Fluorocarbon Leaders. Anybody Use Them

[Scott Ferguson]

On most other fishing websites, the topic of using fluorocarbon leaders comes up quite often but I don't recall every seeing the discussion here. I don't use them, I've never seen the need. I don't believe flouro is invisible, or that line needs to be for bass, I don't like having an extra knot to go through my guides, and I don't have a problem with abrasion. So I just stick to straight braid. Are there many ISA guys who do use leaders?

[Kev-mo]

I did use a fluro leader for part of summer several years ago. I do think it made a big difference one day when I was wacky rigging dingers; not so much in the line not showing up but more in the fall rate of the bait. I believe the flouro being denser gave the bait a more even fall rate and the fish liked that better than the fall rate on straight braid. This was post spawn in a slack eddy.

 

However what I didn't like was flouro being more brittle; especially at the knot. This was the knot at the snap, not the connecting knot. I gave up on it after a LC crankbait flew off (thankfully it floated back to me).

[Steve S.]

I have a friend that likes to use a fluoro leader on the end of the superline. He is a great fisherman, often out fishing those in our group, so its hard to say if his efforts are the result of the fluoro leader or just being a smarter angler.

 

Personally, I don't like fluorocarbon as I've found it too brittle as well, compared to Maxima monofilament I prefer for leader tippet.

[Randy D]

Scott -

 

There are several good reasons to use floro....

 

Floro is more resistant to bite offs than superlines. Sounds weird but true. That is why floro is popular in salt water. Helps in the north country with small pike.

 

Floro does sink faster. Can be good or bad.

 

Floro leaders will break off more quickly. Helps not to blow a good spot if you want to break off and get another cast in (or you are floating quickly).

 

Floro can help confidence. Whether or not it is easier to see.

 

Sometimes that stiff leader prevents funny things from happening to the line / lure connection.

 

There are several challenges.....

 

It is a pain sometimes to tie a leader.

 

It sinks faster.

 

It breaks off more easy.

 

Knots can be hard to tie.

 

Etc.

 

I think it is the old yin and yang. Jim never fishes with a leader. I usually do fish with a leader. I think this like many things everyone should try a little. Don't give up because it is hard. Learn both ways and you will be better for it. I know one thing for sure.....fishing 15 pound floro will save a couple of pointer minnows from snake northerns. The rest of it is personal preference.

 

If you do decide to try....take your time on a back to back uni knot. Make sure that the line is lubricated before you tighten the uni knot. Friction is really bad for that knot. The knot takes some practice to get good at but it is strong if tied right. The uni knot does not do very well with the patented "Joz Bassmaster hookset".....uni knot/floro is a little stiff.

 

Randy

[Tom L]

A quick and effective way to join a braided line to a fluoro leader that I've been using is a loop-to-loop knot.

 

1. Tie a double surgeon's loop knot on the braided end.

2. Tie a double surgeon's loop knot on the fluoro leader end

3. Join the braided end and the leader with a loop-to-loop knot (aka hand shake knot).

 

If you need to change out the leader, just snip off the fluo leader at the loop and reuse the old loop on the braided end.

 

It is not going to be as neat as the back-to-back uni, but as strong and simpler. This is the same technique I use on leader-to-tippet on my fly outfits.

[Scott Ferguson]

That would work fine for fly fishing, but on spinning or baitcasting gear, the knots would hang up in the guides. There are a number of reasons I won't use a leader and knots going through the guides is the number one reason I refuse to use them. Even a small wind knot in my line irritates me to no end and to have that tick-tick-tick on EVERY cast would make me crazy.

The whole flouro sinks, braid floats thing is over done. Braid barely floats. A bare hook sinks it. Some guys think braid would keep your baits from reaching their deepest because the braid wont let them dive. My suspending jerkbaits don't rise up because the braid. Flouro barely sinks. It's not like you don't need weights on your jigs because the line sinks.

For me, fluorocarbon line and leaders are a solution to a problem I don't have.

[Tom L]

I use braided line to fluoro leader mainly on drop shot. Drop shot is a slow presentation. It has made a huge difference for me to have a fluoro leader. My set is braided line, a 2 feet of fluoro leader, a hook, a 2 feet of fluoro leader, and a pencil lead weight. The loop-to-loop knot that joined the braided to the leader does go into the first 2 guides of the rod and it does make a tiny little noise as it shooting out but it doesn't effect my casting at all.

 

Now if we're talking about faster presentation like a spinner bait, a crank bait, or a swim jig, I'm not sure if you need it. I've seen my buddy, Danny, fishes straight braided line to these lures on Lake Geneva and he has been doing well.

[Mike G]

Scott,

 

Like you I want to keep it simple. But sometimes leaders are part of the solution to the problem. Normally a grey or dull green braid serves the purpose for baits that are fished on a tight line. The bait moves fast enough that the fish don't seem to notice the line.

 

But there are times when a leader is called for. When we fish soft plastics slowly the fish get a good look at the line. There is another consideration. Lately I have combined my fly fishing experience with my soft plastic technique. Since the fly line is a highly visible line, the fly angler uses a less visible leader between the line and fly. So he can line watch without spooking fish. I get the same effect by using Fireline Fire Green as a line and adding a 6-7 foot Flourocarbon leader. This makes it easy to track the line for signs of strikes without worrying that the fish won't like Fire Green.

 

There are several good compact knots to connect braid to flouro. For a long time I used the double Uni. Then I saw where tests showed that the Blood knot was slightly better though it is a complex tie. It was not for me since I have been tying it for 50+ years with fly leaders. So I switched to the old warhorse. Lately a variation on the Albright knot, the Alberto, outperformed the Uni and Blood in tests. (Those were the NAA Knot War tests.) Since it is easier to tie than the other two, I use that one now. Google Alberto Knot for instructions and videos.

 

So use leaders when you need them.

[Scott Ferguson]

Scott,

 

Like you I want to keep it simple. But sometimes leaders are part of the solution to the problem. Normally a grey or dull green braid serves the purpose for baits that are fished on a tight line. The bait moves fast enough that the fish don't seem to notice the line.

 

But there are times when a leader is called for. When we fish soft plastics slowly the fish get a good look at the line. There is another consideration. Lately I have combined my fly fishing experience with my soft plastic technique. Since the fly line is a highly visible line, the fly angler uses a less visible leader between the line and fly. So he can line watch without spooking fish. I get the same effect by using Fireline Fire Green as a line and adding a 6-7 foot Flourocarbon leader. This makes it easy to track the line for signs of strikes without worrying that the fish won't like Fire Green.

 

There are several good compact knots to connect braid to flouro. For a long time I used the double Uni. Then I saw where tests showed that the Blood knot was slightly better though it is a complex tie. It was not for me since I have been tying it for 50+ years with fly leaders. So I switched to the old warhorse. Lately a variation on the Albright knot, the Alberto, outperformed the Uni and Blood in tests. (Those were the NAA Knot War tests.) Since it is easier to tie than the other two, I use that one now. Google Alberto Knot for instructions and videos.

 

So use leaders when you need them.

So you believe that bass have the intelligence to reason that line is bad and to avoid a lure? If they are that smart, how come they can't tell the difference between a hunk of wood or plastic with treble hooks hanging from it from real food? I think we are applying human logic to a creature that does not possess have that ability.

The easiest knot to tie, one that you never have to learn or practice tying, one that will never fail, and never hangs up in you guides is no knot at all.

Even if you could prove to me that a leader increases your catch, I'd still never use one. Just more trouble than it's worth to me.

[Guest rich mc]

i only use flourocarbon leaders when i m jigging spoons i use braid to a small swivel then 2ft of leader. i do believe the no stretch leader gives me the feel i need to know im banging the rocks on the bottom rich mc

[Steve S.]

Braid doesn't stretch, right?

[Tom L]

I think to each their own. If whatever you're doing provides confidence and helps you enjoy fishing, that's cool! That's the commonality of it all -- we're all out there enjoying the resource. I like the fact that we can gather here and compare notes, but it doesn't mean that what works for me will work for you, or that one way is better than the other.

Right on, Eric. That's being said, I'd noticed that you don't use a leader when you fish a buzz bait or a swim jig. But do you use a leader on a float & fly?

 

 

Braid doesn't stretch, right?

Low stretch is their marketing gimmick. I remember seeing some numbers like 5% on braid and 20% on mono. A new gimmick on fly lines is low stretch fly line. Basically, they replaced mono core with braided core. Rio's InTouch series and AirFlo's Six Sense series are good examples.

[ericg]

I am currently using several different line setups for different smallmouth purposes:

1. Straight 12 pound mono for crank, Buzzbait, spinnerbait, swimbait.

2. Suffix 10 pound green braid for jig/Hula and general use (without leader).

3. Suffix bright yellow 10 pound braid with 10 pound flourocarbon leader for dead-stick Senko or Fluke. Have to be careful with hook setting technique using flourocarbon leader for sure. (reel up some slack and feel the fish slightly before hookset as in Jeff Little's videos)

4. For a lightweight 1/32 jig for bluegills or smallies in clear water I might use my light action or ultralight action rod with 10 pound braid and an 8 pound mono leader.

 

ericg

[Norm M]

I tried straight fluro twice , it did not improve the catch rates. on slow moving lures like jigs it did increase snags as the line sunk into the rocks and hung up.

 

if you really need the confidence kick that the fish can't see your line, break up the profile of your line, simply color splotches on your spool of line with permanent markers .

 

I don't believe it matters whether the fish see the line, caught too many twenty inch or better smallmouth using 17 lb trilene xt .

 

things like line diameter matter in lure performance but the fish don't care if they can see it .

 

keep it simple, the fewer things that can fail the better. you never know when murphy decides to pay a visit to that extra knot .

[Bart Durham]

Ericg, your right about setting the hook with fluorocarbon leader, its definitely a finesse set, I've learned the hard way after loosing some nice fish trying aggressively to set the hook.