Leader, Or No Leader?

[Rhino68W]

I am a bank fisherman, who is also on a budget. I want to start using the Texas rig more. I have 1 quality bait-casting combo, an Abu Garcia Black-Max Vengeance 6'9'' M. I currently have it spooled with 20 lbs braid. Again, I am a BANK FISHERMAN. My question is:

 

Should I use a leader to help with stealth? Or just use my braid like I have been?

Also, should I use a leader all the time for different lures like lipless crankbaits, or jigs? I feel that if I use one and get hung up, I will only lose my leader, and a lure instead of 30 plus feet of braid.

 

I have some 8 lbs mono, and can't really afford to go purchase an entire roll of F.C. Plus I don't want to get away from my braid because I use the same combo for top water frogs, jigs, and everything else I decide to fish with. You guys here at BassResource.com have always pulled through and gave me quality advice, so please don't let me down now!

[papajoe222]

You are already fishing lures with the braid without any leader, what prompted your concern about stealth?

If you believe the use of a leader will get you more bites, go for it. If your concerned about loosing lures vs. some line, you'll have to decide which will cost you more in the long run. Are you loosing lures to snags when using braid now? If not, using a leader shouldn't make much difference and from a stealth point it will be advantageous.

[ABW]

I use braid on my setups aswell. The time's I've fished without a leader I haven't caught anything, and my water is fairly stained. I guess leaders are a confidence thing for me. Anyways, I use Seagar Red Label as leader material. It's pretty cheap (around 14 bucks) and works pretty good. If you have confidence in your leader knot, then go ahead and tie anything on. 

 

If you want avoid losing lures you can wrap your line around a branch and pull. Usually works for me.

[Rhino68W]

I use braid on my setups aswell. The time's I've fished without a leader I haven't caught anything, and my water is fairly stained. I guess leaders are a confidence thing for me. Anyways, I use Seagar Red Label as leader material. It's pretty cheap (around 14 bucks) and works pretty good. If you have confidence in your leader knot, then go ahead and tie anything on. 

 

If you want avoid losing lures you can wrap your line around a branch and pull. Usually works for me.

 

How long of a leader would you typically use for certain types of lures?

[ABW]

I usually keep it the same for all lures. One wingspan, incase you want to retie

[SirSnookalot]

The bigger the fish the more a leader is needed for shock.  I would never fish without a leader for any species.

[Justin Mott]

If you are really hard up on money, you can visit Wal Mart and get one of those $3 rolls of line. They don't hold up well over a number of days. But for leader work, they will work just fine. I have done a lot of catfishing using those cheap rolls as my leader line and I don't have any trouble.

 

Justin Mott

[fishballer06]

Not to be rude, but if you can't afford a spool of FC, how do you afford to even drive to the lake?

 

Seaguar Red Label runs around $10-11 a spool. 

[PersicoTrotaVA]

To be honest with you, a leader really doesn't do all that much for stealth.  I went straight braid and caught numerous fish  that way until I started to lose fish when a hook stayed on  the line for a bit.  I am also used to fishing from a boat but I still bank fish about once a week.  Setting the hook is a little different on a 10 ft jon boat in water and solid ground.  I tied on a leader of FC to have a little more stretch and give so the hook doesn't pop out as easy and I haven't been happier when bank fishing.

[Catch and Grease]

I'm starting to fish straight braid and I'm still catching fish, I'm getting to where I only use leaders in clear water but I still haven't 100% gotten over the "fish can see my line" logic. I know a lot of people who use leaders so its easy to break off without losing a lot of line like you mentioned.

 

Oh and like mentioned before not all FC breaks the bank, one spool of segaur or sunline can last me a whole season of leaders....

[einscodek]

For your finesse presentations ie..jig .. yes

For most others, not really unless you are fishing in clearwater.

Yes I know some guys will say they catch fish in clearwater with braid.. but were they using a jig or plastic worm or buzzing thru with a crank?

sure but it could be the difference between catching 1 fish in clearwater and catching 10 or 20.  Catching 1 fish is still catching fish I suppose but wouldnt you want percentages behind you than against?

 

There is a reason they made mono clear.. there is a reason they made fluro.. fish under certain conditions can be spooked by seeing your line.  You can circumvent this in certain ways but not in all ways, if a fish is spooked by seeing a line he is conditioned to associate with being caught then you are at a great disadvantage.

This would be especially true of older and more experienced fish.. bigger fish

 

There are other benefits of a fluoro leader esp on braid as well.. one is to act as a shock leader..but be very wary of the knot

[WIGuide]

I am a bank fisherman, who is also on a budget. I want to start using the Texas rig more. I have 1 quality bait-casting combo, an Abu Garcia Black-Max Vengeance 6'9'' M. I currently have it spooled with 20 lbs braid. Again, I am a BANK FISHERMAN. My question is:

 

Should I use a leader to help with stealth? Or just use my braid like I have been?

Also, should I use a leader all the time for different lures like lipless crankbaits, or jigs? I feel that if I use one and get hung up, I will only lose my leader, and a lure instead of 30 plus feet of braid.

 

I have some 8 lbs mono, and can't really afford to go purchase an entire roll of F.C. Plus I don't want to get away from my braid because I use the same combo for top water frogs, jigs, and everything else I decide to fish with. You guys here at BassResource.com have always pulled through and gave me quality advice, so please don't let me down now!

You should do what you have confidence in. If you feel a leader would be advantageous go ahead and use one. If you feel you are doing just fine without them then there's no reason to start using them. Some people here are going to swear for them and some against them. Either way will work and you having confidence in what you do will give you the best result. 

[nascar2428]

If I was in your situation, I would experiment with mono leaders first. Practice the different knots associated with tying leaders and do some fishing. If you are satisfied with the results you can continue using the mono, step up to fluorocarbon, or just go back to straight braid.

[EmersonFish]

As far as the price of the FC, it might be cheaper in the long run to buy FC for leaders than have to cut your braid every time you get a nasty snag. Seaguar Red Label is actually a good leader line. Ties a good knot, and it's affordable. A filler spool will last a long time, although you may need a couple of different pound tests for different situations. On the other hand, there are times when you can get a lure back thanks to braid you might have lost otherwise, so there's that to consider. As a fellow fisherman, I appreciate any efforts other fisherman make to cut down on having to cut their braided line and leave it in the water. I'm so sick of getting hung on that stuff and dragging 30 feet of it up. Not trying to rant. Just a pet-peeve.

I didn't notice you mention how clear your water is you fish. Count me as one who believes that line visibility matters. Not saying you can't tie a lure to 30lb. Hi-Vis mono and catch a fish now and then, but over time, you'll catch more fish if your line is less visible. If I were flipping into cover looking for reaction strikes, I might not worry about it, but generally speaking, I like less visibility. Of course I fish in Missouri, where a lot of our water is quite clear.

I use leaders that are short enough that I don't reel them onto my reel, but long enough that I can retie several times without having to put a new leader on.

[Verisimilidude]

For what it's worth:

 

I fish water with clarity of over 10 feet.  

 

I am a bank fisherman, and i use 100% braid for most of my non-finesse applications (t-rig, lipless crank, etc). I still catch fish.  

[paleus]

I use a leader mainly for abrasion resistance. Braid does not stand up to rocks very well. Plus it is easier to break off if I get really hung up. I would recommend stronger than 8 lb. test though, especially if you have a tendency to set the hook aggressively. I use 12 lb. on my casting rigs and 8 lb. on my spinning rigs, but I'm usually crappie fishing with the spinning rigs. I tie the leader on with an Alberto knot and pull one wingspan off the spool, so I can retie a few times before needing to tie on another leader.

[FrankW]

I fish the Rainbow river in Florida that is spring feed and this water is super clear. You see all the fish and how they react to line and lure. There is heavy boat traffic and a very narrow river. The fish come out into the river to feed in the currant. They line up along the river like a dinner line. They are tough to catch.

I have caught fish on braid with no leader in three to five feet of water. If the line comes over the fish they will move away from the line maintaining their lineup just in a different part of the river. If I control the presentation so the bait comes to the fish before the line does, then they will take the bait. The line doesn't bother them if the bait is leading the line. Float the line over the fish and it moves. When I say bait, I mean plastics. I find that a drop shot with FC works better than the braid as I don't have to worry about what the line is doing in relationship to the fish.

I have one drop shot rod and one casting rod with FC. All of my other rods are rigged with braid and no leader. I have no problem catching lake fish with straight braid if the lake has any cover.

Frank

[Big Swimbait]

I understand the theory & principle of using a leader. But the Alabama Rig has been outlawed by BASS & FLW & it looks like a couple of twisted coat hangers coming through the water. IMHO, I think lure presentation & action make far more of a difference.

[Fisher-O-men]

I'm stuck on the losing 30 feet of line comment.  Are you cutting your line instead of breaking it at the knot?  If so, why?  Wrap the line around something like a stick, point your rod directly toward the snag and back up!  The line will break or the hook will straighten out.  In a tube that can be very difficult!

[Darren.]

I just prefer using a leader to keep from cutting down my braided mainline, among other reasons.

 

Braid is expensive, and I don't have a money tree in the back yard. Front yard, yes, but the neighbors keep taking the money off it before I see it ... LOL

 

Anyhow, like it has been said, do what you feel most confident in. For me, I have 100% confidence in braid + leader.

[SirSnookalot]

I just prefer using a leader to keep from cutting down my braided mainline, among other reasons.

 

Braid is expensive, and I don't have a money tree in the back yard. Front yard, yes, but the neighbors keep taking the money off it before I see it ... LOL

 

Anyhow, like it has been said, do what you feel most confident in. For me, I have 100% confidence in braid + leader.

If you are tieing line to leader then you you are using up some braid each time a new leader is put on, it will add up.  To minimize that usage use a swivel and only tie a new knot when needed.  This is what can be done to save some braid, doesn't make it a better or worse practice.  I go both ways, saving braid is not a reason that I use swivel at times.

As far as the leader which I use 100% of the time for all species, not only do I want the shock I do not like taking the time to unravel braid from a front treble, a leader is much easy and faster.

[Further North]

If I have any indication that the fish are not hitting because I'm tying braid right to the lures (very seldom), I'll tie in about 4' - 6' of 17# Fluorocarbon line.

 

Why 17#?  The lightest braid I use is 20# and I don't want the weak link to be the leader.

 

One spool of 17# fluorocarbon line will last me years.

 

...on a slight sidebar: We have a lot of toothy fish here (pike and musky).  If I get bit off more than once in a day, I tie in about 18" of Tyger Wire.  It's cheaper than losing baits....

[Amputee_Angler24]

Probably answering waaaaay late, but I'm an Amputee on a fixed income, I use 30lb braid so I don't lose 15$ Swimbaits or S-Wavers on a cast! Heavy baits can snap your line and go flying off during the cast so be sure your matching your leader line strength to the weights of the baits, I don't use leaders and catch fish in ultra clear and dirty water! And btw if your worried about losing money on braid that's snagged, you can get a lure retriever/unsnagger n get both back just fine, and to not lose as much on new lure tie offs, always use a polymer knott! If you practice you can literally have a tag on an inch to cut off n that's all you lose! Tight lines ? best of luck!

                              ,Amputee_Angler24

[Amputee_Angler24]

Probably answering waaaaay late, but I'm an Amputee on a fixed income, I use 30lb braid so I don't lose 15$ Swimbaits or S-Wavers on a cast! Heavy baits can snap your line and go flying off during the cast so be sure your matching your leader line strength to the weights of the baits, I don't use leaders and catch fish in ultra clear and dirty water! And btw if your worried about losing money on braid that's snagged, you can get a lure retriever/unsnagger n get both back just fine, and to not lose as much on new lure tie offs, always use a polymer knott! If you practice you can literally have a tag on an inch to cut off n that's all you lose! Tight lines ? best of luck!

                              ,Amputee_Angler24