8 replies to this topic

[Red Shad]

Not quite sure on this one. I fish my plastics & jigs etc with a flouro/mono leader to braided main line, and tie direct to braid for topwaters and spinner baits. Crank baits I also tend to tie direct to braid.

Question: Is a flouro/mono leader really necessary with braid main line when fishing bass? Some days I think yes...other days no.....I can't say I have noticed a measurable difference to date...but I only fish for pleasure.....so its not like I am tournament fishing where such a perceived 'edge' may be deemed crucial. A couple of things come into play I think when deciding, at least for me and that is water clarity...and fishing pressure.

I lean towards it not mattering a great deal in any case and am moving away from bothering with a leader and tying direct to braid. As I am relatively new to bass fishing, I would appreciate the voices of experience....

[Jig Man]

I use a leader except for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. My reasoning is as follows: 6 of us went to the same area and fished no more than 1/4 mile apart. We all caught fish that day but one other guy and I used straight braid and the other 4 were using mono.

The two of us got our butts waxed but good that day. Since then, I tie on a leader with my braid because I still don't have all the wax off.

[Basseducer]

You know Jig Man, today "Getting Waxed" has a whole new meaning.

[mainbutter]

I often fish with fluoro leader.

HOWEVER, it is not for visibility reasons.

I've taken to fishing with 6-8 inches of 25lb triple fish fluoro leader if there's a chance I'm going to run into a big toothy critter while casting around for bass. It doesn't impact lure movement/sink rate as much as wire leader, and it's darn bite resistant.

I've run into enough accidental bigger-fish strikes while bass fishing to convince me that I don't want to be without at least some bite protection.

[BassBull]

Hello Red Shad

[BassBull]

Hello Red Shad I've used the leader set up your asking about for quite a few years with good results.Wouldn't change anything our go back to strait mono for nothing.The thought about water clarity is right on.The cleaner the water, you will get more bites with the flouro leader for sure.There is one other reason I like the braid to mono leader set up and I haven't heard very many people talk about it and it is this.If you have a lot of rods set up for different methods of fishing and one might sit in the bottom of the rod box for a few days our weeks without use.Like in the spring high water you might be on a flipping bite, while a rod set up for chugbugs sits idle.When the time comes to use the extra rods they will cast without any trouble because the power pro (braid) doesn't take a set like mono!!!! I hope this helps. Bass Bull

[Red Shad]

Thanks guys, all your thoughts have been taken on board and I will act accordingly. Most of the waters I fish here in Canada are reasonably clear and so for fishing plastics, tubes etc I will use a Flouro leader. Everything else (buzzbaits, topwaters, crankbits, spinner baits etc to straight braid. Your point re 'line memory' and mono/flouro is well taken. A guy I was fishing with at the weekend was arguing that 'pro bass anglers' were changing back to Mono and Flouro from braid as he reckoned the braid chemical make up was damaging the reels/spools of their expensive baitcasters over time. New one on me. Anyone else? I use braid almost exclusively and the lack of memory it has when its been on a baitcaster for a while between use certainly works for me among it's many other advantages over mono for most (not all) applications.

But I am always open to to new thoughts on such matters and for the moment will stick to braid for most of my fishing.

[BobP]

I've never heard of braid "chemically harming" any part of a reel. Never. Why would it? It's just polyester fiber. In the specific case of fishing in Canada, I would use a fluoro leader for 2 reasons. First, it is tougher to cut than braid and offers protection against bite-offs by those toothy critters that infest Canadian lakes:( Second, fluoro is less visible and will improve your bite ratio in clear water, even in Canada where the fish are "less educated" than down here in the U.S. If you fish without a leader in clear water, maybe you will still do OK if there are enough ignorant fish around, or small fish that are inexperienced. But fluoro will get bit more often by wary fish - including big fish that are more experienced with lures, or which are more cautious about what they bite (one reason they got big in the first place).

[CL Rods]

Fluoro leader all the way if I am fishing finesse baits like small worms on shakey heads, spot removers, small poppers on spinning gear, etc.

If I am frog fishing, flukes, floating worms, or jigs in heavy weed lines then I don't worry about it at all and actually want the thinner braid so you can rip it free of the weeds easier.