Va Fishing - Fc Leader Or No?

[bigfruits]

i know. this horse has been killed many times. but i was wondering if you local guys use a flourocarbon leader when fishing braid in what i would consider stained northern va water.

 

potomac, occoquan, and the lakes around here - id say 12-18" visibility on the average day?

 

i very rarely use a leader and im wondering if im losing jig fish on 10,15 and 20lb green power pro.

 

if you have fished with and without leader enough times to compare, what are your results?

 

thanks in advance!

-z

[CrazyFluker]

I use braid for my jigs and don't use a leader but I do use a leader when using braid for drop shot, Carolina rigs and shaky head and I use 15lb SeaGuar InvisX FC.

 

 

My biggest fish of the weekend was a 3.3lb LMB Saturday with the jig without a leader in stained water.

[The Bream Reaper]

I'm a big believer in using FC leader when finessing w/spinning gear.  Line twists drive me nuts and I also feel like I get better castability out of braid main line.  I pretty much always use 15lb power pro braid (i like red because I can see it better) for main line and anywhere from 6-10 lb FC for leader.  Unless water is incredibly clear (which is a rarity in our local waters) I don't think leader needs to be much longer than 2ft. 

 

W/casting gear, only time i use ANY leader at all really is carolina rigging, and usually I'll have like 50lb braid as main line and a mono leader (mono because I think it keeps the bait up off the bottom a little better because of the bouyancy of mono). 

 

If you decide to go with braided main line, only thing you need to do differently when rigging is either put athletic tape around the arbor or use some mono as backing line so the braid wont slip on you. 

[quanjig]

Really depends on a couple of things. Technique and rod. Braid, no streach and f/c, little streach and a rod that has very little parabolic bend is not going to end well!!

That's just me.......

[Huntrava]

I use a FC leader.  It's probably mostly in my head, but I think it's less visible.  Also, I hate tying things to braid, so a FC leader lets me deal with FC most of the time. 

[VAHunter]

I never use a leader.  I fish frogs, jigs, worms and senkos on braid.  I always tie hooks straight to the braid.  However, we do have some very clear lakes down in SE VA and in those waters I only throw braid on my wacky worms and shakey heads.  I always use 10 lb. power pro on those two set ups.  Even in clear water (4-5 ft of visibility) I don't think the small diameter braid bothers the fish.  However, I go to mono in the clear lakes for my jig and t-rigged worms/senkos. 

[Kyle46N]

The water clarity in the Potomac can vary greatly.   In the early spring and early summer, it can be various shades of "dingy" or "stained".  But in the fall, as in right now, today, it's crystal clear in many of the tributaries, and yes I absolutely use a FC leader in these areas (shallow, grass filled creeks) (which hold a ton of fish right now ) .   Otherwise, in any stained water, I'm totally comfortable throwing braid only. 

[StinkyBass]

I switched to flouro at the beginning of this year while fishing a few small tournaments and I have to say, I really didn't notice a difference (I know this may come as BLASPHEMY to others in the fishing community).  to me, leaders are just another knot to worry about, but that can be negated by tying good knots. bottom line, I'm a big proponent of "if it builds your confidence, stick with it!" so therefore I fish with mono (except with frogs) and do great. I fish similar water to what you described above and have good results... good luck fishing!

[Felix77]

I'm not local but I get to travel across the US often for work and fish all the time.  For me a leader is a must.  Have had too many experiences where fishing braid direct seemed to be the difference in terms of bites.

[bigfruits]

I switched to flouro at the beginning of this year while fishing a few small tournaments and I have to say, I really didn't notice a difference (I know this may come as BLASPHEMY to others in the fishing community).  to me, leaders are just another knot to worry about, but that can be negated by tying good knots. bottom line, I'm a big proponent of "if it builds your confidence, stick with it!" so therefore I fish with mono (except with frogs) and do great. I fish similar water to what you described above and have good results... good luck fishing!

 thanks, StinkyBass.

 

are you saying you don't notice a difference between flouro and mono or flouro and braid?

[roadwarrior]

There are several advantages that a fluorocarbon leader provide:

 

The ability to break-off when you need to.

Visibility

Abrasion resistance

 

The length of my leader is just a few inches above the reel so the knot 

never involves coming off the spool.