Frickin Florocarbon

[isle of innisfree]

CHRIST this stuff is starting to pee me off yes its gr8 to get down and get takes but then bamb smashing take no more flies or fish as the frickin knot as snaped on the dropper wots the cure

[Greenheart]

I had the same trouble myself mate. I was getting about 3 times as many takes as my boat partner who was using normal monofil, but I was losing half the fish due to knots slipping. The secret appears to be to make sure the knot is well lubricated & bedded down when tying. I understand you can buy a special lubricant called spit that the american flyfishers swear by. I still think the advantages of flourocarbon outweigh the dissadvantages. It's almost invisable in water (Lots more takes), it sinks well, it has better abraison resistance than monofil & is totally resistant to UV rays from sunlight. Try experimenting with different knots.

[Vagabond]

the frickin knot as snaped on the dropper wots the cure

What knots do you use for droppers ?

I use a three turn water knot, and as Greenheart says, make sure to lubricate it. (Tweedy gentlemen use saliva - us common oiks use spit)...and make sure the knot is gently snugged down.

If using a water knot, make sure the dropper fly is tied onto the end that comes out BELOW the water knot.

I have seen some daft advice (in a fly fishing magazine) that if you tie the dropper on the end that comes out above the water knot, then the dropper "stands out" from the main leader.

So it does, BUT that means when a trout takes, the dropper forms a perfect 90 degree "cut-over" against the main leader at the knot, and snap goes the dropper.

Interestingly, most sets of mackerel feathers are tied to make the droppers stand out - but of course you can get away with it if using thick commercial nylon - but it is not so with fluorocarbon.

[Noel]

I use the Palomar knot when using flurocarbon. Solid as a rock. But make sure you tie it well.

[Lees Ghillie]

Gave up using flourocarbon 2 years ago as too many breakages, not worth the hassle when Salmon fishing and they are not gut shy. Iv'e used 25lbs greylon form 1st Feb to end of Nov with no problems in big and low water bright or dull skies,and its only £5.00 for 300 meters flouro is about £11 for 50 meters.

[Greenheart]

I've also found that stepping up a few sizes helps when using Flourocarbon line. I usually use 5-6lb mono for general reservoir fishing. But with Flouro, I've found I can get away with 9-10lb line. This appears less prone to slipping & breaking on smash takes, but still gets the bites...

[Portland Pirate]

Originally Posted by Vagabond

What knots do you use for droppers ?

I use a three turn water knot, and as Greenheart says, make sure to lubricate it.

What is a three turn water knot please Vagabond?

[Lees Ghillie]

I cut a 7/8" piece of the florocarbon lay it along side the main line and form a loop in both twist round twice and them pull the dropper and the rest of the main line through, tighten and use the downstream tail as the dropper not the one sticking out at 90% as it snaps to easily, mind you I never use droppers for Salmon too many problems can occur with snags and the like.

[Vagabond]

Originally Posted by Portland Pirate

What is a three turn water knot please Vagabond?

Can't find a good illustration - but here is a simple single-turn water knot.

http://www.scoutingresources.org.uk/..._waterknot.pdf

For thick nylon use two turns (ie pass both lines twice through the loop), for fine nylon use three.

It is a pretty ancient knot - it used to be used in Izaak Walton's day to join a series of horsehairs together.

Very reliable, and easy to tie too.

The VERY important point is to see that you tie the fly on to the end that comes out below the water knot - for reasons I gave in post 3 .