Braided Line Questions

[bassfisherman3]

I was wondering what you guys thought on braided line. Is it good for worm fishing?(carolina rigs, texas rigs, etc.) Also, should i tie on a leader to take down on visibility with a carolina rig, should i tie the main braid to the swivel and use the normal flouro or mono leader or should i top shot with about 20 feet of flouro above the whole rig? all help is appreciated greatly

[derekxec]

you shouldnt use a swivel if you want a leader which is not absolutely needed use a line to line knot....with a swivel ive had fish hit the swivel instead of the bait many times but the swivel doesnt have a hook: haha

[LApanic]

I caught half a dozen 3-5's today actually, Spinning Tackle, 40# Braid, straight to the J Bend hook.  Also a 3/16ths tungesten bobber stopped.  SUPER Sensitive with braid and tungesten.  After catching that many in a short period, there was very little line fray and the Palomar knot held tight.

 

As far as C-rigged, I tend to have braid on my longer rods like my rod I use for the c-rig, so 40-50# braid, brass or tungsten > glass bead (not really necessary) > Carolina Keeper then tie to the hook.  The CArolina keepers are great unless your tossing a heavy sinker long distances and have ONLY ONE KNOT!  For most of what I use the c-rig for I use a heavier weight, bead and swivel.  Usually 18-24" of12-15# Fluorocarbon leader.

 

That might not have answered your question, but this setup works for me because I can feel the bites better with braid and tungesten!

[dodgeguy]

start with a quality 8 strand braid like powerepro super slick.leaders are not needed.bass are not line shy.i've caught trout on straight braid and they are way more skittish than a bass.other good braids are fireline braid,diawa,and sufix 832.

[RoachDad]

Finally, some people who agree with me.  I cannot figure out why people use leaders.  Its another knot.  The leader is typically smaller than the main line so your really only fishing at the knot strength of the least line.  and if a fish can't tell the difference in a plastic worm or a Jig and a real worm or crawfish, seeing a line in the water is not going to bother them in the least. 

 

Put on a mask and swim in your lake.  There is all kinds of moss, grass, whatever, floating in the water.

[backcast88]

Not a fan of braid.  Zero abrasion resistance and zero sensitivity on slack line.  Not to mention the wind knots that can form.

 

If I was to use braid I would use a leader for clear water and no leader for more stained water.

[PABASS]

Fish can see line and depending on where you fish they will be more aware of it and avoid it, you see the pros do it for reason.  In my local area I have seen fish be spooked from white fireline 10# test.  In ultra clear water and or heavy pressured water in my opinion a transparent leader will up your catch rate.  On my gear I use 8-10# braid with a 6-8# leader typically FC using a modified albright, the leader materiel roughly the length of the rod, but can go much shorter.

[Nitrofreak]

It's all I use, braid from reel to bait, I have not noticed any difference in using leaders vs. straight braid, all I use is spiderwire but I hope to give some other brands a try at this too. 

 

 

 

Both of these fish came on a SP100 Lucky Craft JB using nothing but braid, the only problem was that the braid freezes and builds ice on the eyelets, so I will be going back to some different line in the future for my cold water fishing lol !

 

 

[BrettD]

Im another one that uses straight braid with no leader.

[roadwarrior]

If you are not fishing Tuf-Line, you need to give it a try, especially for only $4.99 shipped!

 

 

 

 

[PABASS]

If you are not fishing Tuf-Line, you need to give it a try, especially for only $4.99 shipped!

 

 

 

 

Didn't that deal expire?  If not do you have a link, I would like to get more if I can.

[jhoffman]

If you are not fishing Tuf-Line, you need to give it a try, especially for only $4.99 shipped!

 

 

 

 

 

Reminds me of this

 

[derekxec]

Fish can see line and depending on where you fish they will be more aware of it and avoid it, you see the pros do it for reason.  In my local area I have seen fish be spooked from white fireline 10# test.  In ultra clear water and or heavy pressured water in my opinion a transparent leader will up your catch rate.  On my gear I use 8-10# braid with a 6-8# leader typically FC using a modified albright, the leader materiel roughly the length of the rod, but can go much shorter.

 

yeah but just because you see pros doing it doesnt mean the fish cant see it....read the how to get a sponsor articles and they say that its not how good you can fish its how well you can sell the sponsors product 

[roadwarrior]

Didn't that deal expire?  If not do you have a link, I would like to get more if I can.

 

It looks like the deal has expired.

[roadwarrior]

yeah but just because you see pros doing it doesnt mean the fish cant see it....read the how to get a sponsor articles and they say that its not how good you can fish its how well you can sell the sponsors product 

 

I don't think there is a whole lot of money paid for guys using a leader. Seems like a lot of guys here consider using

a leader is an advantage. I'm still on the fence, but right now I'm using leaders on most rods rigged with Tuf-Line or

Seaguar Kanzen braided line.

[Hogsticker]

Finally, some people who agree with me.  I cannot figure out why people use leaders.  Its another knot.  The leader is typically smaller than the main line so your really only fishing at the knot strength of the least line.  and if a fish can't tell the difference in a plastic worm or a Jig and a real worm or crawfish, seeing a line in the water is not going to bother them in the least. 

 

Put on a mask and swim in your lake.  There is all kinds of moss, grass, whatever, floating in the water.

Perhaps, but your not a fish. I fish extremely clear lakes, and I can tell you that using a leader with slow moving presentations where the fish can get a good look at it rather than a quick reflex reaction type of strike is a must. If you want to be productive anyways. If there is even a slight chance it will help, why wouldn't you want to do it? It's no different than presenting your offering in the most realistic fashion possible. Tie the connection knots the night before you go. If your tying good knots correctly the break off should occur at the bait. The leader should last you all day.

[RoachDad]

In my humble opinion, there is no way to prove this.  I am sure that people think it matters but I don't know how you could prove it.  Maybe in Hook 'n Look

 

We do know that to have a leader:

- you have to have a knot.  That is one more opportunity for a failure

- Knots are weaker than the line

- the leader is almost always smaller than the main line. 

Thus: Your true line strength is the strength at the knot of the least line, which you now have two of.

 

So, why not just spool up whatever your leader is? 

 

Fish hit Buzz baits.  That does not resemble anything in a fish's diet.  a Jig doesn't really look like a crawfish.  Come on.  Worms do look like worms, I will grant you that.  But in general, we give fish too much credit for intelligence and stuff like that.

 

And , this is all just my dummy opinion, so by all means, use the leader.  ALot of people do.  Even Glenn May!

 

On 4/30/2013 at 11:20 AM, Hogsticker said:

 I fish extremely clear lakes, and I can tell you that using a leader with slow moving presentations where the fish can get a good look at it rather than a quick reflex reaction type of strike is a must.

[Sherlock 60]

I use braid about 60% of the time and only use a leader when I am targeting muskies.

 

Have tried braid both with and without a leader for bass and cannot tell any difference in the number or quality of stirkes.

[dodgeguy]

if fish hit an umbrella ig there is no way you will convince me they even remotely care about line.i've outfished guys with flouro a bunch of times and had them outfish me.what it comes down to is who put the bait in front of a willing fish.i use braid for everything.

[BigAL]

Braided line is almost a must fishing here in florida a lot of grass n trees in water n the first thing a fish does once he eats the bait is wrap him self up in that stuff better have some strong line to muscle him out!65#braid on my worm n frog rod.

[derekxec]

hey another florida guy im in south florida palm beach

 

i use a couple size power pro from 30-65 on my light fresh/saltwater rods and 80 and 100 on my larger salt rods

 

for freshwater i really never break off and i rip them out of everything 30lb when there is a lot of open water and 65lb when im around lots of structure and yeah definately braid is a must in florida haha

[BronzeChaser]

I am a big fan fan of braid, but I almost always use a leader. Sometimes the bass don't care if you use straight braid, but there are certainly times when they do. I fish a decent amount of clear water with very little weed growth. Especially when using slow, finesse style presentation the bass can get up close and personal with your bait. Using braid as a main for me is mainly because it handles much easier than mono or fluoro, the actual breaking strength doesn't come into play unless frogging or very heavy cover flipping. I use an alberto knot to join lines and in two years it hasn't failed on me once. Also, I believe a lot of the time a bass isn't dead set on what it's eating is the forage we are trying to imitate. They don't have hands, so if something is moving around and makes them curious, the only way for them to see what it is is to eat it, or "feel it" with their mouth.

[I.rar]

I use braid with a leader for everything. The leader helps the braid not get banged up going over steep rocky dropoffs and if I get snagged, 10# copolymer is easier to break than 20, 30 or stronger braided lines.

[hatrix]

Finally, some people who agree with me.  I cannot figure out why people use leaders.  Its another knot.  The leader is typically smaller than the main line so your really only fishing at the knot strength of the least line.  and if a fish can't tell the difference in a plastic worm or a Jig and a real worm or crawfish, seeing a line in the water is not going to bother them in the least. 

 

Put on a mask and swim in your lake.  There is all kinds of moss, grass, whatever, floating in the water.

 

You ever hang braid in 20 FOW? Guess what you just lost 20' of line unless you can bend the hooks out pulling on it. Also a leader keeps you spool full even after retying a bunch of times. Braid last well... as long as you need it to. I have a spinning rod with 30# on it that is 3 years old its top notch and the reel is still full cause I use leaders. Why not give your self every advantage you can. If adding a leader gives you more bites why not do it? If you can tie a good knot and you use good line then what does it matter. I have complete confidence in my knot skills and they never fail me.

[bassfisherman3]

thanks for the replies, would you guys use 30 or 50 pound braid for worm fishin?