Anyone go leaderless?

[The Maestro]

I'll run a flouro leader on a drop shot and an extremely thin wire leader for jerkbaits to prevent bite offs of $25 baits. For any applications that involve heavy line and a stout rod I go straight braid. I've broken off at the leader on the hookset too many times and I don't think it makes any difference.

[WRB]

1 hour ago, Steveo-1969 said:

^^ This. Abrasion resistance, ease of breaking off, and saving expensive braid.

 

Last weekend I was standing in the middle of a river, got snagged, and broke my leader off. Grrrrr.... I didn't feel like tying on a new leader so I tied my bait directly to my braid. Eventually got snagged again and when I pulled to get it out the braid broke at the reel. Great, now I had to get the braid through the guides while standing in waist-deep water. Which I did, then realized I forgot to put the line under the bail first! Pulled it all out and did it again. Took me 15 minutes to get all this done when I could have tied on a new leader in under 5 minutes and been back to fishing. Not to mention I lost 20 yards of braid which was now in the river and that I would snag occasionally.

All you had to do is remove the spool open the bail and replace the spool, no reason the be retreading line through guides.

The only thing braid does for spinning reels is reduces line twist, otherwise it isn't needed for spinning reels. No reason to fish with a leader requiring 2 knots unless using wire leader.

Tom

 

[Troy85]

26 minutes ago, WRB said:

All you had to do is remove the spool open the bail and replace the spool, no reason the be retreading line through guides.

The only thing braid does for spinning reels is reduces line twist, otherwise it isn't needed for spinning reels. No reason to fish with a leader requiring 2 knots unless using wire leader.

Tom

 

Tom, I know you fish the clear water lakes of Socal.  You use straight fluro/mono or do you use straight braid a majority of the time?

[Mike L]

Always!!

 

 

 

 

Mike

[WRB]

7 minutes ago, Troy85 said:

Tom, I know you fish the clear water lakes of Socal.  You use straight fluro/mono or do you use straight braid a majority of the time?

Majority of the time it's straight mono or FC line, 1 heavy cover frog rod with straight braid.

Off shore Marlin and big tuna I use conventional reels with braid backing to increase line capacity  with 100 lb test 100' long mono leaders. Also have used Surflon micro wire leader for toothy fish. 2lb test leaders trout fishing, there are a few applications where I use leaders.

Tom

 

[Fried Lemons]

I've had a few trips where I broke a leader off and just tied direct with no change in catch rates. I only use a leader when fishing rocks.

[Choporoz]

22 minutes ago, WRB said:

Majority of the time it's straight mono or FC line, 1 heavy cover frog rod with straight braid.

Off shore Marlin and big tuna I use conventional reels with braid backing to increase line capacity  with 100 lb test 100' long mono leaders. Also have used Surflon micro wire leader for toothy fish. 2lb test leaders trout fishing, there are a few applications where I use leaders.

Tom

 

Tom, I figured you must use braid a lot.  Since you're always so passionate about suggesting the rest of us not use leaders with braid.

[WRB]

36 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Tom, I figured you must use braid a lot.  Since you're always so passionate about suggesting the rest of us not use leaders with braid.

I bought a large yard spool of FINS 60 lb original PRC green back in the early 90's for backing on a off shore reel and spooled 1 fresh water bait casting reel at that time. I still use the same braid I bought originally, it will outlast me.

About 15 years ago I tried Daiwa Samuri braid on a spinning reel with and without FC leader. The green dye ran, the wind knotted and leaders failed using a double Uni knot back then. Every year I get out the braid spinning reel to practice knot tying and various leaders and put it away until next year because I rather use straight 5 lb Max UG or 7 lb Sniper FC with 1 knot works good for me.

Tom

 

[keagbassr]

20+ years of straight braid for me. Don't see a reason for a leader.

[Catt]

Don't use a leader

Don't Snell my hooks 

Don't peg my weights 

 

Still throw mono a lot

Still use straight shank hooks 

[Todd2]

No leaders for me for many of the reasons listed. Also, even though my line to lure knot tying is very good, I can not consistently tie good leaders. One time it would lift up logs..next time break very easy. 

[Log Catcher]

I have one spinning setup I recently put braid on just to try it out. I just posted in another thread I use a barrel swivel and about a 2' leader then tie my lure on. I do this to help stop line twist and not have to worry about cutting and retying braid every  time I make a change in lures.

[Timberwolf530]

I used to when I first started fishing braid 20 years ago or so.  However, my eyesight aint getting any better with age, so a couple years ago, I switched from green braid to yellow or chartreuse.  I just can't convince myself that tying a neon line directly to the bait won't affect the bite, so I use leaders.  A lot of fishing is what you have confidence in.  I have confidence in using a leader.  BTW, I use both mono and fluoro, but that's a whole new can of worms right there.

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

 

These days I'm running straight line in most applications.

 

1. Jig and heavy plastics rod: Straight 50lb braid. I generally use this in places the vegetation is so thick that the braid blends in.

 

2. Frog/heavy topwater rod: Straight 65lb braid.

 

3. Crankbait rod: Straight 12lb XT Trilene.

 

4. Spinnerbait rod: Straight 12lb Trilene.

 

5. Light plastics/jerkbait rod: I just put this together this year; it's mostly for lighter plastics rigs. I run 30lb braid with a 12lb fluoro leader. This setup might change.

 

6. Ultralight rod: 15lb braid with 8lb fluoro leader. I figure I can get away with running a bit bigger diameter leader by using fluorocarbon.

 

Regards

[Hammer 4]

No leaders for me..

[Deleted account]

6 hours ago, billmac said:

This post is prompted by the "popular opinion" post.  I'd love to know how much of what we "know" about how to fish is just conventional wisdom without any science behind it.  The conventional wisdom is that we have to use leaders at least in part because fish are line shy and braid will scare them off.  Someone rightly pointed out that a big honking hook and additions like slip sinkers kind of make that reasoning a little shaky.  

 

Who goes leaderless?

When I fish for bass with braid, I sometimes use a leader, and sometimes I don't for various reasons. Bass being line shy is not one of the reasons, they aren't.

[Sphynx]

I fish leaderless as far as line to line is concerned, in most situations, having spent the last several weeks fishing in MN I have been using a steel leader because they got mean fish with teeth here in the great white north, and I don't like losing lures if it can be helped, I catch fish either way, and I can't say that I'd go back to messing around with leaders for any reason related to actually catching fish, but I will probably start using them again when I finally use up this spool of power pro and grab some of the nice Seaguar line as a way to increase the amount of time between having to replace line that spendy...usually I use about half (75 yards or so) a spool, which is tied to a mono backing and then use either a fluorocarbon or mono leader depending on what I'm fishing, mono is almost always my preference since it is much less expensive to replace. 

[long island basser]

I don’t use.

[Steveo-1969]

4 hours ago, WRB said:

All you had to do is remove the spool open the bail and replace the spool, no reason the be retreading line through guides.

Dang it, you are WAY smarter than me Tom! Thanks for the tip, I'm going to remember that next time. (Although knowing my luck I would take the spool off, accidentally drop it in the water, and watch the current take it away!).

[813basstard]

Possibly when fishing very clear water. Don’t have much of that where I live so mostly straight braid. 

[LonnieP]

I've never tied a leader on, but I only use braid for frogs.

[bagofdonuts]

none for me. but if i were drop shotting alot with spinning gear, i'd consider it.

[Mobasser]

I use monofilament for 90% of my fishing, so of course no leader with that. I now have one casting rod strung with braid, for frog/toad fishing, and won't use a leader with it either.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, Catt said:

Don't use a leader

Don't Snell my hooks 

Don't peg my weights 

 

Still throw mono a lot

Still use straight shank hooks 

Get out of my head!!! 

 

I like the way braid/leader fishes but I waste too much time rigging after break offs so I find straight mono easier and faster. Most of the time, after a break off with braid/leader, my leader knot is still intact but the leader is gone (except for about 1/4 inch and the knot). I have much more time with my lure in the water if I don’t have to redo all that each time. Straight braid is fun to fish but some bass are line shy, I don’t care what anyone says. Also, go swimming and listen to braid underwater sometime. If I can hear it a fish can 

[Randy Price]

4 hours ago, keagbassr said:

20+ years of straight braid for me. Don't see a reason for a leader.

Yep me too!