George shares his thoughts on Monofilament and Flourocarbon

Monofilament vs. Fluorocarbon:  some things to consider when choosing what leader / tippet material to use

Choices can be hard.  In this post we will explore some things to consider when choosing between monofilament and fluorocarbon for your leader or tippet material

• Visibility – Remember, fish see differently than humans (for example, fish see UV light but people don’t). So, when choosing leader material, think about how a fish’s eyes view the world around it.  Fluorocarbon lets more light pass through it than monofilament, while monofilament tends to refract light making it more visible, especially in clear water or sunny conditions.

• Sink rates – The molecules in your fluorocarbon leader are packed more closely together than the molecules in your monofilament leader. Since denser material sinks more quickly than less dense material, fluorocarbon might be a good option of rigging a nymph while monofilament might be better suited for drifting a dry

• Strength vs. Stretch – denser fluorocarbon wins the “pound for pound” strength test vs monofilament, both in shear holding strength as well as abrasion resistance. However, monofilament allows for more stretch when under tension, an advantage when tippet protection is important

• Workability - the downside to density is stiffness, which translated to memory in the case of leaders and tippets. Flourocarbon leaders may need more convincing to straighten than mono leaders as they come out of the package and may feel less friendly when tying knots.

• Cost – generally monofilament costs less than fluorocarbon, though the price gap is less substantial than it was when fluorocarbon leaders were first introduced

The choice is yours and you can select either one of Region's styles of Tippet or Leader that fits your style.