100% Flourocarbon

Got a new walleye rod & reel. Primarily use on Mille Lacs and so I got something with a little more backbone (St. Croix Avid Medium) and decided to go away from mono with the idea of getting better hook sets. (especially in deeper water)

So I went with 6 lb flourocarbon but on my first outing I noticed the line wanting to jump off the bail and caused a mess a couple times. I use all flourocarbon in a few different applications during open water and never have a problem, but have not used it in winter.

Is Flourocarbon stiffer in winter? Any idea if it will settle down or if I should be taking the line off and going with braid and just a flouro leader?

Welcome to my love hate relationship with flouro…

Love how it sinks, dang near invisible, no stretch.
Hate how it wants to come off the reel or make a mess of itself.

I only use it for leaders now, but I do know others that use it as main line.

In some cases it could be considered stiffer, I am sure someone here with a physics degree could correct me but I would say it definitely retains more memory. If it is straight and you coil it, it wants to go back straight, but once it conforms to the reel and you pull it off it wants to remain coiled…

I love flouro –

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/fluoro-birdsnest/#post-1658940

Thanks for the link EPG

Funny because I’m a big Flouro fan for open water. I typically use Vanish or Vanish Transition. I’ve never had it jump off or had any problem with it.

So far I’m thinking two things. This ice reel is a 500 and so it’s smaller. Also being winter maybe that adds to the stiffness. Hmmm…. maybe I should have gone 4 or 5 lb test instead….

LOL…EPG had to bring that one link..called an involuntary cast.

Getting back to flourocarbon lines, yes it’s always been stiffer. Then they made them softer to be spoolable on open face spinning reels. However they will still tend to jump off the spool when colder, not much different from other stiffer mono type lines. Even Pline Floroclear will jump too.

You don’t want a flourocarbon line to develop heavy line memory, because it’s also less likely to clear the coils.

A few things to consider would be using a larger reel or have a larger spool. Larger coils mean less spring tension. Some flourocarbon lines are a bit more open face reel friendlier than others. Consider Gamma Touch or Seaguar Invisx. And when you get accustomed to opening/closing bail by hand, and feathering spool of line, all that jumping will be under control.

I use pline floroclear on all my ice rods. I’ve noticed a little line memory but nothing near a birds nest. One thing that helps me is pulling my line off the spool with the bail closed and through the drag. Seems to help with line twist and the memory issue. It also works any kinks out of your reel. Pretty sure that was an Aaron Wiebe tip.

tradersbayrookie wrote:

One thing that helps me is pulling my line off the spool with the bail closed and through the drag. Seems to help with line twist and the memory issue. It also works any kinks out of your reel. Pretty sure that was an Aaron Wiebe tip.

You could also try running the spool under hot tap water or soaking the spool in a bowl of hot water. I do this to my summer series 500 reels and it helps.

lindyrig79 wrote:

decided to go away from mono with the idea of getting better hook sets. (especially in deeper water)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t flouro actually stretch more than mono?

This stuff has always worked great for me in winter and ive never had a problem with it using smaller reels. I usually always use 4lb

Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t flouro actually stretch more than mono?

Yes.

I mostly use copoly Pline if I’m not using a braid and use suffix flourocarbon for leaders only.

There’s a lot of variability in how flouro stretches, typically it deforms past a critical point, below that it often can be low stretch. Mono acts more like a spring over an elastic range before deformation occurs. Fishing line is often used for modulus of elasticity experiments.

Lots of good info already in here. Stretching the line gently and/or using the hot water soak to remove memory; using large spools like a 2500-sized summer reel on an ice rod; using the softest flourocarbon line possible like Seaguar Tatsu or Invisx.

I’ll add another: line conditioner. I’m a huge fan of KVD Line and Lure Conditioner for conditioning line and making it softer. It also tends to make the line last longer before it loses that shiny finish and starts to get chalky-looking. It will make braid keep its color longer, too. It’s made by the same company that produced Bow to Stern (BTS) fiberglass boat conditioner, a spray on product that will keep a bass boat looking freshly waxed all year.

All in all, I don’t use fluorocarbon on ice fishing reels. Too much hassle. Limited benefit. Plus the softer fluoro stretches worse than monofilament, not that it really matters 20′ under the ice.

I use either braid with a fluoro leader or my favorite open-water line for moving bass baits, like spinnerbaits or crankbaits. Check out Yo Zuri Hybrid (not Ultrasoft. . . junk). It’s the lowest stretch, most abrasion resistant, strongest nylon line on the market, as far as I’m concerned, and it’s relatively cheap. Google “Yo Zuri Hybrid Breaking Strength” for some more information. In stretch tests, it always ranks right at the top. I use 4-6lb on my walleye rods, most often 4lb. The 4lb line has a diameter of most company’s 6-8lb line, handles like a 6-8lb mono, and breaks at about 12lbs. Sometimes I put a swivel and a leader of fluorocarbon on it.

I’ve never had a problem with flouro on the ice…you don’t need to fill the spool so line should never jump off an ice setup.

fluorocarbon stretches about 30% more then mono! If you want better hook sets in deep water use a hardline like suffix or similar and tie in a fluorocarbon leader. I use 832 in 6-10# and Tie in a 4-6’ of seagar abraisx 8-12# depending on what I’m using for baits. I tie using an fg knot.

My favorite is braid with 3-4 foot fluoro leader. I use a tiny swivel to join them to cut line twist.

I often hear people complaining about it freezing. I don’t know about you, but I use portable shacks and spend very little time standing around outside if it’s that cold where massive freeze up prevents a person from fishing effectively. And, if it’s that cold, you’re going to get ice build-up on your mono, etc, anyway. That complaint as justification for never using it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. The benefits far outweigh that, IMO.

I’ll never go back to full mono or fluoro. I know the ability to put the hammer down, especially in deeper water, has caught me more fish. Also, kind of tough to screw up putting braid on a reel (in terms of getting explosions, birds nests, etc).

Bass Thumb wrote:

Lots of good info already in here. Stretching the line gently and/or using the hot water soak to remove memory; using large spools like a 2500-sized summer reel on an ice rod; using the softest flourocarbon line possible like Seaguar Tatsu or Invisx.

I’ll add another: line conditioner. I’m a huge fan of KVD Line and Lure Conditioner for conditioning line and making it softer. It also tends to make the line last longer before it loses that shiny finish and starts to get chalky-looking. It will make braid keep its color longer, too. It’s made by the same company that produced Bow to Stern (BTS) fiberglass boat conditioner, a spray on product that will keep a bass boat looking freshly waxed all year.

All in all, I don’t use fluorocarbon on ice fishing reels. Too much hassle. Limited benefit. Plus the softer fluoro stretches worse than monofilament, not that it really matters 20′ under the ice.

I use either braid with a fluoro leader or my favorite open-water line for moving <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>bass baits, like spinnerbaits or crankbaits. Check out Yo Zuri Hybrid (not Ultrasoft. . . junk). It’s the lowest stretch, most abrasion resistant, strongest nylon line on the market, as far as I’m concerned, and it’s relatively cheap. Google “Yo Zuri Hybrid Breaking Strength” for some more information. In stretch tests, it always ranks right at the top. I use 4-6lb on my <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye rods, most often 4lb. The 4lb line has a diameter of most company’s 6-8lb line, handles like a 6-8lb mono, and breaks at about 12lbs. Sometimes I put a swivel and a leader of fluorocarbon on it.

Good grief, stretching it, soaking in hot water, massaging with oils, using bigger reels….sounds like a pain in the rear.

I’m going on the second season with the same braid, and it’s still good as new. Just throw a new leader on periodically.

The stretch from fluorocarbon isn’t elastic like nylon. You will get more force on hook set from fluorocarbon, hence a harder hook set. What it won’t have is g-shock protection, it will snap. In most cases the softer the flourocarbon, the weaker it is in terms of break strength. No one needs the over exaggerated bass hook set. If you cant wrist hook set on a fish…then just crank up line fast.

For those fluoro hybrid or coated copoly
MFG lists 4# Yozuri Hybrid @ .235mm breaks at 8.5# strength. 6# @ .263mm breaks at 11.9#
Yozuri Hybrid @ .235 mm breaks at my fish scale 7# 4 oz.
ASSO Fluorolight 4# @ .200mm breaks at MFG listed 7.9#, at my fish scale 7# 9 oz.
Pline Floroclear 6# @ .230mm breaks at my fish scale 8# 11 oz.
This tells me Floroclear is stronger than Hybrid and Fluorolight is even stronger tensile strength.

Stroft GTM nylon line at 11# @ .220 mm is smaller than Yozuri 4#. That’s an option and it’s a hard line so low stretch feel for sure. My fish scale got 10# 4 oz. line break on that.

Good share, slipperybob. Have you tried P-Line CXX? That stuff is tough as nails.

Bass Thumb wrote:

Good share, slipperybob. Have you tried P-Line CXX? That stuff is tough as nails.

No, but I read a lot of feedback on that already. It’s on the thick side. Long before that I’ve used Silverthread Excalibur in various #’s, again on the thick side when I moved away from Trilene XT and XL. Excalibur on their 4# test is at .179mm which is thin when compared to most 4# mono’s. Used a lot of that and 6# test before I moved onto Yozuri Hybrid 4# test. Now I would use Pline Floroclear because it’s easy to find and get when needed. I always use Silverthread Excalibur for my baseline in comparison in line coil memory, line spring or even stiffness, and how smooth it lays onto the spinning reels.

Silverthread Super .179 mm 4# line break 5# 2 oz.
Silverthread Super .22 mm 6# line break 7# 7 oz.
Silverthread Excalibur .179 mm 4# line break 5# 12 oz. (palomar knot 5# 14 oz.)
Silverthread Excalibur .245 mm 6# line break 9# 11 oz. (palomar knot 8# 2 oz.)

Izorline Platinum is also a nice thicker mono line. Also get on the cheap price tag. I never got smaller diameter to try.
Izorline Platinum .28 mm 8# line break 11# 15 oz. (palomar knot 12# 0 oz.)

Overall, what I found out is never just plain accept that one line will be the best or strongest. They always come out with new formulations. Open face spinning reels is where one really sees the worst part of fishing line. There’s so much variable that certain line will excel at certain diameter and there also time when you want subtle lure action that only a certain line will give you easily. Most of all temperature changes everything – cold means more line stiffness. And even some lines needs some water soak, to become good, while others show different wet vs dry behavior changes. Plus don’t ever use line conditioners for ice fishing. They will destroy lines when they freeze. KVD L&L will weaken your line as soon as it’s below freezing. Blakemore Reel Magic will degrade your line after 48 hrs regardless of freezing temps or not. Be prepare to replace them lines after treatment and use. All of this I verified on my fish scale hand pull test. I always hand pull test to see if I need to replace line.

Savage Brewer wrote:

Welcome to my love hate relationship with flouro…

Love how it sinks, dang near invisible, no stretch.
Hate how it wants to come off the reel or make a mess of itself.

I only use it for leaders now, but I do know others that use it as main line.

In some cases it could be considered stiffer, I am sure someone here with a physics degree could correct me but I would say it definitely retains more memory. If it is straight and you coil it, it wants to go back straight, but once it conforms to the reel and you pull it off it wants to remain coiled…

I tried #3 floro on inline reels and found it to be stiffer than mono in cold weather. Also found little difference in productivity between the two.