Beginner, leader advice appreciated!

[Mark Hayward]

Having just moved to the US from the UK I’m blown away by your beautiful country and have been getting into fly fishing as a great excuse to get outdoors as much as possible!
 

I had a fun day spinning for bass and am aiming to get myself a simple spinning reel/rod set up. (3&4 inch soft baits on a jig head, 8/10lb mono line, medium power fast action rod,3000 reel, ?!) 

 

I thought to start with a mono line as this is supposed to be good for beginners. My question is weather I need a leader on an 8/10lb mono line? If so what is the best type and weight? Keeping it simple to start and working up from there is my main aim.

 

Any advice would be very much appreciated,

 

Thank you!

 

 

[MN Fisher]

Only time I use something in addition to the mainline on light mono is when I rig up a spinshot hook for drop-shotting. 8# mainline, spinshot hook, 6# line from hook to weight.

 

Welcome to the 'Colonies' - my sister-in-law lived in Kensington-Chelsea until her death from cancer some years back.

[roadwarrior]

Don't use a leader to start with. For spinning tackle #8 Seaguar InvizX would be my suggestion.

 

[Lead Head]

Since your already comfortable with leaders, its really hard to beat braid to leader on a spinning rig. Getting comfortable with leader knots and using braid is what got me to return to spinning tackle after about 15 years. Its just a absolute pleasure to fish (for me anyway).

[Mark Hayward]

Thanks so much for all your replies, very helpful! I think I’ll avoid the leader to start in that case, just give myself a chance to throw some casts out and get some time clocked up on the water. Then as is inevitable I’ll Probably experiment, upgrading to the Braid line and leader later (along with new reel,rod,night vision goggles etc!?)

[mrpao]

Just make sure you get a good soft monofilament line.

I use Trilene XL myself for most of my spinning reel monofilament needs. It's cheap and does a decent job. It is smooth and cast well.

I don't like using fluorocarbon on spinning reels. I find it way to stiff.

Most of my spinning reels are spooled with braid or superline of some kind. Take your pick- most are pretty decent but some are better than others. The 8 strand braids will be smoother and cast better. 

[MN Fisher]

2 minutes ago, mrpao said:

I use Trilene XL myself for most of my spinning reel monofilament needs. It's cheap and does a decent job. It is smooth and cast well.

I've gone from XL, which use to be my go-to, to Sufix Elite - same price, but I think the Elite is limper and casts better.

[islandbass]

Welcome to the U.S. of A!

 

No need for a leader if you are using mono. As already mentioned, look for a mono that is more on the supple side vs stiff.  
 

If the cover permits lighter wire hooks could make the hook set easier when using lighter lines. 
 

There are a lot of excellent monos:

Trilene XL

Sufix Elite

Big Game

Stren 

 

These are just of the few great monos that are quite economical. 
 

 

[gim]

Watch out for pike bite offs.  They slice through mono like a hot knife through butter.

[islandbass]

5 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I've gone from XL, which use to be my go-to, to Sufix Elite - same price, but I think the Elite is limper and casts better.

I saw a notice that you made a reply as I was finishing my post. I happen to agree with you with regard to XL and Elite. However for me, XL in my area is just easier to find. One other thing about Sufix in general I’ve observed is that it resists acquiring memory longer than other mono. Memory in mono doesn’t bother me at all even if it can at times look unsightly, lol. 

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, islandbass said:

I saw a notice that you made a reply as I was finishing my post. I happen to agree with you with regard to XL and Elite. However for me, XL in my area is just easier to find. One other thing about Sufix in general I’ve observed is that it resists acquiring memory longer than other mono. Memory in mono doesn’t bother me at all even if it can at times look unsightly, lol. 

Well, I use KVD which reduces the memory issue even further. Only line I don't use it on is braid.