Leader Question

[XIntel007]

I am going to go out on a limb here and risk sounding stupid. What is the point of a leader? I know, the point is suposed to be invisibility to the fish. But.... the leader is usually made of a lighter line than the main line on your real so why not just use that same line throughout your real??? It seams to me that a leader introduces an additional knot to break and reduces the overall strength of your rig. I am sure there is great logic out there so I would love the education. I probably need to add this to my list of things to learn/master.

Thanks in advance.

[Bender]

I only use one when using braid as a main line. I use Fluoro for a leader so that it is less visible. Also so that if you need to break it off, you only break off the leader and don't lose a whole bunch of line.

I've heard that steelhead people taper it down like 12# to 10# to 8# to 6#. I realize that they want a small line at the end, but I'm not quite sure why they step down so much unless know strength becomes a problem.

[Apt79]

You know I always wondered that too. It doesnt make much sense to have a lighter line and have two knots that could possibly break. I dont know if it is an advantage or not so on my spinning reel I just use 8lb florocarbon.

[CamG]

If you tie the proper knot, there is absolutely no worry of it breaking.

I use braid on all my spinning reels for the sensitivity and mostly for the way that it lays on the spool. Never worry about wind knots with it.

I have found that I love braid for jig fishing and I run a 6' fluoro leader most of the time. The nice thing is that I don't have to use a bunch of expensive fluoro for the main line and I can switch from 10, 12, 15 or 20 fluoro leader without changing all the line out.

[IowaBasser]

I recently asked myself the same question about Fluorocarbon leaders and Braided Fishing Lines. I did a lot of research specific to the way I fish. Here are my conclusions:

Braid and Leader Upside:
Great Sensitivity, Ease of Use: supple with no line twist or memory, Low Stretch, Minimal Line-loss due to re-tying and break-offs, Small Diameter, Low visibility at the Lure, Sinks, Low life-cycle cost.

Braid and Leader Downside:
High initial cost, Potential Weak Point between Braid and Fluorocarbon, Difficulty of Use: tying lines together

Fluorocarbon Only Upside:
Good Sensitivity (compared to mono), Low visibility at the Lure, Ease of Use: No Leader Knots to Tie, No Potential weak point at tying lines together, Cheaper Initial Cost

Fluorocarbon Only Downside:
Difficulty of Use: stiff with line memory and twist, Potentially having to use Line Conditioner, Larger Diameter, Line Stretch, Line-loss due to re-tying and break-offs

I fish almost exclusively with spinning reels, but the above pros and cons should hold true for a bait-caster as well. A small-mouth fishing forum I visit had a lot of debate on fluorocarbon line on spinning reels. (Small-mouth fishermen tend to use spinning reels more than large-mouth fishermen.) The consensus was that Fluorocarbon isn't spinning-reel-friendly. InvisX combined with KVD line conditioner was the most manageable. However compared to braid, fluorocarbon is stiff and wants to jump off a spinning reel spool. I had my first opportunity to fish with Fluorocarbon on a spinning reel a couple of weeks ago for about 3 hours under the worst imaginable conditions. I used 14 pound Vanish, the spool was probably slightly over-filled, and it was 34 degrees. I confirmed what I have read : the FC line wanted to jump off the spool and fluorocarbon isn't spinning-reel friendly. Some-day I will probably try InvisX with KVD line-conditioner, but not in the near future.

Cost is a factor to me, and though I might cringe a little, I normally buy what performs the best.

Trilene XT $.01/yard ($7 for 330 yards)
Power Pro Braid $.08/yard ($25 for 300 yards)
InvisX $.10/yard ($20 for 200 yards)
KVD Line Conditioner $9.00

Life-cycle Cost:
Both Braid and Fluorocarbon will not deteriorate like monofilament; not even from the UV rays when left in the sun… so they should last multiple seasons. Some people change their line yearly out of habit. Some people leave braid on for 5 or more years. On a spinning reel, performance (mainly casting distance) is greatly reduced when there is not enough fishing line on the spool. By the fall (or a lot sooner) I normally need new line on my spools from line loss (re-tying and break offs.) The theory is that with braid and a FC leader you are always replacing the FC in short lengths and there should be minimal if any loss of the braided line. Your spool should always be full without having to re-fill the entire spool. Having to use the Fluorocarbon in pieces only 6 to10 feet; a spool of “expensive” Fluorocarbon should last you a long time and one spool could be used for multiple rods. In theory: Braid with a FC leader has a higher initial cost, but has a lower life-cycle cost.

What will I do?
I love a 10 or 12 pound braid on my spinning reels – that’s how I’ve always fished. I’ve rarely fished with a leader before fluorocarbon came out. I will probably get a spool of FC and use it as leaders if I really need a finesse presentation in super clear water, otherwise I’m sticking with a braid only for now. When my braid needs replacing (which it doesn’t right now) I will consider the braid/FC combination, but I really don’t like the hassle of tying lines together and the potential weak-spot I would be creating. Maybe with time I will gain confidence in my ability to tie two lines together. Also, I’d like to try a full spool of the InvisX with the KVD line conditioner – we’ll have to wait and see on that one.

If you haven’t read Kevin’s Fishing Line Guide; You should give it a look-see!
http://www.bassfishin.com/blog/fishing-line-guide/
Kevin really seems to like Fluorocarbon, though use-ability or cost never factor into his equation. That said, it’s gave me a good idea of why people prefer Fluorocarbon over other lines.

[bilgerat]

Leaders are different things to different people. I use braid on all of my rigs. With the exception of fishing heavy cover, I run a mono leader. I use a leader more as a shock absorber, as I don't buy into the line visibilty thing at all. I don't feel I'm losing sensitivity with a leader, it's only 6' at most, and I can still set a hook with a flick of my wrist. One addd benefit of a leader is the ability to tie on baits all day without depleting any braid.

It's all good. Do what works for you. Heck, I throw cranks with braid and leader and rarely do they become unbuttoned, although that's the rod more than the line.

There is no such thing as "you can't do that" in fishing. Fishing is full of old wives tales about everything from color selection to line selection. When everyone is zigging, you should be zagging...show 'em something they have never seen.

[Bassboss]

The only time I'll ever use a leader is with braid, and for 3 simple reasons.

#1 If I feel that line viability will play a factor. Braid is visible, fluoro is less visible.

#2 If braid is my main line and I'm fishing around sharp rocks. Braid is cut easier than fluorocarbon, so if I have a fluoro leader, than I wont get cut off by rocks.

#3 If I'm fishing a treble bait, particularly top waters, and jerkbaits. Braids because of it's super limpness tends to get tangled up in the hooks easier than a stiffer line like mono or fluoro.

Hope this helps.

[IowaBasser]

Originally Posted by bilgerat

Leaders are different things to different people. I use braid on all of my rigs. With the exception of fishing heavy cover, I run a mono leader. I use a leader more as a shock absorber, as I don't buy into the line visibilty thing at all. I don't feel I'm losing sensitivity with a leader, it's only 6' at most, and I can still set a hook with a flick of my wrist. One addd benefit of a leader is the ability to tie on baits all day without depleting any braid.

Right On Bilgerat!
Like I said, I fish light braid (10 or 12 pound) with no leader 80% of the time; maybe even more than that. So I guess I fall into the category of line visibility isn't so important. The other 20% of the time I'm fishing 20 pound braid or 8 pound mono. I do fish the mono when I'm concerned about line-visibility, but it has to be a slow moving presentation and super clear water for me to consider line-visibility an issue. I would probably use a leader more often if I had confidence in my ability to tie a quality knot to join 2 lines - most of my concern is not having done it very often, but I suspect in the near future I will be giving leaders more consideration.

[LilJakeC]

The reason as to why I use a leader when fishing braid is for the added abrasion resistance.

[XIntel007]

Thanks guys, you confirmed that I am not ignorant but that I do need to try a few new things.