[troutpocket]

I wonder who uses flourocarbon tippets and whether it makes much of a difference? I've tried a few brands and I'm not sure whether its just a confidence builder or really fools more fish.

The first I ever tried was Berkely Vanish which was sold to me as "the exact same as the expensive tippet but much cheaper" but that was B.S. That stuff is junk. Gets brittle very quickly and breaks at the knot. I have had good success with Seaguar and Rio Flouroflex tippets but only carry them in 3x and 4x because they are spendy. The rest of my tippet collection is Frog Hair which is pretty nice for mono but seems to be inconsistent (I've found warped/stretched sections coming off the tippet spool).

What do you all use?

TP

 

[_colorado]

TP,

I carry RIO Fluoroflex in both 5X or 6X. Berkely Vanish is so stiff and rigid that it affects the motion of nymphs in the water. A little size 18 or 20 nymph can't fles or drift naturally with that stiff Vanish. I do use Vanish on my ice fishing rigs and thought about using it as tippet. But once I loaded it on my reel and felt it I knew it couldn't compare to RIO is suppleness. Like you, I too saw a chance to save some big $$ but, on the bright side, they have almost doubled the amount of tippet you get for the money this year.

By the way, I only use 5X or 6X fluorocarbon - anything larger in diameter is just regular tippet material. My thinking is that if I go large with flies (lures, etc), or the fish are that big that I'm worried about snapping tippet (this is where skill comes in), or water clarity, etc, come into play then regular tippet is just fine. In other words, fluorocarbon is reserved for delicate situations with finicky fish.

Keep us posted if you find a suitable, inexpensive substitute! Good luck!

 

[rottal]

Flourocarbon tippet or line has different properties than regular monofilament---it doesnt refract light underwater the way mono does so it is less visible, even in larger diameters. if you get bored on the river one day, test out the idea...it actually seems to be harder to see than mono.

I like Rio flouro....but ive fished Orvis, Umpqua and Cabela's brand also without problems. lately ive tried to cull out all my other brands of tippet material and just buy one kind for simplicities sake, but its hard...it seems ive accumulated so many spools of tippet ill have to throw some out before i fish it all. some guys dont like it, but im a big fan of flourocarbon tippet for nymphing and streamer fishing...im just not sold on the leaders though for most fishing applications. too pricey, and i think it tends to be overkill for the areas i fish.

 

[_colorado]

Rottal is right - fluorocarbon leaders aren't worth the $$ in my book plus I want the stiffer tapered mono stuff to turn over the line when I'm fishing dries. I think I like RIO because of the cool dispensers but I have also used Cabelas and Orvis with no problems.

But Rottal, while the index of refraction of fluorcarbon is significantly lower than mono but I can still see the stuff in the water. I think the visibility claims are just playing on the science of the product to increase sales. I use it simply because it's more supple and, if it's less visible too, then great!

 

[troutpocket]

I use it for nymphing and streamers as well. For nymphing I use one tippet size heavier fluoro than I would mono and seem to catch the same amount of fish. I like to use the heaviest tippet I can get away with . . .not a big fan of folks using a 3 or 4wt rod and 6x tippet up at Grey Reef. Ya gotta put the wood to those pigs!

I also like it for lakes in the spring. I usually use two-fly rigs and use 3x fluoro tippet to the first fly. Catch just as many fish and break off less than using 4x or 5x mono like I used to.

TP

 

[rottal]

But Rottal, while the index of refraction of fluorcarbon is significantly lower than mono but I can still see the stuff in the water. I think the visibility claims are just playing on the science of the product to increase sales. I use it simply because it's more supple and, if it's less visible too, then great!

lol..maybe im just blind then and dont see very well....that would actually explain a lot...

either way, i still like my Flouro, high price or not...i think its good stuff.

 

[_colorado]

Agreed. I am dependent upon that stuff.