Sugoi Flurocarbon Line Tips

By Russ Bassdozer

If you have never tried Sugoi fluorocarbon line, it has more sensitive bite detection and better hooksets than monofilaments. You will feel more bass, hook more bass and catch more bass. That's quite a claim! There are other merits touted for Sugoi fluorocarbon line too. Claims of low visibility and abrasion resistance are valid points. But the sensitivity and hooksets outweighs all other merits of Sugoi fluorocarbon to me.

Since I use and like Sugoi, I just haven't had a need to seriously try other brands of fluorocarbon line. So I can't help you there, but I can definitely recommend the Sugoi for the following situations where I wouldn't want to go back to monofilament again:

deepwater bass (fluoro sinks faster, less stretch, more sensitivity)
flipping/pitching (less stretch, less abrasion, harder hookset)
weightless Senkos (fluoro makes more wiggle in your Senko, better bite detection)
leaders on rigs (less abrasion, less visible)

Of note to Senko chuckers. There are two kinds of bass anglers when it comes to Senkos. First, those who don't use them or haven't heard of Senkos. Second, those who would never fish without Senkos again. Fluorocarbon line has a heavier density and sinks faster than other line types. If you don't use it for anything else, the fast-sinking Sugoi can really put a wicked wiggle in your weightless Senko for baitcasting, and better bite detection and hooksets on the semi-slack line used with weightless Senkos.

However, Sugoi is different. Sugoi takes some getting used to at first. By that, I mean it tends to spring off the spool and it has a more wiry nature than other lines.

On baitcasting, you have to keep an eye on fluorocarbon's tendency to abrade itself during a nasty over-run on the spool, plus it has more springiness when pulling out a backlash. Keep in mind, backlashes are operator error. You won't backlash any more or less than you usually do (who doesn't) with Sugoi. Sugoi just doesn't manage well for me on spinning gear. So I don't use it for spinning.

Those aren't faults, just features of Sugoi fluorocarbon. Once you become comfortable handling it a few times, Sugoi will become second nature on baitcasting gear. As soon as you sample Sugoi's sensitivity and hooksetting power, you will immediately ask why you ever used another line. You will be amazed at how differently your rods feel on the hookset due to a lot less stretch than mono! Simply pit, Sugoi makes your rod more sensitive. Bites are amplified and hooksets are more solid! It is also somewhat more abrasion resistant than monofilaments, and both the grey and clear Sugoi are claimed to be less visible than other line types underwater.

Line Test	Grey (90 meters)	Clear (50 meters)	Clear (Bulk)
8 lb.	.0100	n/a	n/a
10 lb.	.0110	n/a	n/a
12 lb.	.0125	.0125	n/a
14 lb.	.0130	.0150	600 meters
16 lb.	.0145	.0165	600 meters
20 lb.	n/a	.0170	300 meters
25 lb.	n/a	.0185	n/a
30 lb.	n/a	.0205	n/a
40 lb.	n/a	.0235	n/a

As can be seen from the chart, grey is lighter and thinner line, making grey better suited for light to medium baitcasting applications. The clear is heavier and thicker line for medium to heavy gear. Clear has more abrasion resistance in nasty cover simply due to the larger line diameter of clear.