Fluoro'sVanish
Vanish
I have spent the last five years fishing fresh and salt water venues with the fluorocarbon leader materials. I have only used it as leader/tippet material. I have tried all the name brands and spent tidy sums on small spools of tippet that make you ask ‘Is this stuff really better than mono?’ After five years, yes it is better, but so is my presentation and my fly selection. I admit I will try something new, while others penny pinch or nay say the innovations. So, the following is my humble estimation: They are all pretty darn good, but I do just as well with the considerably cheaper Berkely Vanish. I know, not the classic flyfishing vendor, but it does the job and for a considerable savings. If you like Frog Hair or Rio that is fine. Just my opinion. Also, fluoro has no place on the end of a floating line with a dry fly unless you want that tippet to sink. Fluoro sinks nicely. So, unless you are greasing that leader down to the last few inches to sink an emerger beneath the film, stay with the classic mono for dries. I principally use the fluorocarbon materials on my sink lines and it, I believe, has increased my success rate.
A concern of some:
“I personally don’t use flourocarbon tippet because of it’s eternal shelf life! I used one spool of it when it first came out, that was before I found out that it basically never biodegrades.” Mike on Utah On The Fly forum, 2002. The only advice I have, to the degree this is true and a valid concern, is use small tippet sections and be careful with any stripped leaders, stripped spinning reel spools or level winds. You should not be dumping mono or fluoro into a body of water anyway. I lose very little leader material while flyfishing. A personal discision, for now, just like lead v. tungsten etc.
Scarecrow Flies~Mini Dragon~GM 2008
