Flourocarbon Breaking???

[Fishinut]

Lately I've been retying my trout leaders for tipups with 6lb Berkley Vanish. They are about 3ft with either a treble connected with a polamar knot or a single hook snelled directly to the leader. I always pull on my knots after tying them to check for strength. On a couple of occasions the snell would break with minimal pressure so I went back to check the loop knot that I tie on end of the leader that is connected to the snap swivel on the main tipup line and that would break VERY easily. To tie this loop I used a double overhand loop. This is very depressing because I spent considerable time on these leaders. The polamar knot seems to be holding to the treble hooks well (I will have to check them better), but the snell and the loop knot especially are breaking uncomfortably easy. I have read before that flouro is no good if it has any nicks in it. It could very well be that the knots are pinching itself causing the breaks, but I'm no flourocarbon expert. Could it be that I am just pulling to hard when I check the knot or am I using the wrong knot to tie my loops. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!! Tight Lines

   ???Fishinut

[iceintheveins]

The Berkley Vanish is your problem. I have tried that stuff and it sucks really bad. It has horrible knot strength. It will break very easily with any knot. I use seagaur fluorocarbon. Just make sure you get the leader material and not the castable kind of fluoro. The castable kind is much weaker.

Tyler

[pkevinb]

I remember reading somewhere that a loop knot is the worst not to use for flurocarbon, that it fails very often.  I try to use a Palomar knot whenever I can.

[GatorSlayer]

I use the regular trilene knot of 14 lb Vanish and have never had a knot fail on me in the two years I have been using it. I get bitten off before a knot snaps or slips. I have landed quite a few 10-12 lb pike on these leaders and countless over 5 lbs.

[Fishinut]

Today I started resnelling my single hooks. They are size 8 and 10. I used 6lb Trilene XT. What do you think about this line for trout and panfish? The knot strength is far greater than that of the flouro, and all the knots held extremly well. So I am pleased with that. Tommorow i will start retying the leaders with the treble hooks. Should I continue to use the mono and same # test or should I change something? Any thoughts on these leaders for trout/panfish would be greatly appreciated. Thanks - fishinut

[gudkatch]

When I flyfish for steelhead I fish a tapered  3X mono leader and tie my flourocarbon tippit to it with a blood knot.  I ALWAYS moisten it befor I tighten It down.  I use both the Vanish and Segar and they always tighten very strangly.  It seems like the flourocarbon doesnt tighten smoothly.  The knots look like crap.   Sometimes I have to retie it a couple of times(blood knots in the cold suck).  Problems like we experience may just have to do with the properties of flourocarbon.

[Van_Cleaver]

Another flyfisher who uses flouro almost exclusively for tippets.(last link from leader to hook). No refuting the fish don't see it as easily, usually you can go at least one size heavier than conventional mono. The knots can be tricky;as mentioned  above wetting is mandatory, as is smooth tightening. I take one less turn on an improved clinch, and then check carefully. Don't lose many due to bad knots, but often have to retie.

[JT]

Definitely ditto the moisten part and snug knots slowly and carefully or you might as well re-tie.I do re-tie often but I always have,good practice and I catch alot of fish so I should be re-tying pften. Improved clinch is all I use with mono and have not had a knot fail yet.