I've been using Fluoro for about 3 years now and broken it on the hookset more often than all the 30+ years I've been fishing! I've read everything posted, blogged, and written on tying knots, tying the right kind of knots, rod guide cracks, and anything else I come across. Lot's of back and forth about knots and spit and other such discussion.

Many of you may have noticed how some guys break fluoro fairly regular and other guys never have a problem with it! On Saturday I had three rods with 20 lb. Fluoro on each, one jig, one creature, and one tube jig, two of them with Seaguar InvisX, and one with FC Super Sniper. I've used Berkley 100%, XPS, P-Line, and a bunch of other Fluoro line brands; I've broken all of them on the hookset.

With all that said, I was telling Grace about Saturday's tournament on Sunday and how I lost it with four broken lines on the hookset!!! We only ended up weighing two keepers. I was obviously still frustrated the next day.

Grace said, without pause, "It's your hookset!" "You set the hook like some kinda gorilla and you're not going to change that!" Suddenly, it was like a light came on for me. There are so many guys who complain, like me about Fluoro breaking, 90% of the time on the hookset. This makes sense to me. We all have our technique and have been doing this for so long it's a lot of muscle memory and reaction time. Some guys just shouldn't fish Fluoro because they're technique and Fluoro don't mix!

While I love the characteristics of Fluoro, it has cost me way to many fish over the years because I break it. Just a tiny knick or scrap in the line and the line 'tears' easily. As long as the line is 100% sound throughout it's length it is super strong but any defect coupled with a heavy handed hookset and you're looking at snappage!!!

When your Fluoro breaks because of a bad knot it normally will have a 'curly que' at the end, when it breaks from being hung up and you pull until it snaps it has a 'frazzled' end, but when it breaks on a hookset because of a knick or tear, it has a smooth uniform end. It usually is within the first two or three feet from the bait, sometimes up the line but it is caused by the sudden impact.

I think I'm going to end up using it much more sparingly for specific circumstances and start using heavy mono more for close in flipping and pitching. All of this is just my experience over several years of doing the samething with the same results on too many occasions.

I just have to be conscious of the fact that I am using fluoro and have a short length of line out, and take it easy on the hookset.

I'm not going to stop using it

My partner snaps it a lot. He still thinks you have you tip the boat or break the seat base when you set the hook. I suggested he go back to P line so there wi be some stretch.
I very seldom break it but I used braid for so long I had to get used to not setting too hard and yanking the hook out.

It's not because of your hook set its your knots or lack of retying when necessary

I bend trokar flipping hooks with flouro and don't break on hooks set.

I have broken more rods using fluorocarbon than it breaking unintentionally. I love it but if it is old, kinked, or roughed up. It's going to break. That's the down side.

I use 25# XPS in heavy cove; even in clear water lakes. I have never broke it and sometimes cannot break it when I need to.

If you are using a tungsten weight without an insert it will also cause it to break.

I probably dont set the hook as hard as you, but i use invizx and a sandiego jam knot and have had great success with that combo. every other know broke for me. i would suggest 25lb for flip pitch though. the jam knot is just a reverse improved cinch knot. the knot is on top and slides down versus the knot staying agianst the hook eye when you tighten it down. seems easier to cinch the knot up without messing the line up to me. just my 2 cents hope you have better luck in the future my friend!

Do you tie the Palomar? If so it is your knot. I used to have the same issue. Fluorocarbon weakens when it tightens itself to much. Youtube Shaw Grigsby fluorocarbon knot. I don't remember what the knot is called (if anything), but I can tell you I do not break my knot anymore. it keeps the fluorocarbon from cinching down on itself to much.

I use the San Diego jam
with fluorocarbon and sometimes
gotta start the big motor to break
the knot when hung up.

I use a lot of 15-20lb fluoro. The 3-4 times it broke on hoosket were due to my failure to retie or a damaged eyelet. Makes no difference in the overall scheme of things who uses it or not but for me its proven itself a hundred fold.

Fluorocarbon is a PTFE (Teflon) material. The misconception is that it doesn't stretch as much as monofilament. This is only partially true.

1. It sees plastic strain (permanent stretch) far before its ultimate break strength. So, after it stretches once, it kind of stays that way afterwards. This helps make it feel like it has less stretch, because after it has yielded, it doesn't move very much when loaded up again.
2. It is more dense and rigid than mono, transmitting vibrations much better. Braid is not dense or rigid, thus slack braid makes bites almost imperceptible. The line must be tight to really feel anything with braid.

Having said that, PTFE is not nearly as flexible as mono. When you set the hook on a weightless worm rig, where you might create a small loop in the loose spool and where the line was pulled tight, casting that rig again might create a mild bird's nest that clears, but slaps the loop against the spool as it rotates. This heats that section up, and it is now compromised. That section will fail, and typically on a hook set, or even a cast. Bird's nests that kink the line will also create a similar situation where a sharp bend compromises the line's integrity. It will fail there as well. In either case, it really only takes one event to create the problem. This is the reason I don't use fluorocarbon at all anymore. Loved the sensitivity and sometimes the sinking as well, but mono for me on all but a couple specific applications where I will use braid.

upgrade to 25# test or experiment with the San Diego jam knot. I have no problems with fluorocarbon except when I fail to retie

Kind of like Mark said--end of the day, it makes no difference to me what you use. It's obvious you've put a lot of thought and time on the water research into it, so if you've arrived at a decision for yourself, go with it. That being said, I was at the same point 1 year ago. If was breaking fluoro on the hook set way too often. I was tying Palomar knots, and even though other guys weren't breaking off on fluoro and palomar, I was. It really bothered me, and I was putting as much thought into it as it appears you have.

I made 2 changes: 1) I almost exclusively tie a San Diego Jam knot, and 2) I make a very concerted effort to avoid "popping" the line on the hook set. Since making these changes just over a year ago, I cannot recall breaking off on a hook set. Other guys may be able to get away with tying Palomar knots with fluoro, but it wasn't working for me. I only tie Palomar on drop shot now, and I never "set the hook" on drop shot anyway.

this is why fluoro sucks. The only time in my life where I had an issue with breaking line on hooksets was when using fluoro, and it wasn't just one brand. It's because the [censored] is brittle, that's how it's able to transfer more vibration. I switched to P Line copoly and haven't llooked back once.