Long leaders

[rwp]

Going to try out a long leader for the first time today. This is 30lb hard mono to 65lb braid.

I used a 20 twist Albright for the line connection. The lure end is my standard 300lb decoy ring attached with a 3 loop centauri knot.

The leader is just long enough to keep the knot out of the reel.

Anyone else using longer leaders? If so, what's your go to setup?

[CG_Fishes]

I also use leaders up to about 6-7 feet (2 wingspans). I have had trouble with a double uni so I'm switching to an fg, still iced over now but we will see how it goes this season. Anyways I personally like the long leaders for my soft baits but don't care too much with the hard baits, usually I keep it around a foot or 2 for the hard baits

[JohnK68]

I go the other way, I use a short leader under 2ft so the knot does not go through the guides, I don’t want to get backlashes,I usually use 50 braid with a 20-25 flouro leader with a 7 turn Alberto knot

 

[Frezzy]

I'm braid to either a flouro or mono leader 100% of the time.  I stay on the lighter side with 30lb braid and 12-17lb leaders.  I fish a very clear water reservoir.  On my custom rods I ask the builders to use slightly larger guides than they typically do to allow the knot more room to pass thru the guides.  I use the Alberto knot most of the time.  I tie the FG as well, but only if I do it the night before fishing.  Alberto is much easier for me to tie while fishing with cold and/or wet hands.  

[wtrwsel]

I use long leaders too; 16-20 ft. On some rods I have Mono 20-25lb some Fluorocarbon. Over the course of the day it allows me to cut off  worn sections and retie often. Works for me.  

Edited February 16, 2021 by wtrwsel

[waynem]

I've found the FG knot to be stronger, more reliable, and much less bulky than the Alberto or Albright.  However it is a lot tougher to tie out on the water so I always do it at home ahead of a trip.

[Jon P]

I grab a spool of 30 lb mono in one hand and the end of the line in my other hand, spread my arms and bite off that chunk. it ends up being about 6-7 foot long and I switch it out at the start of every morning. Though now that I have  a Tatula 300 I'm curious to try doing a whole layer of heavy mono. It would definitely help on long casts.

[CG_Fishes]

13 minutes ago, Jon P said:

I grab a spool of 30 lb mono in one hand and the end of the line in my other hand, spread my arms and bite off that chunk. it ends up being about 6-7 foot long and I switch it out at the start of every morning. Though now that I have  a Tatula 300 I'm curious to try doing a whole layer of heavy mono. It would definitely help on long casts.

I do the same thing. I'm interested to see how a whole top shot would work, are you thinking about having mono the whole casting distance?

[Jon P]

10 minutes ago, CG_Fishes said:

I do the same thing. I'm interested to see how a whole top shot would work, are you thinking about having mono the whole casting distance?

My thought is that the mono should last until the bait (8" punker) reaches the top of the casting arc, with the braid giving added distance to the rest of the cast. Though because I haven't experimented with this at all I don't know if that will be optimal. The goal is maximum casting distance to reach spots other anglers can't reach in a strict no-boats lake.

[Jon P]

https://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/topic/607020-shock-leader-length/

[Kyle1387]

80 lb power pro to 20-25lb mono with a blood knot for me. Usually I hold the spool at the reel and wait till the knot hits the spool and cut, essentially making my leader double the length of the rod. this lets me have a lot of line to retie lures throughout the day without having to constantly tie new leaders .

[Dirty Diesel]

I don’t fish braid to leader anymore just to simplify things.I’m fishing strait floro now. Just less things to bring with me while I’m out there on the water and I was using FG knot which works really well but it’s hard to tie when you’re out there. I’ll also re-tie very frequently. But what worked well for me was 65lb PowerPro to 20lb floro twice the length of the rod with an FG knot. 

[rwp]

After fishing it today, I don't see many benefits.

The tick of the knot through the guides is annoying, but that doesn't really matter.

It defiantly changes the feel of the rod as well, sensitivity is decreased. I can usually feel the lure knocking against itself, today I couldn't.

I'm probably going to go back to short leaders. Our water is chocolate milk anyway.

[NEbucketmouth19]

I fish braid to leader for softbaits. Usually 65lb braid to 25lb mono. I usually run a 7 ft leader. Blood knot is my go to connection knot for bigger lines. I like Alberto for conventional setups. 

[Jon P]

For clarity, I'm only using braid to mono for topwaters. DeadTwitch, Punkers, crawlers, etc. For glides and softies straight fluoro is always the better choice (IMO)