Why is fluorocarbon so important? Thin, strong, invisible, dense……precisely. Fluorocarbon leader is widely accepted by anglers but has a largely unexamined production process. Do the fluoro police decide what is 100% and what is not? What’s the difference, and why is it important? Seeing 100% fluoro reminds me of seeing “100% organic” in the grocery aisle. Who governs what is 100% fluoro? The answer is…..nobody. We all find out the hard way which manufacturers are legit and which cut corners.

Palomar Fishinghg governs itself and relies on angler satisfaction as our ultimate vindication of the term “100%”. Our fluorocarbon leader averages 70% more dense than our competitors. That is not by accident. Fluorocarbon is a very scientific product. It’s extruded in a single strand similar to nylon. But because fluoro molecules are more tightly packed, the line is denser and much heavier by comparison. It beats mono in visibility, stretch, and durability. With that standard, Palomar’s advanced technologies allow us to improve on today’s accepted “100% fluoro”. When ineptly fabricated, fluoro can have tiny hairline cracks and inconsistent molecular bonding within the line. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Fluoro is no different. Palomar’s innovations allow us to strengthen the line evenly with consistent density. This makes our leader thinner with a lower stretch index. If thinner diameter doesn’t matter to a true angler, they should ask any Tuna, Swordfish or Tarpon what they see underwater, and possibly reconsider. Diameter matters. Palomar fluorocarbon averages 13% thinner than ALL competitors due to our state of the art fabrication method. This is once again, not by accident.

Have you ever thought about the size of the packaged plastic spool? Palomar does. Never accept any fluoro with less than a 9-centimeter diameter spool. A small spool damages the integrity of the leader, and even more so over time. Most spools remain tightly coiled for a year or more before the angler finally gets it wet. If this is the case, why would a company manufacture smaller spools!? Because it’s cheaper to produce and ship….that’s why. It’s true, companies are in business to make money. They can make much more of it by manufacturing sub-par fluoro in small spools. This is called greed, and it’s unacceptable.

Colored leader? If I went fishing for human beings in the ocean I would use pink, red or orange leader. Human visual optics cannot see them very well in saltwater. But we don’t fish for humans, we fish for fish and their visual senses are different than humans (believe it or not). I know what you’ve heard about the invisibility of certain line colors; but where did you hear it?Think to yourself, why would your fluorocarbon be the same color as the attractant (lure) that it’s tied to? Some will tell you because it’s fluorocarbon, it’s invisible, no matter the color. These color variations are scientifically inconclusive. Colors appear differently depending on depth, clarity, and fish species; and there is no evidence that colored fluoro is unseen in all conditions. Transparent leader can more easily adapt to any condition, i.e. The jungle from the movie “Predator” from back in the day. Transparent leader can more easily adapt to any environment rather than a specific color for always changing conditions (again, colors, still unproven). I realize that the human psyche automatically associates the colors pink, red, and orange with consumer value. Colors could be merely a sales tactic or an attempt to look cool with flashy “innovative” looking spools. Either way, be smart, keep it simple, and let others look “cool” while you’re gettin’ bent.

Palomar Fishing has a sole mission. No more cutting corners. The little things matter. We sleep well at night knowing that we offer SUPERIOR gear at the best prices. We are anglers. We manufacture products the way we would want them made for us.

You can thank us the next time you’re sure it’s gonna rip….and it doesn’t.

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