(Seaguar) Fluorocarbon Vs. Mono: Can You See Me Now?
You’ve heard about fluorocarbon again, and again. Supposedly, the fish can’t see it as well as good old mono. But, is it for real? To find out I had to wait for the perfect opportunity, but on the third season of cruising around with a full set of both fluoro and mono leaders aboard, it finally happened: we chunked a school of bluefin tuna off a scalloper, and held them next to the boat as we tried one leader after another.
We watched as they swam up to 100 and 80 pound leaders—both mono and fluorocarbon—and turned their noses up. Two of us fished side by side, one fluorocarbon and one monofilament, dropping test every few minutes. And yes, the first hook-up came on fluoro, on a 50-pound test leader. Once the fish was in the boat we tried again but the action must have tipped the tunas off; they continued eating chunks, but passed up both 50-pound mono and fluoro leaders. When we dropped to 40, the fluoro hooked up again. But still, no action on the mono. Dropping it to 30, the fish finally bit it. As the morning wore on we could reliably hook up on the Seaguar 40-pound test, but the mono had to be 30.
What’s the difference? According to the techno-geeks, unlike monofilament, fluorocarbon has a refractive index (in other words, the way it bends light) that’s very close to that of water. So, the fish don’t see it as easily. And when it comes to leader-shy fish like bluefin on the chunk, our test proved it: fluorocarbon is a must-have, for serious anglers. Seaguar was one of the original fluoro leader manufacturers, and they still carry a lot of weight with both shots of leader and pre-tied wind-on leaders. If you want an ace up your sleeve, this stuff fits the bill.
Price: $15 – 150, depending on test and amount.
The Highs: Fish can’t see it as well as monofilament.
The Lows: This is stiff stuff and is hard to knot, even in relatively light sizes.
Who Wants It: Anyone fishing for leader-shy fish.
Contact: www.seaguar.com
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