Bass Pro Shops · Fishing Tackle & Gear
Bass Pro Shops Excel Fluorocarbon Fishing Line
Skip, fluorocarbon line likely contains PFAS.
Fluorocarbon fishing line is a Teflon-family coating material with high PFAS risk. Bass Pro Shops makes no PFAS disclosure or claims.
The better-graded swap
Shimano
shimano Grappler Braid Fishing Line
85/100 safety
Same rubric that flunked this product. The swap earned Excellent.
Still want this one anyway? Check the price on Amazon. We’d swap it.
Material
Fluorocarbon polymer fishing line
Brand disclosure
Brand is silent on PFAS
Lab data
No public lab test
You may also be interested in
Top-graded picks in the categories readers replace first, every one scored on the same rubric.
- polypropylene filter housing, carbon/sediment cartridge
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial growth in spent cartridges
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Aquasure
Premier Series 75 GPD Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
- RO membrane, carbon filters, stainless steel housing
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial and microbial growth in housing and filters
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Avocado
Vegan Mattress
- organic cotton, natural latex, coconut coir, recycled steel coils
- The brand calls it PFAS-free, which we have not verified
- Heavy metals
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
What Bass Pro Shops Excel Fishing Line is made of, ingredients and materials
Bass Pro Shops Excel Fluorocarbon is a synthetic polymer fishing line made from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or similar fluorocarbon compounds. These materials are inherently fluorine-based polymers designed for durability, low visibility, and abrasion resistance in water. The fluorocarbon backbone structure itself places this product in the PFAS chemical family, and there is no public evidence that Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops has disclosed the specific fluorine compound used, manufacturing purity, or whether intentional additives (stabilizers, slip agents) contribute additional PFAS derivatives.
What’s concerning
Category baseline
The starting point for this type of product, before anything specific to this product is counted.
No PFAS disclosure
No public statement from the brand about PFAS in this product.
Fluoropolymer detected
A Teflon-family coating is recorded for this product.
PFAS
Fluorocarbon fishing line is a PFAS polymer by definition (polyvinylidene fluoride or equivalent). No independent testing of this specific product has been published, and Cabela's does not disclose PFAS identity or concentration.
Source, ATSDR ↗Microplastic fragmentation
Over time, fluorocarbon line can break, fray, or fragment in use or on the reel. These microfiber fragments may persist in aquatic ecosystems; risk is low during careful handling but higher if line is lost in water.
Water leachate during use
Although fluorocarbon is designed to resist degradation, prolonged contact with water may leach trace PFAS oligomers or residual monomers. No quantitative data exists for this specific product under freshwater or saltwater conditions.
What’s reassuring
Heavy metals
Fluorocarbon polymers sometimes use metal-based additives (e.g., barium, cadmium-based stabilizers) during manufacturing. No test data on this product is publicly available; this is a material-class risk rather than a documented finding for Excel line.
Source, FDA ↗Skin or eye irritation during handling
Fluorocarbon line itself is chemically inert and should not cause skin sensitization or irritation during normal casting and reeling. No reported dermatologic incidents with this product exist.
How is this PFAS grade calculated?
The brand's record and disclosure
Cabela's (owned by Bass Pro Shops) has not published transparency reports, PFAS testing results, or sourcing standards for this fishing line. The brand has no known public position on PFAS in synthetic materials and does not appear to offer alternatives marketed as PFAS-free or fluorocarbon-free. No recalls or safety advisories specific to this product's fluorocarbon formulation have been documented in public records, but absence of disclosure does not indicate absence of risk.
How it compares in its category
Fluorocarbon fishing lines dominate the premium segment because of their low water visibility and strength. Alternatives include nylon monofilament (lower PFAS concern but weaker), braided polyester (visible but durable), and increasingly marketed PFAS-free or plant-based lines from smaller producers. Most major fishing brands (Berkley, Spiderwire, Shimano) similarly do not disclose PFAS content in their fluorocarbon products, making this a category-wide transparency gap rather than a Bass Pro Shops-specific failure, but the lack of alternatives from this retailer compounds the issue.
If you buy it
Fluorocarbon line does not degrade significantly during normal use or storage at room temperature; it should be stored away from direct sunlight to prevent minor brittleness over years. The primary concern is environmental, fluorocarbon line that enters waterways or soil persists indefinitely due to PFAS resistance to degradation. If you choose this product despite PFAS concerns, retrieve and dispose of all spent line through waste collection (never discard in water or landfills where it may leach), and consider requesting the retailer disclose the specific fluorine compound used.
What is not known about PFAS in this product?
- Basis
- Model estimate, 62% confidence, not a lab result
- Lab test
- None on record for this exact product
- Brand statement
- Bass Pro Shops has made none
Formulations change between production runs, so check the current label. How we grade.
What are the PFAS-free alternatives to Bass Pro Shops Excel Fluorocarbon Fishing Line?
- Fiberglass rod, plastic reel, rubber grip
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Fiberglass splinters from rod degradation
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Plastic body, tinned steel hook
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Microplastic generation from wear
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
- Monofilament nylon fishing line
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Microplastic shedding on degradation
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
More fishing tackle & gear grades
How we score, every product runs through the same public 0-100 rubric based on materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls. See the full methodology → Spotted a mistake? Report an error.