Braid With Leader Vs Braid Without And Why

[OkobojiEagle]

I carry a wooden sewing thread spool tied to my lanyard...

 

 

oe

[Big Swimbait]

Straight braid for me. The major tournaments outlawed the A-Rig because it is too effective, yet it looks like a wad of coat hangers coming through the water.

To me bait selection and presentation are the most important.

[RSM789]

The lake I fish has water clarity in the 3-4 ft range and not a lot of snags, so I only have one casting rod with braid spooled on it (fluorocarbon on the rest).  I have always used a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader depending on the lure I was using because I believed it made a difference.  As I read this thread, I began to doubt that the leader makes a difference for moving baits, so I tried an experiment yesterday.

 

I tied a KVD Series 3 crankbait directly to the braid.  This is a lure that I typically always have tied on, even though I use it sparingly compared to the other slower moving baits that catch a majority of the bass for me.  On an average day this time of the year, there are only a few locations where I fish a crankbait.  I may make anywhere from 30 to 50 casts with it throughout the day, usually catching 1 or 2 fish, at the most 3 or 4.

 

So yesterday, I used it in the same manner as above and caught 4 bass & 1 irritated catfish.  By no means does this prove anything, for those fish were part of a 50 fish day, meaning the fish were willing to bite.  However, it does make me realize I can catch them on moving baits with braid with no leader.  Tougher days or slower moving baits may be a different deal, but I am now comfortable on my lake with no leader under at least these conditions.