Fishing braid straight or with a leader

[Backroad Angler]

I know I'm gonna get bashed for this because I know there is 40 million posts about this said topic lol. But the most recent I found was around the summertime and wanted to see yalls opinions in current time. So simply, do you use braid straight or do you attach a leader? And is the main reason if you use a leader, is it because of line visibility?

 

I know people use leaders for

visibility, line abrasion, benefits of mono/fluro, saves mainline, shock absorber, and I'm sure theres more, but I'm more interested to know if anyone still uses it because they think braid will scare away fish and affect their bite rate. Thanks guys

[NittyGrittyBoy]

I'd say there's alot of variables that come into effect; location, water clarity, species, etc...

 

I fish alot of Rivers that are tannic and muddy so line visibility isn't my first concern. Strength is because snags are everywhere, so for me I fish straight braid 95% of the time and no less than 30lb test. That might  be extreme for a small mouth northern guy, but for my area, it's normal.

 

Ihave a few clear water ponds I fish and when I do I use a flouro leader tied with an fg knot, but I think ultimately it is a bass fisherman's personal preference as to what his opinions are on line choice/leaders.

 

Great question though, I enjoy a good line visibility debate haha!

[Backroad Angler]

43 minutes ago, NittyGrittyBoy said:

I'd say there's alot of variables that come into effect; location, water clarity, species, etc...

 

I fish alot of Rivers that are tannic and muddy so line visibility isn't my first concern. Strength is because snags are everywhere, so for me I fish straight braid 95% of the time and no less than 30lb test. That might  be extreme for a small mouth northern guy, but for my area, it's normal.

 

Ihave a few clear water ponds I fish and when I do I use a flouro leader tied with an fg knot, but I think ultimately it is a bass fisherman's personal preference as to what his opinions are on line choice/leaders.

 

Great question though, I enjoy a good line visibility debate haha!

Yeah I think at the end of the day, it comes down to what type of waters you fish and the location where you live. I'm just trying to come to decision to use straight braid or not and so far I haven't decided lol. Thanks for your input!

[GeekOutdoors]

FWIW I fish straight braid for most of my fishing, the only situations I use a leader is on my ned rig gear and my drop shot gear. Anything else, at least till now, is straight braid. It might change in the future, especially if I want to kinda "cheat" a little on rod actions by "mitigating" them with fluoro, or more likely, mono.

[Dwight Hottle]

When using light braid & moving baits straight braid is an option. Fish are not suspicious of braid attached to faster moving baits because they are reacting to the signals the bait gives out as it moves through the water. Guys fishing around vegetation like in FL use straight braid almost always because it cuts through the weeds. If you are fishing clear water & are concerned with line visibility or abrasion from rocks/shell beds then use a leader. 

If you really want to know how important fishing line visibility is to detering the bite try using braid with leader versus straight braid on your home waters for a single trip splitting the time in half for each line type. Just use the same presentation & bait. That little experiment will give you confidence in your selection. 

[Ksam1234]

Straight fluoro always.. unless I’m frogging or topwater. Fish are line shy where I’m at bc if the crystal clear water. 

[Maggiesmaster]

This is a great topic! I use 30 lb braid without a leader. My thinking is it looks equivalent to 6 lb  green mono, which won’t scare fish.  Does anyone else feel the same way? Someone PLEASE give me support :)!

[soflabasser]

I often catch big bass in clear waters with strait braid so yes it is possible to catch bass with straight braid in clear water.

4 hours ago, GeekFisher said:

FWIW I fish straight braid for most of my fishing, the only situations I use a leader is on my ned rig gear and my drop shot gear. Anything else, at least till now, is straight braid. It might change in the future, especially if I want to kinda "cheat" a little on rod actions by "mitigating" them with fluoro, or more likely, mono.

Earlier this month I went up north and caught a bunch of smallmouth bass on a ned rig with straight braid. 

26 minutes ago, Maggiesmaster said:

This is a great topic! I use 30 lb braid without a leader. My thinking is it looks equivalent to 6 lb  green mono, which won’t scare fish.  Does anyone else feel the same way? Someone PLEASE give me support :)!

I use 30 pound test braid often and it does well for me. I sometimes go up to 50 pound test braid if I am fishing a area with extremely heavy aquatic vegetation but not much more for bass.

[The Bassman]

I use straight braid most of the time. One downside is that it tends to get tangled with certain baits like spooks and blade baits.  I'll sometimes use a leader when I'm focusing on those techniques.

[kenmitch]

I use mono with a braid leader..... J/K

 

Most of time straight braid 30lb.

[GeekOutdoors]

1 hour ago, soflabasser said:

I often catch big bass in clear waters with strait braid so yes it is possible to catch bass with straight braid in clear water.

Earlier this month I went up north and caught a bunch of smallmouth bass on a ned rig with straight braid. 

I use 30 pound test braid often and it does well for me. I sometimes go up to 50 pound test braid if I am fishing a area with extremely heavy aquatic vegetation but not much more for bass.

I noted for nedrig. Will try it w/o leader next year

[LionHeart]

As much credit as anglers give a bass regarding preference for certain lure colors, action, realism, and then to think that same fish won't notice a dark green braided line attatched to the same lure just seems contradictory.

 

Truth is, who knows for sure? But I Don't want to risk it if costs me a single bite.

[soflabasser]

1 hour ago, GeekFisher said:

I noted for nedrig. Will try it w/o leader next year

I was fishing in a flooded river where the water visibility was less than 3 feet, maybe its different somewhere else but the straight braid works well in clear lakes in South Florida as well.

[BigAngus752]

I always use a fluoro leader on braid when fishing anything on the bottom.  I don't have enough fishing expertise to tell you if the bass can see the braid.  The primary reason I use the leader is because both of my home lakes are flooded timber and I break off a lot of texas rigs and so forth.  I use a swivel and a leader for that purpose and I use flouro because it's just darn tough line.  Maybe the fish can see braid so that would be a bonus.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Straight braid even in very clear waters

[Bluebasser86]

Bass will eat an A rig in clear water with thick wire arms, big snap swivels, and stuff sticking out everywhere, but braid is going to spook them? There may be times, but maybe our fish are dumb because I haven't seen it.

 

I fish leaders on spinning gear for abrasion resistance around rocks covered with zebra mussels and for ROF but rarely for visibility. 

 

Straight braid 100% of the time on casting gear. 

[ChrisD46]

A prime application for braid + leader is adding a 14" leader for walking baits to keep the braid out of the treble hooks (#15 lb. Big Game) .

[Bluebasser86]

25 minutes ago, ChrisD46 said:

A prime application for braid + leader is adding a 14" leader for walking baits to keep the braid out of the treble hooks (#15 lb. Big Game) .

I love braid for walking baits and never use a leader. Never have had the issue of the hooks tangling the line but I never let the bait sit in place for long. 

[Deleted account]

21 hours ago, JoshFromBolo said:

I know I'm gonna get bashed for this because I know there is 40 million posts about this said topic lol. But the most recent I found was around the summertime and wanted to see yalls opinions in current time. So simply, do you use braid straight or do you attach a leader? And is the main reason if you use a leader, is it because of line visibility?

 

I know people use leaders for

visibility, line abrasion, benefits of mono/fluro, saves mainline, shock absorber, and I'm sure theres more, but I'm more interested to know if anyone still uses it because they think braid will scare away fish and affect their bite rate. Thanks guys

I sometimes use mono leaders on braid for various reasons. Because of line visibility isn't one of them.

[PatrickKnight]

I will fish leaders for two reasons and visibility is not one of them. I use them for added abrasion resistance and so I don't have to cut braid every time I want to change baits (I wade a river so carrying a ton of rods isn't an option). I have never felt I missed out on bites when going straight braid but I have had times where the rocks would cut me off. I should also add I always use mono for a leader due to cost.

[Backroad Angler]

Love the responses guys, appreciate it!

[CrankFate]

I usually use at least a short leader. Because I even see totally stupid, dumb fish looking up and down my braid with one eye like, “LOL there’s no way I’m biting anything tied to this.” That little bit of empty space, IMO, makes a difference.

[Backroad Angler]

48 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

I usually use at least a short leader. Because I even see totally stupid, dumb fish looking up and down my braid with one eye like, “LOL there’s no way I’m biting anything tied to this.” That little bit of empty space, IMO, makes a difference.

Or are the fish thinking insects/food hit the water when your line hit the water? Mabye they are looking for that, theres so many possiblities man lol

21 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Bass will eat an A rig in clear water with thick wire arms, big snap swivels, and stuff sticking out everywhere, but braid is going to spook them? There may be times, but maybe our fish are dumb because I haven't seen it.

 

I fish leaders on spinning gear for abrasion resistance around rocks covered with zebra mussels and for ROF but rarely for visibility. 

 

Straight braid 100% of the time on casting gear. 

I've heard the A rig comparision before and honestly that makes a lot of sense!

[Scott F]

58 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

I usually use at least a short leader. Because I even see totally stupid, dumb fish looking up and down my braid with one eye like, “LOL there’s no way I’m biting anything tied to this.” That little bit of empty space, IMO, makes a difference.

They are so smart that they can reason and they see line like braid and won't eat anything attached to it, but anything the mono or FC line (that really is still visible) is attached to is OK? And then, these fish that are so smart, try to eat a hunk of wood, plastic or metal without sensing any problems? Really? 

[Russ E]

Like some people have already stated, I use the leader more for abrasion resistance and the ability to break off in a snag. 

I use 10lb braid with an 8lb leader on my Ned rig rod. Last week I forgot the leader material and had to use straight braid. Did not notice any lack of bites, from using straight braid. Did have to retie more often, because 10lb braid is not very forgiving if it gets nicks in the line.