leaders?

[Fisher Guy]

thanks all.   guess ill try and tie better or use the swivel.  My super slick braid is bright green and I'm afraid nothing will bite it.  

[Further North]

Like a lot of folks on this topic...I'm not a big believer in line spooking bass.  I use leaders for two reasons:

1. I fish a lot of cover that'll beat up braid on the end...I've seen a difference in the number of lost ures since going to a leader.
2. We have nasty, toothy fish around here in abundance.  A leader gives me a better chance of getting them to the boat.  If I'm in a lake with a lot of pike or musky, my leader is often a 2 ft. piece of tieable stainless.

...The only fish I've seen spooked by line were trout - that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, only that I've not seen it.

I tend towards fluro and hybrid for my leaders.

[FryDog62]

I would say that 95% of the time visibility doesn't matter ... but I have seen first hand situations where it DOES make a difference.  And its not always just in the gin clear water you would think.  Sometimes its the angle of the sun, or if the fish is between you and the sun, or past it.  Light can do funny things.  Braid also frays easy, so a leader can help with that too.  

So... I just decide to not take a chance in guessing whether I need a leader or not and always use an Alberto knot.  Maybe awkward at first to learn like anything, but I forced myself through repetition to get it right.  Now its second nature...