Fluorocarbon Monofilament

Fluorocarbon Monofilament is a totally different material from nylon and is know as PVDF in the chemical industry. It has fundamental differences from nylon monofilament.

Light Refraction

Initially, the most interesting advantage of fluorocarbon is its virtual invisibility in water due to its light refraction index of 1.39, which is almost the same as that of water (1.33). This has all the obvious advantage of being less detectable to the fish than normal mono, particularly in clearer waters. The light refraction ratio of nylon can be anything between 1.53 and 1.65. Fluorocarbon monofilament is made in exactly the same way as nylon monofilament but using a different raw material.

Strength To Diameter

The first fluorocarbons were realtively low in performance but have developed steadily over recent years so Fluorocarbon now offers high levels of linear breaking strains and knot strength approaching that of hi-tech nylonlines. The knot strength of fluorocarbon is generally a little poorer than nylon, however while the knot strength of nylon can drop by up to 15% once it is submerged in water over time, Flurocarbon does nt absorb water and the knot strength remains constant.

Hybrid products have been developed in XT7 and Power Carp where a hi tech nyklon has received a flurocarbon coating making it water resistant and therefore maintaining its knot stength permanently.

Sinking Characteristics

In most styles of fishing it is preferable for the line to sink, and to sink quickly. Fluorocarbon is over 75% heavier than water, with a specific gravity of 1.77. Nylon is only 15% heavier than water with a specific garvity of 1.15. This means that fluorocarbon sinks three to four times more quickly than normal nylon. In the field tests showed that fluorocarbon took only 12.38 seconds to sink 45cm, while nylon takes 43.3 seconds to drop to the same level. This of course means that fluorocarbon takes you to the point in the water you want to be at much more quickly, which is very useful in many situations.

Abrasion Resistance/Durability

Fluorocarbon offers good abrasion resistance, being dense and very smooth. Fluorocarbon is a very stable product and is not affected in extreme temperature conditions. Fluorocarbon is also virtually unaffected by UV radiation and therefore will not deteriorate when exposed to direct sunlight.

Fluorocarbon is soft and supple and has a very low memory.