What Leader Is Thinner

[troy-the-boy]

Just a question, what is thinnest diameter flurocarbon available. Most I have seen are rather thick and was wondering what diameter differant brands have. I live in a small town and variety is not possible. Could I get some feed back as any thing I get has to be ordered in.
Troy H

[Traveller]

Hi Troy,

The thinnest one that I have seen to date and what I'm currently using are:

Sunline - Metan Shooter Invisible
Sanyo - Metal Lazer Pro

I also use the Toray - Bawo Super Pro when the area is more abbrasive..... like around lots of rocks, etc.

Traveller

[marlin_dc]

hi mate,

i believe the thinnest leader i know of is called frogs hair. That is one very very thin leader.

regards
Darryl

[dacobra]

Yep - Frogs Hair is the go. Bit expensive but you get what you pay for.

[breambasher]

Where are you able to get this kind of leader from??

[lure_muncher]

what is the diametre of Yamatoyo 4lb flourocarbon leader? getting some because I reckon it'd be nice on the nong and yarra

[Bream Addict]

4lb is quite light,personally id be fishing 6,7 or 8 lb,just a thought.

[Conehead]

Vanish transition seems to be good for diameter.

8lb is my happy medium for bream spinning. Usually anyway.:)

[lure_muncher]

4, 5, 6 and 7lb are what I like. :)

[Bream Addict]

4, 5, 6 and 7lb are what I like.

no 10 or even 8:eek: :eek: :eek: u obviously havent fished the docks much.

even if get a reasonable bream in some sort of structure u will have some trouble stopping him with 4lb leader.

[Wazza]

what is the diametre of Yamatoyo 4lb flourocarbon leader? getting some because I reckon it'd be nice on the nong and yarra

4lb Yamatoyo Harris Fighter is 0.165mm.

[lure_muncher]

Thanks wazza

Theo, I reckon 7lb is heavy enough unless I am happening to fish the docks, which I won't be doing anytime soon :)

If I were to go down to the docks whats the thinnest 10lb flourocarbon leader I could purchase?

[bushido]

Hi Guys,
The main thing you have to look at with fluorocarbon is how much actual fluorocarbon is in each brand, most fluoro lines are not 100% fluorocarbon. The thinnest 100% fluorocarbon line is LINESYTEM which is made in Japan, it is currently not available in Aust. but will be released in this country at the trade show in August. hope this helps.

Cheers Samurai

[Stu_000]

I've tried many. The only one I haven't been smoked on is Yamatoyo in 8lb. But I guess that will happen one day. I like the diameter (vs 6lb fireline) of the Yama and obviously its strength vs its diameter.

[CHUNQX]

How abrasion resistant is 100% fluorocarbon as opposed to the other brands?
It seems although flurocarbon are thicker than their mono counterparts, they're not as abrasion resistant. I've stopped using Vanish altogether for hardbody work. Lost too many lures to reasonable fish using 8 pound Vanish and have yet to lose one using 7 pound fluoro in the Momois brand.
Got myself a spool of Asso fluoro in 9 pound and 11 pound. I hope they're better than Vanish.

I'd use 4 pound fluoro when fishing SPs but when I'm fishing HBs I go up to 7 pound or 9 pound. It also helps when you get snagged that you can confidently try various de-snagging techniques without fear of the leader snapping from too much pressure put on it.

[lure_muncher]

Originally posted by CHUNQX


I'd use 4 pound fluoro when fishing SPs but when I'm fishing HBs I go up to 7 pound or 9 pound. It also helps when you get snagged that you can confidently try various de-snagging techniques without fear of the leader snapping from too much pressure put on it.

Thats what I reckon, I am getting 7lb Mamoi and 8lb Yamatoyo whenI save up enough cash :)

[bushido]

Hi Chunqx.
Fluorocarbon is far more abrasion resistent than mono, and in most cases a lot thinner and unlike mono Fluorocarbon does not absorb water. if fact Fluorocarbon is the most abrasion resistent of all lines with copolymer lines a close second.
Most people tend to think that fluorocarbon is just another type of mono which they are not.

Cheers Samurai

[Salmo]

Pure fluorocarbon needs to be moistened well before pulling your knots tight, as it bruises very easily with friction heat.....I like Yama 9 and vanish 8, but find any clear mono works in dirty water...JMTBW

[CHUNQX]

Is fluoro really more abrasion resistant than mono? Maybe its just the vanish i was using that gave me the impression that they didn't handle abrasion too well. I caught more fish than I've ever caught before on the vanish to revert back to mono, but I've also lost more fish due to what is probably a bad batch of vanish.

[Salmo]

Maybe the reason you had a problem with Vanish breaking because the knots compromised the integrity of the line when they were pulled tight????
I do know someone that did get a dodgy roll of 6lb Fireline though…..didn’t matter what leader joining knot you used, the line would break when you put weight on the knot

[Piscineidiot]

Mmmm...Chunqx, using Momoi's in 5lb for bream, I've never had it break easier than mono. In fact, I found it more abrasion resistant around rocks than say, 6lb mono, though it was pretty shoddy mono.

I haven't ever used vanish, so I can't credibly say anything about it, but after hearing all this about it being softer than most and quite easy to break, I'm steering well clear.

One question as to the practicality of such thin leaders though. Wouldn't a thinner flourocarbon leader mean less abrasion resistance than a thicker one? I'm well aware that leader material not made of pure flourocarbon will be thicker, but I'm wondering why anyone wants an ultra-thin leader when a slightly thicker one, while still invisible, would provide more abrasion resistance. Is it more the 'sink factor' than anything?

[DAGGA]

I think the thin leader comes into its own when you fish weightless and i noticed while fishing the docklands that while rigging tiny weightless SP's that if the line is too thick and stiff it will look very mechanical and not as natural when you give it tiny twitches.
Its only subtle but i noticed there is a difference when trying to make small weightless SP's look natural.
But maybe softer line might be the key over thickness?

[Piscineidiot]

Thought so. Fair enough Dagga. Seems like one of those 'Hook up first' tactics as opposed to giving yourself an even chance at landing one in amongst the snags. Personally, I feel that the abrasion resistance factor really isn't going to be compensated for in these conditions either way. If someone can prove me wrong, please do.

[Shortlite]

I've been reading your posts on fluoro with some interest. My own experience with the stuff has been limited. Especially the thin stuff, as most of my life I have fished in water where you have a real chance of picking up something that will destroy most leaders, irrespective of material and line class. Tarpon and barracuda (when bonefishing), catfish (tilapia fishing), and more recently, barramundi and GT's popping up when you are trying to get your first bream.

From my limited experience, and most of you will bear this out, fluorocarbon of the same DIAMETER as mono is almost as visible. It is denser, thus more abrasion resistant, and also stronger by a fair bit. The same breaking strain fluorocarbon as mono will still be thinner and less visible, but not necessarily more abrasion resistant. There is where the fluorocarbon content comes in. 100% fluorocarbon will be thinner and more abrasion resistant. Lesser quality stuff will be closer to mono.

Also remember that fluoro is inherently denser than water, and will sink. Something to keep in mind when using your unweighted plastics, and very small topwaters and surface flies.

[bushido]

Shortlite,
your spot on:)

Cheers Samurai

[The_Scales]

Guys by far flurocarbon is the stuff to use. If you are not using it in clear water I feel you are missing out on more fish than you probably know.

At the moment Im using Vanish in 6lb, 8lb and 10lb when areound hevy structure. I've yet to be rubbed off.

The advantage with flurocarbon is that as Bushido said it will not absorb water and it dosen't seem to stretch as much as mono either. Because it is flurocarbon it is actually a stiffer line, that is why alot of fly fisherman tend to use it for their leaders as it helps to turn their flys over easier. Because of this stiffness it is impractical to spool your reel up with it as it will tend to spring off your reel and you will find you will get more tangles. So if there are any guys out there that have a full spool of it on their reel I would take it off.

No to get back to the subject. I have been using vanish for quite a while now say 1.5 years with only minnor problems. I always make sure that I really put copious amounts of spit on my line when pulling knots tight. I use a double uni all the time.

No back to the thinnest diam line. I've been using Nitlon a couple of times and it is way thinner to the naked eye when compared to Berkley and it seems to have a better knot strength as well. So I will be switching over to Nitlon as soon as I can track down a steady supply.

For the record I do fish down as light as 4lb when breaming in open lakes arond weed beds and flats.

Nick

[CHUNQX]

I believe with Vanish it comes to an occassional bad batch. I have Vanish in 4 pound, 6 pound, 8 pound, 10 pound, 20 pound. The problems I've had was with the 8 pound one. The 8 pound line I had broke under much less pressure than the 6 pound one.. After speaking to a few people, it appears that there is the occassional bad batch of Vanish which breaks easily. You get what you pay for, I suppose..

[The_Scales]

Chunqx, Hi mate.

Yep sounds like Berkley have let their quality control slip a bit, as there seems to be a growing number of products that the standards are slipping down in from various reports, for instance -bad batches of Vanish, bad batches of Fireline and now there seems to be a growing number of 3"BMs that have indentations in the side off them in every pack.

I know of some guys who would not even put a defect one on their jig.

I still do and they still produce fish just have to take a bit more care when rigging.

By the way I'm not complaining just pointing a few things out.

I decided that I will be switching over to Nitlon for my leeders.

Nick

[CHUNQX]

Are there bad batches of Fireline???:confused: :confused:

If there are, I'd be most disappointed. I use fireline exclusively for the main line, and its not because they're the cheapest either! How do you tell the bad batches of fireline when you come across one (short of your lure gaining freedom upon a cast)?

[The_Scales]

Chunqx, I've read about two separate cases where guys lines were breaking in the fireline section not the leader section. It was on another bream site.

Nick

[Conehead]

I have had mine break before.

4 and 6lb.

[Shortlite]

In mucky water, fluoro is only good for it's abrasion resistance. In clear water, the advantages of thinness, clarity and abrasion resistance make it a worthwhile investment.

A note of caution: it has been observed that for the same DIAMETER, it is not that much more invisible than mono, viewed from underwater. Also, once a little scuffing has happened, it shows up very easily. Vigilance and care to cut back or replace leader is the key to keeping the ball in your court.

[Shortlite]

Thanks Bushido!

In mucky water, fluoro is only good for it's abrasion resistance. In clear water, the advantages of thinness, clarity and abrasion resistance make it a worthwhile investment.

A note of caution: it has been observed that for the same DIAMETER, it is not that much more invisible than mono, viewed from underwater. Also, once a little scuffing has happened, it shows up very easily. Vigilance and care to cut back or replace leader is the key to keeping the ball in your court.

Also, The_Scales, you are spot on as well about stiffness and stretch. I find that also depends a lot on it's composition.

[bushido]

Hi Guys,
I know this is going to sound like a plug for one of my sponsor, but a lot of past problems with fluorocarbon have been solved by a new to Aust. line company out of Japan called Linesystem Hard Bass, I have been testing their lines here in Aust for over a year now, things like line stiffnesss and the problems with line coming of spin reels are gone.
Linesytems fluoros are a lot limper than previous fluoros, the system they use has also made it a lot thinner without loosing strength and is a lot more abrasision resistant.
And for the braid freaks, they do a Bass Hard Braid that leaves Fireline for dead.
As I said you can take this post as a plug or as some news on a great new line that I think a lot of anlers will like using.

Cheers Samurai

PS, if you have never tried Co Polymer line, keep a eye out for their co polymer line, It's called Dango it's one sweet line.

[CHUNQX]

Are these Linesystem stuff available in Aus yet? Haven't seen them around yet.. maybe I wasn't looking for them.. Also, what are their prices like?

[bushido]

Hi CHunqx,
not available till after the trade show in August, should be in shops around the end of Sept. Prices will be comparable with Berkle

Cheers Samurai

[Salmo]

Going to bump this one up again....if fish cant see flurocarbon leaders.....what does it matter if you are using 4lb or 8lb....
Obviously the 8lb lays better .....but if the blackies cant see it what's the big deal....fatter the better

I fish 6lb for SP and up to 12lb on HB in the sticks and rocks:confused:

[Conehead]

I think people downsize and upsize the flourocarbon for the time it takes to reach the bottom, if you know what I mean...Hard to explain kinda. lol.:D

[Tim Stynes]

I almost exclusively use 6lb Yamatoyo Fluro Rock Fish and it is bloody AWESOME stuff. I have been taken into deep structure an even over cross bars and never had a problem pulling the fishes out. I once got taken through a bunch of boards at RPYC managed to get the fish out and even lifted it the fish (40cm fish too) up with it. The line was absolutely thrashed and needed to be changed but still had its structural integrity and it took a good tug to snap it when I tested it. I also use Rock Fish in 8 or 12lb if there is LOTS of barnacles or I wanna apply some major pressure.

On the flats I use 4lb Yamatoyo Harris Fighter which is quite thin and also a great fluro too.