Fluorocarbon

I love to see advances in technology. The fishing industry has seen a lot of advances. One of my favorite advances is in waders, going from rubber to neoprene and then to Gore-Tex. Or with rods going from fiberglass to graphite. Another major advancement is in fishing line.

Fluorocarbon fishing line has been available the past few years and I have taken advantage of it. Fluorocarbon has several advantages;

1) It is stronger than mono-filament. This means that you can increase the pound test of the tippet you use by switching from monofilament to fluorocarbon, e.g., 4X monofilament with 6 lb test to 4X fluorocarbon with 7 pound test.

2) It has the same refractive index as water so it is virtually invisible underwater and doesn’t reflect light in the water. This means you can get away with a thicker leader. If you are used to fishing a 5X mono leader because of selective trout, you can get similar invisibility with a 4X fluoro leader, giving you an advantage of a stronger leader.

3) It has the same density as water. This is an advantage if you are fishing below the surface. For nymphing or streamer fishing this would mean that the leader won’t be causing the fly to float. This would be a disadvantage for dry fly fishing where you want the fly to float.

4) It is more abrasion resistant. This helps when the fish is trying to lose you in the structure of rocks or sticks or when the huge brown you have just hooked has sharp teeth.

5) It doesn’t disintegrate in the sun’s rays. This means that it won’t become weaker as it is outside being used in the sun. The downside to this is that if any is discarded along the stream, it won’t biodegrade. So be careful to discard properly any scrap of fluorocarbon.

One disadvantage is that it is quite a bit more expensive. When you consider how valuable your time is or how much you have invested in other equipment or the gas for the trip, I feel the extra price is well worth it. You might as well use any advantage that is available.

Knowing the properties of available leader materials allows you to use them to your advantage. If you are dry fly fishing, use the monofilament line which will stay afloat. If you are nymph or streamer fishing use the technologically advanced fluorocarbon leaders.

Let me explain how I construct my nymph fishing leaders. Since I want the top section of my leader to float, especially the part above the strike indicator, I use a tapered monofilament leader. This is usually a 9 foot leader tapered to a 1X, 2X or 3X. I cut the last two to three feet off the tapered leader and tie on fluorocarbon leader for the tippet. For example, I will tie two feet of 4X fluorocarbon to the 2X monofilament tapered leader. I will then tie the fly onto the 4X fluorocarbon. Any droppers I may use are also tied on with fluorocarbon.