Over the years, I’ve used fluorocarbon as leader for my live bait rigs, and as the material I use to tie damashi/sabiki rigs. I’ve used Seaguar Premier, Seaguar Blue Label, Seaguar Invizx main line and Seaguar Inshore main line. Also used Sufix Invisiline and the new Promar Ahi GT4 leader. There are many other brands of fluorocarbon out there that I haven’t tried but these are my impressions of the fore mentioned.
Fluorocarbon is stiffer, and has less stretch than monofilament, and is less visible to fish because it doesn’t distort light that passes through it, while under water. Line companies sell leader material and castable main line made out of fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon leader is stiffer, thicker and more abrasion resistant than the castable fluorocarbon main line, and costs more because more material that makes fluorocarbon fluorocarbon is required.
Seaguar
Seaguar makes the best fluorocarbon leader and line we can buy domestically. The parent company is actually Japanese, called Kureha, and the products are made in Japan to exacting standards. With fluorocarbon, thinner diameter is better and that’s what sets Seaguar apart from the rest. The Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and main line is thinner and more supple than the competition, and also more expensive. For the sake of thickness comparison, I’ll use 20lb test specs.
Seaguar Premier leader – 20lb .015 inch diameter, $0.68 per yd (Amazon). This is Seaguar’s 2nd best leader, after their Gold Label. I haven’t tried Gold Label because Premier was excellent and less expensive. It’s thin, supple, has low memory and is strong for its diameter. Very pricey. Good when the fish are line shy.
Seaguar Blue Label leader – 20lb .016 inch diameter. $0.50 per yd (Amazon). This is most commonly used fluorocarbon leader form Seaguar. It’s thicker than Premier and stronger and more abrasion resistant. Less pricey than Premier and recommended for offshore fishing.
Seaguar Inshore line – 20lb .016 inch diameter. $0.17 per yd (Amazon). It’s more supple than the same diameter Blue Label leader, and has less abrasion resistance. It’s quite a bit cheaper than Blue Label because it’s not leader line.
Seaguar Invizix line – 20lb .016 inch diameter. $0.13 per yd (Amazon). This line is meant for use in bait casting reels and fresh water. Even cheaper than Inshore line.
Sufix
Sufix Invisiline Leader – 20lb .017 inch diameter. $0.45 per yd. I’ve used this leader for my live bait leader and my damashi rigs. It’s very stiff and requires care when tying dropper loops but is incredibly abrasion resistant. I was mainly using it because we’re a Sufix dealer but now use the more supple options for damashi rigs.
Promar Ahi
GT4 leader – 20lb .017 inch diameter. $0.41 per yd. Same diameter as Sufix Invisiline but more supple and knots are easier to tie. More similar to Seaguar Inshore in suppleness but may be more abrasion resistant. Just started using it in my damashi rigs and like it for the knot tying ease and lower cost.
My Recommendations
For offshore or shore fishing around rocks, go with fluorocarbon leader and not fluorocarbon line, since you want the utmost abrasion resistance. If you can afford it, go with Seaguar Premier if you need stealth, or Seaguar Blue Label if you want an all-around excellent leader. If you want to save a bit of money, try the new Promar Ahi GT4 leader. If you want a really strong, abrasion resistant leader, go with the Sufix Invisiline.
For lighter applications like whipping inshore, the Seaguar Inshore line is a great, inexpensive option. I’ll keep using it for my damashi rigs until I notice that it breaks off easier than the competition.
Great review, Scott. I use Seaguar Premiere for saltwater fly fishing on the flats, although many of my friends use Blue Label and seem to have similar success. Have you heard of Palomar leaders? A friend swears by them, and claims the diameter is half that of other manufacturers. Their website doesn’t have much information on their technology.
Hey Jason,
I haven’t heard of Palomar leaders and will look into that. After trying the different leaders and line, and tying knots with all, I do have to say Seaguar Premier is the most supple, is the easiest to tie and presents a lure the best. If I can find that on sale, I’m definitely buying it.
For fly fishing, do you want your leader supple or stiff?
-scott
Hey Scott.. depends on the application, but generally, fly leaders are tapered, think of a whip. you can buy the factory tapered kine (extruded in one continuous piece) or make your own by splicing sections of mono in varying thickness together. Guys usually like a stiffer mono for the butt section that attaches to the fly line, sometimes the midsections as well depending on how long the leader is or how heavy a fly you want to turnover. density is important for sink rate, usually for saltwater you prefer something that sinks faster. in freshwater, it depends on if you’re fishing dry or wet flies. this is why dry fly fisherman usually prefer mono to fluoro.
Ah, being tapered, with the butt section being stiffer, and the tip attached to the fly being thinnest, makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the explanation!
I been using J-fluro for long time now and IMO it’s the best. Kind of pricey but insanely abrasion resistant and fully invisible in the water.
Thanks for the feedback Kellen. I haven’t tried Daiwa’s J-Fluoro before so I did a quick internet search and found this on charkbait.com. Sounds like a good fluorocarbon product at a great price point and thin diameter:
25 yards of Seaguar Premier 60# will set you back about $32. Daiwa is offering 50 yards for $22.99 (double the quantity at a savings of $11).
We did some testing over the past couple weeks, the line offers excellent diameters, a good hard finish for abrasion resistance, with break strength within reason. Compared to AFW, Sunline, Yo-Zuri and Seaguar’s Blue Label FL products we are seeing a slight drop in actual breaking test for Daiwa’s FL line. For example, using 40# as a reference, Daiwa’s J-Fluoro scored 37 lbs with a full 5 inches of stretch prior to breaking. AFW averaged 42 lbs with 4.5″ stretch, Yo-Zuri TopKnot came in at 44 lbs with a 4.25″ stretch. Daiwa’s diameters are smaller, in some instances substantially thinner than other suppliers tested. This is a major point, similar to comparing Seaguar’s Premier verses their Blue Label product. The skinnier lines tend to break earlier – as one would suspect. We will do more testing, more sampling of spools, and then publish all our findings. Preliminary testing suggests Daiwa’s line will test slightly under spec, but also offer greater stretch than other manufacturers. So, there are some particular applications where this may be a line of preferred use.
This is a 100% Fluorocarbon product, Japanese made quality, it will do what Fluorocarbon is supposed to do, be less visible in the water, and it will do so at a very aggressive cost. Now, Daiwa makes a lot of things, however this line is being produced by another manufacturer, no doubt. I’ll lay odds that Sunline is making this product, has some similar characteristics to what we’ve stocked from them. (Sunline’s primary business in the US market is that of an OEM producer, making lines for other firms to stamp their name on). Sunline makes a great product, as many of you well know. Daiwa’s FL line will be a wonderful addition to their range of products, and a welcome relief to anglers given the quality and cost calculation.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I do enjoy what Daiwa is doing – quality products at affordable prices, probably why I look to them for my lighter gear