“I want to say one word to you—Just one word: Plastics!” —Mr. McGuire to Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) in The Graduate, 1967

Pop Quiz: What did the top 5 finishers at the 2007 Bassmaster Classic have in common? Time’s up. Using an array of different lures, they all fished fluorocarbon lines in this test of the best on Alabama’s Lay Lake.¶ The origins of fluorocarbon as fishing line are somewhat hazy, lost in the fog of offshore waters and the recollections of sea captains. Today, however, these products represent one of the keenest advances in the world of fishing tackle, as evidenced by the pros’ devotion, as well as skyrocketing sales.

Fluorocarbon in Focus

According to Dr. Sina Ebnesajjad of the FluoroConsultants Group LLC, fluorocarbons are chemical compounds that contain carbon-fluorine bonds. In 1938, Roy Dunkett of DuPont discovered this class of chemicals, and their use in plastics and countless other substances has expanded since. The fluorocarbon family includes an array of materials, including Teflon, sealants, oils, other lubricants, and many plastics.

As the young graduate was advised, the plastics industry boomed in the 1960s. Treatments with heat and pressure cause chemical bonds to form and break, yielding more unique materials. Conversion of one form of fluorocarbon polymer, Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), into fishing line is credited to the Kureha Chemical Corporation of Japan, parent company of Kureha America, Inc., makers of Seaguar lines.

Chemists there realized that this material’s resistance to heat, light, and chemicals offered advantages in fishing line. Tests by Kureha found that after 1,000 hours of exposure to UV light, their fluorocarbon line retained its original break strength, while nylon monofilaments lost up to 40 percent of theirs.

Offshore anglers found another advantage—fluorocarbon line tended to disappear underwater, so its use as leader material for line-shy predators in clear water gave anglers an edge. Optical studies found that its “refractive index”—a measure of light’s passage through a medium—was much closer to that of water than nylon, the substance of monofilament lines.

Early fluorocarbon lines were stiff, however, making it tough even to tie knots in the higher tests used for tarpon, tuna, and other keen-sighted gamefish. The line also was costly, due to limited production and the more demanding physical requirements of manufacturing this material. Since then, polymer chemists have been working on new formulations, extrusion methods, and drawing processes to increase the fishability of fluorocarbon lines, resulting in products designed to fill a reel spool.

Why Fish Fluoro?

In addition to reduced underwater visibility and resistance to UV rays, reported attributes of fluorocarbon lines include low stretch, yielding more powerful hook-sets on long casts; better feel of light bites and lure movements and perhaps enhanced manipulation of lures; increased density that sinks jigs faster and can pull crankbaits and jerkbaits to greater depths, while perhaps increasing casting distance; greater abrasion-resistance; and high tensile strength.

As we’ve reported before, Dr. Keith Jones, research scientist for Pure Fishing, tested Berkley’s initial fluoro offering, Vanish, for its visibility to bass. “Bass bumped into 10-pound fluorocarbon line considerably more frequently than 10-pound mono,” he reported, “suggesting they couldn’t see it as well.” Its effectiveness in finesse fishing in clear water also suggests it fulfills this promise. Similarly, there’s no question about its sink rate, due to its higher specific gravity. And while density and smooth finish allow long casts with fluoro, these characteristics also make it vulnerable to backlashes, unless centrifugal brakes or magnets are adjusted, or the angler has a highly educated thumb.

Abrasion-Resistance

Most anglers understand that abrasion-resistance indicates a line’s ability to withstand cutting or tearing by sharp objects. Lines and leaders must stand up to rocks, barnacles, teeth, zebra mussels, dock posts, and sometimes poor-quality or damaged rod guides. While most lines of all sorts boast excellent abrasion-resistance, experience shows it just ain’t so.

Defining and comparing abrasion-resistances has been a challenge, however. Depending on conditions you fish, some lines last and others quickly appear cracked or rough and must be retied regularly. If you’re casting worms or crankbaits into beds of vegetation like cabbage and coontail, and your line needs retying every hour or two, it’s not abrasion-resistant.

On the other hand, no one can fault a line for breaking, when a fish turns around a rusty dock pole or a bull smallmouth dives behind a zebe-encrusted boulder. The problem is, there’s no industry standard for what constitutes abrasion-resistance, as there is for tensile strength and knot strength. In the past, companies and researchers have constructed an array of line torture devices, consisting of sandpaper or wood or gritty cylinders to pull lines across until they break. Count the number of passes before breakage, and you have a comparative measure.

In 2007, TackleTour, an online reference for fishing tackle (tackletour.com), conducted a series of tests on popular fluorocarbon line brands intended as castable lines, not leaders. Knowing that abrasion-resistance is positively related to line diameter, they tested fluoros measuring from 0.30 to 0.32 mm in diameter, about the same as 12-pound Berkley Trilene XL. Interestingly, various lines of this diameter were rated 10-, 12-, and 14-pound test.

Results of this test showed great variation, with some fluoros nearly 40 percent less abrasion-resistant than XL and some considerably more so. The toughest was Toray Super Hard, a Japanese brand designed as a hard fluorocarbon, as opposed to limper formulations meant for easier casting or line management. In general, lines with better handling characteristics didn’t fare as well as stiffer, harder lines in the abrasion test. An exception was P-Line’s Halo, the first and apparently the only co-fluoride (a mixture of two different fluorocarbons) on the market, which handled well and showed good abrasion-resistance. (Note that the latest Trilene and Stren fluorocarbons were not included in these tests.)

Stretching the Truth?

Another perceived advantage of fluorocarbon lines is low stretch. This characteristic could help set hooks at a distance and perhaps also telegraph bites more easily. In either case, the actual amount of pull on the line is unknown, but certainly slight.

TackleTour tested the same 14 fluorocarbon lines for stretch, again comparing them to Trilene XL. They hung 3-pound weights on the lines and checked them over three hours, and found that all the fluoros did stretch, some even more than 12-pound XL.

In fishing situations, staff members also have found that fluorocarbon lines do indeed stretch under a strong pull, and that afterward, their strength may be substantially diminished. We know that some materials can be placed under a load and then released, returning to their former length and condition once the pull is released. Monofilament lines are a good example of this tendency.

Further tests by TackleTour verified that fluorocarbons generally do not share this ability. All fluoros except Sunline Shooter remained in lengthened condition, with resulting loss of strength. Interestingly, a few fluoros stretched more when soaked in water than when dry, indicating they’re not water-resistant under strain.

While a 3-pound pull may not sound like much, try picking that weight off the floor with your flippin’ stick. I’d wager it takes a 5-pound largemouth to come close to that power. So, I maintain that while fluoros may stretch under such strain, they do not when setting hooks and feeling bites; thus, these advantages of fluorocarbon lines remain valid. But be warned that after a sustained battle with a big fish, or when pulling hard to break off a lure, your fluoro may well be compromised.

Knot Me

One common knock against fluorocarbons is that knots must be tied more carefully and they’re more liable to fail. In TackleTour’s knot test, all but one of the fluoros had knot strength less than 90 percent of its rated tensile strength when tied with a palomar knot. In a follow-up, they tested 5 knots (San Diego jam, improved clinch, palomar, uni-, and Triline). No knot rated above 90 percent of rated strength.

Tim Wiedow, Senior Polymer Chemist for Pure Fishing, says: “Compared to nylons, fluorocarbons are much more demanding in all aspects of handling. The extrusion and drawing process must be done more meticulously, and knots must be tied more carefully. That’s one of the features we’re trying to improve as we develop new lines.”

While we await the fluorocarbon version of Stren Super Knot, take care to lubricate the line with water before putting any pressure on the forming knot, to avoid burning the line. Viscous fish flavors work even better. When it’s completed, make sure the knot is snug on the hook, cleanly wrapped, and that the line remains straight and not kinked, all of which suggest line damage.

Today’s Fluorocarbons

As with monofilament and braided lines, manufacturers are continually fine-tuning the precise blends of fluorocarbons along with aspects of the extrusion process. Several companies developed a fluorocarbon line and have kept it in their line-up, including PRADCO Silver Thread Fluorocarbon, Triple Fish’s Fluorocarbon, Bass Pro Shops’ XPS Fluorocarbon, Gamma Edge Fluorocarbon, and Maxima Fluorocarbon. They remain popular choices, effective for a variety of applications. Some, like Gamma, are focused on promoting their lines among top-level pros—Gamma recently inked a sponsorship contract with the deacon of drop-shot himself, Kota Kiriyama. Similarly, Maxima has signed bass pros Chad Morganthaler and Ish Monroe, along with big-bass gurus Mike Long and Bill Siemantel, while also promoting its use in saltwater.

Three years ago, fluorocarbon pioneer Seaguar added Invisx to its line-up, designed to be supple and castable. They’ve now introduced Level Wind Technology to fluorocarbon in the U.S., promising increased strength and castability, since line is coiled precisely in rows. In 2001, the Japanese company Sunline added Shooter, a harder and more abrasion- and shock-resistant line, to complement the supple Sniper. The latest addition is BMS Sniper, essentially Sniper with inch-long colored markings to aid line-watching. The pink and orange strips function like bite indicators. The Japanese company Toray has added Super Hard Upgrade to its line, known as one of the hardest and toughest products on the market.

P-Line’s Halo, a co-fluoride product, represents a new development. “It’s a breakthrough in lines, just like the first copolymer monofilament that we introduced to the U.S. 26 years ago,” says National Sales Manager Don Newman. “We’re working with a new mix right now, designed with a bit more stretch so it will be ideal for use on spinning tackle.”

After patenting a new extrusion process 10 years ago, Yo-Zuri produced Hybrid, a mix of nylons and fluorocarbon. It’s more UV- and water-resistant than mono, qualities saltwater anglers had sought. This mix also has reduced underwater visibility and costs only slightly more than premium monos. While not willing to claim it’s the best of both worlds, company representative Dave Bertolozzi points to its continued strong sales record as evidence of its value to anglers.

For spinning tackle, Yo-Zuri formulated the more flexible Hybrid Ultra-Soft, with a tad more nylon in the mix for reduced memory and more stretch. Last year, they added 100% Fluorocarbon H2O, intended for tournament fishermen. It’s a greenish color, intended to cut the shine or “light-piping” that’s emitted by some clear fluoros. And in their H.D. Carbon Leaders, a new Disappearing Pink has been added.

Since entering fluorcarbon production with Vanish in 2000, Berkley has continued to study fluorocarbon lines and work with materials to add innovative products, with Wiedow joining their staff three years ago to work solely on line development. “We’re emphasizing expanding fluorocarbon offerings,” he says, “as it’s presently a growth industry.

“Vanish was designed for walleye fishing and other techniques that lack the repetitive casting of heavy lures, fast retrieves, and crushing hook-sets you expect in bass fishing,” he says. “The gold and red Vanish Transition lines have basically the same formula, but with added colorants to help anglers detect bites. Both those colors offer good contrast above the surface but fade faster underwater.

“Our new Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon Professional Grade is designed to fill a lot of fishing niches,” he continues. “It’s tough yet supple enough to spool on a spinning reel in 2- to 8-pound tests. We produced it in response to demands from our pro staff, who wanted a line that was tougher and more shock-resistant than Vanish and formed good knots, too. It’s available in clear and green tint, which reduces the line’s sparkling in sunlight.

“Stren 100% Fluorocarbon is a different formula, stiffer than the Trilene and more abrasion-resistant. It’s for baitcasting not spinning, and comes in clear and blue tint, in the tradition of Stren. Both lines were extensively tested by more than 80 members of our pro staff. We’re not done and will continue developing new lines for bass and other species.”

One thing that’s kept some anglers from trying fluorocarbon lines is the price. The least expensive products cost about twice as much as mono, with high-end lines more than 10 times as much. On the plus side, a spool generally lasts longer than monofilament before losing character and requiring a change. Pros are known for changing monofilament line every night during competition if they’ve made considerable use of that rod. With fluorocarbon, they generally forego that task.

If you’ve tried fluorocarbon lines and haven’t been satisfied, there’s hope, as new products have come to market with new characteristics to match your fishing style and preferences. And more are on the way. When the world’s best bass anglers use it with half a million dollars on the line, there’s bound to be something to it.