do you guys have a favorite brand of leader?

[Pat Smith]

I got two packs of black wire leaders from BPS.. in short they suck. My complaint lies in the clip. It is hard to undo with your finger, and when you get it undone clipping it back up is difficult. About half the leaders I have used so far, the clip-receiver portion has gotten mangled to the point where I had to cut the whole thing off the line and start over with a fresh one, wasting time and energy in the kayak. I am wondering if you guys have a favorite brand.. or should I start the whole trial and error method.

[Frogsauce]

I just use the Mustad ones from Walmart. Once I put one on a lure, I don't take it off usually.

[freshstripes]

What are you targeting that you need wire leaders?

[PigPen]

I had the same problem with the offshore leaders from BPS. I bought new clips since I could use them for various quick change rigs.

[Pat Smith]

I got them for Blues.. but honestly it keeps me from having to tie too many fisherman's knots.. my hope was to throw a leader on each rod and be able to easily swap out lures as necessary. THus far however the leaders have been pretty much a single use item.. I will try new clips or try a few from Anglers at some point.

[JAR]

Most times I tie direct but keep one rod setup with a clip to swap out plugs. I've tried several over the years and the one I've had the best luck with for the money is the Breakaway clips (prefer the smaller SL2 design). With these clips, lure change outs are a breeze and I'm to the point that I'm confident switching plugs without looking. Doing this is based on feel and really comes in handy when fishing in the dark. A similar design is the Tactical Anglers clip but they are a bit pricier.

[mibytes]

Always carry needlenose tools to.. I normally have a small pair just incase....

[Pat Smith]

I have been using a surgical needle driver (former surgical assistant) which is similar to a needle nose, but the leader still gets all bent up.

[Salty Dog]

I bought premade leader in the past and had the same problem. Fish mainly salt. Now I make my own with stainless and crimps, no more problems.

[CAGE RATTLER]

20# Seaguar fluorocarbon is all I use tied to 20# power pro braid.
I'll attach a quick change clip to rods being used for hard baits and use a loop knot on other rods also for quick changes.

You don't need steel leaders unless your targeting sharks or maybe some monster blues in the ocean.

[HJS]

I normally use 20# florocarbon leader all the time when fishing in the Bay. It seems to be resistant enough to bite-offs from smaller blues in the low teens or smaller. If bigger blues are in the area then I'll tie on an extra foot or two of 30# floro. After unhooking every blue I take an extra couple of seconds to check the leader for tooth marks and retie if needed. Bite-offs from blues are very rare when using this leader setup.

[freshstripes]

I was going to comment also. I think steel leaders are unnecessary unless fishing for sharks or toothy fish with quick strike rigs. I've caught a few musky without steel leader

[Frogsauce]

I use the steel leaders because they last forever. I put a 3" one on a spoon and never have to take it off the spoon. I just swap lures out by their leader. I started using them in the bay when I started getting bite offs and shredded line catching blues. Cheap insurance for a $6 lure.