Summer Steel
Member
what is the best knot for tying fluoro onto a swivel and/or hook??
Palomar, same as with braid. Just make sure you wet it when pulling it tight.
what is the best knot for tying fluoro onto a swivel and/or hook??
I tried Maxima fluoro for some leaders and switched back to green soon after. Fluorocarbon sucks!
I'm with the Flourocarbon NaySayers on this one---flourocarbon in salt (in my opinion) will cost you fish---flouro does not seem to hold up to the abuse of salt water fishing the way good ole' mono does. It's expensive and for salt application, I don't think you'll get the extra added value you'd expect from a piece of equipment you're paying mo' money for.
Fluorocarbon has nearly the same light refraction rate as water, which explains how it "disappears" once beneath the surface---that's one its main advantages--you can use higher breaking strain and maintain the "stealth" approach. But do you need "stealth" for salmon in the chuck? That hasn't been my experience. For mainline, I get the same results using 20 lb test Mono as when I use 50 lb test. The only difference is that with 20 lb test mono I have to re-tie my knots more frequently. Leader material? Generally, the same results although I probably wouldn't mooch with 50 lb test Mono because I'd need more weight
Now for steelies in fresh water, Flouro does seem to have its place, especially when you have low clear water and spooky fish as High Five mentioned When I use it (sparingly) , I NEVER go under 15 lb test, I test my knots continually, and I re-tie continually.
Why? If you go about your business fishing like you would with Maxima Chameleon or any other burly monofilament line, you'll start popping off fish. Flouro is some delicate stuff---knots weaken it and you have to take greater care when tying it
But I have had some specific positive experience with Flouro that got my attention---a few years ago I fished through a steelhead hole that I knew held lots of fish using 10 lb Maxima Chameleon leader under a bright sun (fishing a fly)---no soap. But at the tail-out I snagged someone else's gear---a fly with about 3 feet of Flouro leader attached to it.
I tied on the rig, went back through the same hole and hooked two fish. That at least got me thinking. The next year I showed up with Seaguar Flouro (10 lb test) , hooked fish, and promptly broke them off. That's not something I normally do so the next year I showed up with 15 lb test and had better results putting fish on the beach.
Flouro definitely has its place in the fishing arsenal but IMHO, the salt chuck is probably not the best place for it
a lot of fluoro haters on here, I've been using it for 5-6 years. I've never had a leader break and I always have heavy tension on the line. I just use a regular knot and I believe the knot strength is stronger with fluoro. a little more difficult to tie with than mono but you get used to it. I like it because it doesn't stretch and it's stiff so it puts a really nice action on hootchies, spoons and chovies. I used 50lb ande for a few years which is a really good product and now I buy Seagar locally it seems really good too. It's more expensive but once you start liking and trusting something you know how it is. just been reading this thread and wanted to comment.