tckwilson Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 I have read through most of the post here about which line to use. I noticed most of them are a little dated. My question is I am thinking about using braid for Hudd's and S Wavers, just for sensitivity. I would use a mono leader connected with a blood knot. I know a lot of people have concern about casting baits off. Is this still the current thinking or have things changed. I got the idea from Matt Allen at Tactical basin. Matt uses braid for everything and I really do like the sensitivity of braid. A penny for your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisstanley11 Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 I think fluorocarbon is sensitive enough and is much more forgiving in my opinion... I like braided line for certain applications if I can run straight braid and not a leader... running braid to a leader then to your bait just give another thing that can fail... I feel like that leader knot gets beat up pretty quick too when you are casting it through the guides... it really all comes down to personal preference in the end! tckwilson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelpMePickABobber Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 I feel like that leader knot gets beat up pretty quick too when you are casting it through the guides... It happened to me. Luckily it wasn't anything too expensive. Won't go that route again. tckwilson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northeast_trev Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 I use straight braid for almost everything, just a preference thing. Spent my first year with mono and had a lot of cast offs with it. Made the switch to 80lb Power Pro with a Palomar knot and haven't lost a bait since. I get that it doesn't work for everyone, but i use it for wakes/big glides/and rubber baits with no problem. I'm also fishing in mucky ponds and rivers where the clarity isn't that great so i dont consider the visibility of the line that often. So that could be a deal breaker as well. OkeechobeeJC and tckwilson 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynem Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 If you are going to use braid with a leader, take the time to learn the FG knot (not easy to tie). The knot is very thin in diameter and streamlined so it won't hang up in the guides, and its incredibly strong. But it takes time and practice to tie it well. tckwilson, fishinpunk, kennebecstripers and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCMD Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 I use braid to a leader for everything. Love it and haven't had any issues. I use a Crazy Alberto knot and have had 0 issues. From swim baits to my small spinning gear, I use this set up and have yet to be disappointed. Haven't cast anything off, haven't broken off any leaders. Onthefly_25 and tckwilson 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEbucketmouth19 Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 If you are going to use braid with a leader, take the time to learn the FG knot (not easy to tie). The knot is very thin in diameter and streamlined so it won't hang up in the guides, and its incredibly strong. But it takes time and practice to tie it well. x2 I don't use braid on my swimbait rod but I use the FG and Alberto knots for my other bass rods and it really is worth the time to learn. Especially if you are worried about the knot going through the guides, there really is nothing better. tckwilson, waynem and 253caster 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Arendtsen Posted December 13, 2016 Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 65lb suffix 832 is what I use. I also use a wire leader for muskie... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggfeast Posted December 13, 2016 Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 I only use braid for fishing the 3:16 Minnow and NoBull Frog in the slop and tullies. I've never had the knot slip tying a Palomar knot, but then again these baits aren't that heavy. I personally don't use braid on any sinking baits since it does float and even with your bait sinking, on the retrieve the line will force it to return at a higher angle than compared to Flouro or CoPoly on the retrieve That's just my experience but I know guys who use it with success, so I'm sure it'll work if your fishing style fits it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhoozie1 Posted December 13, 2016 Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 I use braid to a leader for everything. Love it and haven't had any issues. I use a Crazy Alberto knot and have had 0 issues. From swim baits to my small spinning gear, I use this set up and have yet to be disappointed. Haven't cast anything off, haven't broken off any leaders. How long of a leader do you use? I used to go this route, but didn't like the way the Crazy Alberto came through the guides Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCMD Posted December 13, 2016 Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 How long of a leader do you use? I used to go this route, but didn't like the way the Crazy Alberto came through the guides Depends on the water clarity. Usually 3-5 feet, sometimes longer. I also purposefully don't buy rods with micro guides because I want to fish this way. I imagine that if you're throwing a rod with micro guides, any line-leader connector knot is going to cause some issues. For me, I'd rather be able to spool up with a bunch of 50-65 lb braid, leave that line on there forever, and then change the leader according to the conditions than fish micro guides. Just how I like to roll. yev14 and jhoozie1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynem Posted December 13, 2016 Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 How long of a leader do you use? I used to go this route, but didn't like the way the Crazy Alberto came through the guides I use mono or fluoro for most of my swimbaiting but there are fishing circumstances where the braid/leader makes sense. I've used the braid/leader for many years of conventional fresh and saltwater fishing. The issue with knots like the crazy Alberto is that the diameter thickness is large because the leader is doubled within the knot. And the leader (mono or fluoro) has a larger diameter than the braid so it is a bigger factor on the size of the finished knot. The FG knot just has a single diameter of leader and the braid is sort of woven around it. Because the braid flattens out when woven around the leader, the knot diameter ends up being very thin. It is going to be as good a knot as you will find going through smaller line guides. However I want to stress again its not very easy to tie well, so do it at home rather than in a rocking boat. jhoozie1 and vncnt 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MA Frog Man Posted December 13, 2016 Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 If I do tie a leader on in any situation I just tie on 2-3 feet and it never goes into the guides at all. Never had a problem LUV-2-CATCH'EM, bigpoppabass and jhoozie1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Year 71 Posted December 14, 2016 Report Share Posted December 14, 2016 How long of a leader do you use? I used to go this route, but didn't like the way the Crazy Alberto came through the guides Anyone who's messed with leaders has had a failure at one time or another. I've used them and not used them with braid and I'm 100% that little bit of stretch does help keep trebles stuck. Sometimes it's not an issue, other times it's quite obvious. I've messed with even shorter than one foot length to avoid bringing through guides at all but shock absorption is basically non existent at that length. 2-3 foot seems to be preferred by most. What I've concluded, I think, is the best length is between reel and first stripper guide. Plenty of absorption and it seems to shoot though guides without contact better. Maybe it's in my head, I could be wrong, but it seems the knot takes less abuse this this way. I think. No matter what you tie make sure you tie it fresh every single time out. I'm fascinated by folks I've noticed using the same leader multiple days straight then #@%^! when it breaks. Unbelievable. jhoozie1 and yev14 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppabass Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 Don't go with braid for hudds, it will be too fast imo....I like braid with slammers. for wakers I use all braid cuz I keep line off of water when I fish em. For cranking slammers, I like fluoro leader to braid, cuz it allows me to imitate surfacing trout that pop and go down, braid is fast is my point....For hudds the right retrieve speed is uncomfortably slow for me and most folks. Btw Matt Allen's and his buds pb hudd vids are worth a listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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