Best mono line to use for a leader.

[walt-14]

Just picked up a new heavy daiwa aird and paired it with a Daiwa Tatula.  Planning on throwing swimbaits/glidebaits and frogs on this thing.  Wondering what everyones suggestions would be for using a mono leader.  Going to spool it up with 50-65 lb power pro braid with the leader. Have had a couple suggestions from a buddy, who i trust pretty well, but wanted to see what everyone else thought. Thanks!

[MN Fisher]

Long as you're talking soft-swimbaits or small ones like a Bucca Baby or similar you should be fine.

 

I have the H/F Aird-X with a Fuego - pitch, flip, frogs, larger topwaters (Plopper 110+, Super Spook, etc) and small hard-swimbaits (like the Bucca Baby) - works fine.

[Deplorable Fisherman]

This will be a loaded topic and you'll get many different answers. If I was going to use a mono-leader, it would be good ol' Trilene XL or maybe Sufix Siege. To me, spooling Siege on a reel is equivalent to putting a clock spring on it...super stiff and I wouldn't suffer anyone with it spooled up...but it is tough as nails and should be good for a leader.

Again...Trilene XL is long proven and I pulled what I'm sure was a 500 lb log off the bottom of the Wisconsin river one trip with XL 17 lb.

 

For frogging, I'd just skip the leader. 

[N.Y. Yankee]

I don't really know how you could go wrong with Trilene. I've spent a lot of years fishing a lot of things with it and had no problems with it. Cost effective, available at every department store and it's a good serviceable line. I use XL and XT in green. No reason to change. JMHO

[ATA]

The only mono that I can call high quality is Mxim. Little expensive, but their mono is good. And if you want hard mono I really like Ande.

[Finessegenics]

Trilene XL is really good but I’d also take a look at Big Game. It’s very popular as leader material. 

[N.Y. Yankee]

6 minutes ago, Finessegenics said:

Trilene XL is really good but I’d also take a look at Big Game. It’s very popular as leader material. 

 

Yes, Trilene Big Game definitely has it's fans too.

[A-Jay]

Maxima Ultragreen and Sunline Shooter Defier Armilo Nylon Line

should both serve you well.

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NHBull]

Sunline DA is now the only mono I use.....I checks all the boxes for me

[Bakablo1]

I like 12lb big game for mono leader.. Mostly used on topwater poppers for its stretch

[WRB]

$50 rod use Straight 15 lb Big Game forget wasting money on braid.

Tom

[FryDog62]

Not exactly mono but close... Yo-Zuri Hybrid 12 lb. Best leader material I’ve found for knot strength and abrasion resistance. Their tests show it has a breaking strength of 19 lb. Abrazx is good too, but if you’re throwing frogs on top I wouldn’t use fluorocarbon. Actually if you’re just throwing frogs, Tom is right - go main line w/o a leader. 

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

Not exactly mono but close... Yo-Zuri Hybrid 12 lb. Best leader material I’ve found for knot strength and abrasion resistance.

I can attest to this. 50# Power Pro mainline to 12# YZH when I'm flipping/pitching..haven't had a knot slip yet. I also use the 12# YZH as the mainline on my crankbait rig.

 

And use what you think you need for the technique - IMO the Aird-X fishes more like a $80+ rod...having checked out Dobyns Colts, I still prefer my Aird-X to the Colt.

[BrianMDTX]

11 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I can attest to this. 50# Power Pro mainline to 12# YZH when I'm flipping/pitching..haven't had a knot slip yet. I also use the 12# YZH as the mainline on my crankbait rig.

 

And use what you think you need for the technique - IMO the Aird-X fishes more like a $80+ rod...having checked out Dobyns Colts, I still prefer my Aird-X to the Colt.

I use 8 lb YZH as a leader, and I agree on the Aird-X’s. I have a MF and a MHF. Both are good rods. 

[Log Catcher]

I would use Sufix Siege. I don't know how @Deplorable Fisherman is using it but I use it in 12# and 14# all the as a main line with no problems. 

[Skunkmaster-k]

Trilene Bug Game

Big not Bug although it is catchy . You can catch bug fish with bug game

[soflabasser]

My favorite monofilament line for leaders is Berkeley Big Game.

[Allen Der]

On 3/31/2021 at 4:58 PM, WRB said:

$50 rod use Straight 15 lb Big Game forget wasting money on braid.

Tom

braid lasts multiple seasons and creates less waste than respooling mono multiple times per year.  It can be cheaper in the long run

 

I'd use Trilene XL unless you really need a lot of abrasion resistance, then I'd go XT or Siege.  Not a fan of Big Game myself

[RDB]

On 3/31/2021 at 1:46 PM, walt-14 said:

Just picked up a new heavy daiwa aird and paired it with a Daiwa Tatula.  Planning on throwing swimbaits/glidebaits and frogs on this thing.  Wondering what everyones suggestions would be for using a mono leader.  Going to spool it up with 50-65 lb power pro braid with the leader. Have had a couple suggestions from a buddy, who i trust pretty well, but wanted to see what everyone else thought. Thanks!

I wouldn’t have mono anywhere near my frog setup unless it was backing for braid.  Braid 100% of the time but if you must use a leader, go with fluoro.  It’s hard enough to get a good hook set on a long frog cast without introducing mono into the equation. 

[jdr99a]

Maxima ultragreen is my mono leader of choice. 

[new2BC4bass]

On 3/31/2021 at 3:30 PM, Deplorable Fisherman said:

This will be a loaded topic and you'll get many different answers. If I was going to use a mono-leader, it would be good ol' Trilene XL or maybe Sufix Siege. To me, spooling Siege on a reel is equivalent to putting a clock spring on it...super stiff and I wouldn't suffer anyone with it spooled up...but it is tough as nails and should be good for a leader.

Again...Trilene XL is long proven and I pulled what I'm sure was a 500 lb log off the bottom of the Wisconsin river one trip with XL 17 lb.

 

For frogging, I'd just skip the leader. 

I use a fair amount of Siege.  I've mentioned this before.  If it has sat for awhile, the line in front of the reel looks like a Slinky for the first few casts.  I retrieve with rod tip in the water to help get it (and other lines) wet ASAP.  However, I don't think I've ever had it loose on the spool for those first few casts.  Something I cannot say about Big Game.

 

I agree with you and a few others....I go straight braid on my frog rods.  You aren't fishing in gin clear water with nothing between the surface and the bottom of the lake.

 

OP, try Izorline or CXX.  In the situations you describe I think I'd go heavy...like 20# or more if I were going to use a leader.  I prefer not to.

[FishTank]

I would just use straight mono for what you are trying to do.  I find, and this is just me and my equipment, that when I cast a big bait (glide baits and swimbaits above ~2.5oz) that I have to load the rod a certain way to get some decent casting distance which causes the line to bear a lot of the force and with a braid to mono set up, I would snap the leader connection knot on a cast. 

 

Also, I am going to guess that you have the Aird X Heavy.  It's rated up to 1.5 oz and I don't think they are made to handle much more than that but are an excellent rod for the money.  

 

[PourMyOwn]

When you fill a reel and have line left over,  but not enough to fill another reel, that's what I use for leaders. Could be the house brand here (big game) or any other quality mono. 

 

The bad qualities of any particular mono are lessened when you only use 6-8 feet of it.

[RDB]

44 minutes ago, PourMyOwn said:

When you fill a reel and have line left over,  but not enough to fill another reel, that's what I use for leaders. Could be the house brand here (big game) or any other quality mono. 

 

The bad qualities of any particular mono are lessened when you only use 6-8 feet of it.

That is how I use my leftover as well (though I only use mono on topwater walking/chugging type baits).

 

Speaking of mono with frogs, I also agree that there is less stretch in 8’ v. 40’ of mono but there is still a surprising amount of stretch and I don’t want any on a long cast.  There are also other qualities of braid that are important in frog fishing.  Braid can help slice through vegetation and help keep the fish pinned.  I believe frog fishing (in the traditional sense...not chunking in open water) is the one technique where there is no exception to the rule on line. I don’t think you will find 1 pro that would introduce mono in their setup.

[PourMyOwn]

34 minutes ago, RDB said:

That is how I use my leftover as well (though I only use mono on topwater walking/chugging type baits).

 

Speaking of mono with frogs, I also agree that there is less stretch in 8’ v. 40’ of mono but there is still a surprising amount of stretch and I don’t want any on a long cast.  There are also other qualities of braid that are important in frog fishing.  Braid can help slice through vegetation and help keep the fish pinned.  I believe frog fishing (in the traditional sense...not chunking in open water) is the one technique where there is no exception to the rule on line. I don’t think you will find 1 pro that would introduce mono in their setup.

+1 on no mono for frog fishing, just telling the original poster there's no need for special mono for leaders.