Bluewater Fishing Expedition

LBT · 16-02-2006, 02:24 PM

To each their own. I discovered anglers like any other sports people in the world.

Each and every angler has their own preference when comes to tackle selection. Some prefers Made in Japan tackles, other prefers Made in U.S of the A equipments.

Since angling is more recreational than livelihood to most of us. I shan’t touch on superiority issues, for I assume we each choose to use the type and brand of tackles that we most confidence and comfortable with.

However, I would like to take this opportunity to tackle the functional claim of certain advance fishing equipments instead, namely Fluorocarbon line.

I observed; to some, the creation of Fluorocarbon line is God’s gift to the angling world, but to others Fluorocarbon line are of no difference from regular leader line.

Worshippers experimented and believe; ceteris paribus, Fluorocarbon line gives anglers that extra edge to land more fish comparing to regular leader line. On the other spectrum end, sceptic thinks fluorocarbon line is nothing more than a hype.

The theory behind the design of Fluorocarbon lines is that some fish will shy away from a lure or bait when they see a visible line. To prevent fish from spooking and increase your chances manufacturers designed Fluorocarbon lines that are supposed to be near invisible underwater. But what I observed during my recent tuna fishing trip is that local fisherman using regular leader line catches as many and as big, if not more and bigger fishes than, us, sport anglers using Fluorocarbon lines.

I may be wrong but I conclude that even with all the inherited advantages, Fluorocarbon line still isn’t a miracle line that will magnetically inspire more hits.

More importantly, we sport anglers should combine our advance equipment with the local fisherman’s know how if we want more hits.

Sportfisherman · 16-02-2006, 02:52 PM

For me , I use fluorocarbon leader when the lure I use is swimming under water but for lures that stay most of the time on the surface , I use ordinary nylon leader.

The connotation of fluorocarbon being " invisible " is due to it's refractive index is closer to that of water than nylon , hence it is perceived as being
" invisible " under water , tests conducted in a tank filled with a few fish showed that there more fish bump into flurocarbon than to nylon leader , hence the conclusions .

Myself , I experienced a better catch results when using fluocarbon leader than other friends who were using nylon leader on barramundi fishing .

The question whether I wud use fluorocarbon leader , yes definitely , for
stickbaits , deep diving minnow etc. but will use nylon leader for surface poppers .

Sportfisherman .

mark · 16-02-2006, 03:50 PM

i'll only use fluorocarbon leader if i'm fishing in shallow water and during the day, had a experience while trolling around crystal clear shallow reefs for grouper/coral trouts and the likes and out of the 3 rods behind the boat only my was on 30lbs Seaguar FC leader of approximately 2m and for just a distance of not more then 80m my rod registered 6 hits landing 4 of them, the other 2 which was on normal nylon leader only 1 had a bite, so IMO it does makes a difference if the water is shallow (probably less then 30m) and crystal clear or if the fish are not in feeding mood but if we're to fish deep waters and or during the nite i dun think there is any differences in using a normal nylon leader or a FC leader.

as for normal popping, i dun quite like FC leader as they are usually pretty hard and its usually quite difficult to get Seaguar in higher poundage, but for lighter popping (20lbs - 30lbs outfit) i'm all for using them and i believe i registered better catches then times when i'm not using FC.

as for why the locals registered similar or more catches then you guys even tho they're using normal and most of the time heavier lines, the reasons are local knowledge like, which are the type of baits more attactive and how to present it to the fishes there, i mean they must have tried a few hundreds time before and the depth that their baits are due to the stretch of their nylon lines (if you're to fish Mack you'll see that even when the boatman tells you to fish within whatever depth, at the end of the day they are usually able to boat more then us), so it may not that FC doesn't work, it could just be that they weren't utilized to their full potential on that very day.

cheers
mark

physlo · 16-02-2006, 04:36 PM

Just curious, are they effective during night fishing?

Cheers!
physlo

mark · 16-02-2006, 04:48 PM

i wouldn't used it at night and for deep water jigging, neither will i be using it when the water are 'dirty' they are supposed to work with the light ray in the water so that the light reflective effect will work in making it 'transparent' for the fish

physlo · 16-02-2006, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark

i wouldn't used it at night and for deep water jigging, neither will i be using it when the water are 'dirty' they are supposed to work with the light ray in the water so that the light reflective effect will work in making it 'transparent' for the fish

Oh like that...I thought they are effective coz thinking of using them to fish the bulats at Tanjung Pinang..

Cheers!
physlo

thunnus · 17-02-2006, 08:55 AM

How about the knot ? I heard midknot tends to slip on flouro 'coz it's hard hence the PE can't 'bite' a firm grip on it... A fisherman knot, perhaps ?

rgds,
Lod.

DaFrogman · 18-02-2006, 03:04 PM

I am a believer in FC.

That said, I also believe that if fish are really finicky, even in deep water around 300ft (yes I know that there is minimal light down there), FC has an advantage, especially on bigger "smarter/more experienced" fish.... After all, if light conditions were that bad, how do fish find non-lumo jigs at the bottom.

One of the main reasons I like FC is because I (and I mean just me personally) find that it allows me to use a higher test leader in a bottom fishing situation where a similar test in mono might not be as effective. Dropping leader size is a good way of getting bit, but dropping leader size and the using lighter FC is I reckon even better.

As an example, my crew regularly uses really heavy mono leaders to around 130lbs.... I rarely go over 80lb leader.When the fish are really-really cautious, I will drop down to a 50lb FC leader where I would normally have dropped down to a 40lb mono leader. This has worked in the past and I still continue this practice to date.

For night bottom fishing especially when there is a lot of fluorescent plankton in the water, I believe that a thinner mono/FC leader reduces the amount of flurorescence caused by the plankton hitting the line or sticking to it. Those of you who have experienced the dreaded barracouta cut offs on braid have also found that mono is less affected by this phenomena... my pet theory is that the braid being a fibruos material tends to get more plankton stuck on it and therefore glow more, whilst mono having a solid slick surface, doesn't get so much fluorescence on it and therefore does not attract the unwanted attentions of Mr Toothy.

Just a few thoughts, I'm sure others have some pretty good theories too.

Regards,

Saimee

Makaira · 18-02-2006, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFrogman

Just a few thoughts, I'm sure others have some pretty good theories too.

My theory is it works for me ..... day & night fishing ..... shallow & deep waters ... crystal clear or murky as pea soup ....... and I'm sticking to it

stickbom! · 19-02-2006, 06:29 PM

FC sinks faster than regular mono so it's okay for luring/Ranggong style fishing. FC lines are utterly hopeless for tying dropper loops though, too much friction tears into FC real easy :P For tying apollo/droppers Sufix Tritanium or YGK Nylon works best.

Makaira · 19-02-2006, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stickbom!

FC sinks faster than regular mono so it's okay for luring/Ranggong style fishing. FC lines are utterly hopeless for tying dropper loops though, too much friction tears into FC real easy :P For tying apollo/droppers Sufix Tritanium or YGK Nylon works best.

Wet it with mucho mucho spit or water should be ok. Don't really have a problem tying dropper loops with FC -- at least not with Seaguar FC. On the contrary, I get plenty of friction fray tying any knots with Tritanium, YGK or Triumph mono leader material. Knots must be drawn very slowly, with much care & with plenty of lube or it goes kaput!!! Almost feel like applying some KY jelly b4 drawing the knots!!!

16-02-2006, 02:24 PM	#1
LBT Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 61 Rep Power: 5	To Fluoro Or Not To Fluoro To each their own. I discovered anglers like any other sports people in the world. Each and every angler has their own preference when comes to tackle selection. Some prefers Made in Japan tackles, other prefers Made in U.S of the A equipments. Since angling is more recreational than livelihood to most of us. I shan’t touch on superiority issues, for I assume we each choose to use the type and brand of tackles that we most confidence and comfortable with. However, I would like to take this opportunity to tackle the functional claim of certain advance fishing equipments instead, namely Fluorocarbon line. I observed; to some, the creation of Fluorocarbon line is God’s gift to the angling world, but to others Fluorocarbon line are of no difference from regular leader line. Worshippers experimented and believe; ceteris paribus, Fluorocarbon line gives anglers that extra edge to land more fish comparing to regular leader line. On the other spectrum end, sceptic thinks fluorocarbon line is nothing more than a hype. The theory behind the design of Fluorocarbon lines is that some fish will shy away from a lure or bait when they see a visible line. To prevent fish from spooking and increase your chances manufacturers designed Fluorocarbon lines that are supposed to be near invisible underwater. But what I observed during my recent tuna fishing trip is that local fisherman using regular leader line catches as many and as big, if not more and bigger fishes than, us, sport anglers using Fluorocarbon lines. I may be wrong but I conclude that even with all the inherited advantages, Fluorocarbon line still isn’t a miracle line that will magnetically inspire more hits. More importantly, we sport anglers should combine our advance equipment with the local fisherman’s know how if we want more hits.

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16-02-2006, 02:52 PM	#2
Sportfisherman Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Jakarta / Bali - Indonesia Posts: 254 Rep Power: 4	For me , I use fluorocarbon leader when the lure I use is swimming under water but for lures that stay most of the time on the surface , I use ordinary nylon leader. The connotation of fluorocarbon being " invisible " is due to it's refractive index is closer to that of water than nylon , hence it is perceived as being " invisible " under water , tests conducted in a tank filled with a few fish showed that there more fish bump into flurocarbon than to nylon leader , hence the conclusions . Myself , I experienced a better catch results when using fluocarbon leader than other friends who were using nylon leader on barramundi fishing . The question whether I wud use fluorocarbon leader , yes definitely , for stickbaits , deep diving minnow etc. but will use nylon leader for surface poppers . Sportfisherman .

16-02-2006, 03:50 PM	#3
mark Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 244 My Mood: Rep Power: 4	i'll only use fluorocarbon leader if i'm fishing in shallow water and during the day, had a experience while trolling around crystal clear shallow reefs for grouper/coral trouts and the likes and out of the 3 rods behind the boat only my was on 30lbs Seaguar FC leader of approximately 2m and for just a distance of not more then 80m my rod registered 6 hits landing 4 of them, the other 2 which was on normal nylon leader only 1 had a bite, so IMO it does makes a difference if the water is shallow (probably less then 30m) and crystal clear or if the fish are not in feeding mood but if we're to fish deep waters and or during the nite i dun think there is any differences in using a normal nylon leader or a FC leader. as for normal popping, i dun quite like FC leader as they are usually pretty hard and its usually quite difficult to get Seaguar in higher poundage, but for lighter popping (20lbs - 30lbs outfit) i'm all for using them and i believe i registered better catches then times when i'm not using FC. as for why the locals registered similar or more catches then you guys even tho they're using normal and most of the time heavier lines, the reasons are local knowledge like, which are the type of baits more attactive and how to present it to the fishes there, i mean they must have tried a few hundreds time before and the depth that their baits are due to the stretch of their nylon lines (if you're to fish Mack you'll see that even when the boatman tells you to fish within whatever depth, at the end of the day they are usually able to boat more then us), so it may not that FC doesn't work, it could just be that they weren't utilized to their full potential on that very day. cheers mark

16-02-2006, 04:36 PM	#4
physlo Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Pasir Ris Posts: 712 Rep Power: 4	Just curious, are they effective during night fishing? Cheers! physlo

16-02-2006, 04:48 PM	#5
mark Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 244 My Mood: Rep Power: 4	i wouldn't used it at night and for deep water jigging, neither will i be using it when the water are 'dirty' they are supposed to work with the light ray in the water so that the light reflective effect will work in making it 'transparent' for the fish

17-02-2006, 08:55 AM	#7
thunnus Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Surabaya Posts: 150 Rep Power: 4	How about the knot ? I heard midknot tends to slip on flouro 'coz it's hard hence the PE can't 'bite' a firm grip on it... A fisherman knot, perhaps ? rgds, Lod.

18-02-2006, 03:04 PM	#8
DaFrogman Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Location: Brunei Posts: 733 My Mood: Rep Power: 4	I am a believer in FC. That said, I also believe that if fish are really finicky, even in deep water around 300ft (yes I know that there is minimal light down there), FC has an advantage, especially on bigger "smarter/more experienced" fish.... After all, if light conditions were that bad, how do fish find non-lumo jigs at the bottom. One of the main reasons I like FC is because I (and I mean just me personally) find that it allows me to use a higher test leader in a bottom fishing situation where a similar test in mono might not be as effective. Dropping leader size is a good way of getting bit, but dropping leader size and the using lighter FC is I reckon even better. As an example, my crew regularly uses really heavy mono leaders to around 130lbs.... I rarely go over 80lb leader.When the fish are really-really cautious, I will drop down to a 50lb FC leader where I would normally have dropped down to a 40lb mono leader. This has worked in the past and I still continue this practice to date. For night bottom fishing especially when there is a lot of fluorescent plankton in the water, I believe that a thinner mono/FC leader reduces the amount of flurorescence caused by the plankton hitting the line or sticking to it. Those of you who have experienced the dreaded barracouta cut offs on braid have also found that mono is less affected by this phenomena... my pet theory is that the braid being a fibruos material tends to get more plankton stuck on it and therefore glow more, whilst mono having a solid slick surface, doesn't get so much fluorescence on it and therefore does not attract the unwanted attentions of Mr Toothy. Just a few thoughts, I'm sure others have some pretty good theories too. Regards, Saimee

19-02-2006, 06:29 PM	#10
stickbom! Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Eastern Sider Posts: 1,993 My Mood: Rep Power: 6	FC sinks faster than regular mono so it's okay for luring/Ranggong style fishing. FC lines are utterly hopeless for tying dropper loops though, too much friction tears into FC real easy :P For tying apollo/droppers Sufix Tritanium or YGK Nylon works best.

Bluewater Fishing Expedition

To Fluoro Or Not To Fluoro

To Fluoro Or Not To Fluoro