Leader with Braid?

[ACarbone624]

Do you guys use a leader (mono/flourocarbon) when you use braided line or do you tie directly to your lure?

Does it make a difference in your catch ratio?

 

[daltonmcgill]

i usually use mono for a leader for the streatch but when im using mono ill have a braided leader lol for the heavy cover :lol:

 

[Bubba]

I usually tie on about a 8-10ft leader of monofilament as a leader. I don't know really if it increases my catches because I have tied on a leader since I started using braid. I think its just kind of a confidence thing.....and I guess it also depends on what kind of conditions your fishing in. If your fishing really stained water, a leader may not make a big difference, where as I fish a really clear lake most of the time, so I just kinda feel better with the leader.

 

[Captain Ahab]

I use a floro leader and in some situations found it really makes a difference. SM bass in clear water can be line shy and the floro seems to do the trick.


The way i look at it it is if it gets me a few more fish it is well worth the effort.

 

[FishinsMyLife]

I think it is a confidence thing. I really don't think I need one, but I always use one except when fishing with light braid for bream.

 

[Nickk]

I'm planning on running fluoro leaders with all braid except top-water this year.

 

[jkbirocz]

I use braid for everything, but only tie a leader for certain applications. When fishing moving water, I always tie a leader because it allows the bait so sink better, since braid floats. When fishing heavy cover I tie braid directly to the bait. For jerkbaits, plastics, and finesse jigs I always tie a leader. For topwaters like frogs, I tie directly to braid. While many say using a flouro leader for poppers and spook type baits will damage the action, because it sinks faster than mono,I still use flouro...not mono. If the fish are active I will tie braid directly to the bait, but when the fish are keying to topwater, but not extremely active I like using the flouro leader beacause I will often deadstick the baits on top. Either way, I am not totally convinced that a leader helps any, other than in moving water. I fished without a leader for many years and caught just as many fish. I always tie a uni to uni knot, and have yet to have it fail on a fish or snag. My palomar to the bait breaks before the uni does almost always. Regardless, you will hook way more fish using braid than you will using mono.

 

[shootisttx]

The only thing I use flouro for is as a leader for braid when fishing plastic worms or crankbaits, because it sinks and is invisible to the fish.

 

[FishinsMyLife]

...is invisible to the fish.

I never have bought this theory. I can see fluoro underwater just as easy as I can see mono. But I think it is a confidence thing. A crankbait doesn't look or swim exactly like a forage fish, so if a bass will hit that, the thin line attached to it won't change his mind. That's the way I see it anyway.

 

[Mattman]

I tie direct 99% of the time. I have yet to feel that line visibility made a difference in my catch ratio and I've been using superline since the day Fireline was introduced.

A leader is nice for abrasion resistance, reduce line visibility, and provide a bit of a shock absorber in your system.

 

[Fish Monger]

I always use a flourocarbon leader in every application, sometimes as much as 100' depending on the application. Of course I am mainly trolling not casting, but even casting for Stripers I will use at least 25' of 20# flouro.