Cost of fluorocarbon
- Thread starter Steve Vaughn
- Start date
For me the topic is not about the absolute cost of fluoro tippet, but questioning why it appears that fluoro marketed to fly fishers is so much more expensive than other fluoro products? Is there really a structural or strength difference or is it marketing? We could also get into why a fly rod should cost $900. 
alternative opinion based on chemistry: never use fluoro for any reason because it does NOT break down. Despite the marketing, this is an inherent disadvantage. The C-F bond is the strongest organic bond possible, and nature doesnt really have any realistic way of reversing that chemistry.
Are you really comfortable with all those little chunks of line outlasting you by hundreds of years? Does the thought of generations of fishermen polluting the waters we love so much with non biodegradable (and much more toxic processes during manufaturing) products that last for many centuries beyond us bother you at all? It doesnt just magically disappear you know.
That bothers me enough that possible fishing advantages are not a factor in the decision. I try to minimize purchases whose consequences extend far past my lifetime as much as I can.
Are you really comfortable with all those little chunks of line outlasting you by hundreds of years? Does the thought of generations of fishermen polluting the waters we love so much with non biodegradable (and much more toxic processes during manufaturing) products that last for many centuries beyond us bother you at all? It doesnt just magically disappear you know.
That bothers me enough that possible fishing advantages are not a factor in the decision. I try to minimize purchases whose consequences extend far past my lifetime as much as I can.
I use seaguar because it's cheap and works. I've had days where tying on 8lb landed me half a dozen steelhead where my buddy fishing Maxima swinging the run first got blanked. Ever since that day I swear by it. Could have been a million other reasons, but the one change I made was fluoro so I'm going with that until it doesn't work.
One huge thing to consider is limpness/stiffness of fluoro. I use red label for the majority of my tippet in fresh water, but use blue for tying my leaders since I love the stiffness of it, turns shit over really well. I use premier as well for tippet but only with lighter flies, as it is super limp/supple stuff. It is completely useless when using say a tube fly and you're dropping a hook back an inch or three via a loop - the line is so limp the hook hangs well below the fly. On the other hand, for dangling a chironomid or something I can't think of a better material. I also prefer to use premier for my small steelhead hairwings, sizes 6-8....but rarely have it with me. That shit is pricey. I've found red label to suit 90%+ of my tippet needs, and typically prefer it over salmon steelhead/premier so that's what I go with.
One huge thing to consider is limpness/stiffness of fluoro. I use red label for the majority of my tippet in fresh water, but use blue for tying my leaders since I love the stiffness of it, turns shit over really well. I use premier as well for tippet but only with lighter flies, as it is super limp/supple stuff. It is completely useless when using say a tube fly and you're dropping a hook back an inch or three via a loop - the line is so limp the hook hangs well below the fly. On the other hand, for dangling a chironomid or something I can't think of a better material. I also prefer to use premier for my small steelhead hairwings, sizes 6-8....but rarely have it with me. That shit is pricey. I've found red label to suit 90%+ of my tippet needs, and typically prefer it over salmon steelhead/premier so that's what I go with.
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Flurocarbon sucks, you should only use when the fish are so picky you need to use it and there is zero need for it larger than 6x and then for tippets only and only short tippets at that.
In all instances it's better to learn better presentation than to rely on tools to do the work for you.
By learning to present flies better you can use heavier and less damaging leader materials. For my spring creek fishing in the Rockies i used to use 6x flurocarbon now for the same situations i can use 5 and even 4x for a size 16 cripple during a PMD hatch.
6x is for size 20 and smaller only. Even pressured trout are far more presentation shy than leader shy.
In all instances it's better to learn better presentation than to rely on tools to do the work for you.
By learning to present flies better you can use heavier and less damaging leader materials. For my spring creek fishing in the Rockies i used to use 6x flurocarbon now for the same situations i can use 5 and even 4x for a size 16 cripple during a PMD hatch.
6x is for size 20 and smaller only. Even pressured trout are far more presentation shy than leader shy.
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A good number of years ago I was fishing a well known lake for big rainbows. The weather was crap (like it always is there) and not many guys were still fishing. But I was toughing it out (I was younger and dumber then) as was one other guy. We ended up fishing a drop off about a cast apart from each other with neither have any luck. But we knew sooner or later some fish would cruise that edge so we kept plugging away. In the meantime we were having a nice conversation about places we have fished. After about an hour and several fly changes he got bit. Then he got bit again. Then he got bit again. I was still fishless. So he called me over and gave me one of the flies he was using. We had already compared notes on lines and we were using teh exact same line/weight.
So I tie on the new fly with renewed enthusiasm and got back to fishing. Well after he landed two more and I still hadn't gotten a bit he said to switch places with him as maybe he was in the exact sweet spot (now how many guys would do that today!!!). So we switch and you guessed it, he gets another fish in his first handful of casts. So he has landed about a half dozen and I am hitless. So he finally says "hey Steve what tippet are you using?" And I replied 3X. So was he. Then he said are you using Flouro? And I said no haven't ever tried it yet. So he brings me over about two arm lengths off his spool and says "try this, its the only thing left different between what we are doing" So I tie on some fluoro tippet. No I didn't get a fish the first cast. But it wasn't long before I was getting bit just as much as he was.
I have used Fluoro 100% of the time since that day (except for dry flies) and have never looked back. There is nothing wrong with trying to save some bucks but here's the bottom line. Fishing is expensive. Nobody I know gets to fish as much as they'd like. And in the overall cost of a day on the water the cost of your leader/tippet material is noise level. Use good stuff.
So I tie on the new fly with renewed enthusiasm and got back to fishing. Well after he landed two more and I still hadn't gotten a bit he said to switch places with him as maybe he was in the exact sweet spot (now how many guys would do that today!!!). So we switch and you guessed it, he gets another fish in his first handful of casts. So he has landed about a half dozen and I am hitless. So he finally says "hey Steve what tippet are you using?" And I replied 3X. So was he. Then he said are you using Flouro? And I said no haven't ever tried it yet. So he brings me over about two arm lengths off his spool and says "try this, its the only thing left different between what we are doing" So I tie on some fluoro tippet. No I didn't get a fish the first cast. But it wasn't long before I was getting bit just as much as he was.
I have used Fluoro 100% of the time since that day (except for dry flies) and have never looked back. There is nothing wrong with trying to save some bucks but here's the bottom line. Fishing is expensive. Nobody I know gets to fish as much as they'd like. And in the overall cost of a day on the water the cost of your leader/tippet material is noise level. Use good stuff.
