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[Spawn Sack]

My opinion on flourocarbon: Not saying I am know I'm right, just my thoughts through experience and what I've learned from fishermen much better than I...

For fly fishing (mainly in still waters) for picky trout esp in clear water with small flies, I use flourocarbon leader/tippet. I'm not 100% if I catch more fish with it that with mono, but the last couple years I've had great success on lakes with my leeches, chronomids, etc and I was always using flourocarbon. So, for this application I have confidence in it and use it.

For river fishing, I think it's mainly a waste of money. Last year I fished mainly flourocarbon leaders for coho and not once did I outfish the other guys with their mono leaaders. I think it comes down 99% to what/how your using (esp the size of the hook/lure), and if it's being fished effective/in the stike zone. I fished beside my buddy all day several times and he always outfished my flouro with his mono. Why? He is just more experienced at fishing his set up just right, quicker on the hook set, etc. If all variables were the same would flouro possibly come out on top? Possibly, but given its cost and the amount you go through in a day, 9/10 days on the river I'm sticking with mono leaders. If nothing seems to be working and fish are there I would switch to flouro as a last effort.

I also noticed with flourocarbon the knot strength sucks compared to mono. I had several improved clinch knots bust at the knot with a fish on. I did some research (knot wars on You-Tube) and found that the improved clinch is not a very good knot with flouro. Switched to the palomar and noticed a big difference. However I find the palomar a pain to tie. Overall my take on flourocarbon is there are certain applications where it may give you an edge, however most of the time it's poor knot strength and high cost make it a less than practical choice.

One last thought on using flouro with spoons, jigs, etc. IMO if a fish sees a big spoon or similar lure in front of its face the last thing it's going to notice is your mono leader (assuming you're fishing a reasonable lb test). If fishing a tiny hook with, say, a jensen egg in clear water? Perhaps it may give your an advantage, I just haven't noticed or seen from other guys any difference. However if you watch any fishing show it's flourocarbon or nothing! The exepnsive Seaguar type too, of course...

[Spoonman]

Flouro definately not needed with spoons/spinners/worms......imo it helps in low clear water fishing bait or jenny eggs.Never had a problem with improved clinch knots...make sure you wet the knot well and tighten slowly/gently and don't overtighten/stress it....have used seaguar,berkley vanish,and currently some from platypus......

[bigblue]

Like spoonman, I have been using improved clinch knots with fluorocarbon leaders for years without any problems. I use #12 Seaguar Invizx for river steelheading and #4 Berkeley Vanish for trout fishing in lakes with good success. As long as I tie them well, they have held as well as mono line I use which are Maxima Ultragreen and P-Line CXX Xtra stong.

[bigblue]

I only did it with flies and spoons.
I might give it a go this year with bait and whatever else.
I'm sure results would be the same regardless.

ED, pls keep us posted on any additional tests you do this year.
Your result for spoons is very interesting as it is contrary to widely held view.
I am planning to use a fluorocarbon leader on my spoons when I fish for rainbows in lakes this spring to see if I can improve my hookups. (I have always used #4 mono in the past with good results, but the lakes I fished always had colour to it with viz of 2~3 feet.)

[skaha]

--could be factors other than the line... ie depth of the pool.
--shadow from the line movement
--fish just funnin with yah.

[alhambra]

Dave Vedder has some nice books on the subject, I recall them from the POCO library

[Every Day]

--could be factors other than the line... ie depth of the pool.
--shadow from the line movement
--fish just funnin with yah.

All the observations were in the exact same area of the pond, at the same time of the day.
The tests also held true every single day I tried it, with braid never getting any fish at all.

I had always though that if they are biting a big flashy spoon they wouldn't care about line, but it was obvious I was proven wrong. The fact that I saw such a HUGE difference between braid and mono, and also mono and flouro in the ponds with "dumb" (and by dumb i mean dumb) trout, makes me think that the results would be amplified with salmon and steelhead.

Regardless, it has pushed me to use only flourocarbon. Granted I use 15 pound, but I tend to pick up a lot of fish with my 15 pnd flouro when my buddies ahead of me are using 12 pnd ultra green with the exact same spoon. Maybe it's all just luck and abnormal behaviour, but I won't be going back to anything but flouro.

[alhambra]

I will post for sale a bunch of spoons, may you be interested...

[nickredway]

If I am not swinging flies for winter Steelies I am fishing hardware. Personally I don't buy into the Fluro for stealth reasons for steelies and salmon especially for swinging hardware or swinging flies as my experience is that it makes no difference to hook ups. I am more convinced of its stealth benefits concerning fly fishing spooky trout or float fishing slow gin clear canyon water with small presentations. I do however use it now swinging flies and spoons and spinners just for its abrasion resistance. I use 30lb braid main, beadchain swivel 3' of 20lb fluro and a snap for hardware on the levelwind setup and I don't lose too many spoons and spinners as you can often straighten the hooks with this rig; also use 15lb mono on my spinning rod and it works as well if I don't need to feed line into the swing. Braid gives way beter feel but I find the mono is better for landing fish due to the give. This year I have been only using R and B spoons and Blue Fox Spinners in size 3 and 4, Silver Blade, Chartreuse, Kelly Green, Blue or Orange body with pretty much equal results. Hooks wise I am using the 1 or 1/0 Mustard Ultrapoint Siwash or those new Owner Stinger Siwash which I also like. I am around 50/50 for hooks up this year with the Spinners versus Spoons. Get out there, now is the time if you want to get into some good numbers!
Few from the last couple of years...

[bigblue]

Nice pics NR! 

[Fish Assassin]

Re R&B spoons, are you having trouble ordering them online ?

[nickredway]

They should be through a local source soon I think.

[EZ_Rolling]

R&B is setting up a Canadian distributor he will no longer ship to Canada

[bigblue]

 

[Every Day]

I have not actually dealt with R&B company in the states yet, as all the spoons I have used of theirs have mostly come from friends or contests, etc. I can say though, that I have nailed a lot of fish with them this year, including some absolute pigs 18 to easily over 20. A bunch of these fish have been hit behind people as well tossing other hardware in front of me. My fav's have been the 2/3 silver/copper and silver/brass.

I wouldn't be giving up on them just yet. Once the Canadian distributor is all stocked up it should be pretty smooth sailing for a great spoon! Definitely one of the better I've used, and I'll continue using them for sure!