Seaguar Gold Label Product Review

Line Review

Striking Gold : Seaguar's Fluorocarbon Leader for Enthusiasts (continued)

One of the reasons I choose to go with a braid to leader strategy with my fishing line is the sensitivity it affords me. Obviously, most of that feel is attributed to the braid, but your choice in leader does haven an effect. In general, a nylon monofilament leader will not deliver as much feel as a fluorocarbon leader, but of course, not all lines of these types are created equal. Gold Label, as a leader specific product, has the density and low-stretch characteristics that translate to very good sensitivity in a fluorocarbon line. I even experienced some slack line "ticks" I don't think I would have normally felt with straight braid, but that might also have had something to do with the rod I was using at the time (jig fishing with an NRX 893C).

25lb Gold Label fishing this SkinnyBear Big Cull line through paddletail

Other Performance Notes: Where I was most encouraged with Gold Label as a leader material was in situations I had it installed as a top shot to my hollow braid fishing big baits both on top and subsurface. I relied heavily upon the 20, 25, & 30lb strengths with glides, soft plastics, and wake baits. While there should be no surprise a fluorocarbon leader would work with glides and soft plastics, having it be an effective leader for topwater wakes was not as obvious. Fluorocarbon has a more neutral density and tends to sink which is not something you want in a topwater line.

Another Phenix Baits Pro Series Flipping Jig fish on the 20lb Gold Label

However, big wakebaits have enough buoyancy to where they are not affected by the drag of your leader. Now, some wakebaits do have a tendency to crank down if retrieved too quickly and there might be an effect there, but keeping your rod tip up will neutralize that pretty quickly. The added resistance to abrasion and surer hooksets due to less stretch (as compared to a nylon monofilament leader) are worth it.

Success with 30lb pulling this LimitLures Trout Glide

Design & Ergonomics: Seaguar's Gold Label FC leader is offered only in clear and only in a 25yd spools. What distinguishes Seaguar's high end fluorocarbon lines from the competition, according to Seaguar, is their use of a proprietary, double-structure process blending two different resins into one cohesive line. This is a process used in just about all their fluorocarbon product including Tatsu, AbrazX and others. Otherwise, there are no special coatings or other processes to enhance handling characteristics of the line before it is brought to market.

More RatRumble action with Narrow Gate's Rat fished on a 25lb Gold Label Leader

Applications: Gold Label FC Leader is suitable for use in applications across the board from moving baits to vertical bait presentations and, depending on the actual baits being used, even topwater. The fact it's available in strengths down to four pound test makes it an incredible option as a leader in finesse techniques.

Fluorocarbon and soft swimbaits go hand in hand, but the hooksets are even more crisp when fluorocarbon is a leader attached to braid

As discussed earlier, my favorite use of this line is as a leader material inserted within 50lb Threadlock hollow braid on my swimbait combos. The twenty, twenty five, and thirty pound strengths are ideal for this application and have really served me well. Secondarily, used in a traditional braid to leader setup with the knot of your choice, Gold Label is obviously effective there as well. You just need to have be able to tie a reliable connection knot that will also sail seamlessly through the guides of your rod and reel (T-wing line guides are notoriously unforgiving in this regard).

Ratings:

Seaguar Gold Label FC Leader Ratings (?/10)
Construction/Quality	Precision wound with very consistent diameter when tested at five different points along a length of five to six feet	10
Performance	Held up extremely well over the course of a season in a variety of different applications	9
Price	Leader material is expensive to begin with and Gold Label is among the most expensive	6
Features	Proprietary double structure process	8
Design (Ergonomics)	With leader material, it's all about clarity and diameter... Gold Label has excellent clarity and is very thin	8
Application	From finesse to big baits, from top to bottom, it is suitable in any application where a leader is appropriate	8
Total Score		8.17
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable! For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus	Minus
+ Excellent strength to diameter ratio	- Forces you to up your connection knot game
+ Holds up well in abrasive environments
+ Good knot strength

Conclusion: The braid to leader game isn't for everyone. I resisted it for the longest time. What pushed me over the edge were a couple of things. First, I didn't like the amount of unused nylon monofilament and fluorocarbon line at the bottom of my spool whenever I swapped line. Second, the visibility of using straight braided line bothered me. I don't think it hurt my catch ratio, but it certainly didn't help. Tying a leader at the end of my braid also allowed me to use faster tapered sticks for moving baits because now I had a degree of shock absorption in my line.

If you have the interest of taking your leader game to the next level, Seaguar's Gold Label Fluorocarbon Leader is a player that will prove invaluable to your roster

Nylon monofilament had been my material of choice when installing a leader for these moving bait applications. Now, having sampled Seaguar's Gold Label for a full season, and running it through my rudimentary drop test, this leader material has my confidence. If you have the interest of taking your leader game to the next level, Seaguar's Gold Label Fluorocarbon Leader is a player that will prove invaluable to your roster.

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