You’ve probably heard about all the great benefits fluorocarbon fishing lines can provide you. However, there seems to be some confusion around using fluorocarbon fishing lines in cold waters or ice fishing. So let’s explore this topic together!
Fluoro Fluorocarbon fishing lines should be used as leaders when ice fishing. Fluorocarbon inherently has a lot of memory and is stiff. This is made worse in the cold and will cause problems if fluoro is used as the main fishing line. If you used fluoro as a leader, it eliminates many of these concerns.
Essentially, cold water and fluorocarbon don’t play nice with each other. The cold water can enhance the negatives that fluorocarbon line has. But that does not mean you shouldn’t be using it.
What Happens to Fluorocarbon Fishing Line in Cold Weather?
When using a fluorocarbon fishing line as the main line in chilly waters, the fishing line becomes stiffer and develops more memory. This will result in the fishing line popping off the reel, increasing your chances for tangles and a lot of frustration.
There are types of fluorocarbon fishing lines designed to be used in ice fishing that will help with reducing some of these concerns.
But, the general consensus is that fluorocarbon lines should not be used as main lines when ice fishing.
How To Use Fluorocarbon Fishing Line When Ice Fishing?
The best way to use a fluorocarbon fishing line when ice fishing is to use it as a leader line.
Using fluorocarbon as a leader line means you don’t have to worry about memory and stiffness issues because the line will not reel in the bail.
So you get to experience all the benefits of fluorocarbon without any of the negatives.
The best choice is to use a braided line as your main line with fluorocarbon as your leader. Braid will offer you low memory, and it does not become stiff in the cold waters, making it a great choice to use as your main line.
You can use mono as your main line, which will work. However, depending on the brands you use, many anglers have reported issues with mono in such cold waters.
A Major Disadvantage of Using Fluorocarbon Fishing Line in Cold Water
An angler will find one major disadvantage of a fluorocarbon fishing line when ice fishing. Usually, anglers use high visibility lines to view more subtle bites. However, fluorocarbon fishing line is very clear and difficult to view when out in the water.
Using this fishing line creates more obstacles for anglers who tend to line watch for more elusive biters. However, if one uses a high visibility main fishing line, they will be much more likely to see light biters due to a simple twitch.
If you’re seeking the largest amount of bites from fish in cold water, other anglers recommend implementing a short fluorocarbon line as a leader line on the terminal end.
The main line should be a highly visible braid line, while the leader line should be a zero-visibility fluorocarbon line that is 24 inches long.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Happy Fishing & Tight Lines