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Below is a response that Doug Miller gave to a question posted on his site. Good information to know:
"The issue surrounding the flourocarbon line is that it does not deteriorate over long periods of time. If discarded improperly, it will stay in the lake for a hundred years or more. The advantages are in it's tough, abrasion resistant properties. It is more expensive..but it last much longer than comparable monofilament line. If you are acreful in how you use it..and how you dispose of flourocarbon line, I think they have some definite advantages. But I also know some anglers who are very opposed to the use of these lines because of the threat posed if the line is carelessly discarded on the lake or stream.
Thanks for the question.
DM"
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[unimpressed] I like using florocarbon line when fly-fishing, but I only use it as about a 2 to 3 foot tippet. I have to admit that I have been guilty of discarding small pieces of it when changing flies. I will have to be more careful to take the discarded pieces home with me in the future.
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[#000080][size 2]I been using flourocarbon since it came out. As far as I know, I'm not a 100 years old(lol). Its great for grubs, tubes, and senkos because of its sink rate(faster than mono). It does stretch some. Try tangling it up in a tree than yanking it back. Be sure to duck, 1/4 oz lures and heavier tend to leave nasty welts.[/size][/#000080]
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[cool]Thankfully, there has been an increasing awareness of the potential hazards of leaving ANY line in the environment. Even the cheapest nylon stuff sold in discount stores still takes years to degrade into a state that will not entrap birds or other wildlife, tangle anglers legs, ruin fishing motors, etc.
I fish a lot from a float tube and do a lot of bottom houncing with jigs. It is a rare trip when I do not snag up on big balls of line stripped off someone's reel and tossed overboard. In some areas, it becomes impossible to fish with light line because of the maze of discarded "hawser cable" mono left strung all over the bottom by careless fishermen. I have made special trips to such areas, with rope and grappling hooks, to clean up the spiderweb of lines which cover the bottom.
A few slobs can ruin it for the many conscientious sportsmen. Make it a policy, whenever you find discarded line, to wrap it up in a ball, take it home with you and properly dispose of it. And, when respooling your own reels, either take the old stuff down to a tackle store with a line disposal bin, or make sure it goes to a proper burial. I used to save mine and toss it into a fire or hit it with a torch. It melts and burns easily. No worries, mate.
One good use for loose coils of old line is in catching crawdads. Tie a hook in the middle of a clump of this stuff and then put a piece of legal fish meat on the hook, before lowering it to the bottom in crawdad country. The dads will get tangled in the mono, in trying to eat the bait and can often be more easily retrieved to your net without dropping off. An old trick I learned in fishing for crabs off the piers in Southern Cal. it works just as well for 'dads too. Just don't leave it on the bank when you are through with it.
Do I use fluorocarbon line? Nope. Does it mean I catch fewer fish? I ain't complaining. I hook plenty and do not lose fish to bad knots or abrasion. I have been using the Silver Thread Excalibur for about six years, and I can truthfully say I have never lost a big fish to line failure with this stuff. It's small diameter casts well, has low stretch, high knot strength and super abrasion resistance. And, in the Arizona heat it does not turn into a spring on your reel after one or two trips. But, that's just my opinion.
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