my tippet, my droppers, and retying both my flies again and again.

The choice is yours of course, I'm just relating my actual experience fishing and comparing both tippet materials I carry with me on the stream.

If you only or mostly fish dries, then nylon will probably work best, but If you nymph a lot and/or fish streamers, I recommend fluoro for sure.