Leader materials

[ronaultmtd]

Is the higher cost of Florocarbon worth it as a leader? The stuff is like gold. Seagar 20 # test Florocarbon leader materials in a small ( less than fifty yard spool) package costs twice as much as a big 300 yard spool of red Cajun mono In the same pound weight.

I have a 300 yard spool of forty pound test Trilene that I use for making up bottom rigs, tie on the #18 Tony spoon for trolling, etc.

I normally use braid on my reels. Been using Cabela's Rip Cord for the full last season and it works fine- Got a deal on it, so I bought a lot of it. I have it in 15, 20 and 30 pound test spools of 300 yards. It has the same fiber mix as Suffix 532. I always tie on a leader with braid. Makes it easier to change lures, rigs, etc. because mono knots are quick and easy for me to tie without having to wear my reading glasses. I join the mono to braid with double uni-knots- and there is never a knot failure.

Looking at the mouth of the bigger snakeheads makes me consider using floro leader materials for the abrasion factor. Their teeth are similar to the walleye, but more pronounced.

[J.A. Veil]

Ron -

One of the advantages of fluorocarbon is that it has an optical density nearly the same as water. This means that under water, it is difficult for a fish to see. If you fish mostly in clear water, I can see an advantage to using fluoro. If you primarily fish in murky water, much as we have in the Chesapeake area throughout much of the year, mono probably works just as well.

I have read some articles about the relative durability of fluoro vs. mono to abrasion. Given my advanced years, I don't remember which holds up better. I'm sure someone else can chime in on that topic.

[Southerly]

dunno.

cut a piece of seaguar fluoro 'leader' material, and piece of mono of same test rating and put both in a glass of water. my impression is that overall; the refelctivity of the outer surface is more noticeable than the index of refraction and resultant visibility of the material itself. (just more reason to fish on overcast days?)

but i think flouro has other material properties to at least consider - is more abrasion resistant and less stretch than mono.

for me; i am done buying specific rolls of high-price flouro 'leader' material (unless they want to sponsor me; in which case i'll tell everyone it's critical to catching fish,...)

maybe it's superstion, but i still use flouro leader for light tackle. i bought roll of 'vanish' flouro fishing line. it's available at kmart for example in 30 and maybe 40# test for about $20/300yds i think.

ps - if you buy a pre-rigged heavy tackle-tandem, it will probably come rigged with 60-130# mono. but that tackle is intended for a specific environment of intended use much different from my typical light tackle fishing.

[archeryrob]

I just use the rolls of Trylene XL for my leaders with high viz Power pro for the braid. I have the Bass rods in 15# PP and 8# mono and the Striper rods in 30# PP and 17# mono. The 8# gets abraded fairly easy and I have to rety lures and I just recheck by sliding my fingers up and down the mono for the 1st foot above the lure a lot.

I only have one day experience with the snakeheads, but from the one I caught and seeing other catch them they appear to crush and clamp the lure. All where shallow hooked just behind the jaw and they bite down like a pit bull. The don't in hale like bass or other fish, they seem to bite the fish body to kill.

I always caught fish on plain mono, so I never saw the reason to buy florocarbon. I personally think its a catch the fisherman thing.

[ictalurus]

The Bay is seldom clear enough for the difference between fluoro and mono to matter. There was a cool magazine pictorial where they shot photos underwater of various brands of mono and fluoro at different depths and water clarity. I can't remember which magazine it was, but there was almost no difference between the mono and the fluoro.

However, there is a major difference in the amount of stretch in mono and fluoro. The difference is so great that it helps make up for my "hand deafness" and lets me feel bites that I would otherwise miss. It made a big difference for me for jigging in 20-30ft of water. I really like the TripleFish fluoro leader spools. It's among the cheapest, it's relatively easy to tie knots in without stripping at the end, and it doesn't stretch. In fact, it vibrates like a guitar string as you pull it off the spool. I haven't tried any other brands. I've heard the Bass Pro brand of fluoro is pretty good, too, and isn't too bad when it's on sale. I did look at a spool of the Berkley fluoro fishing line last night, and it didn't vibrate like the TripleFish when I ran it between my fingers.

I will say that I don't like using fluoro leaders when topwater fishing because I tend to pop it too hard, which makes the popper tumble end over end. A bit of stretch from a mono leader seems to prevent that.

[Capt Brady Bounds]

I'm Not A Big Florocarbon Fan

Florocarbon has some drawbacks which have not been as yet mentioned.

It's stiffer, especially in colder water.

It doesn't take all knots.

It does theoretically allow you to use a higher poundage that might be used in mono and still not be seen.

In Ches Bay,and tribs, few fish are line shy, so it's not necessary.

It's definitely more expensive.

And therefore, I use Berkley Vanish, typically in 20# and 30# in heavy abrasion applications.

Vanish is more supple, takes knots without self-destructing, has nearly the same invisibility as pure fluorocarbon and is cheaper.

[DOGFISH]

I tend to agree with the not clear water and expense arguments. I have been using clear Ande line for trolling leaders for years, mostly 40 and 50 lb test. When trolling lighter crankbaits in the rivers, I will use some lighter florocarbon. I don't see any difference in the numbers of fish. In clear water situations I will still use florocarbon. However, I am not going to get all caught up in the hype put out by line producers.