Leader Material

[Fried Lemons]

I’ve read from a lot of suggestions on here that people use braid to fluorocarbon leaders. Personally tying leaders was always a hassle for me so I generally just tied straight to braid. I plan to give it another try next season.

 

I want to touch on a few things here.

 

1. Is it worth spending more on a premium line if you only intend it as leader material? The general belief seems to be that higher end fluorocarbons handle better than cheap ones but does it matter for leader?

 

2. Does fluoro really have any benefit over mono in short <3’ lengths? People extoll the slack line sensitivity and reduced stretch of fluoro but I don’t see these things mattering in short lengths.

 

3. I’m not sold on fluorocarbon being significantly less visible than mono. I’ve never had issues getting bites on monofilament line in crystal clear water. In many cases I’ve had fish in clear water strike lures on straight braid with no inhibition.

 

4. How long of a top shot do you normally tie on? From my experience tying a long one on negates the benefits you get from spooling braid.

 

Please enlighten me on these topics. Feel free to try changing my mind.

[fishballer06]

Line types, colors, etc is always a topic for debate among fishermen, so use whatever you feel works best for you. If you catch fish and you're happy, then there's no sense in changing because of what someone else says. 

 

But to answer your questions.

 

1. I use the same fluoro that's leftover from my other spools of fluoro that I use on my other reels, which many would consider to be a "premium" fluoro. 

 

2. Yes. Abrasion resistance.

 

3. Then use whatever you think works best for you.

 

4. 18-36".

[Darren.]

Fluoro is not necessary for a leader. You will be fine with a line

like Yo-Zuri Hybrid, or other copoly. I do use fluoro but use copoly

more often.

 

So no, you do not have to drop a load of $ for a leader. But some of

these lines are very nice. I like Gamma Edge fluoro, myself.  Where

I think fluoro will shine is where there are abrasive objects like zebra

mussels, oyster beds, concrete pylons, etc.

 

Length is up to you. Some don't like the leader knot to get past the 

top guide so tie it accordingly. I tend to go with a stretch across my

body, arms extended. One or two of these. Gives me a long period

of fishing before I cut in to my braided mainline.

 

 

[Yudo1]

I use about 3' or 4' of fluoro and copoly. The main reason I use leaders is to break off snags and to conserve the braid. I'm less concerned with line visibilty.

[Steveo-1969]

There's really no right or wrong answers here, just everyone's opinion based on what works for them. You'll form your own opinion too.

 

1. Is it worth spending more on a premium line if you only intend it as leader material? The general belief seems to be that higher end fluorocarbons handle better than cheap ones but does it matter for leader?  My opinion is "No". I only fish braid on a spinning rod but always tie on a leader. I tried actual fluorocarbon leader material first and it worked great. It's harder and stiffer and more abrasion resistant than mainline, but not enough for me to keep spending $8-$10 for a 25 yard spool. So I started using filler spools of fluorocarbon mainline for leaders. Now I use whatever is left over after filling baitcasting rods. It was 10# fluoro, right now I'm experimenting with 10# mono.

 

2. Does fluoro really have any benefit over mono in short <3’ lengths? People extoll the slack line sensitivity and reduced stretch of fluoro but I don’t see these things mattering in short lengths.  Most fluorocarbon stretches as much or more than mono. I don't see any advantage in using a fluorocarbon leader over a mono leader. In limited testing this fall I did find I prefer fluoro mainline over mono mainline for bottom contact sensitivity though...

 

3. I’m not sold on fluorocarbon being significantly less visible than mono. I’ve never had issues getting bites on monofilament line in crystal clear water. In many cases I’ve had fish in clear water strike lures on straight braid with no inhibition.  I'm not concerned about line visibility either.  I use a fluorocarbon (or mono) leader for some abrasion resistance, easier to break off a snag, and conserve braided line.

 

4. How long of a top shot do you normally tie on? From my experience tying a long one on negates the benefits you get from spooling braid. I'm assuming by "top shot" you mean "leader"? Personally I start with a leader about 3' long.  When it gets to less than a foot I'll tie a new one on.

[MickD]

I agree almost totally with Steveo.  My only difference is that I will start with about 5-6 feet of leader.  But the reason is not visibility or line stretch, it is to give me more cut and ties without having to retie the line/leader knot.  I use the FG, and it's sort of a pain to tie a good one, so I try not to have to tie many.  The FG is a great knot, the smallest and strongest (according to most tests) of the line to leader knots, and since it is so small, it will go through micros and all other guides without getting beaten up.  So it can last a long, long, time.  That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

[Deleted account]

I use mono with braid when using treble lures, or when I fish around snakeheads and pickerel. Big Game or Ande. Bass aren't line shy, I routinely catch them in clear water with 20-40 lb leader. YMMV (but it won't)

[HookRz]

I use genuine floro  leader material like seaguar blue. Much better abrasion resistance. 

[CroakHunter]

1. No it's not necessary, I use a copolymer leader and just bump up 1 line size compared to the actual diameter of the line I would use if copoly was My main line. Ex: I would fish with 15lb on my jig rod, but instead I tie in a 17lb leader to 50lb braid.

 

2. Stretch in fluoro, copoly, and mono are very similar given they are close in diameter. So probably no advantage with 3 ft of leader material regardless of line type.

 

3. I've never had a problem catching fish in clear water using mono or copoly. I use a leader For the reasons stated above. Abrasion resistance, easier to break off, and mostly so the hooks don't foul when using treble hook lures.

 

4. I usually use 6-7 feet depending on rod length. My connection knot will be about 6 inches above my reel when the lure is in casting position (about 1 foot below top guide) this usally puts the leader knot between the bottom 2 guides when I am pitching. 

 

I use p-line cxx as a leader exclusively. Its is very strong and stiff. Ties good knots and has good abrasion resistance. Very cheap as well. I had a 7lber wrap me around a stick up and give me one of the best fights I've ever had bass fishing. After I landed that fish and my line wasnt shredded (i still re-tied) it made me a believer in cxx. Its a confidence thing for me. 

[craww]

1. Actual leader material is better for the task. The qualities that make it terrible for handling and casting on a reel make it great for going through cover and a largemouth's sand paper mouth. I was sold the first time I used the modified albright years ago. Using 30lb PP and 12lb Yozuri Leader mtl I hooked into what ended up being my biggest bass, an 11.4lb Northern Strain that found & wrapped around a horizontal log under the boat we didnt know was there. Most helpless feeling in the world hearing the paino string tension sound of it sawing and a new knot with zero confidence, but she held. Main line works fine, but actual leader material IS better. 

 

2. While flouro gets all the pub for abrasion resistance, there is Nylon or mono leader material also thats very abrasion resistant in its own right. Just use the proper diameter. The thing people miss out on with Flouro is if used as a leader, once you get snagged and pull hard enough on the line to break off, youve deformed and weakened the line. Nylon not so much typically. Flouros fine for leader, but you need to retie fairly often. Nylon also has better not strength, and isnt as hard as flouro, which I think helps with certain constricting knots. Unless  youre doing a presentation that benifits from the way flouro handles in the water column, nylon based lines are better for me. 

 

3. I agree completely for bass.

 

4. Generally start right above the reel but have ran longer without any issues.

[Fried Lemons]

Thank you all for chiming in. The setup I'm thinking about modifying I typically fish neds and other light plastics with. I want to get more into drop shotting next season as well. I have fished straight fluoro and straight mono on it and while I like the way they handle, I find myself needing to respool far too frequently from breakoffs, reties and random abrasion. I've gathered from these responses what I want in a leader is mainly abrasion resistance and knot strength with handling qualities being of little importance. Do you think it's worth springing for actual leader material or something cheap like YZH?

 

 

[MickD]

You don't use that much leader material, so its cost isn't much of an issue.  With your experience and priority for abrasion resistance, I think leader material is the right choice.

 

One thing that stiffer leader material provides is tangle resistance, especially with lures like blades.  Since it is stiff it tends to stay straight instead of bending into the hooks.

[Arlo Smithereen]

Almost all my reels have braid mainline with flouro/mono leader. Which one i use depends on the fishing I'm doing. Topwater or very shallow I use mono for the simple fact it floats. Deeper fishing I use fluoro because it sinks. Only time I don't use a leader is frog fishing or fishing in very heavy cover. Then I use straight braid.

[Owen_007]

I personally buy filler spools and use that as my leader, never had a issue, and on leader length I usually end up with about 15 feet, that way I never have to worry about my knot breaking when boat flipping a fish, and I have a lot of leader to go through before retying 

[J Francho]

On 12/14/2017 at 10:14 AM, MickD said:

You don't use that much leader material, so its cost isn't much of an issue.  With your experience and priority for abrasion resistance, I think leader material is the right choice.

 

One thing that stiffer leader material provides is tangle resistance, especially with lures like blades.  Since it is stiff it tends to stay straight instead of bending into the hooks.

This!  In a pinch, I'll use reel fill, but I prefer actual leader material over that.