leaders

[Mal Greene]

Anyone care to voice their opinion on flourocarbon vs. maxima or similar mono leader material? Reason is I've been fishing maxima a long time(20 years),and I have excellent performance with this high quality mono leader material. What I've seen of flourocarbon is it's exspensive and difficult to knot. Flourocarbon is suppossed to be the best leader material available,but I'd appreciate your opinions. Thanks Mal

[denis]

Mal,
I'll stick with Maxima used it for a long time an never had a problemwith it in chamolion,don"t like ultragreen seems to turn chaulky in the salt. I do use a flourocarbon tippet now and then,stren 10lb.If it's not broken don't fix it.

tight lines

[BruceinRI]

I've had really good luck with Seaguar and Orvis fluorocarbon. I use a modified Homer Rhodes loop knot and haven't had a knot pull loose. The modification involves the first overhand knot. Make the overhand knot as though you were tying a Surgeon's knot - make the knot by putting the tag end back through the loop formed by the overhand knot. The strength of the knot is there, it allows the fly to swing, and the knot doesn't slip.

[saltydog]

Ill have to say Im a floro kind of guy, you can get 150 yds spools of the stuff for short money, I always use it on the FLATS an find it great, as for DEEPER water I still use it, I like having that EXTRA advantage,
"GOOD LUCK GOOD FISHIN"

[rockfisherman]

I use the Maxima and the fluorocarbon to make my leaders. 2 spools of 40 lb. Maxima, a spool of 30 lb. Maxima, and a spool of 20 lb. (or 16 lb) Orvis fluorocarbon.

4 feet of 40, 2 feet of 30, and 2 - 3 feet of fluoro tippet (extra foot because it gets cut back pretty quick changing flies), either 20 or 16 lb. I used a Surgeons loop or perfection loop on the top end, and tie the sections together with Surgeons KNOTS. To keep the fluorocarbon tippet from slipping, I'll tie that in with 5 turns, or 4 or 3 turns surgeons depending on the tippet thickness. That way the fluoro won't slip.

[rosskess]

I use fluoro for two reasons. fish with a tendancy towards leadershyness, and when light tipet is required near obstacles. Fish with leader shyness in my opinion are salmonids and tuna like fishes. If I am fishing for stripers near hangups I usually jump up to 20# maxima from 15#. I see no reason to use fluoro for bass or blues. For trout/steelhead fluoro is the way to go if you intend to catch big fish near obstacles. I used to live in WA state and fished a lake with monster rainbows and unforgiving cat-tails. the big fish would almost always run into the weeds. I found that the fluoro in light weights was far more abraison resistant than normal mono. Now, I was using 3-4 # test line. On albies and bonito I have notices a distinct advantage with fluoro. I have also been bone fishing and had very few refusals with 12# fluoro.