Is A Long Leader Okay? What Lb. Test?

[livemusic]

I want to be able to see my line but the new braid I just put on a spinning rod/reel is not easy to see. It is Sufix 832 Advanced Superline 20 lb. I would like to put McCoy Clear Blue Flourescent (or something highly visible) leader on there. I fish shallow lakes, generally 8' deep or shallower. How long can a leader be?

 

Also, what lb. test should I use for a leader? This is for fishing soft plastics, like a fluke, rigged Texas style.

 

Or I guess I could remove the new line and put some yellow braid Power Pro on or something like that, lol.

 

Might do some night fishing, fluourescent would help.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't a think leader should be too visible, line on the other hand is personal preference.  I'm not a line watcher, my eyes are roving as I retrieve to throw my next cast.

[Cgrinder]

36" is a good start. Adjust longer or shorter according to your personal preference. I use a lot of 10 lb Red Label as leader material as it is cheap and doesn't suck. 

[bigturtle]

there are many reason for a leader, and increased visibility is only one of them. If you are ok with fishing straight braid, it doesnt matter what kind of leader you put on, because if the fish bites with braid, theey'l bite with any other line.

as far as length goes, it shouldnt be too long such that when you wind up to cast, your knot gets retrieved past the reel line guide. It also shouldnt be so short that you have to change leader after 2-3 reties, to save time. Personally I use 3-6 foot leader, depending on the type of line im using, and whether I want extra stretch for fishing treble hook lures.

[CRANKENSTIEN]

there are many reason for a leader, and increased visibility is only one of them. If you are ok with fishing straight braid, it doesnt matter what kind of leader you put on, because if the fish bites with braid, theey'l bite with any other line.

as far as length goes, it shouldnt be too long such that when you wind up to cast, your knot gets retrieved past the reel line guide. It also shouldnt be so short that you have to change leader after 2-3 reties, to save time. Personally I use 3-6 foot leader, depending on the type of line im using, and whether I want extra stretch for fishing treble hook lures.

 

X2   If visibility is your concern, tie something on and give it a try.  It is easy to change a leader to something else.  I like the double uni.   

[BaitMonkey1984]

I use the longest leader possible. I want my knot an inch or so off the reel so that knot is never going on my spool. Does not affect anything this way. 

[flyfisher]

I am not a fan of using a leader but i have read that there are basically two trains of though.  One is keeping it relatively short and i have seen others that say they want their leader not to be about 2.5 times the length of the rod so that when landing a fish, the leader knot is on the reel itself which prevents another potential failure point.  

[J Francho]

Why not just color half the spool of braid with a contrasting colored marker, then use what ever length leader you like, if at all.

[Darren.]

I want to be able to see my line but the new braid I just put on a spinning rod/reel is not easy to see. It is Sufix 832 Advanced Superline 20 lb. I would like to put McCoy Clear Blue Flourescent (or something highly visible) leader on there. I fish shallow lakes, generally 8' deep or shallower. How long can a leader be?

 

Also, what lb. test should I use for a leader? This is for fishing soft plastics, like a fluke, rigged Texas style.

 

Or I guess I could remove the new line and put some yellow braid Power Pro on or something like that, lol.

 

Might do some night fishing, fluourescent would help.

 

I use yellow Power Pro on all my reels

10lb for spinning

20lb for casting

 

I always tie a leader anywhere from 6-15

pound test, sometimes as low as 4 if I 

need to.

 

Length is up to you, really. There are plenty

of suggestions, but no hard-fast rule a 

leader must be "x" inches...

 

You can run a 30 foot leader or 12 inches.

 

Personally, I will tie on maybe one or two

arm spans in length.

[Thornback]

I don't understand why any bass fisherman needs to tie on a leader. The weakest point in your line is the knot. I only want one knot in my line and that is at the hook, which I retie every time I go out. I have never seen a pro use a leader. Maybe I'm wrong so what am I missing?

[J Francho]

Maybe the weakest point in YOUR line is the knot. I pretty much never break at the connection knot. I do laugh a bit when I hear this, too. I also fish for steelhead, Browns, and salmon which are much larger and fight much longer. A typical float rig has at least four knots, usually more. Line is usually a mix, the lightest being around 4#. If knots were an issue, it would be a problem here, not fishing for little bass - even in cover.

Anyway, there are plenty of reasons to use a leader. I like light braid on a spinning rod for finesse baits, but I prefer the presentation a line like fluoro offers. I don't like hauling cover off my spots when fishing jigs, but I also want no stretch, so a leader allows an easy break off if I get hung up. I do believe there times when line visibility is an issue, so a leader helps. So there's three reasons to use a leader : visibility, presentation, convenience.

It may not be your cup of tea, but now you can't say you don't understand.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't understand why any bass fisherman needs to tie on a leader. The weakest point in your line is the knot. I only want one knot in my line and that is at the hook, which I retie every time I go out. I have never seen a pro use a leader. Maybe I'm wrong so what am I missing?

1. The knot isn't that weak if tied correctly, fish pulling out drag takes much of the stress off the knot.  Braid and a locked down drag doesn't require the kind of hookset they may prompt a visit to the chiropractor.

2. Many larger bass seem to swim at you instead of away.

3. Abrasion.

4. Braid tangled in a treble can be time consuming to unravel.

5. Bit of shock, especially on a top water lure.

6. Break a fish or a snag off.

[WIGuide]

Being that you want to see your line, you might want to consider changing your main line. I think it might easier to do that than to use a leader long enough that you can see it above the water. 

[Thornback]

Maybe the weakest point in YOUR line is the knot. I pretty much never break at the connection knot. I do laugh a bit when I hear this, too. I also fish for steelhead, Browns, and salmon which are much larger and fight much longer. A typical float rig has at least four knots, usually more. Line is usually a mix, the lightest being around 4#. If knots were an issue, it would be a problem here, not fishing for little bass - even in cover.

Anyway, there are plenty of reasons to use a leader. I like light braid on a spinning rod for finesse baits, but I prefer the presentation a line like fluoro offers. I don't like hauling cover off my spots when fishing jigs, but I also want no stretch, so a leader allows an easy break off if I get hung up. I do believe there times when line visibility is an issue, so a leader helps. So there's three reasons to use a leader : visibility, presentation, convenience.

It may not be your cup of tea, but now you can't say you don't understand.

I now understand. But when me and a buddy put 40 bass in the boat in one hour, and I have put 7's, 8's, 9's and 10 pounders in the boat using #40 braid tied with a palomar knot and no line failures I see no reason for a leader. But if you want a leader, go with a leader.

[Thornback]

1. The knot isn't that weak if tied correctly, fish pulling out drag takes much of the stress off the knot.  Braid and a locked down drag doesn't require the kind of hookset they may prompt a visit to the chiropractor.

2. Many larger bass seem to swim at you instead of away.

3. Abrasion.

4. Braid tangled in a treble can be time consuming to unravel.

5. Bit of shock, especially on a top water lure.

6. Break a fish or a snag off.

Thanks for your six points.

[J Francho]

If you have a system that works where you fish, use it. I've fished in Florida, it's not like up here. There's plenty is of places where fling baits around with just braid will work fine. In other places, it would be utter failure, and worse since the fish are dinks compared to Florida bass, lol.