Leader for fluke

[Dcbassin]

What size and brand does everyone use.I normally use 40 or 50lb.Is it worth the extra money for floracarbon.

 

[Leprechaun]

Hiya Don, I like plain old 40lb Big Game mono for my deep-water B/S rigs, fished over rubble - this seems to be the magic test for use with 20lb braid. When hung the mono will nearly always break at one of the rig's knots before the braid lets go. That works for me!

I would guess that in shallow water FC might be a consideration, particularly when the water is gin clear. I never fish such conditions, so I can't say for sure whether it matters or not.

 

[Savvy18]

Donald, I am another die-hard Berkley Big Game (clear) leader guy. Have been for many years. Now, I have gone through an evolution of sorts over the years as to what pound test is best suited and I agree that for the deeper fluking applications with heavier jigs (over 4 ounces), 40# is ideal. When we were catching quality fluke here to the west in 20-40 feet of water (relatively shallow) on a consistent basis, I scaled down to 30# Big Game and was very happy with it. What I found with 30# is that if you stretch it slightly, it gets "wirey" for lack of a better term. Curly, you might say. Has much more memory than the 40#. So, now I go back and forth between the two, depending on how / where I'm fishing and because (as you know) I ALWAYS bring 3-4 set-ups on every trip, I'm usually rigged with 30 on my lighter rods and 40 on my heavier sticks.

I've never been a big proponent of fluro for a few reasons. First being, it's too expensive. Second, it's very hard / stiff line. Third, it has a ton of memory. Fourth, it's never been proven TO ME, side-by-side to make a difference. I'm NOT saying it doesn't work, I'm just saying I've never personally seen it be the deciding factor in who caught fish and who didn't on a consistent basis. That being said, I believe many "tricks" we use when fishing are more for our satisfaction than the fish. If using fluro makes you a more confident angler, you'll have more success. That, I happen to believe, is a major factor! Confidence is our best weapon.

 

[crabby]

I've seen FC make a difference in shallow water.

 

[Savvy18]

crabby, I have a friend that fishes NOTHING but fluro leaders, even snells his hooks with it. He swears by it. But when he comes fishing with us, he's not outfishing anyone on a regular basis. I have actually borrowed his snelled hooks to see if I can convince myself it's making a difference. So far, no conclusive evidence. But I'll keep trying.

Like the rest of us, I'm always looking for an edge or advantage. I'm definitely NOT against implementing a method that is working.

 

[george]

I'm a sound fisherman and I wouldn't think of fluking without FC. I have no doubt that it makes a huge difference. I'm never fishing deeper than 25-feet and in most cases, I'm fishing in 18-22 feet. I'm with Savvy's friend - FC all the way!

 

[Flukinit]

I usually use 30lb big game as my leader. Used FC a few times in shallower water saw nothing different to change my mind. I used to fish the Sound alot 10-40'. Now more bay & Ocean.

 

[Pete21]

If there eating a 2-4 oz hunk of lead jig , I don't believe floro is a necessity. I am also a 30-40 lb big game guy myself.

 

[buddha162]

Most of my jigging is under 1/2oz, and floro definitely helps mainly bc it sinks. My go-to setup is 15lb braid to 8' of 12lb floro leader for 1/4-3/8oz jigs. Beyond sinking, I do believe it makes a difference in clear water, as well as being more abrasion resistant.

Btw, Seaguar STS is an economical floro leader material...been using it for a few years and see no reason to pay more for saltwater applications.

 

[Leprechaun]

Hi Buddha, That's a good tip right there! Appreciate the input!

 

[Koz]

For local fluke fishing I use 15-20 pound fluorocarbon. Locally I am mostly fishing in less than 25' of water too. On the odd occasion That I fish deep (late season) or in Montauk I'll use 30 pound FC.

Not a fan of Seaguar as I had a bad experience with one roll. Manufacturer replaced it for me, but the memory of those few mystery breaks never got out of my head.

I now use Yo-Zuri pink FC leaders. Never had a problem.

 

[Savvy18]

At the suggestion of my good buddy Frank (NYSharpie), I purchased that very same Seaguar STS fluro leader back in November when I decided I was going to step up my tog jigging game. Paid $22 for it shipped, which I think is a fair price (considering).

Like I've mentioned before. I'm all about trying any "new tricks" that will put trophy fish in the boat. I'm not against fluro, just needs to be proven to me - IN PERSON, that it's worth all the extra money & hype.

Full disclosure: I've used it 3 times with my tog jigging outfit...No discernible results to report.

But I'll keep trying!

 

[crabby]

crabby, I have a friend that fishes NOTHING but fluro leaders, even snells his hooks with it. He swears by it. But when he comes fishing with us, he's not outfishing anyone on a regular basis. I have actually borrowed his snelled hooks to see if I can convince myself it's making a difference. So far, no conclusive evidence. But I'll keep trying.

Like the rest of us, I'm always looking for an edge or advantage. I'm definitely NOT against implementing a method that is working.

My observation.

I was on the Miss Montauk. Jamie said we would be fishing deep. I only had FC for tying rigs. My buddy says why are you wasting your money on using FC when we're fishing deep? He used mono on his rigs. We both used chicken rigs.

Jamie decided to try a different spot on the way out and we fished in about thirty foot depths. I had one of my best days and my friend didn't fare near as well. I swore it was my choice of FC that made the difference that day.

I've also seen it make a huge difference while tog fishing.

 

[Savvy18]

Crabby, one of these days, after I've witnessed the "magic of fluorocarbon" in person, I'll be back on this thread to tout it with the rest of the believers!

My fluke game needs to be stepped up BIG TIME! It's been terrible for a while now. Could it have something to do with the fact that fishing here to the west has fallen off? Absolutely! Could it be that the fluke are using different migration routes? Absolutely! Could it be that I'm not using fluorocarbon leaders? Absolutely! Could it be that I just suck at jigging fluke these days? ABSOLUTELY!

 

[crabby]

I'd say it has to do with where and not how you're fishing.

 

[buddha162]

Could it be that I'm not using fluorocarbon leaders? Absolutely!

Fluking was terrible this year...but at least you can use floro and confirm it lol!

I think to varying degrees every species of fish will be line shy at some point. I've seen albies chomp down on 40lb mono leaders + SP minnows...but that's not how you normally target albies! I see no downside to using floro in anything but topwater presentations. The freshwater guys are spending big bucks filling their spools with premium floro...we just use a few feet per trip.

 

[Savvy18]

You could be right...Using fluro could have completely changed my 2018 fluke doldrums to fluke euphoria!

Now I'll never know

 

[NYSharpie]

As Eddie (Savvy18) mentioned, I used the 40LB Seaguar Salmon FC leader (It is actually a FC and Mono blend as I was told by the guys at Jigging World) all season for Fluke and did very well. Not sure if it made a difference, but it is considerably cheaper than regular Fluorocarbon and gave me mental confidence that I was using invisible line (lol). Know it sounds crazy, but that confidence, I believe, is important in your game. Peace of mind goes a long way!

For tog, I exclusively use 60lb Seaguar FC Red Label and feel very confident with this leader. Super strong, abrasion resistant, and has worked very well for me. The red label is also considerably cheaper than the blue label.... Hey, we talking about fishing or Scotch!

I am a believer in Flourocarbon for shallow water fluke and DEFINITELY Tog. The water is typically cleaner and clearer in the fall and winter and those big tog are pretty smart. The Salmon and Red Label offer a good enough quality at a cheaper price than the high end stuff, and in my opinion, work just as well.

Frank

 

[Fluke Whisperer]

I use 25lb fluro exclusively, no reason to go any bigger, I also use 20lb braid as my main line.
I fish C.T. R.I. and L.I. deep and shallow and use ss bucktails up to 6 oz. tandem rigs .
I also fish Berkley gulp and very rarely use fresh bait.
I have been very successful with this combination and have experienced very few break offs.

 

[MakoMatt]

I have no idea what a Fluke's vision is like so I use a fluorocarbon leader in shallow water, or deep water. Maybe they can see just fine in 80' of H2O.

That being said, there is a saying that goes something like this............ "fishing, the most expensive way to get a free meal" With that thought in mind, think about what you have invested in this activity, fishing. Even if you don't have a boat, you probably have many hundreds of dollars, more likely thousands invested in this. For boat owners, it can be untold tens of thousands. Why for a few pennies more not use a fluorocarbon leader? I see no downside to using fluorocarbon, just upside, for most Fluke rigs.

But then again, having no real knowledge of a Fluke's vision, maybe they can see fluorocarbon just fine too.