Pink Fluorocarbon Leader: Does it Make a Difference?

Fluorocarbon Cool-But Pink?

On a recent three-day fishing binge in Florida, I was introduced to Yo-Zuri TopKnot fluorocarbon leader. While we were fishing, however, I noticed something a bit odd: the fluoro was pink. Now, everything I’ve ever been told about fluorocarbon leaders is that the whole point to using them is to minimize visibility. That’s not to say fluorocarbon is always ideal – as Chester Moore pointed out in Fluorocarbon Disadvantages, its sinking properties can be problematic in some situations when used as a mainline. And on top of that, the expense of fluorocarbon, which is triple that of regular monofilament, is a tough pill to swallow. But pretty much everyone agrees that fluoro is the least-visible fishing line underwater. So, why the heck would you add color to it?

According to the Yo-Zuri rep we were fishing with, the bit of pink helps hide chaff, which can make a leader more visible. Now, there’s no doubt that chaff does in fact make it easier to spot flurocarbon underwater. (Just look at it for yourself, and you can see the difference). Does the pink hue really help? Since we were dock-fishing for snook we experienced plenty of chaff, and to my eyes, it may help hide it by just a hair. What’s just as interesting, however, is that the pink coloration actually disappears depending on how light strikes the leader, and what background it’s against. Glance at the first photo one more time, then look at this one:

This is the exact same hook and leader, moments after the hook has been removed from the fish. With the lighter background and direct sunlight hitting it, however, the pink TopKnot no longer appears to be pink. As that rep was quick to point out, red is the first color to disappear as you move down through the water column. But in this case, it’s so faint that it can actually disappear above the water, too.

So: what does all this boil down to, for us anglers? I can’t see any harm in the pink coloration (we caught a slew of fish using the stuff) and when fishing in high-chaff situations, using it might even give you a slight edge. If you want to see the Yo-Zuri rep’s explanation of what TopKnot pink is and why it works, check out this short video we shot for FishTalk, while on the scene: