Remember when fluorocarbon fishing lines hit tackle shop shelves? Remember asking why you should pay twice as much as monofilament? Remember coughing up the dough to buy a spool? Remember catching more fish? While take-up was slow, anglers quickly realized fluorcarbon’s price tag paid off with abrasion-resistant and virtually invisible fishing line great for leader material. A decade later, new fluorocarbon fishing lines are designed for more than just leaders. Now anglers are exploring fluorocarbon fishing line’s advantages as a mainline. The story climaxed last summer as Shimano’s award- and tournament-winning Mastiff fluorocarbon made waves with never-seen technology.
Magic Thread: Into the Future of Fluorocarbon
Backstory
In the fluorocarbon game, Seaguar is the OG. Chuck Reynolds is the marketing manager at Seaguar. “We came out with fluorocarbon 50 years ago,” he reminds us. Compared to monofilament, made out of nylon, fluorocarbon is a different chemical formula that makes the line tougher, waterproof, stiffer and virtually invisible underwater.
The only problem with fluorocarbon is the price. Fluoro costs twice as much as monofilament. At first, anglers were skeptical of fluoro’s value, but when the line put more fish in the boat, fluorocarbon became the go-to for leader material.
“Saltwater anglers were early adopters,” Reynolds says. Inshore anglers using braided mainline add a short leader of fluorocarbon to reduce visibility without reducing sensitivity. Fluorocarbon has the same refraction as water so it appears invisible underwater. Skittish fish in clear water will spook if they see a line attached to the lure. If you aren’t getting bites with monofilament, switch to fluorocarbon and see what happens.
But fluorocarbon is more than invisible, the material is also abrasion-resistant. Not only will it survive a predator’s sharp teeth, but if a fish drags you into the rocks or mangrove roots, fluorocarbon has a better chance of coming out intact.
The biggest disadvantage is knot strength. Since fluorocarbon is stiffer and harder than mono, it doesn’t hold a knot as well. However, in over a decade of using fluorocarbon leader, I don’t recall a single instance when I lost a fish due to a pulled knot.
Diverse Usage
Once fluorocarbon caught on with saltwater anglers, freshwater anglers joined the party. Freshwater anglers also appreciate the low-vis and high-strength, but they found other advantages. For example, anglers fishing tiny lures super slow for sluggish fish fell in love with fluorocarbon and now they are spooling their reels with the stuff. Chris Pitsilos at Pure Fishing explains, “There is a big difference between monofilament and braid and fluorocarbon fits in the middle.”
Pitsilos points out a few qualities that draw freshwater anglers to fluorocarbon. “Fluoro is stiffer, so it doesn’t stretch like monofilament.” This makes fluorocarbon more sensitive than monofilament. Fluorocarbon allows you to feel not only a light bite, but also the lure’s action so you can adjust the retrieve for the ultimate performance.
“Fluorocarbon also sinks faster than mono or braid so a smaller lure will sink deeper,” Pitsilos adds. This combination makes fluorocarbon perfect for finesse fishing with tiny jigs.
For example, Pitsilos uses fluorocarbon mainline when he targets crappie in the winter. “We’re using four-pound test line and tiny jigs,” he says. Fluorocarbon lets him use lighter line and maintain abrasion resistance. “I’m catching eight- to 13-inch crappie on two- and four-pound test fluorocarbon,” he says.
Fluorocarbon’s rapid sink rate also improves the performance of large swimbaits and jerkbaits. “Guys are using 20-pound fluorocarbon with crankbaits because the line allows the lure to work deeper and absorbs abrasion from bouncing along the bottom.”
The challenge is overcoming fluorocarbon’s stiffness. Monofilament is softer and more subtle, allowing it to fill a spool easier and cast farther. The solution is thinner fluorocarbon that performs like monofilament. To meet the needs of finesse fishermen, fluorocarbon lines are specifically designed for mainline.
Mastiff FC
Future Outlook
This year, Shimano entered new Mastiff fluorocarbon into the mainline game. Bob Mahoney, marketing manager at Shimano, says Mastiff required two years of research and development. “We had a lot of highs and lows, but we’re happy with the way it turned out,” Mahoney says. Mastiff won Best Fishing Line at the 2023 ICAST trade show and scored several pro-level tournament wins, including the Bassmaster Classic. “Mastiff is legitimate,” Mahoney says.
All the fuss is about Mastiff’s Nanoarmor technology. The new line has all the qualities of fluorocarbon, but with microscopic ridges on the surface of the line. “The line is softer with less memory, so it is better for filling a reel,” Mahoney explains. The tiny ridges also improve knot strength by encouraging the line to cinch down tight.
In Japan, Shimano has been in the fishing line business for years. “This is our first fluorocarbon in North America,” Mahoney says. Shimano controls the raw material and manufacturing process to ensure the highest quality fluorocarbon.
When predicting the future of fluorocarbon, Chuck Reynolds at Seaguar also points to more choices. Seaguar not only offers fluorocarbon lines at different price levels, but they also control the manufacturing process to improve qualities anglers need. “We can produce fluorocarbons with higher knot strength or more abrasion resistance,” he explains.
This allows Seaguar to offer fishing lines more suited for leader or mainline. They can manufacture line that is stiffer for more sensitivity or softer to fill a reel and cast farther. Their website even has an interactive guide to match the line to the angler.
Chris Pitsilos at Pure Fishing says fluorocarbon uptake is slow. He laughs, “My church group is still using monofilament.” As anglers explore the advantages of fluorocarbon, they will slowly adopt the new technology. “I’m winning them over,” he says.
Go ahead, set the hook hard. Fluorocarbon is abrasion- and stretch-resistant. | Feature photo: Courtesy Seaguar
