Fluorocarbon fishing line: what is it, how to choose it and how to distinguish authenticity

Choosing the right fishing line can have a decisive impact on the quality of the equipment, its reliability, as well as the size and quality of the future catch.

One of the common types of fishing line that is gaining popularity is fluorocarbon fishing line (or fluorocarbon, fluor). One of its important advantages is its high level of transparency, which makes it hardly noticeable to fish under water. When choosing such a fishing line, you need to know about its features, pros and cons, how to work with it and how to distinguish the authenticity of fluorine.

Fluorocarbon is often used by spinning anglers for leashes and as the main fishing line.

What kind of fishing line is this, what types exist?

There are three main types of fishing line materials used for fishing: fluorocarbon, monofilament and braided. The first of them is especially often used for making leashes.

Fluorocarbon fishing line is a fluorocarbon material that includes additives that give it increased rigidity. This material resembles Teflon, but, unlike it, is highly transparent. It is hardly noticeable in the water, which allows it to be used even for catching cautious fish.

According to the international classification, fluor has the designation PVDF - short for “polyvinylidene fluoride”. The fishing line can be of various types. It can be summer, winter, spinning, or leash. The differences are expressed in the diameter of the thread or the presence of a protective coating.

Areas of application for fluorocarbon lines

Most anglers use fluorocarbon lines for leaders in various rigs. Fluorocarbon monofilament or “polyvinylidene fluoride” (PVDF) is also used as the main line in ultralight fishing in reservoirs where fish are especially sensitive due to pressure from anglers.

Fluorocarbon line areas:

• Spinning fishing. Fluorocarbon is used as a 1-3 meter leader in front of the bait in combination with more contrasting braid and nylon lines.
• Float fishing. As a leash with a length of 15-30 cm
• Feeder fishing. Used to reduce the visibility of leashes placed above the bottom surface during fishing.

How to distinguish fluorocarbon from regular fishing line and what to choose depending on the circumstances

When choosing between monofilament and fluorocarbon line, consider the following:

1. Monofilament fishing line is more suitable for landing large fish. It is able to withstand jerks better than flur. With equal thickness, it loses to fishing line made of nylon.
2. When fishing with fluorocarbon line, tangling in beards almost never occurs. However, with monofilament this problem can often arise.
3. Fluorocarbon fishing line is easily immersed in water. This makes it convenient for use in bottom gear.
4. It is more difficult to tie knots on it than on monofilament.

When comparing fluor with wicker, you need to pay attention to the following:

1. Both materials are tensile resistant.
2. The cord is clearly visible in the water and can scare away fish. Fluorocarbon does not have this effect. Thanks to its high transparency, it is almost invisible in water.
3. Fluor is not susceptible to moisture even after a long stay in water, but in such a situation the braid can break up into individual fibers.

Fluorocarbon is a transparent and non-stretchable material

Braids use several cords connected in a special way. Sometimes an additional outer shell is used. This device provides high strength, which is especially important when making long casts.

Question answer

Does algae affect presentation when using a leader?
Definitely yes! The heaviest leaders rise on weak grass even with slack present. If you are fishing on a small spot among the grass, then it is impossible to press the leader in such a situation, so try to use soft material that the fish will not be afraid of if it touches it. A tubular leader might help.

Should I use different colored leaders on different bottom surfaces?

In theory, yes, but in practice it is difficult to accurately hit a single-color point. As a rule, the bottom consists of several substrates, such as silt, gravel, algae, various debris (leaves, branches, etc.). In an uncertain situation, a transparent leader is the best option.

Do I need a leader if I am using fluorocarbon main line?

Obviously there are several reasons to use a leader, but fluoro line is virtually invisible underwater and sticks well to the bottom. In the case of using bare installation, it is worth adding pellets on the last couple of meters at intervals of every 30cm.

Is the main line following the leader kept close to the bottom?

This largely depends on the depth of the fishing spot, the distance and whether there are weeds or shallows between you and the rig. Usually the line is kept at a distance from the bottom surface even with slack.

How to check fluorocarbon for quality and resistance to external influences

This material has a significant price, but is still widely popular among spinning and feeder players. This is one of the reasons why counterfeits regularly appear on the market. When purchasing, you need to be able to determine the authenticity of the material. To do this, you can use the following criteria:

1. Need to check for rupture. The original fishing line will have a high resistance close to that indicated on the reel.
2. You can determine the authenticity using a needle file. The fact is that it is much more difficult to cut fluorocarbon than monofilament fishing line.

Another way to check is to use a lighter or a lit match. If you burn the tip of the fishing line, you can observe the following:

1. When the thread lights up quickly, burns easily, and a drop forms at the tip, then we are talking about monofilament fishing line.
2. Fluorocarbon behaves differently. Under the influence of fire, only that part of the fishing line that is inside the flame hardly ignites. When the burning stops and the thread cools, only the burnt tip will remain. It will crumble if rubbed between your fingers. A drop will not form on it. This situation is typical for fluorocarbon fishing line.

Checking what you have in your hands, the fluor only burns at the point of fire, the monofilament melts and drips, the braided line burns.
If you immerse the thread in water, the fluor will begin to sink much faster than the nylon from which the monofilament is made.

Pros and cons of the material

Using fluorocarbon fishing line allows you to take advantage of the following advantages:

1. Even after a long stay in water, this fishing line does not experience deformation.
2. It has high transparency.
3. Fluorocarbon is characterized by strength and rigidity. These qualities allow it to be successfully used for catching predatory fish. Leashes made from this material are resistant to attempts to gnaw them.
4. Resistant to direct sunlight. Even after prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation, the fishing line is not destroyed.
5. When exposed to low temperatures, the material does not lose flexibility.
6. There is no shape memory effect.
7. High resistance to friction. This property allows you to effectively use the fishing line without fear of friction against the rings or the hard bottom.
8. This material is resistant to mechanical stress.

These qualities are especially important in spinning fishing.
However, the use of fluorocarbon is associated with certain disadvantages:

1. It is vulnerable to breaking loads in some cases.
2. The material has relatively high rigidity.

Fluorocarbon is a relatively more expensive material than fishing line and even braid on a per meter basis.

Fluorocarbon fishing line - myths and reality:

Manufacturers and prices

The modern market offers a large selection of PVDF fishing lines from various manufacturers.

• Kureha Chemical Industries Co., Ltd., which produces “Riverge” fishing line for Europe and “Seaguar” for the North American market;
• SUNLINE concern – manufacturer of KAIZEN Special fishing line;
• American Concern 3M is the owner of the Scientific Anglers brand;
• Gamma Technologies and Fluorocarbon “Diver” Tippet Material – manufacturers of Frog Hair leash material;

The market offers fluorocarbon fishing lines from such manufacturers as DAIWA, Dragon, Salmo, Shimano, YAMATOYO, Toray and others.

You can purchase fluorocarbon fishing lines both in fishing stores and from online operators.

Unfortunately, among the large number of offers from genuine brands on the market, there are also attempts to sell ordinary nylon fishing lines as PVDF fishing line. It is quite easy to verify the authenticity of the purchased fishing line. Bring a match to the fishing line. Regular fishing line melts, forming a transparent ball at the end, while fluorocarbon fishing line chars and forms a crumbling ball that gets your hands dirty.

Prices for some PVDF fishing lines:

The main positive properties of fluorocarbon fishing line

• Invisibility when immersed in water. Fluorocarbon is practically invisible in water due to its refractive index close to that of water - 1.42. The coefficient of nylon monofilament is 1.6, and that of braided line is 2.1;
• The lack of memory ensures a reduction in the number of overlaps when using fishing line for retractable leashes when spinning fishing and guarantees alignment of the fishing line after unraveling;
• Resistant to water and sunlight. Fluorocarbon does not lose quality when exposed to direct sun and, unlike braids and nylon, it does not absorb water.
• High abrasion resistance. A quality that is very useful for gear leads used for fishing in places with a rocky bottom and shell rock.
• Fluorocarbon sinks in water 2.5 times faster than nylon, which is convenient for float fishing. When fly fishing, the fluorocarbon leader is located under the top layer of water and is hardly noticeable to the fish.
• Fluorocarbon is resistant to temperature changes, which is important for fishing in winter.

Disadvantages of fluorocarbon fishing line

• Relatively low breaking load. The breaking load of flucarbon fishing line is half that of a nylon fishing line of the same diameter. Breakage of the tackle during jerking limits its use in the manufacture of leashes. This problem is partially solved by using a fluorocarbon leash in gear with a main nylon line that is larger in diameter than the main line and has a 10-20% higher breaking load.
• High rigidity.
• Reduced strength during fractures.
• Difficulties with knots. Fluorocarbon, which does not absorb water, “creeps” on the nodes. To prevent knots from coming undone, many anglers secure the knot with a drop of superglue. Fluorocarbon in a knot is sensitive to friction and knots must be tightened from it as carefully as possible.

Scope of application in different fishing methods

High transparency and strength have made fluorocarbon a popular material for leaders when fishing with a rod or for bottom gear. Its popularity is growing despite the high cost of the material.

Fluorocabon fishing line of small and medium thickness is well suited for ultralight spinning tackle. The lack of extensibility in the cases under consideration is an advantage.

The use of fluor will be useful in the following cases:

1. A bottom with shell rock will create significant friction . Which will destroy many types of fishing lines. The advantage of using fluorocarbon is that this material has high resistance to friction.
2. As a diversion leash , which is used for spinning fishing.
3. When spinning fishing with light baits, the problem arises that they sink to the bottom. Due to the fact that fluorocarbon sinks easily, it ensures rapid deepening of the tackle.
4. Resistance to low temperatures has made main line made from the material in question popular. It is used for winter fishing with the use of balancers, girders and spinners. Special winter types of fluor are used.
5. Flur is used along with braided line for fishing with UL spinning rods at a distance of up to 40 meters.
6. When feeder fishing, it is used to make the main line or leash.

The use of fluorocarbon fishing line in most cases can be considered as a universal material.

What is the difference between monofilament line and fluorocarbon line - visual video under water:

What is fluorocarbon

A chemical polymer belonging to the type polyvinylidene fluoride is called fluorocarbon. It contains two main elements - carbon and fluorine. The compound is resistant to aggressive factors - chemical, mechanical. Polymer products are characterized by rigidity, strength, and wear resistance.

Transparent polymer

The manufacturing process consists of heating plastic granules in a special melting furnace and squeezing out fibrous threads using a screw conveyor. Next, they are rolled out to a given size, leveled, and finally wound into bobbins.

The invention appeared in Japan in 1971. Specialists from the Kureha (Seaguar) company created a new material for the oil industry. Fluorocarbons are used to make durable meshes. The production of PVDF fishing line appeared later, products from Kureha are the “quality standard”.

The process of obtaining a very smooth surface of the thread, uniform in length, is quite complicated. The material is more expensive than nylon and nylon products.

Fishermen positively assessed the new product, despite the high cost. It is durable, can withstand heavy weight, sinks quickly, does not stretch, and is invisible in a body of water.

Japanese companies remain the leaders in the production of fishing polymer, although there are American, German, and Russian companies. A wide selection made it possible to compile a rating of fluorocarbon products and highlight the main characteristics of a popular fishing equipment element.

How to choose fluorocarbon fishing line - what to look for, the best manufacturers

When choosing, it is important to pay attention to the quality of the material from which the product is made. You need to make sure that there is an o on the marking, which means that the buyer will receive exactly the fishing line that is needed.

If, for example, “Fluorocarbon coated” is indicated, then we are talking about nylon thread with a fluorocarbon shell, and not about pure fluor. Another sign of a good fishing line will be the “sinking” mark. This means that the thread is sinking.

This is not a real flurry, but only a coating

When choosing, you need to take into account the requirements determined by the characteristics of production and the equipment used. They usually take into account the diameter of the fishing line. The most popular is fluorocarbon with a thickness of 0.1-0.3 mm. Thicker fluorocarbon fishing line for pike is used in the manufacture of leashes; its diameter can reach 0.5-0.6 mm or more.

Pike leaders made of fluorocarbon line

It matters what brand the fishing line is produced under. It is preferable to buy fluor produced by well-known Japanese or American companies. It must be remembered that high-quality material cannot be too cheap. You can choose a suitable fishing line by reading the following rating:

1. Sunline - tested reputation. The Japanese manufacturer has international certificates confirming the high level of quality. The company's products belong to a high price range.
2. The Japanese brand Toray produces high-quality fluorocarbon fishing line. According to consumer reviews, it is softer than most varieties. Otherwise, the quality level is high, confirmed by relevant certificates.
3. Owner a wide range of products. It combines high quality and affordable price. Offers both pure fluorocarbon line and those that have only the outer layer of this material.
4. Daiwa is known for its tradition of producing quality fishing accessories. This Japanese line manufacturer has a higher stretch coefficient, which somewhat reduces the sensitivity when biting, but helps when landing fish.
5. Finnish brand Sufix known for its Fluoro Tippet fluorocarbon line. The quality of this company's products competes with the products of well-known Japanese companies. There is a large selection of sizes, lengths, and tensile strength levels. The disadvantage is the relatively high cost.

By focusing on well-known manufacturers, you can purchase high-quality fishing line.

What knots are used to tie fluorocarbon to a fishing line, hook, swivel?

This material bends worse and is less elastic compared to other types of fishing lines. Such properties impose additional requirements for fluor knitting. Incorrectly made nodes can cause a significant decrease in strength.

The types of knots used should not lead to line fracture. The most popular for tying fluorocarbon fishing line to a hook, swivel and other accessories is the Palomar knot. It is done as follows:

1. Fold the end of the fishing line in half.
2. Pass a hook or bait through the eye.
3. A simple loop is made from the folded part, with a metal loop remaining inside.
4. The hook is threaded through the inside of the double tip.
5. The knot is moistened and tightened.

Details of creating a node can be clarified in the diagram.

Also, when working with fluorocarbon, the following knots are often used: Clinch, Rapala, Carrot, Albright.

The marking knot allows you to tie fluorocarbon to the braided line - it is popular among spinning anglers

The clinch is used to tie a hook, clasp, swivel to fluorocarbon line

The Albright leash knot allows you to splice two different materials - line and fluoro, cord and line, braid and fluorocarbon

The Rapala knot is used to tie the fluor directly to the bait so that it has freedom of action.

Interesting about flurry

The degree of transparency of a material in water is determined by its refractive index. The less it differs from the one near the water, the less noticeable the material is. For water, this characteristic is 1.33. For flur this value is 1.41. For comparison, the refractive index of braided and monofilament fishing line is 2.1 and 1.6, respectively.

Fluorocarbon thread can be wound onto a spool while wet. It will not shrink when it dries. This feature is due to the fact that such fishing line is practically not exposed to moisture.