If you want to have the best experience when euro nymphing, it’s time to make the switch to fluorocarbon. I know, you see it at the fly shop and gasp at the price. It’s worse than pumping gas when you’re filling up to go on a fishing trip.
Relax. It’s going to be okay. The purpose of this post is to help you answer two essential questions:
- Why is fluorocarbon superior to nylon for nymphing?
- How can I make the switch to fluorocarbon affordable?
Why is Fluorocarbon Superior for Nymphing?
Durability
Fluorocarbon is more durable than nylon. I didn’t say it’s stronger. It’s just more durable. I fished with nylon for a long time because I simply couldn’t bring myself to spend the money on fluorocarbon. When I finally decided to splurge on a spool of TroutHunter fluorocarbon, I honestly didn’t notice a huge difference at first. When that spool ran out, I went back to nylon, believing that I had wasted my money. That’s when I noticed the difference.
The nylon tippet tended to stretch and get knicks in it after nymphing for long periods with a tandem rig. After a while, the nylon tippet just seemed to get worn out. When running my fingers down the length of the nylon tippet, I could feel rough spots. This would cause me to refresh my tippet with a new piece of nylon. On a day in which I was primarily nymphing, I spent a lot of time re-rigging.
Feel
I can’t scientifically prove this, but in my experience, fluorocarbon provides a better feel. I don’t know how to explain it other than saying that fluorocarbon is just more sturdy than nylon. I never have to refresh my tippet when I’m using fluorocarbon. It is a denser material and does not stretch as much as nylon. As a result, fluorocarbon provides me with a truer connection to my nymphs. This is critical when euro nymphing or any subsurface fishing that requires you to maintain a tight line. Maybe this is all just mental, but just like the nymphs you choose, you want to have confidence in what you are doing. I simply have more confidence in my nymphing system when I’m using fluorocarbon.
Sink Rate/Lower Visibility
Fluorocarbon has a better sink rate than nylon. I notice this more when using a finer tippet (6X and smaller) and lighter flies. It’s especially apparent when fising a small nymph off of a dry dropper rig. I’ll take every little advantage I can get when nymphing. Fluorocarbon is also less visible to fish than nylon. (I don’t believe it’s invisible as some companies claim). This is not a huge concern for me because I generally don’t find trout to be leader shy when fishing subsurface.
How Can I Make the Switch Affordable?
Trout Hunter Fluorocarbon
There is no doubt in my mind that TroutHunter Fluorocarbon is the absolute best tippet material on the market if you are serious about euro nymphing or tight line nymphing. That being said, it is expensive. If money is not a factor, then my advice would be to stock up on spools of TroutHunter Fluorocarbon in a variety of diameters. I especially love how they make it in half sizes too (5.5X, 6.5X, etc.)
If you are going that route, let me give you some sage advice. Invest the money in the TroutHunter Stash Tippet Holder. It’s designed to hold the Trout Hunter spools that have a large hole in the middle. They will fall off a regular T-shaped tippet spool holder. I found this out the hard way last year. When I got back to my truck, I discovered that I had lost six spools of Trout Hunter. I was sick to my stomach for two reasons. One, I was out about $150. Two, I was planning on fishing the next day and had no tippet material. Thank goodness there was a Wal-Mart in town, and I was able to get a cheap spool of nylon tippet that got me through the day.
A More Affordable Option
After losing all of my Trout Hunter spools, I had to find a more affordable way to continue to use fluorocarbon. I didn’t want to sacrifice quality. So, I had to do a little research. That’s when I came across Seagur Fluorocarbon. It is not marketed for fly fishing, but it works just fine. I didn’t want to lug around a 200 yard spool of fluorocarbon with me. Luckily, I had some empty tippet spools laying around. So I used those to spool up the Seagur and started nymphing with it. I was really impressed!
Seaguar Red Label
I started with a spool of Seagur Red Label 4 pound test. When comparing its diameter to Trout Hunter, it is the same as TroutHunter 5X. I purchased a 200 yard spool of Red Label for about $15 on Amazon. Compare that to buying four 50 yard spools of TroutHunter at around $25 each, and you can see how this quickly becomes an affordable option.
Seaguar InvizX is a higher end product than the Red Label Series. However, the diameter of the InvizX 4-pound test is the same as Trout Hunter 4X. The InvizX 6-pound test is the same diameter as Trout Hunter 3X.
I checked the diameter of the Red Label 6 pound test and learned it’s equivalent to TroutHunter 4X. Since then, I have found I like the InvizX 6-pound test as a superior 4X option. So I ordered a 200 yard spool of 6 pound test and did the same thing. Since 4X and 5X are what I use to nymph most of the time, this worked great. Unfortunately, Seagur does not make anything lower than a 4 pound test. So, if you want 6X or 7X, you will have to buy TroutHunter or another fly shop brand. I didn’t mind that because I use those diameters a lot less. So I know those spools will last.
Comparing TroutHunter to Seagur
The chart shows why Seagur 4 pound and 6 pound test is your best option if you are looking to use it to replace TroutHunter. As you can see, you will sacrifice a little bit of breaking strength with Seagur. The diameter of the 4 pound Seagur is the same as the 5X TroutHunter, but you are giving up .9 lb. of breaking strength. To substitute 6 pound Seagur for 4X TroutHunter will give up 1.1 lb of breaking strength. I would hesitate to use Red Label Seagur 8 lb as a substitute for 3X because it has the same diameter as TroutHunter’s 2X. A better 3X substitute would be 6 pound Seagur Invizx, as it’s diameter is only .008″.
Making this Simple
To make this less confusing, here is what is on my tippet spools:
3X = IvizX 6-pound test
4X = InvizX 4-pound test
6X = Trout Hunter 6X
7X = If I have to use 7X, I go home.
Closing Thoughts
If you devote a lot of your time on the water to euro nymphing or any style of tight line nymphing, making the switch to fluorocarbon will give you an advantage. Fluorocarbon is more durable and will help you stay in touch with your weighted nymphs. Also, when fishing lighter tippet and flies, you notice a faster sink rate with fluorocarbon. TroutHunter is the better product, but Seagur makes it affordable to switch to fluorocarbon. When looking at the cost difference between the two, I am willing to sacrifice the slight loss in breaking strength in Seagur. To put the cost difference in perspective, TroutHunter costs roughly $0.50 per yard. So every time I change my tippet, it cost me about $2.00. Comparatively, Seagur is about $0.07 per yard, costing me about $0.28 to change my tippet.
Spend more time on the water.
Have a great day!
Jeff Smecker
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