Braid to Leader?

[N.Y. Yankee]

For those who use braid with a leader, do you use only fluoro leader, only nylon mono, or both? Why? Just curious

[roadwarrior]

https://seaguar.com/freshwater/new-lines/gold-label

[Dwight Hottle]

The few times I need a leader with braid I use a copoly like Suffix Advantage or Maxima. I use the leader to reduce visibility but most importantly to help with abrasion around rock bottoms. I quit using fluorocarbon because of its inherent weaknesses for knot tying. 

[MickD]

If I plan to use surface lures with a braid/leader system it is mono to avoid the sinking of the leader that occurs with FC.  When the leader sinks it screws up the action of many surface lures.

 

For anything other than surface I use both FC and mono, and I don't think it makes much difference if any.  I don't sense that there is a knot problem with the leader grade FC that I use.  Leader grade FC is stiffer than regular reel-fill FC which helps in keeping some lures from tangling.  Like blades.  

[galyonj]

I'll use either one depending on what I'm doing and which spool I get my hands on first. IME it doesn't really matter much either way unless I'm fishing topwater...in which case I feel like using fluoro kind of defeats the purpose.

[MN Fisher]

I carry short spools of mono, hybrid and FC for when I use leaders...tie on what I want depending on how/what I'm tossing

[Functional]

I only use it on 2 rods, both spinning. Once dedicated to ned rigs and another for my light bottom contact stuff. 15lb braid to 6-10lb floro. Everything else is straight mono or floro. 

[Jmontgomery87]

I use Trilene Big Game mono. It's cheap so I don't mind changing out leaders often and I also use it for backing. It gives me just a little bit of stretch too.

[WRB]

I don’t use braid with any leader.

Tom

[FishTank]

Over the years I haven't fished braid much. I typically only use it for topwater and thick vegetation. Depending on the situation,  I might not use leader at all but when i did it was whatever I had left over from a filler spool. Then last year I started using braid on spinning gear again and realized that leader was almost a necessity to get the high pressured fish at lakes I go to, to bite. So I started using the various left overs I had from Big Game to Tatsu and again realized I needed something better. That's when I picked up Seaguar Gold Label. I have had the same leader tied on my main wacky rig set up since March. I caught 100s of fish and I have not retied or seen any fraying.  As my numbers went up, I won't go back. I have very little confidence in fishing straight braid anymore. 

[roadwarrior]

Gold Label is THE BOMB!

 

However, I retie before every trip.

[MN Fisher]

Just now, roadwarrior said:

However, I retie before every trip.

Ditto - it's another knot, and knots weaken with age.

[Bluebasser86]

I use both, prefer flouro, but mono works fine if that's what I have. 

[Jar11591]

Most commonly I use a leader with braid for presentations like jigs or Texas rigs. I use 20lb Yo-Zuri HD Fluorocarbon Leader Material. Very strong, abrasion-resistant, and have never had a leader knot fail on me. 

[Standard]

I've switched all my setups to a braid / flouro leader setup.  Mostly Suffix 832 and Seaguar blue label.  I carry 30, 20, and 15lb spools with me.  Rarely re-tie, if I mess up the leader knot it usually lets go sooner rather than later.

 

This is primarily river fishing.  30lb gets used when I don't want to lose a lure to the hammer handle pikes out there.  15lb on my spinning rod for plastics, a lot cheaper if it gets bit off ?

[FishTank]

1 hour ago, roadwarrior said:

Gold Label is THE BOMB!

 

However, I retie before every trip.

 

I know I should but there is this thing in head that wants to see how far it will go. When it counts,  I will retie the hook but the Albright knot to the braid is the one I really want to test. So far Gold Label for its intended purpose has blown me away. 

 

Also I hate tying on a new leader when I am out on the boat. Light braid and wind makes for a hard time of tying a good knot.

[roadwarrior]

11 minutes ago, FishTank said:

Also I hate tying on a new leader when I am out on the boat. Light braid and wind makes for a hard time of tying a good knot.

Tough on the water for me, too!  That is one of the reasons I retie on terra firma before 

going out.

[Cbump]

Spinning - braid to fluoro

spook rod - braid to mono

 

 Other than that, I don’t fish leaders. 

[blackrain]

I'm somewhat of the same mindset as Dwight in that I fish the Great Lakes so when tying on a leader to braid, I'll use copolymer (casting gear) for swimming grubs and swimbaits, mostly for some shock absorption and for keeping the bait off bottom. I'll tie on a fluoro leader for dropshotting and Ned rigging (spinning gear), for abrasion resistance and for keeping the weight/bait on bottom.

Everything else is straight fluoro or copolymer, except pitching a T-rig in dense weeds with straight braid.

[MickD]

26 minutes ago, FishTank said:

Albright knot to the braid is the one I really want to test.

I had trouble with it unravelling.  So went to Alberto which is simply an Albright that wraps both down and back, then out through the loop.  I finish it with two tightly set half hitches.  I think one of the secrets of success with both of these knots is to very tightly set both the tag and line, VERY tightly, and wet.  I think you want the leader to take a permanent set from being so tightly set.

[Deleted account]

Mono.

[ska4fun]

6 hours ago, N.Y. Yankee said:

For those who use braid with a leader, do you use only fluoro leader, only nylon mono, or both? Why? Just curious

Flouro for cranks, minnow and jerkbaits, anything shallow/deep swimming. For topwater lures, nylon.

[T-Billy]

Mono, cuz flouro sucks. cheap mono > top of the line flouro. 

[Mike L]

No leaders… Ever

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[BrianMDTX]

Mono or copolymer, but mostly mono. One thing I like is that the leader knot is pretty strong with mono, and running an 8’ leader, the mono never gets coiled as it isn’t getting spooled.