braided line/leader on spinning reel

[Shadow1]

Guys, I fish mainly old strip mine and limestone quarries where I live (some farm ponds).  One is particularly good to fish.  It is very hard to access (3 mile walk), deep with timber, and the water is not real clear.  The fish here just love a small 4" black finesse worm.  So, I want to start using braid on my spinning reel.  What length of leader do you recommend for me to use.  I did a search and couldn't find an answer specifically to what I was looking for.  There are some really big fish in the water, but for some reason they love smaller darker colored baits.  Thanks! 

[Darren.]

You can go either way.

 

If they're biting w/o a leader then your fine going

straight braid. I'd start there, with caveats.

 

If they only bite with a leader on, then you can 

really use whatever length you want. I personally

use somewhere around the length of two full arm

stretches. But not always.

 

Point is, there's no hard/fast rule as to leader length.

Use what seems best in your mind.

 

My caveat to going straight braid is that it can be an

expensive buy and I want to keep it on my reel for as

long as possible. This is a main reason I always use a

leader. I can do multiple hook reties during an outing

and never cut into my braided mainline except to tie

a new leader.

[Smokinal]

I go 2 arm lengths as well. I retie when it gets about 4 ft. I don't like to let it go any shorter than that.

[NYBasser]

Always use a leader if you are fishing braid for bottom contact baits. The braid will not stand up to rocks/timber and you risk the chance of losing a good fish on chaffed up braid. Mono/Fluoro leader is much more abrasion resistant and will help you out in the long run. 

[nascar2428]

I only have one rule, the leader knot doesn't get to the reel. 

[fishnkamp]

I fill all of my spinning reels half full with good quality mono for backing. My preference is Stren mono in 14 pound test, Next I like Berkley Fireline in 14 pound test (6 pound mono diameter) and then install a 4 foot leader. I like that length regardless if I am fishing the dirty off color tidal Chesapeake Bay rivers or out in Dale Hollow fishing gin clear deep water for big smallies. The longest I would consider is about 6 foot. Like nascar said I never want a leader knot on my reel. No reason for it in my experience. If you are looking at a good line to use for the leader check out both P Line CXX moss green and P Line Halo. 10 pound CXX breaks at around 23 pounds so you need not go real heavy. Most times 8 pound test will work with either line.  Learn to tie good uni to Uni knots. I never have them fail, but I take real care to get them right. They are also fast to tie even when you are being careful.

[MassYak85]

35 minutes ago, Smokinal said:

I go 2 arm lengths as well. I retie when it gets about 4 ft. I don't like to let it go any shorter than that.

x2

 

You can experiment with how well the fish respond to a leader vs no leader. I assume these quarries have pretty clear water? If so and they are finicky I'd probably go for a longer leader. I usually don't go any longer than 10 feet personally. 

[NHBull]

On my light spinning gear, 10 lb Braid, 5-6 foot leader.

Long enough that I don't have to add leader while fishing, but not so long that it makes it to the reel. Longer FC leader also gives me the fall rate for plastics that I want

[the reel ess]

I have long believed it didn't matter if I used a leader or not. I tried once a few years ago with a dbl-uni knot and had the thing break off on a good fish in cover so I started using straight braid with good results. I just recently started using a heavier fluoro or mono leader tied with a surgeon's knot depending on the situation. Honestly, I can see those in water too. My philosophy has been that if fish (and big ones) will bite a spinnerbait or even a Bama rig, why would a little visible line hurt your chances?

 

On the other hand, I'm trying the low-vis Trilene XL for Finesse applications and Fuoro 17 lb for heavier situations. I have only used a 2-3' leader thus far. So far, so good.

[Paul Roberts]

Straight braid will catch fish but, as NYBasser said, it is prone to shredding on hard cover. It also has a tendency to slice into waterlogged wood. So... I use a leader. Length does not matter much of the time. In shallow water, esp with soft plastics, I'll use a very short leader (about 4-6ft), taking advantage of the fact that braid floats making a good strike detector. Otherwise I tend to use about a 10-12ft leader.

 

I strongly recommend the FG-knot for braid to leader. Tiny slim knot and very durable. It can run in and out of the guides, lay on the spool, cast and handle virtually as if its not there.

 

All companies make good braids. The only one I haven't liked is Fireline. Currently using -actually never left behind- Spiderwire Stealth, have used PowerPro and most recently am liking Daiwa's J-Braid. Suffix 832 has a great reputation too.

 

I use 20# for M rods. 30# for MH. I also have 6# on UL rigs, 10lb on ML rigs, and 50# and 65# on heavy casting rigs.

 

Hope this helps you make a decision.

[flechero]

Learn to tie a good connection and carry 2 little spools of (mono or flouro) leader lines in your tackle bag/box/pack, to cover the types of water you fish.  I never go straight braid, just because you risk rod and reel damage if you get hung deep, trying to break it off.

 

You'll have to experiment a bit with leader lengths, to suit your style.  I like a shorter leader, but that also requires more frequent changes. (which is fine for me as I retie often, anyway)

[blckshirt98]

I use the smallest size Spro Power Swivel to attach my FC leader to braid mainline (too many knot failures on a double-uni) and I'll use as much leader as I can to cast comfortably without letting the swivel hit the top guide, so usually around 30 inches.