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Spiderwire Ultracast 100% Fluorocarbon

Photo: Spiderwire Spiderwire Ultracast 100% fluorocarbon boasts a thinner diameter and less stretch than most other fluoro lines.

The Spiderwire name is synonymous with high strength and low diameter, which are the key properties of the superline the company started out producing. Then a couple years ago they released a nylon monofilament line, Spiderwire G-String, billed as the first mono tough enough for Gerald the G-MAN Swindle, the 2004 BASS Angler of the Year.

Now get ready for some maximum strength fluorocarbon line.

Power Designed In

Tim Wiedow is the Doctor of Flurocarbon, and was the principal developer working with the pros to design Spiderwire fluoro. "The design idea from the start was to maintain the Spiderwire focus on high strength and low diameter line," he said. "We were going for the highest strength per diameter, really good tensile strength.

"When I develop a new product, it has a totally new formulation. This isn't just a tweak to something else.

"What we did was to reduce the stretch somewhat, which gives you a more sensitive line. There is less elongation. Fluorocarbon line has about the same stretch as mono, around 30%. Spiderwire fluoro has something less than that, whereas Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon has a little more.

"If you want to compare the two, Spiderwire fluoro in 8-pound test has a diameter of about 0.0103 inches. Trilene fluoro of the same diameter is 6-pound test."

Give and Take

There are some tradeoffs made to gain higher strength with lower diameter. "When you draw the line harder to get it stronger, it tends to make it a bit stiffer," he noted. "But with this formulation, we can get that strength with (thinner) line. The smaller diameter helps make it less stiff and better behaved on spinning reels. It gains some flexibility."

Smaller diameter aids in flexibility, but it reduces wear-through abrasion resistance.

"Trilene fluoro will last longer under constant abrasion simply because it's thicker," he noted. "But the Spiderwire fluoro has very good abrasion resistance."

Also of note is that the flexibility of any fluorocarbon line is constant, as is its strength. "Fluorocarbon does not relax in water like nylon mono," he added. "Mono absorbs some water and you get some slight reduction in tensile strength while you gain some elongation (stretch). Fluoro, however, will not relax on the reel with use."

Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon has been praised for having excellent knot strength, which some fluoro lines have a problem with. Wiedow pointed out that the increased stretch of Trilene makes it more forgiving when tying knots.

The lesser stretch of Spiderwire fluorocarbon will make knots a little more susceptible to stress, but not overly so. "We worked hard to keep good knot strength," he said. "The pound-test listed on the package is what the knots will hold. A Trilene knot tied with the 8-pound test Spiderwire fluorocarbon will hold an 8-pound pull."

In summary, if you need the invisibility of fluorocarbon, and desire low diameter with greater strength, more flexibility and more sensitivity, but not necessarily an explosive hookset, choose Spiderwire Ultracast 100% fluorocarbon.

Notable

> FLW Tour pros Greg Pugh and Glenn Browne - both of whom placed in the Top 5 at the recent Lake Norman tournament - praised the line highly for its performance on their spinning reels.

> Wiedow noted that: "Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon was designed to have a little more stretch and maximum shock resistance for close-to-the-boat hard hooksets by guys like Gerald Swindle, who helped develop it. The Spiderwire Ultracast 100% fluorocarbon line will have a little less stretch, but greater strength per diameter."