It wasn’t long ago that fluorocarbon fishing line was only used as a leader material in ice fishing applications due to high memory, stiffness, and overall poor handling characteristics. Ice fishing expert, Brad Hawthorne, shares his primary reasons for switching the majority of his ice fishing combos to straight fluorocarbon.
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Hawthorne’s 4 Primary Reasons for Using Fluorocarbon When Ice Fishing:
- Invisibility. A lower light refractivity makes fluorocarbon less visible to wary gamefish over monofilament or braided mainlines.
- Abrasion resistance. Durability is a huge deal in ice fishing. As Hawthorne explains, your fishing line is constantly in contact with the jagged edges of the hole as well as ice and equipment topside. Fluorocarbon is more abrasion resistant than monofilament, so it reduces the chance of break-offs.
- Fishes heavy. Fluorocarbon sinks, monofilament floats. A faster fall rate is often preferred for getting down quickly and transmitting subtle bites when vertical fishing.
- Reduced stretch. Many fluorocarbon fishing lines have reduced stretch rates compared to monofilament-this aids in both bite detection and hook setting.
