Who chooses not to use tungsten and fluoro?

Not saying anyone is wrong or trying to start an argument. I am honestly curious to hear from those that have tried each and did not see the advantages.
Personally I thought tungsten as overhyped and I held out longer than I should. Now I cannot imagine not using it. On the fluoro I have proven it to myself too many times that it suits me better. I shallow crank with fluoro and a while back I grabbed wrong spool and put mono on a setup. Fast forward to a week or so later and I forgot about it and threw that setup in the boat. Grabbed it out of the locker and was chunking a squarebill. Kept feeling a ton of line stretch on hangups and bites. Felt less connected to the bait as well. Looked at the combo number and realized it was mono. I hated it. Sort of my own blind testing but it really opened my eyes a bit.

Fluoro costs more but I find it lasts longer and I need to respool less. Tungsten costs more but I hang up less and lose less weights. Its almost a wash. So many good economy fluoros and these days you can tungsten fairly cheap. I have no plans of going back to all mono and lead.

I use them both but not much.

Flouro for light line and tungsten is for night fishing.

I do use Pline copolymer because its overall characteristics.



I do have some flouro for offshore fishing but I have not been enough to have an opinion on that.

I still use mono on all my top water and cranks(sq bill-6xd). I have come to prefer the stretch mono gives on cranks, but then again I have never thrown light fluoro with a sq. bill. I also prefer the mono due to the lack of memory and how cheap Big Game is which makes retying with any bad patch of line easy on the pocket book.

On my 8-10xd I am using 15lb fluro. I also use tungsten/fluoro combo on tx rigs. Shakey heads and Jigs I am still using lead weighted versions with fluoro.

When throwing a drop shot I stick with the lead weights because I think the braid gives enough feel to get away with a lead weight!

Years ago myself and a friend were dragging Carolina rigs up at Hurley's pool. I was using a 1 oz. tungsten weight with a plastic bead and he was using lead with a glass bead. Hooks, baits and leader length were the same. I caught 5 fish for every fish he caught. Offered him the tungsten but he said that couldn't be it. After all, he's a pro and I'm a hack. Did it to him again the next day. He fishes nothing but tungsten now

Mark, I use fluoro on most of my set ups. I still use mono for topwaters and floating jerk baits. Also use it on deep cranks for stretch on occasion. I use braid for frogs and rattletraps over grass (been a long time for that app) and exclusively at Camelot Bell. Other than those few applications, I use nothing but fluoro.

I don't get to fish near as often as I would like. I have switched to all fluoro except for topwater and a heavy flipping stick both on braid. As for tungsten its past my cash limit just for weights. And I have found my confidence in black painted lead weights (picasso brand I believe.) As for shaky heads its the 4pk of lead big bite brand. I tried tungsten once and it wasn't my thing.

I love floro. I have it or braid on all of my rigs anymore. I don't even use mono anymore. I used to keep on rigged for top water but I end up using braid or 12# floro.

I really like the invisix and abrasix. I use 17# a lot but #15 on cranks, #20-25 on deep water jigs or worms.

One caveat. I only use tungsten weights with a polished bore. Tungsten weights with or without inserts are junk, imo.

Fluoro makes a huge difference with weightless flukes and worms; much better bite detection and hookset. Only use mono now on a few suspending jerkbaits---some suspend just right on mono, but sink on fluoro/float on mean green.

I'm slowly transitioning to tungsten. It's on all my pegged Trigs for flipping--The smaller size (higher density) of tungsten makes it easier to slip through cover and I feel more confident that the fish won't spit it out as quickly. Still have some lead on Crigs, but transitioning to tungsten there. For cost savings, I'll still use lead for split shot through the tops of vegetation and drop shot.

I use mono on topwater except frogs then flouro for everything else. I got a buddy that only uses mono and braid and I out do him most all the time and with same baits. I rarely have to respool and also get hung up less with tungsten.

$ is why

I definitely love the tungsten. I prefer the smaller profile. As far as flouro I use it on my finesse and super light weight applications. I still do not like it but it is the best line for the the job when drop shotting or weightless rigs. Flouro has been proven to stretch as much or more(depending on brand)than a copolymer so no real benefit there. I dont see the need to have a line that sinks when you are putting 1/2-1oz lures on. Any line will sink with that. IMO flouro just does not have the benefits that marketing tells you it has but like I said before, there are applications I use where I think it is the better line.

I can see why people use only fluoro, etc. I realize the advantages and have experimented.
I use only tungsten but I also use either mono or braid 90 percent of the time.
I just don't fish the applications that fluoro shines very much. I agree about the polished bore tungsten Fouz said above.
I like a solid knot and a little more stretch for my way of fishing. I don't like line failure at ALL if possible.
I guess if I fished deeper or light line stuff more then I would use more fluoro.
Just me I guess.
I often wonder why people on this forum swear by certain things and honestly I cannot for the life of me understand- but there are many ways to get the job done- part of why fishing is so fun.

tungsten costs too much for me,..the only tungsten I use are the nails, and thats because of
the size is easier to use when I put it in a worm or fluke.
I've also gone to braid on most my reels, with leaders or just straight braid, much cheaper in the long run, same amount of fish ...
recently I've become a big fan of the hi-vis yellow braid and actually using a black braid leader. the hi vis braid is easier to know where
i'm fishing especially in the winds we been having, and I see a lot more bites watching the line go slack that I used to miss, not all fish run away from you..
so far so good...

I fish shallow if I can help it and use mostly 15-20lb line. I prefer fluoro for all pitching and flipping, swimjigs, medium and lipless cranks, squarebills, weightless plastics, finesse stuff, and spinnerbaits. I prefer mono on topwaters and deep divers. I use braid on frogs, punching, and bladed jigs.

I won't use anything but tungsten now. They're so sensitive and I prefer the smaller profile.

Fluoro I hate. I think if more people would start using co-poly line fluoro would disappear from the market.

Switching to Suffix mono enabled me not to use Fluro, or basically 2 different set ups.
I use 14# & 20# Suffix Seige and really likes the way it works the baits.
Although I have a bunch of tungsten I don't use it much anymore. Just don't see an advantage.

Ever since my buddy schooled me on Belton with flouro while I was using mono dragging a football jig it is my go to for worm fishing or anything that is a bottom bait. I couldn't believe the huge difference it makes. Same with tungsten. I can't stand using a giant lead weight compared to small and much harder tungsten.

That would be me, to some extent. When I can get tungsten, I buy it, but I use more lead on my soft plastics than anything. I have had a surplus of it for over 20 years, so I keep using it.

Flouro to me seems like a "dead" line and not alive. I have spooled 3 set ups with it and just cannot get over the fact that it still feels dead and not alive with it. I do use McCoys Mean Green for most of my applications and have one C-rig spooled with mono and 2 C-rigs spooled with fluoro, so I still use it but not much C-rigging going on at Lake Alan Henry. I still prefer McCoys over almost any other line on the market and have had it for over 15 years. Good stuff and Strong as all get out, abrasion resistant as all get out and almost no memory to it. I have straightened out #4 hooks on 15# test. With 20# test, I can pull the boat along to wherever I am tuck at and retrieve it then. It has a slightly less diameter than mono, so it helps my CBs get deeper as well, even though it is made with Silicone. Hope this helps.

Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

Every line type has pluses and minuses. As do weights (costs? ). That said, I never use mono and never use lead weights. I like the stiffness of flourocarbon and braid, and I like the compact size per ounce of tungsten. Also, tungsten seems to make Texas rigged plastic bites a little more pronounced.

Tungsten is a world of difference in feel. Power pro slick 8 braid and red label fluoro by seaguar is preferred. I still have mono that I am using up

I have used tungsten ever since it came out. I tried with inserts, without inserts and now I use the polished bore no insert weights. I melted and made crappie jigs out of all my lead weights. As for line I use braid fishing frogs. I still use a lot of mono Suffix mostly and in flouro its 100% Trilene or Suffix invisix. I still have trouble with flouro breaking at the knot every now and then. Those that don't use
tungsten because of price should just check around to find the best price you can and buy a bunch, then fish them exclusively. You will be able to tell the difference then.

Johnny

I use 25 lb big game green site fishing with tungsten weight.
I use 12-20 lb big game for 15 ft or less water. I like mono for squarebills especially.
I use fluoro for long line long casts or deep water where I need to get the bait deep and smaller diameter sinking line helps. For long line stuff the sensitivity helps.
Other than that the negatives of Fluor are worse for my style of fishing.
I use braid for big bed fish in log jams and for Camelot Bell or pitching dirty water logs/brush.
Just my way, many others like above I'm sure work fine too.

I definitely think Tungten and fluoro are both worth the extra money. If I had to give up one, I'd give up tungsten before I gave up fluoro.

Use both and would never swith back. However, I don't feel that floro last longer than mono like you mentioned. Maybe it's brand differences, but the floro I use definitely doesn't last as long as the mono I use.

I guess I'm just a dinosaur. I still use Pb slip sinkers because I still have dozens of them. I've never even tried tungsten weights, although I'm sure I eventually shall. Personally, I detest fluoro line. I use braid for frogs, braid with leader for finesse rigs with spinning tackle, and mono for most everything else. Works for me.

I use tungsten 100% unless I'm on a lake with zeebs, then I switch to lead. Belton is infested with zeebs and you'll lose your entire stock of tungstens in a day if you fish hard, lol. Zeebs will make you switch to braid too, it cuts flouro like butter. I've started using braid more too now, I hate doing it because you sacrifice bites but at least you catch the ones that do bite. Any lake without the zeebs though I'm flouro and tungsten all the way.

I've seen too many times where flouro will get more bites in clear water than braid or mono/copoly.

I fish mono and braid with no leader. Mono for finesse and spinnerbaits and chatter baits. Same for top water presentations that don't include frogs. I don't fish a lot of cranks, but I use mono for those, too. All same combo. My other combo is 30 lb straight braid and I use it for Texas rigs, frogs and jigs.

I've tried tungsten a little bit but only use them when I'm fishing a tournament (Bassgrabbers bank fishing tournaments) and I don't have much of an opinion on them. It's only been two or three times.

I've never tried flouro and I don't see the need to with where my current fishing level is, but I won't say I'll never try it.

That's cute

What brands do you prefer for your tungsten?

I use Tungsten but I hate fluoro !

I am with Nutman on the Sufix. I do have Floro on my spinning rod but love me some Sufix.
I do a lot of night fishing in the summer and perfer tungsten because you feel more of what you are coming in contact with. The smaller size helps me prevent snagging as well.

Call me old school, I have tried both and keep coming back to P-line CXX and lead weights. To me, any benefit of Floro is not worth the high cost and other issues. Tungsten is better than lead but I still cannot justify the cost. To each their own!

Lead, glass, brass clacker and mono is all you need.

Your "flourocarbon breaking at the knot" is caused by using tungsten without inserts. The tungsten is so hard it is damaging the flourocarbon knot every time it bounces against it.

I buy the non insert tungsten and then I use heat shrink tubing pulled through the weight. Solved the problem and saves money.

Steez I am aware of what you are talking about however to stop that I always pull whatever plastic I am
fishing with up over the knot. That way the weight doesn't hit the knot.

Johnny

Tungsten is pure awesome if it was cheaper I would own zero lead. Smaller size is what I like more than anything. Fluoro has it's place on a couple of rods but I could live without it way over hyped.

I tried tungsten, saw no benefit and never bought any more. T-rig is one of my favorite ways to fish and I don't feel like I'm sacrificing anything by sticking with lead weights.

As for flouro, I'm 50/50 on it. I do think the lack of stretch compared to mono increases sensitivity on bottom baits like jigs and t-rigs. But I don't like the fact that it sinks and makes slow-rolling baits more difficult in shallow water. When I first went to flouro, I used it on everything but my cranking rod. Now I only use it on my jig rod and t-rig rod. I use big game mono on almost everything else. Much more cost-effective.

haven't tried tungsten cause of the cost... Need to find some cheap

I don't know if I even have any lead weights, well maybe some 1/2 to 1 ounce for C rig.

I've tried flouro several times now and just don't get it. I have lost to many fish and lures because of line breakage. I re-tie often, wet my knots and have tried several recommended knots. Even bought some Invisex that everyone recommended and it wasn't any better. The last time I made a cast and watched my lure go flying across the lake without any line attached to it, I decided that was enough and went back to mono. I know flouro has many good advantages as a lot of pro's are making their living with it. I do like the sensitivity of flouro but it just seems to brittle. Can't see the added expense of tungsten when lead still sinks pretty darn good.

Just curious why tungsten would catch more fish than lead?

Without tungsten and flouro in my life, I would not be a fulfilled fisherman.

Good question. I use a lot of mono still. Braid only on frogs & main line for C-rigg. I keep trying to like fluro. I certainly find it more sensitive than mono but with that comes some "brittleness" and unmanageability. I use InvisiX. Still using lots of mono though. I am of the belief that if I invented monofilament today I would be rich. I would have the "next greatest thing". Limited memory, relatively cheap, very manageable, low visibility...

As for brittleness I have never found FC to be more brittle than mono. My experience is the exact opposite. Its stout and holds up well. Only FC that I had issues with breakage as Berkley Vanish.

I still use a lot of lead and copolymer, no probs catching fish here.

What knot do you tie with FC? That's been a learning experience for me. Guide told me to tie a double san diego jam knot. I did for awhile with no issues and switched to palomar just for speed and started breaking fish off. Switched back and never had another problem. FC seems especially susceptible to breaking with small knots that bend the line a lot.

i am convinced that tungsten works better ,although not sure why. i still use big game for most bass fishing situations,just dont get that much advantage with the flouro.i do change line real often mostly because of finesse fishing ten pound line.i lina rigged this spring with tungsten5/16 on12 pound main with 10 pound leader.caught lots of 6 and 7 pounders.just have to re-tie after a decent fish,i just seem to get a lot more bites with this setup!

I have fished side by side in the same boat with people using fluoro and tungsten and if I have ever had my butt handed to me by them I certainly don't remember it. Untill that happens I will keep using what I am tuned in with which is mono and lead.

By no means am I trying to "start something". Have you tried using a Snell knot? It would allow a few benefits to be realized by your type of weights. One, it's VERY strong knot for flourocarbon. Two, it shelters the knot from unlined tungsten. Third, it still allows the "clicks" and "thumps" from the tungsten hitting the hook eye and not the knot. It would allow you to no have to hide your knot under the head of the plastic. That would make the plastic last a little longer too.

Just observations from years of using the same kinda stuff you use.

and you probably will not see a huge difference. But, when it counts, use flourocarbon and tungsten. Over the course of a fishing day with you and friends, you are likely not gonna see a huge difference. Over the course of a season of fishing tournaments , the 5 or 6 percent increase in catch ratio vs stretchy mono and lead weights can mean something significant.

Again. Like you said... 21 fish a day vs 20.... Not a big deal at all when fun fishing. If tournament fishing? That one fish might cull and move you up, or into, the money. Making the little extra money spent a non issue.

I concur

Here's another question. If not tungsten for the cost why not brass and glass etc?

Before tungsten came onto the screen brass was the way to go and most stopped using lead.

It has better feel than lead, and makes a lot of noise with a bead or a clacker.

If I stopped using tungsten today I would go back to brass before lead ??


On the flouro deal, when I first tried it I had all kinds of problems and went back to mono.
The. Decided to try it again. Definitely better , but you have to be careful with your knots and retying more than mono.

I haven't had a line related issue that wasnt my fault in forever now.

I am a complete fluoro junky. I loved it immediately and agree with Mark, when it comes to bottom baits and setting the hook, I cannot go without it. The way it handles, the feel and hook sets just feel better and you get a more solid hook set than you do with mono from my experiences. I can crank with mono and use mostly co-poly to crank. I save some cash on winding baits with co-poly and while I have cranked with fluoro and like it, I have not gotten to the point where I can't use mono. Give it time, I am sure I will get there.

I like tungsten, I like the way it looks and downsizes your overall look of a bait, feel and better bottom contact. For punching you have to use it and I have gotten into using heavy weights in sparce cover to experiment with provoking strikes and have had good results with that also. I will use lead around rock and rip rap simply beacause in those places you are going to hang up and there is no reason in my mind to throw the stuff away. I will also use some lead when flippin' just to change up the presentation and on tough bites I experiment with lead because it is quieter when it hits the bottom and if I am not getting bites I try lead to see if the tungsten is too loud and aggressive on that day. Other than that, I like tungsten and use it a lot. I don't believe that tungsten is as transformative to my fishing as fluorocarbon however. I still catch fish just fine with lead and it has not really changed the way I fish. That's sort of knit picking for the sake of conversation, but I do think the fluoro is more of a (brace yourself) "game changer" than tungsten.

They've been using and catching fish on lead for thousands of years so I don't see what the big deal is on tungsten besides the fact that you pay $9 for 1 or 2 weights when you can get a 25 pk of lead for that price. And flouro line has to be the weakest stuff I have ever tried to use. I used it for a little while and you can bet if I got hung up, then it was gonna break, and it wouldn't break at the knot but on the line. I use braid and mono and don't ever have to worry about breaking off

Love the size and feel of tungsten.
I use mono on top waters, c rig leaders and suspending jerk baits.
Braid for frogs
My go to is still the split shot fluke rig with 12# Invizex

I was almost talked into giving tunsten a try until I saw the price. I'll stick to lead or brass.

I use flouro for everything except frogs and topwater. I use mono for topwater and braid for frogs. I use tungsten 100%, I like how sensitive it is and the paint doesn't chip near as bad.

For worm fishing, I can't live without it!

It's worth the price.

Double San Diego is the only knot I tie on Flouro.

Fluoro IS more brittle than mono by nature, that's also why it transmits vibration better. But it is much more brittle than mono of the same diameter. You can't 'break' mono line just by doubling it over on itself like you can with fluoro.

You go boy, I think I may go back to lead and mono, can't believe i been using that junk.

Tungsten heck no.... I don't make enough money to buy that stuff. Fluoro I'll keep on a reel or 2

If you are breaking 20lb fluoro over your hand then you are using some really bad stuff. I am lost as to how something more dense can be more brittle. The reason you are not breaking the mono is because it stretches more.

Exactly why fluoro breaks it doesn't rebound like mono. Fluoro does strech but it doesn't rebound it just stays thinner, when it bends it gets stretched and weaker. Grab a piece of solid strand wire and bend it in a v then try and straighten it, not pretty.

When I get hung up with 12 lb Invisx Flourocarbon. I can usually pull the boat to the hang up with the line. Haha. It doesn't break for no reason. Never for me. In fact, I have to lock down the drag on my reels and wrap the line around the handle a few times to break the stuff. If I KNOW FOR FACT that I'm hung and it isn't EVER gonna come out with normal tricks or a lure retriever, I simply get out the clippers and cut it. I use a doubled up improved clinch knot. That way there is actually four passes of the flourocarbon through the hook eye. It is a knot that is about 90-95% of the line strength for me. I actually have more break offs fishing braid. I figure it's because I will purposely avoid really nasty stuff with flourocarbon and throw caution to the wind with braid. Haha. I cast braid into and over barbed wire fences, tree lay downs, sharp jagged shell/rock bottom. Haha. I deserve a break off with braid. Lol. Biggest problem with flourocarbon for me is it stains easily when fishing slimy nasty colored water.

this is a "question", not a comment .....
do they make a tungsten split shot ?

After a fishing trip one day I was convinced about tungsten. Me and a buddy were at my house cleaning out the boat, and I asked why he spends so much in tungsten. He said let's find out. So he had me tie on a lead sinker and drag it up my driveway, then I tied on one of his old tungsten weights and I dragged that up the driveway. The difference in feel was night and day, tungsten felt like it was amplifying every little groove in the driveway, to where the lead just felt dead. Since that day I haven't used lead at all.

Mono for topwater, flourocarbon for everything else. Tungsten for all weights above 5/16 due to the size.

I tried flouro and it is more sensitive but it breaks way too often for me. Went back to 15-20lb big game and haven't looked back. I do use tungsten weights.