1908Aug

OUTDOOR NATION – LINE DRIVE – August 2019

When Fluorocarbon Counts

FISHING LINE IS A HIGHLY overlooked part of fishing.

Anglers will sometimes debate whether they need to use a braided or monofilament, but only the most savvy anglers make the distinction between using monofilament and fluorocarbon.

Monofilament is the standard edition line used by most anglers for most applications and is tried and true

Fluorocarbon is a material code name for PDVF, a blend of fluoride and carbon. There are all kinds of fluorocarbons used in various industrial capacities but the kind anglers use is PVDF.

This type of line has the same refractive properties as water and is virtually invisible even in the clearest waters. Some fish get line shy, so using fluorocarbon can help counteract their wariness.

I have seen this not only in super-clear freshwater lakes, but also on the coast when clear tides move in.

In Oct. 2010, my father and I fished an area and started catching flounder immediately. The tide was coming in strong, and the visibility was about a foot. Within 30 minutes clear water from the Sabine-Neches Ship Channel moved in and the bite shut off. I mean went to nothing.

As the clear water moved in and shifted the visibility to four feet, (crystal clear) the bite shut off. That is, until we moved toward the “murk” line. When we cast into the murk line the fish bit, and as we moved down with the murkier water we kept catching fish.

I could physically see fish on the bottom. They had nothing to do with biting, but they fed aggressively in the pocket of murkier water.

For two weeks the water in the channel stayed super-clear, so I went from fishing moss green-colored 50-pound braid to 15-pound.

Fluorocarbon: The fish would not strike the lure rigged on braid, but aggressively took the same lure on fluorocarbon.

Fluorocarbon also has the advantage of being more “sensitive” than monofilament line.

I do a lot of crappie fishing and have discovered P-Line fluoroclear, which is sensitive enough to help me detect light crappie, but is also stealthy.

Major League Fishing pro and 2003 Bassmaster Classic Champion Michael Iaconelli is a big proponent of “finesse” fishing. He said fluorocarbon is a big part of that.

“Finesse fishing is all about the approach and presentation,” Iaconelli said. “You slow things down and give them a more lifelike approach.”

In his new book, Finesse Fishing with Michael Iaconelli he addresses his finesse concept at length and discusses the advantages of fluorocarbon.

“Fluorocarbon definitely has its advantages,” he said. “A lot of times using a tube jig or a small worm on pressured fish in conjunction with fluorocarbon line can be a game changer, especially in clear water conditions.”

Modern fluorocarbon casts much better and has less line memory than products that hit the market 20 years ago, but you still need to take precautions. Iaconelli recommends anglers spray line conditioner on a handkerchief, grip it around their line and reel through it as it goes onto the spool.

“That can make a big difference in how the line performs,” he said.

 

DIGITAL BONUS

 

The Bass University On Fluorocarbon Leaders

 

The Bass University TV sneak peek preview of Mike Iaconelli and Pete Gluszek’s on-water training video on knots. Watch the entire class on https://bassu.tv

 

 

—story by CHESTER MOORE

 

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Heather Bryan

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Heather Bryan

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