Copolymer line question

What exactly is is good for? Is it pretty much floating fluoro?

I like to use Copolymer for reaction baits, like vibrating jigs, spinnerbaits, or even lipless crankbaits. There are 2 main differences between Copolymer and Fluorocarbon: Copolymer has stretch to it and it floats, whereas Fluorocarbon does neither of those things.

Lots of different copolymers.

McCoy's Mean Green is silicone impregnated monofilament it floats
Silver Thread Line is made with polymerization of different nylon monomers it floats
Yo-Zuri Hybrid is molecularly bonded nylon (mono) and fluorocarbon it sinks slowly
PLine CX and CXX are monofilaments with fluorocarbon silicone coating it sinks slowly

I have been using McCoys Mean Green since 2000. I use it for EVERY application except C-rig (too stretchy for my taste). It has a GREAT strength rating, GREAT abrasion resistance and VERY LOW MEMORY!!!!!!!!!!!! GREAT all around line. I DO USE copolymer for my leader on my C0rig, however. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

YES, I DO use it for all CB applications, too.

Although this is an old article, this might help,course improvements have been made since it came out
and I have used Silver Thread for years both AN40 and Excalibur, and even their Fluorocarbon, never had a problem.
It does get hard to find at times, try it you might like it, I use it on all applications

http://www.kevinvandam.com/forums/viewthread/5422/

The copolymer lines I have used have way less stretch than any Fluorocarbon.

Unless you tie the line to a nail and back it off and stretch them, you will never know how much each line will stretch.

Example: I have stretched Big Game,InvisX,AbraisX,BPS Fluoro,CXX P-Line,Pro Plus.

At 75 yards all the Fluoro's will stretch 10-12 ft. Big Game about the same.

Copolymer 5-6 ft of stretch at 75 yards.

I have yet to see a Fluoro than does not stretch.

As a guide I get to try all the FREE line a Man can stand. I have not found any line better than Copolymer. IMO

To Each one has his own choice of line.

I've been using P-line CX Premium for several years. Very satisfied with it. It is a copolymer with an outer coating of fluorocarbon. Works well on bait casting and spinning reels. Good handling and low visibility.

Agree with Mark. I use Hi Seas Grand Slam Select & could not be happier. Plus at $8.00 for 300 yds, it's an even better value.

You are wrong...Fluorocarbon line does stretch.

P-Line CXX and McCoys Mean Green are two very good co-polymer lines to use. They are not quite as sensitive as Fluorocarbon but both work very well for anything that doesn't require the use of braid.

All lines stretch even braid. Never understood where the idea that flouro doesn't stretch comes from. The thing that seperates it from mono or copoly is it is a denser material which in turn increases feel (sensitivity) and the light refraction is near equal to water. Like Mark there are alot of guys that use copoly with good success. People also think that because mono, braid, and some copoly float they wont be good lines for fishing deep but that is not the case. The diameter of the line is what gets you your depth. Smaller diameter=deeper running bait. My personal liking is flouro for (feel fishing and very clear water)and copoly or mono for moving baits. Buy a spool and use it for your favorite technique and that should tell you if you think it's a good fit for your style as long as your favorite doesn't require braid.

Check out Izor line co-poly

I think Marc and others are pretty much spot on. What we read from manufacturers is one thing; how things work out "in the field" are often very different.

Tackle Tour did that study of fluorocarbon lines and I recall it surprised even the testers that the fluorocarbons they studied were, more or less, able to be stretched just like monofilaments.

But, there is a difference. Elasticity and plasticity are not the same thing. So, in that particular study, they found that traditional monofilaments could be stretched but then would retract to normal lengths . . . like a rubber band. Elastic.

For fluorocarbons, they could be stretched but didn't revert back to their pre-stretched lengths, at least not to the same degree. Plasticity, here, and more like a stick of chewing gum.

I need to review the study. One important aspect needs to be known. Did this study pull various lines to a max stretch, that is, to a break? I assume so, but do some lines, like different sized rubber bands, need more tensile force to reach their maximum stretch? If so, it could be that while both mono and fluoro lines are more or less equally stretchy (or what Marc has found), but did it take more force to do so with fluoro? If so, it would mean that for fish that aren't really yanking on the line very hard that fluoro would appear less elastic.

Brad

So you use copolymer as a sub for fluorocarbon?

I would not say copolymer is a sub for flouro. There is no reason to use flouro if you don't want. Mono and copolymer have their pros and cons just as flouro. It's up to you to decide what you choose as your main line. Truth is I think that a lot of fisherman use flouro because they think they are supposed to. I may even be a little guilty myself now that I think about but the fact is I was catching good fish on mono long before flouro was a thing using just about all the same techniques that are used today. I like the way Brad R described it. I will add a little to it and say that with flouro when stretched (because it does not have the rubberband effect) becomes weaker.

Just my opinion, but don't use McCoys. I had very poor experience with both 12lb & 15lb Mean Green. Very easily broken on hooksets and poor knot strength.

So copolymer has less or equal to stretch as fluorocarbon but floats?

Less stretch than Fluoro. Not sure any copolymer floats. May sink really slow. IMO

I tried McCoys once...that stuff breaks so easy. Pline CXX can't be broken you can jig fish with 12lb in heavy cover.

I might have to rethink my line. I was introduced to McCoys copolymer line about 10 years ago and it seems to have outperformed all other lines I have tried for the few moving baits that I use it for. I have put fluorocarbon on a couple of rods specifically for a couple of techniques and I am looking forward to seeing how this works for me.

^^^^^ Good luck with McCoys on hook-sets, from what I have been told they used to be very good, but my experience says otherwise lately. on multiple occasions on multiple spools it breaks easily.

P-line original line

I agree Marc. I use Izorline (co-polymer). Sinks very slowly. Use on 80% of my stuff.

I am sad that some of you have had bad luck with McCoys, I have had nothing but GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!! May have gotten a bad spool or 2, don't know. I am not sponsored by them, but I have used them since early 2000. I can tow a boat around (21') with my 20# test and with 2 BIG fishermen in the boat against a 5 MPH wind, so again, THAT IS WHY I USE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEVER has broken on a hook set, unless I didn't retie it after about 7 fish or so. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

And for Marc and the others, Mean Green does tend to float, because it is made with silicone as the coppolymer, but the smaller diameter of it makes up for that small feature on CBs.

tr

I use the Yo-Zuri co-polymer and couldn't be happier, just bought 3 more spools the other day just to have. It has a slow sink to it so works well for some finesse fishing as well as cranking and spinner baits. I will use it over flouro all day. It may just be a personal preference, but I like it!!

I think I fell into that "you're supposed to use fluorocarbon" line of thinking as well - but I never really liked it. I finally went to mono and co-polymer in situations that I did not want to use braid. I found some co-polymer from KastKing in a copper color that seems to completely disappear in stained water - at least to my human eyes. I'm not a fish, so maybe it sticks out to them, but I caught fish on it and it performed well. I didn't want to put out a bunch of money just to try it, so I chose this co-poly. I was happy with it and I've changed over about half of my mono to co-poly now.

What about flipping with copo? How is it around wood?

I can promise you P-Line CXX 20 lb can be used to flip. No problem.

Use braid to 17lb pline cxx leader for flipping timber. Love it
Pline cxx is very, very strong and has a large diameter so it doesn't get snagged or saw into wood.
17lb pline cxx easily has the strength of most 25lb fluoro (has about the same diameter also)

I'd use straight CXX if tournament fishing, but I really like the cost effectiveness of braid to leader set ups