Awhile back, I built a really nice spinning rod for one of my local tourney anglers--Loomis SB811 with TATSG/TLSGs for shaky-head fishing. I was pretty aggressive with the guide sizing, and the results were phenomenal when I test casted. With 10 lb. mono., I could cast a 3" senko way farther than I should have been able to. Anyway, turns out that he uses fluorocarbon line exclusively (casting rods and spinning rods), so the rod has gotten poor reviews. The mistake is totally mine, as it never occurred to me that he'd be using fluorocarbon on a spinning reel. The stiffer line just bogs down in those smaller guides.

So, now I'm going to build another spinning rod for him. This one is going to be designed for fluorocarbon exclusively. Other than lots of test casting, are there any tricks to setting up a spinning rod for fluorocarbon?

Good question. I had a similar experience with a personal rod. I'll be starting that journey soon.

I fish flouro on my shaky and dropshot rods. My setup is 16, 8, 5, 3's to the tip. The placement varies...I start with Tom's 27x method and then attach the reel and test cast until I get results I am satisfied with....I'm using 8lb. McCoy flourocarbon this season...I was using 8lb. XPS last season.

Scott Sheets
www.smsrods.com

That's interesting Scott. My guide sizes weren't as aggressive as yours. I think I used 25, 10, 6, then 5s to the tip. Maybe it's not so much the sizes, but the spacing. . . ? Like I said, for mono, the rod is fantastic, but I guess the fluoro just doesn't work.

Andrew,
Iv'e built a number st. croix 6'8" MXF rods using TSTSG/TLSGs. One of these is a personal rod. Guide sizes are 25, 16, 10 then 4's to tip using 6 and 8 lb. seaguar inviz-x. This combination has casted well tossing 3/16 oz. and up shaky heads. I too am using fluoro exclusively (except topwater). BTW I see a second such rod in my rack in the near future. good luck and let us know what ends up working for you.
Jeff

Whatever works for mono will work for Flouro and vice versa.

...........

I have a rod set up for 8# mono and a 1/8oz jigworm. It cast fine. I tried 8# 100% flouro and it is a dog.

Assuming you are using Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon, have you found any spinning rod that will work well with that line? I tried it and found out that it was terrible for spinning rods no matter what I tried. Braid with a fluorocarbon leader is the answer.

Mike - yes it was Berkley. I normally have 10# Suffix and a flouro leader on (uni to uni). I do some deep weed edge jig worming and want the sink of the flouro.

Is there any advantage to fishing with 100% flouro? It's expensive as all get out. Personally, I would just spool with mono or braid and use a flouro leader.

Braid and mono float. You don't need 150 yds of flouro (or braid). I only put about 50yds on each time.

Andrew,
I have never found any spinning rod and reel to work as well with 100% floro as compared to a similar lb test mono.

The reson is simple. Floro is generally much stiffer than the comparable mono line.
I know that fisherfolks use mono on some occasions, but I really wonder about the need to have a 100% floro line from the spool to the hook.

But, if a client requests it, you simply have to size the guides accordingly. Remember any line that is stiffer is going to have larger stiffer loops as it comes off a spinning reel. The only thing that one can do is to size the first two or three guides on the rod larger so that they don't impeded the line - loop flow.
Generally speaking, after the 3rd guide, the loops will have straightened out and you will be good to go.

My suggestion is to tape a bunch of possible guides on your new rod with the reel to be used on the rod. Load the rod with the floro line that the client is going to use.

Start your testing with some fairly large oversized guides to get a semi baseline set up for the rod. Something like a size 40, 25, 16 for the first three guides. Make 20 or 30 casts with a fixed weight that will be comparable to the clients lures.
Then, start making changes by reducing the size of these guides to see if there is any effect on the casting distance.
You might also use something like size 8 guides all of the way to the tip - and including the tip, and then work down from there.

I suspect that if you spend about 2 or 3 hours of test casting with a variety of guides, you will have all of the answers to your questions.

Another thing to remember, don't be to close to your reel with your first guide. You want these large loops as they peel off the spool to have some settling time. Perhaps something in the 25 to 30 inch range for the distance from the reel spool to the first guide.

When you get the final guides selected, you can do some testing by moving this first guide further from or closer to the reel as well.

Take care
Roger.

p.s.
If you do decide to do some test casting with a variety of guide sizes and placements, it would be nice to hear of your test reports using floro line.

p.p.s.
Another thing that normally helps on casting distance with a stiff line on a spinning reel is to use a spinning reel that has a very large diameter spool. Take a look at the US Reels for an example of the style of which I speak. The result of using a spinning reel with a very large spool is fewer loops and thus, better distance.

My tourney friend is also using Trilene 100% fluoro. Maybe a simple switch in types of fluoro. would help drastically. Which fluoro. would you suggest as a more supple option?

The Seaguar Invisiz-x is definitely more supple than Trilene 100% Fluoro.

the brand definitely matters. Seagur Abrazx is the the most supple i have used next to invisx. Other than berkley 100% and bass pro XPS - i have tried most of the other name brand stuff and found it to be sub-par. Some KVD line conditioner will go a long way on the 100% berkley also. i personally would never go over 8lb test on my spinning gear - namely because there's no excuse to be wasting time with a spinning rod using 10lb test - that can just as easily go on a baitcaster! :)

of course if i could afford some of those JDM reels like that daiwa PX68 - i probably wouldn't use any spinning reels.

Regards,
-Justin

I routinely use 25-10-5-3.5-3mm's to the tip and have yet to hear a complaint, and know most of these guys are using Floro.
On some of my personal stuff the running guides are 1.5 to 2.5mm with no problems, but then I’m not using anything over 12 floro on these.

You might want to ask what size line he is using on that setup.

The question about the advantages of using a full spool of flurocarbon line was a good one, and an unanswered one. As someone once observed, fish don't swim back up the leader to check the line's visibility before they strike. A fluro leader joined to braid with a slim beauty sinks nicely and works fine.

I think the thing that comes into play that most people ignore is brand. We are all familiar with good old Trilene XL and XT...both Mono....DRASTICALLY different charictaristics....the XL is preferred on spinning reels, the XT for heavier line applications with baitcasters. Brand and model is even MORE important with Flouro....there are so many variations out there that you really need to setup a rod for that specific line. I would suggest getting the reel (already spooled) from a client before setting up a spinning rod with micro's.....

I don't like getting into the brand game on here, but I have fished the Bass Pro XPS flouro for the last two seasons and was VERY impressed. I just swithced to the McCoy Flouro this year since I am on their ASM deal and they came out with it....so far I like it....but I wouldnt hesistate to recommend the XPS Flouro at all.

Scott Sheets
www.smsrods.com

Floro is stiffer than mono and to me would take longer to get under control. My comment would be that dropping from a size 25 guide right to a size 10 doens't allow the line time to straighten out (still has coiling effect) and is "hanging up" going thru the size 10. Personaaly I would increase that second guide to a 12 or 16 and see how it reacts.
A picture was posted a while back of a cast in motion going thru spinning guides. I think from Bill S.

I'm with Steve Garvey, I'd go 25 / 12or16 / 8or6 / whatever you like for runners. I'm guessing the same on the hanging up theory as well.

Fluorocarbon is just a POOR performing line on spinning gear above 6lb test. Stay wth 6lb or less and you'll get typical monofilament results. Go over 6lb and you'll see the casting and line performance start dropping with each heavier test as you go up.

I've tried about every fluorocarbon out there, and currently use it for leader material. That is all I'll use it for: leaders.

I dont see where fluorocarbon has any advantage over monofilament at all. Stretches the same, sometimes MORE, stiffer and harder to handle, expensive, doesn't last long due to memory/coiling.....just to name a few.

The claim is it's more abrasion resistant, has less stretch, and it's invisible under water, all of which is nothing more than sales pitch's. The proof is listed in a line shootout testing done on another web site that caters to "tackle". And, again, I've spent some time using all of them and found their line shootout to be pretty dang close.

These pro's that get on the TV and tell you fluorocarbon has "less stretch, it's invisible underwater, it has better abraision and so on are doing nothing more than selling line!!

And while we're in the abraision resistance category, abraision resistance is related DIRECTLY to DIAMETER. The more product there is (thicker) , the more abraision resistant the line will be. That's what makes "superlines" (Spectra) do poorly in rocky and sharp areas, it's THINNER = less of it = less abraision resistant.

And, on the invisable issue, take a glass of water, slice off a piece of your favorite fluorocarbon and drop it in and see if you can see it. YOU CAN. Try it on your favorite lake in the summer, drop over a line and go for a cool dip. You can see that Fluoro just as well as any line! Especially the highly polished lines that are REALLY shine. The light reflects off the shine and nearly blinds ya! (not really blinding you, but it stands out like a 1" diameter rope!)

So dont buy all the hype you hear, try these for yourself and you decide.

DR