You’d think at some point the learning would stop and you’d know everything there is to know about fishing.
In my case, I realize daily how little I actually know.
Let’s talk fishing line for a moment and specifically fluorocarbon.
Fluoros made a name for themselves as a tough, nearly-invisible leader material that made fish more apt to bite in clear water. As the move to build “fishable” fluoros took off, the temptation to key on the invisibility factor was overwhelmingly strong for many anglers, me included. What I have since learned is, fluoro’s other benefits might be even more important that visibility.
For one, fluoro sinks better than any other line (other than lead core) and in situations when you need to reach bottom and stay there, fluoro offers benefits over mono and braids.
Fluoro is also very sensitive, though it does offer some beneficial stretch as well. I find light bite easier to detect with fluoro than mono, and it’s more fishable than braids in some situations—like vertical jigging for walleyes in rivers or casting jigs for bass.
On a trip to the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, we found walleyes as deep as 44 feet and the currents strong. Yet, fluoro allowed me to stay in the effective fish zone and stay out of trouble (snags are a real problem when you can’t stay vertical).
As I said, the lessons continue….
-- Steve