Using A Leader

[J Francho]

Tried it. Wouldn't use it at all again. Not for me.

[Wayne P.]

Tried it. Wouldn't use it at all again. Not for me.

 

Me neither--"been there done that"

[Team9nine]

Tried it. Wouldn't use it at all again. Not for me.

 

 

Me neither--"been there done that"

 

And mine makes the third strike - it's outta' here...but I did give it a more than fair shot, using it almost exclusively for a year and a half. In the end, the few negatives simply outweighed all the positives.

 

-T9

[J Francho]

Oh man, a year and a half? I didn't make it a month. It's not terrible, it just doesn't fit my program, and I just didn't like the way it felt. That probably makes no sense to someone that likes it.

[SirSnookalot]

Braid is not the most durable, I just deal with it as it's my line of choice.  My braid gets chewed up more from shore fishing, the brush along the banks rough it up pretty good.  Some beaches are loaded with rocks and coral reefs, the cement pylons on bridges is rough as well, then barnacles on top of that.  I go thru what I think is a lot of braid, for durability I don't find one braid is better than another.

[Felix77]

In my experiences you just cannot ignore the fact that a fluoro leader will get more bites ... two very specific examples come to mind over the past few years ...

 

1 - Smallmouth at Rouses Point two years ago.   I was fishing straight braid with a fluke.  My boater was using fluoro.  As we progressed through the day we talked about the differences in our setups.  Even after matching everything except the line he was getting bit and I wasn't.  Switched up by adding a leader and guess who began getting bit.  We were in an open flat so they could have been anywhere.  Water was very clear FWIW.

 

2 - Largemouth in Toledo Bend a few months ago.  Bert and I were fishing in what I would consider stained water.  Braid wouldn't make a difference would it?  The exact same thing happened.  Switched everything bit by bit with line being the last thing I changed.  Action started almost immediately.

 

Does it make a difference all the time ... NO.   I flip and pitch straight braid with zero issues.  But I would never overlook using a leader.

 

With finesse I use a FC leader 100% of the time.

[Team9nine]

Oh man, a year and a half? I didn't make it a month. It's not terrible, it just doesn't fit my program, and I just didn't like the way it felt. That probably makes no sense to someone that likes it.

 

I really liked the stuff when it first came out. The feel (through the line/rod) was better than normal braid in my opinion, it casted better/farther than normal braid, it handled great, and they even made it in that awesome chartreuse color after the first year. I really liked its positive attributes, figured out knots that wouldn't slip with it, etc., but in the end, the overall knot strength, either direct or with a leader, was just a killer for the way I fish. I really wanted to like it. Can't say I didn't give it a fair shot though

 

-T9

[HoosierHawgs]

I really liked the stuff when it first came out. The feel (through the line/rod) was better than normal braid in my opinion, it casted better/farther than normal braid, it handled great, and they even made it in that awesome chartreuse color after the first year. I really liked its positive attributes, figured out knots that wouldn't slip with it, etc., but in the end, the overall knot strength, either direct or with a leader, was just a killer for the way I fish. I really wanted to like it. Can't say I didn't give it a fair shot though

 

-T9

What knot's where you using? I kinda think braid feels weird myself.... Been a mono guy myself for a while. 

[J Francho]

Off topic posts have been removed.

[Team9nine]

What knot's where you using? I kinda think braid feels weird myself.... Been a mono guy myself for a while. 

 

 

Regular knots won't hold with this line. I tried both a clinch as well as an improved clinch and both slipped easily under pressure. It did seem like a Palomar would hold, and their recommended 'NanoFil knot', which is actually a double Palomar might be good reassurance. For straight ties to lures though, I actually liked  a double-line 5 turn uni knot best.

 

For line-to-leader knots, I tested a few.

 

• Triple Surgeon

• Uni-Uni

• Seguar knot

• Alberto

• Double-line Albright (~11 turns); Berkley Recommended

• J-knot

 

The first two were horrible; the next two were OK, but would cut themselves with a bit more pressure; but the last two are the best! Use either a J-knot, their recommended 11-turn double Albright, or perhaps a modified Albright (Crazy Alberto) with extra wraps (since so many people like it). Whatever you use, be certain to test knots well before using. I pretty much settled on the J-knot, and it was solid.

 

One word of caution - the key is to tie a good clean knot. This line does not like to be crossed over itself under strain. Test all leader knots with an appropriate tug before fishing to make sure everything seated down correctly.

 

One final comment. I also checked a loop knot with this line. There are several versions of loop knots, but I quickly tested a triple surgeons loop on a crappie jig and found that it broke too easily to be recommended. Again, I think it is in the way the line crosses itself with certain knots. Take your time, cinch everything down slowly and with lubrication, and then check the knot under strain before using.

 

I might revisit this line again this year in slightly higher pound tests, perhaps 6# or more likely 8#. We'll see. It does have some great properties, and a friend has been using it with success in the 10# version. I like going much lighter usually. 

 

-T9  

[LuckyGia]

Huh, I left the topic alone for a while out of frustration of feeling like a idiot for bringing it up. Looks like it wasn't such a bad question after all.