Regular mono vs Fluorocarbon line? pan fish Crappie

[eriksat1]

I have noticed in several posts that a lot of people don't like the Fluorocarbon fishing line for pan fish, Crappies, Blue Gills, etc. I'm wondering why not? I use 4lb fluorocarbon in the spring open water for Crappie why is it not good for ice fishing? What line do you prefer for Crappie and why? This will be my first year using tip downs for crappie.

[slipperybob]

coiled snake on the spool like Jack in the box...

[Fishhunter22]

I have noticed in several posts that a lot of people don't like the Fluorocarbon fishing line for pan fish, Crappies, Blue Gills, etc. I'm wondering why not? I use 4lb fluorocarbon in the spring open water or Crappie why is it not good for ice fishing? What line do you prefer for Crappie and why? This will be my first year using tip downs for crappie.

I use Berkley Vanish for panfish throughout the winter. Four pound test, flurocarbon.  I would not use anything else, even if I received the line for free. I start off the season with fresh line, then mid-winter I replace the line on ALL poles. I use a backer line on most the spool(cheap filler line) and then approximately 20' of flurocarbon. The line will become curly/bouncy what ever you want to call it. You want the line to fall off the reel freely-remember it is flurocarbon-very low memory. If the line does not fall off the spool freely, you will loose fish due to not feeling them. A rule of thumb for me is if there are curls in the line, there is slack in line between me and the fish. I want a straight line with no slack between me and the fish.

[eriksat1]

I have also been using 4# Vanish, I thought maybe there was something wrong with it for ice fishing I didn't know? The only thing I could think of was maybe the low stretch properties of it, maybe some like a little stretch to there line? I never had trouble with it coiling, the 4# Vanish anyway.

[mcflyfisher]

On tip downs I think 4# is just about right.  I have some hi-viz Dave Gentz line in 2#, but it is about the same diameter as 6#.    On tip downs I want hi viz, so I have a chance to deal with the line in the low light conditions I fish in.  Especially with tip downs, I want a nice limp line.  I use as little lead as possible on the line and a #14 or #12 treble.  The idea here is to give the fish no clue that there is anything but a nice wounded minnow.  The only way to deal with coiled line (that you can't stretch) is to add enough lead to pull the coils out.  Trouble is, that with that terrible gentz line, I have to add so much lead, the fish can feel the lead and spits the minnow.  I am having my best luck with fireline ice 2lbs/6lbs.  I add a swivel and and a two or three foot leader of 2lbs mono.  I hate this line for jigging, but am very impressed with it on the tip downs. 
Getting back to the original question, I fish for crappies in 15 to 20 fow at night.  I think line diameter matters a lot more than reflective index.  I jig for crappies with sewing thread.  It works fine, and is so cheap compared to ice line, I feel like I am stealing.  All mono needs to be stretched to take the coils out.  Old line has no stretch left in it.  I toss out the coiled 20' of line every month or so.  The thread is no different in this regard, except that at a penny a yard, I can change it as often as I feel is required. 

[eriksat1]

What pound test do you figure the sewing thread is? Doesn't it freeze and stick to the ice bad, I would think it would soak up the water like crazy.