Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in a glass aquarium at the Quarry Hill Nature Center in Rochester, Minnesota. Photo by Jonathunder taken March 13, 2010 – a commons image.
By Skip Clement
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]y friend who used to own a fly shop where my daughter lives never pushed any product on me – she respected that I write reviews, profiles and how to articles for a magazine I used to own. Last week I bumped into Chriss Smathers who is in the throes of restarting an ancillary travel business/fly shop online – all focused on women. When we were leaving the coffee shop, she handed me two spools of tippet line saying, try these and see what you think.
They were RIO’s Fluoroflex Plus Tippet that come on a 30-yard spools. I promised I’d give it a try and let her know what I think.
Well, I’m old school and a mono guy – fearing unrealistically that my knots will not hold and that any fish that bursts upon getting hooked will snap Fluoro.
A few days later getting ready to fish the new tippet, I said to Angie Roth, my oft time fishing partner, this stuff is really thin at 5X. Angie even asked if I were sure it was 5X. I gave her a packaged spool, and she said, “I guess so, but it looks too thin to me too.”
The tippet material accepted my knots without difficulty, first a Perfection Loop to the butt, and then a Non Slip Loop Knot (not IGFA rigged for the outing) to my version of a tube fly leech.
Game on
The Fluoro quickly disappeared, literally. Angie has eagle eyes (she claims) and could not see her Fluoro either.
The RIO’s Fluoroflex Plus did play a role in our casting. We both noticed softer landings and an allowance for slower deliveries in casting – both positive alterations.
I told Angie to abuse the strikes by copying bass tournament techniques – smack it hard, but keep in mind we were managing 5X (5lb) tippets. Where we were, a private farm pond, the fish is the largemouth bass up to 12-pounds, but most 4- to 6-pounds. We were both using the 5X version of Fluoroflex Plus Tippet.
Here’s a recent summary of data by The Fishing Shop, Welches, Oregon
This exceptional leader and tippet material are made from 100% fluorocarbon (PVDF). Fluoroflex Plus is the strongest, thinnest fluorocarbon on the market with an incredible strength; for example, 5 lb for 5x material. It is a slightly softer material than Fluoroflex and ties excellent knots. The refractive index (1.42) of Fluoroflex Plus in water (1.33) compared to nylon (1.62) makes it almost invisible to fish. Fluoroflex Plus, with a density of 1.72. (Compared to nylon of 1.15), sinks quicker and gets below the surface tension for more effective dry fly, nymph and wet fly fishing.”
Angie and I caught about a dozen bass in just under two hours, beating the rain by minutes. She had two double-digit basses and played them using the reel and rod pointed at the foe – she knows what she’s doing.
I kept checking our leaders, and although we’d each wrapped around bank flora or got hung up on in-water debris, the tippets both looked unmolested and the knots no sign of getting ready to fail.
Maybe the best part of the RIO Fluoroflex Plus Tippet is that it’s tough. Ours will get to play again – soon
- We both liked the RIO Fluoroflex Plus Tippet enough to each buy a couple of more spools.
- Angie gave it an 9.0 and I am 9.5.
- It’s well worth a few extra bucks.
- And we both think there isn’t a good reason to use anything else in the future.
Rainbow, Brown and Brook – the trouts from Heaven. Illustrations courtesy of Thom Glace.
Fluoroflex Plus is available in “regular” sized spools, “guide” spools” and in a useful, money-saving “3-pack” option (3 regular sized spools conveniently packaged):
Regular – $14.99 (per spool)
7X (2.5lb) to 0X (15lb) – 30 yards per spool
Guide – $39.99
7X (2.5lb) to 2X (12lb) – 110 yards per spool
1X (13lb) to 0X (15lb) – 75 yards per spool
3-pack – $39.99
3X (8.5lb), 4X (7lb) & 5X (5lb) – 30 yards per spool
4X (7lb), 5X (5lb) & 6X (3.6lb) – 30 yards per spool
