Fluro carbon.

[fishingdaft]

Think I asked this before.what fluro carbon has the best knot strength.and what is best knot to use when fishing with a dropper.Would like to try this french nymph.....I have sat and watched it on YouTube.

 

[Tangled]

No-one knows the answer to those questions. You'll get various opinions but actual tests often contradict each other.

Generally, Seguar is the most recommended fluorocarbon here; try that. (Get a mortgage.)

As for knots, all the well known knots work, just pick one and learn it so that you can tie it with you're eyes shut and then TEST IT! Stick the hook in the finger hole of your forceps and pull like crazy, you'll be surprised how many knots slip. That's far more important than hoping for a miracle knot.

But why fluoro? One thing we do know is that it has lower knot strength than nylon. What's wrong with the ubiquitous Maxima?

 

[fishingdaft]

Fished nylon all my days.and never had any problems with it.but everyone I talk to about it recommends fluro carbon because it's so thin.have tried useing it but keep getting snapped at dropper knot.thats on a floating line fishing for brownies..never landed one on it

 

[kimbo]

A more accurate way of comparing nylon/flouro is by diameter., 10lb Maxima diam is probably the same thickness as 19lb flouro, I haven't checked the actual diameters but then gives a different look on things.
Maybe 10lb Maxima is actually a higher breaking strain then stated which is why it's so reliable. Just a theory

 

[Tangled]

Fished nylon all my days.and never had any problems with it.but everyone I talk to about it recommends fluro carbon because it's so thin.have tried useing it but keep getting snapped at dropper knot.thats on a floating line fishing for brownies..never landed one on it

It keeps getting snapped because it's to thin and brittle! If you keep getting snapped, it's not the knot that's to blame it's the line - it's too thin and it's fluorocarbon which has far less shock strength than nylon. Either increase the diameter or switch back to nylon.

You can get thin nylon too, there's no reason to use fluorocarbon for it's diameter - it'll be less brittle than fluoro for the same diameter.

There are a few reasons for using fluoro rather than nylon, but diameter ain't one of them.

 

[cgaines10]

Fished nylon all my days.and never had any problems with it.but everyone I talk to about it recommends fluro carbon because it's so thin.have tried useing it but keep getting snapped at dropper knot.thats on a floating line fishing for brownies..never landed one on it

As above someone mentioned you need to test your knots & have confidence in them.

What breaking strain or diameter are you using?

Thin material doesn't equal fish, you're far better focusing on presentation, once you've sorted your knots out that is

If you've had browns on your original setup, why change?

 

[Fruinfisher]

Figure 8 knot for droppers every time ?

 

[Grassy_Knollington]

I’ve been using the surgeons knot for droppers with flouro since a US striped Bass guide showed me.

To the fly a 5 turn untucked blood knot works for me with flouro. IMLE The knot must be lubricated and ‘snugged’ down when tightened.

You could try leader rings at the dropper positions. Or simply go up in breaking strain to match diameter - as suggested above.

All things being equal, I do think that flouro will put more Trout and Grayling in the net when fishing sub surface, especially in low / clear or hard fished waters - just don’t go too fine in diameter. I will go down to 2.5lbs copolymer but don’t go below 4lbs Flouro.

What makes flouro more effective is not the thin diameter, but the refractive index - which makes it much harder to see.

 

[mkb]

Confirming what’s been said above 12lb maxima is 0.32mm while 19.14lb seaguar Fluoro is 0.33 so comparable diameters but significantly higher fluoro stated strength. 11.6lb seaguar has a diameter of 0.235mm so supposedly similar strength as 12lb maxima at a smaller diameter.

But I gave up using fluoro after frustratingly losing a number of salmon when the fluoro hook knot gave up seemingly without good reason, maxima has been much more reliable under the same conditions. I tried a range of different fluoros and knots and found the Davey as reliable as any other but I’ve still had unexplained breakages despite being super careful tying the knots.

Going up in fluoro diameter to overcome its seemingly inherent weaknesses for me defeats the justification for using it unless i need to use fluoro due to clear conditions and the fish being spooked by mono.

 

[Petekd]

I exclusively use fluoro fishing for my salmon fishing in Ireland, I’ve used it for years with no issue, fly fishing, match fishing boat and shore. A 5 turn untucked half blood knot carefully tied and lubricated as you tighten it is all you need. Seaguar Ace Hard is what I use with the fly gear or Greys GX for lighter tippets. Use it from 25 down to 9lb and not had an ounce of trouble with it. I’ve been broken twice in around 150-200 hook ups over last 4-5 years, both times as no surprise on the lighter 9lb stuff, one was a monster of a fish pushing 20lb plus that came out of the blue when targeting smaller grilse in low water after 20mins of a fight, the other was a grilse this year about 6lb that took one last surge bringing it to the net and the bloody loop to loop head to tip connection stuck on one of the rings (and nearly took it with it!) No shame in either of those. There shouldn’t be issues, I’d always use a quality fluoro for fly fishing and if using cheaper material for the likes of sea fishing etc like Tubertini Gorilla UC4 completely ignore the stated breaking strains and pick by diameter. Sea Guar Ace Hard is currently £12.99 for a 50m spool, I don’t think that’s excessive, I fished 70 plus times this year, mostly evenings and would have been constantly changing the last 5’ of tippet (leader rings for joins) and barely made it through a spool of each of 13 and 9Lb material.

 

[Rennie]

I'm a Fluro carbon user, primarily Seaguar, but happy to use Fulling Mill, Hardy Mach, Drennan.
I stick to those few brands.I've learnt to use them and more importantly how to tie knots with them.I don't faff about, I use the same knot for everything- twice through whatever, 5 turns and back through both loops.Lots of spit and S L O W L Y draw it snug and tight.I allways leave a tag end, only small, but its there!.
I'll drop down to 11lb Seaguar on my softest 6 weight switch rod with the smallest flee's- 16's, 1/8" tubes etc- but most of the time its 13.6lb Seaguar on the switch's and 15.4lb Seaguar on the smaller double handers.Bigger Mr's. rod's such as 15's and bigger etc get 19lb and 23lb Seaguar. Obviously thats just a guide, a starter for 10, I'll match the diameter and breaking strain of ANY cast material to the size of flee being used and the conditions its being used under.
I like fluro for its clarity, stiffness and greater breaking strain for a given diameter, I use that greater breaking strain in my favour.
Like any thing else in life, you have to learn how to use it!.
I remember Drennan Double Strength, when that 1st came out, us Coarse and Match lads were all used to Bayer and Maxima, maybe even Fog! (lol!), it was shocking stuff, poor knot strength, awful reputation, but once the learning curve reached a peak its usefulness could be exploited, then I remember the same again with Silstar Match Team too.
Maxima allows us all to take dreadfully liberties at times often blissfully unaware.Fluro takes a bit of learning about thats all.
We all can drive say a Ford Focus to at least a high %age of its capabilities, but a Ferrari or Porker 911, different kettle of fish, or spool of fluro carbon.
After all, remember the hoo haa from the B+W lads when Guideline rods hit the market, awful snappy breaky things!, too light.Maybe opinion has changed over time though,lol! anglers learnt to use them and exploit their capabilities.
I will agree with most on one thing though, bloody overpriced!, but a 50m spool will see me a full season!
As ever the world go's round n round every ones right some times and no ones ever fully wrong.
Chin chin, Pedro.

 

[ellipse]

I use Seaguar Riverge Fluoro with any problems but agree it is expensive compared to mono.
For French nymphing and using a dropper, i have found that using a tippet ring (2mm) to be the best method and using a clinch knot to secure all 3 pieces of Fluoro.

 

[Andy Musgrove]

I only use Berkeley Trilene Flurocarbon, it’s not as thin as others but less brittle so tends to not break like the more expensive thinner versions. Double surgeon every time for me for a dropper

 

[fishingdaft]

Many thanks for all the replies

 

[1kofly]

I use Vision Prisma, Trouthunter and Soldarini. Trouthanter was the best in 10-6X category. Soldarini also is very good. For 5x and thicker I use Prisma because it is much cheaper and good enough.
Cheers

 

[chriswjx]

Seen this on a trout fishing FB page, not 100% recent, but good info none the less.

Tippet Shootout » Yellowstone Angler

Back in 2012 we wrote a tippet shootout for Fly Fisherman Magazine. Our intent was to post the article on our website soon after but somehow time got the best of us, so…. better late than never? The good news is that we included some new information on tippet-to-tippet knots, tippet-to-fly...

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