Frothey
Senior Member
What do you think?
Flourocarbon mainline or not?
- Thread starter Frothey
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B
Berty
Guest
Jeff Woodhouse
Moaning Marlow Meldrew
Not happy about pure fluoro as a mainline but.....
What about fluorocarbon coated?
What about fluorocarbon coated?
sam vimes
Well-known member
Depends on what you are doing. I don't use the stuff as a mainline. The only scenario in which I'd consider it would be if I were regularly slack line carping.
Makes a good fly leader that's about it really 
barbelboi
Well-known member
Nope
Jerry
Jerry
Frothey
Senior Member
Saying "no" isn't a proper answer - why not?
If I said it was the best type, what makes me wrong?
If I said it was the best type, what makes me wrong?
sam vimes
Well-known member
What are you intending to use it for? You still haven't made it clear.
I'll only use it as a mainline if I want the quick sinking properties.
Lack of stretch and relative intolerance of imperfect knots, poor abrasion resistance, means that it's a little fragile for my tastes compared to a similar diameter mono. If you need it to sink like a stone, as you do when slack lining, I will use it as a mainline. I'm also less than conviced by the supposed low visibility of the stuff, often cited as an advantage. It seems to attract small particles of muck in short order rendering it just as visible as mono.
You then need to consider the relatively large expense of using it as a mainline and couple that with its relatively poor longevity.
I will sometimes use it as a hooklink part based on the low vis theory, but mostly because of its stiffness/anti-tangle properties.
Frothey
Senior Member
Just a general mainline really.
Braid has poor abrasion resistance and is very particular as to which knot you can use, yet a lot of people favour that?
If you go along with low-vis theory, what about the hook/swivel/bead/lead/tubing/etc?
Braid has poor abrasion resistance and is very particular as to which knot you can use, yet a lot of people favour that?
If you go along with low-vis theory, what about the hook/swivel/bead/lead/tubing/etc?
sam vimes
Well-known member
As I said, I don't particularly go along with the low vis theory, especially when fluro is laid on the bottom of the lake. I only use fluro for hooklinks, particularly shaped chod links and stiff hinges. The main property I'm using the fluro for is the stiffness. If it manages to retain any element of low vis because it's wafting around in the water rather than lying in muck, so much the better.
However, I generally don't use masses of tubing, leaders or leadcore when carping.
Braid as a mainline is different again, I will use it, but only for specific applications, much like fluro. In my case, I use it on the river where the reduced diameter means that less weighty leads can be utilised and still hold bottom. However, I use leaders and increase the breaking strain of the braid used in an attempt to counter the poor abrasion resistance.
As I've said, I'll use fluro for slacklining, where the benefits outweigh the downsides. But as a general mainline, I'm not interested for the reasons given previously. Same with braid for carping, I don't use it, I don't have any need to. In addition, you tend to find that many waters ban braid as a mainline.
I know plenty of carpers that do use fluro as a general purpose mainline (usually upping the breaking strain/diameter compared to their mono to counteract some of the problems). It seems that you want to be a fluro user. Good luck if you do, I hope it's worth the expense and works for you. Sorry if the general concensus isn't what you seem to have wanted to hear.
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barbelboi
Well-known member
Frothey
Senior Member
Still.
50,000 members and 4 replies hardly makes it a consensus Sam......
Never seen the point of flouro coated Jeff, ok it could sink well but it's no less visible (if that's your thing) than a normal mono.
50,000 members and 4 replies hardly makes it a consensus Sam......
Never seen the point of flouro coated Jeff, ok it could sink well but it's no less visible (if that's your thing) than a normal mono.
sam vimes
Well-known member
Indeed, but I only meant a consensus amonst those that have bothered to reply. I suspect that if you want a different answer, and a lot more replies, you'd be better asking on a dedicated carp forum.
advice on the best main line to be using???I have so far omitted another problem inherent to the use of fluro as a mainline. It can be a pain for casting. Many using it will be using large spooled big pit reels. Smaller sized reels or normal baitrunners tend to give casting problems due to the way fluro coils, especially on lower diameter spools. Fluoro on small spools.
Frothey
Senior Member
TBH Sam, I use whatever I use and I know why I use it - and use different things for different situations. I'm just interested why people recommend things - whether it's just because they understand what they are doing (as you do) or just repeating the popular view from other forums/mags/etc.
There hasn't been a decent thread/debate on here in what, 3yrs? Even the odd one there is seems to be old threads!
There hasn't been a decent thread/debate on here in what, 3yrs? Even the odd one there is seems to be old threads!
B
Berty
Guest
You only asked what we think!....i think nope!
But OK i'll tell, i dont mess about with my fish, none of this posing and holding the rod two feet from the reel with the left hand etc, if i needed to do that i would use a different rod!.......i have had a couple of bad experiences with fluro and believe this may be because of it reaching a certain limit and not "returning"........i know that with the amount of mainline being "out" this may not apply but i would still be uncomfortable about using it.
If i wanted a sinking line i would simply use a heavy line.
Incedently......what do you class as the best?.......because of my mates telling me how good fluro is i do try it from time to time and have some that i got for fly fishing a few years back, it is in my opinion far better than anything else........ but i'm still "testing"
PS, i think the "invisible to fish" bit about Fluro is b o l l o c k s
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cg74
Well-known member
Makes a good fly leader that's about it really
Well that and the stiff part of a combi-rig and an excellent shock leader.
I can see the advantages of using pure fluoro mainline; sinks like a stone, low vis (if kept clean), low stretch, it doesn't absorb water subsequently weakening the line and if you select the right one it'll offer great abrasion resistance.
For a mainline I prefer fluoro coated line. As IMO you get the pros but not the cons. My first choice for all my bottom fishing is Ultima Power Steel: Power Steel� | ultimauk.com
It sinks fairly fast. Though it is more visible because it lays better on the bottom as a result of being more supple, increased visiblity isn't an issue and the greater suppleness aids casting.
It has more stretch than fluoro but less than 'normal' mono, making it near perfect.
It doesn't take on water (so I'm told) and abrasion resistance that's second to none.
barbelboi
Well-known member
Pretty much with Sam on stills - wouldn't touch it on rivers, from experience the fish spook when they touch something they can't see, if they can see it it becomes something that they are used to touching/brushing up against - streamer weed/debris etc.
Jerry
PS are you allowed to put two it's back to back in a sentence? I remember four had's - the rod that I had had had had an eye replaced
Jeff Woodhouse
Moaning Marlow Meldrew
Oh you are a taskmaster, Dave but it's nice to see you're back!!!
Anyway, fluoro-coated? I have some, nice line, but like Paul et al not sure that it is as invisible as they make out. It depends on the make and I do hate these B***S*** firms that say their line is thinner than others, I use diameters now as a guide rather than B/Ss. Have to say, most of my line is standard stuff and I go off limpness and colour, if it's nice.
I use pure fluoro hooklinks, but Big Rik (remember him - who could forget him?) told me that for carp fishing with fluoro, always change the hooklink after every fish caught (with me that's not a problem as I catch nowt). I use lighter strains a lot for general coarse fishing, why? Dunno really, just that I have it and it hasn't let me down but I refer to Paul's comments on visibility, maybe there is no difference. John Bailey once said so as he'd seen it whilst scuba diving.
A lot of line I have now came from the USA, it's cheap and it works and one is fluorocarbon coated and it's .... well, it's ..... blueish in colour. Weird, but I like it for a mainline. Otherwise JRC, Preston, Korda even, I don't mind so long as it's reasonable.
I'll give you a tip though (not often these pass from me to you, Dave). I have a secret line that I use at night and it's very camouflaged - IT'S BLACK! Honest, I can't see it at all....
---------- Post added at 22:09 ---------- Previous post was at 22:07 ----------
Separated by a comma, yes you can. A bit like "I think you left too much space between PIG and AND and AND and WHISTLE" said to the man making up the pub sign only no comma required.
barbelboi
Well-known member
S-Kippy
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Makes a good fly leader that's about it really
Very good fly leader material...I use nothing else.The inherent stiffness can help to reduce tangles....though when it does tangle its often terminal...and it sinks well,though "like a stone" is stretching things a bit in my opinion. The only downside is possibly cost and the fact that however much care you take over knots sooner or later you will have a catastrophic failure.
But I never use it for coarse fishing...not as a leader or a mainline. Too stiff for my liking and the sort of fishing I do. Tried it once as a mainline and it was horrible and as a hooklength material it doesn't do any thing that other materials I use & trust wont do better....plus that constant doubt over the knot that for some reason doesn't bother me when I'm trouting.