Leaders (A beginners guide)

[muskymatt]

With the topic posted lately (top water and leaders) I started to post a reply and then decided I would go a little further and tell what I know about leaders.

This is one persons experience so if you can add to it please do.

LEADERS

Why use leaders

Leaders can aid in angling in many ways.

I think most people look to leaders to protect from being bitten off and losing those valuable hooks. However there are many other reasons to use them. Some conditions needed to be considered when choosing a leader are, structure in the water, type of fish, water clarity, desired bait presentation and size of fish.


Braided wire leaders

These are the most common off the shelf leaders that come with a basic swivel and hook latch. They come in lengths from 6" to 3' and can be either silver or black. Usually crimped but can also come in braided ends.
The crimped style can easily be made with inexpensive tools and the wire can be bought in rolls.
They are frequently used for trolling or casting for pike and walleye and other fish with teeth.

They can easily be attached to either braid or mono line and will kink so a change now and then is necessary.

Titanium leaders

These leaders are one up on the wire leaders and are super durable. A bit more expensive but will not kink.
They also come in a variety of lenghts but not usually more than 16".
Some Titanium leaders will have a ball bearing swivel and also a hook latch. The ball bearing swivel will prevent line twist better when trolling spoons.
They are also used for casting and trolling but being more rigid can also be used for top water walk the dog presentation(usually 12" max lenght).


Mono leaders

Mono leaders are cheap and easy to tie. They are also available at the local tackle store.
They are available in spools from 4-50lb test or higher if you can find it.
They can be attached to either a ball bearing swivel or regular swivel and a hook latch by either a tied knot or crimps.
When crimping care has to be taken to not nick the line or breakage will occure.
They can be tied in any length needed but have memory and will kink and coil often , needing to be replaced. Mono leaders will only protect against teeth to a certain degree and if snagged on rocks will cut easily.
They can also be used for either casting or trolling but are visible in clear water.


Fluorocarbon leaders

Fluorocarbon leader are available from 4lb to 150lb test. Ultra abrasion resistant and virtually disappear in the water they are becomming the choice of many anglers.
They too can be tied or crimped, with tying the preferance to reduce slippage of the connection. They can be used in any length and will not coil and will resist teeth and rock cutting them.
In the smaller diameter they can be attached to a braided line or mono line with a double uni knot and a straight tie to a hook for a stealthy presentation. They have been used in lenghts of up to 10-12' for certain presentations.

They are used for casting and trolling for critters with big teath and are the leader of choice in clear water. I have used a single leader on my muskie trolling outfit for an entire season. They last.


Straight wire leaders

These rigid leaders are used for casting primarily but can be trolled.
They will be most effective presenting a walk the dog top water or glide bait to perfection. The most desired lenght is 12" but can be longer or shorter.
Shrink tubing on the swivel and hook latch will keep the leader from sagging in the water thus making bait presentation easier.
They also come in different grades of wire thickness which will add weight to the bait thus changing action, so this has to be considered.

They will bend but can be straightened and are difficult to make without a wire leader bender. They will definitly last for many casts.



So if you match your leader to what you need to present your baits properly you will have better hook ups and lose less fish.

I hope this helps.

Matt

[Mr.J.]

Matt

Excellent

Question, and I think of this when I fish

I do not like to tie and then re-tie

I use florocarbon leaders exclusively

This year I have been trying to learn to use larger jerk baits, with not much success I may add, and have thought about using the straight wire leaders but as I said before I don't want to tie a floro leader then tie a straight leader then back to the floro leader etc etc etc

So what advice would you give to me, someone who prefrs and uses floro leaders but also wants to learn to use larger jerk baits in his arsonal?

[muskymatt]

Matt

Excellent

Question, and I think of this when I fish

I do not like to tie and then re-tie

I use florocarbon leaders exclusively

This year I have been trying to learn to use larger jerk baits, with not much success I may add, and have thought about using the straight wire leaders but as I said before I don't want to tie a floro leader then tie a straight leader then back to the floro leader etc etc etc

So what advice would you give to me, someone who prefrs and uses floro leaders but also wants to learn to use larger jerk baits in his arsonal?

My first suggestion would be to get another rod, but if that is not realistic I don't see much other than re-tying.
Adding a second snap swivel will add weight and change action in some cases.

My experience is with a good set of line cutters I can re-tie in less than 1 min. not bad unless your in rough water.

[Mr.J.]

Matt

That's an excellent suggestion

I typicaly take 2 rods with me, one left and one right. I'm equaly comfortable casting each but one does feel more natural with jerk baits

Thanks I think you've helped immensely (sp?)

[Jasonb]

I have been fishing leaderless for quite a few years now.... at one time i wouldn't put my line in the water without a leader on it... but i've found when using leaders i typically dont catch as many fish.... im not saying you wont catch fish with a leader but i have rock solid proof that leaders will deter fish away from a bait if the fish is acting stubborn... i have fished alongside friends who have had leaders on and when the lure was put in front of the fishes face it seemed to take a few looks and turn away.... but i threw the same bait at the same fish without a leader and whammo... nice sized bass in the boat... im a firm believer that leaders do actually take away from the natural presentations of baits... but for live bait(minnows), there is no presentation just let them swim... with one exception to not using leaders is when im tossing soft plastics for pike, typically i will throw a large slug-go rigged with a #1 off set worm hook and i will use a leader because the pike have a tendancy to suck up the soft baits quite far back and because the bait has such a soft body it wont take away as much action as it would with a hard bodied bait... but this is only used when targeting toothy predators... throughout my trips i have found leaders are very useful for pike/muskie, and also when teaching childeren to fish they are helpful, no kid wants to lose their lure to something on the end of the line and it makes it easier to switch up baits because kids want a new bait about as much as a women thinks about shopping.... every 5-10mins(being generous... lol.... jk jk) anyways just wanted to post my 2 cents....

So in conclusion....
Are Leaders Good? Yes, under the right situation

[muskymatt]

I have been fishing leaderless for quite a few years now.... at one time i wouldn't put my line in the water without a leader on it... but i've found when using leaders i typically dont catch as many fish.... im not saying you wont catch fish with a leader but i have rock solid proof that leaders will deter fish away from a bait if the fish is acting stubborn... i have fished alongside friends who have had leaders on and when the lure was put in front of the fishes face it seemed to take a few looks and turn away.... but i threw the same bait at the same fish without a leader and whammo... nice sized bass in the boat... im a firm believer that leaders do actually take away from the natural presentations of baits... but for live bait(minnows), there is no presentation just let them swim... with one exception to not using leaders is when im tossing soft plastics for pike, typically i will throw a large slug-go rigged with a #1 off set worm hook and i will use a leader because the pike have a tendancy to suck up the soft baits quite far back and because the bait has such a soft body it wont take away as much action as it would with a hard bodied bait... but this is only used when targeting toothy predators... throughout my trips i have found leaders are very useful for pike/muskie, and also when teaching childeren to fish they are helpful, no kid wants to lose their lure to something on the end of the line and it makes it easier to switch up baits because kids want a new bait about as much as a women thinks about shopping.... every 5-10mins(being generous... lol.... jk jk) anyways just wanted to post my 2 cents....

So in conclusion....
Are Leaders Good? Yes, under the right situation

Good points Jason.

Most people associate leaders with big swivels and hook latches , these big noisy bulky pieces oh hardware are not necessary on all leaders.

A straight piece of fluorocarbon direct tied to braided or mono and direct tied to a bait is still a leader and without hardware.

Gives both stealth and strenght at the hook.

Another piece of 150 Fluoro leader with big snaps and swivels will not scare away an aggressive muskie on the troll.

I use 30 and 50lb braided on my bass baitcasters and always tie 6' of 15lb fluoro direct to my line and bait. The knots slip thru the guides nicely and I have a hardware free durable leader.

[GetTheNet!!!]

Great thread

I've been playing around with Fluoro leaders now, but I'd like to be able to tie rather then crimp heavier test fluorocarbon. What knots do people use for tying fluoro carbon heavier then 50lb? Any thoughts?

Best fishes,

Matt

[Mr. T.]

I use 30 and 50lb braided on my bass baitcasters and always tie 6' of 15lb fluoro direct to my line and bait. The knots slip thru the guides nicely and I have a hardware free durable leader.

I was wondering if you use this setup for pike also?

If not, what lb test fluoro would you suggest? I'm using 30 lb braided as the main line also.

Thanks.

[muskymatt]

Great thread

I've been playing around with Fluoro leaders now, but I'd like to be able to tie rather then crimp heavier test fluorocarbon. What knots do people use for tying fluoro carbon heavier then 50lb? Any thoughts?

Best fishes,

Matt

There are many knots to tie heavy line , some guys I know just make up their own, putting a dab of crazy glue on the knot locks it tight

Here is a link to an excellent knot tying site

http://www.animatedknots.com/snell/inde ... dknots.com

[muskymatt]

I use 30 and 50lb braided on my bass baitcasters and always tie 6' of 15lb fluoro direct to my line and bait. The knots slip thru the guides nicely and I have a hardware free durable leader.

I was wondering if you use this setup for pike also?

If not, what lb test fluoro would you suggest? I'm using 30 lb braided as the main line also.

Thanks.

Yes but with pike I upgrade my leader to 20lb fluoro. The good thing about tying on these leaders is you can change them and not lose any line off your main line.
A spool of fluoro goes a long way for $6.

A couple spools of different strenghts and with your main braid of 30-50lb you can fish all species.

I like the braid for the line diametre..50lb is equal to 8 or 10lb diameter mono.

Match your knots for the line diameters though.

[SCUBA_STEVE]

hey mat!

great read!

thxs scuba_steve

[Dirtbag]

Great post Matt! I started this because I had never really used leaders, now I covered for any situation. Thanks again to all, can't wait to land some big pike on my fly in trip, photo's will follow (I hope) next year.

Dirtbag