leaders?

Please excuse my ignorance on this, but I would like some insight. I read a post about flourocarbon leaders with braided line the other day. I have never used a leader other than to fish for pike in canada, when we used steel leaders to pull daredevil spoons around. i use mono, fireline or suffix 832 tied directly to the jig/crank/swimbait when walleye/lmb or crappie fishing. What is the advantage of a flouro or mono leader vs. direct tie? Am I missing out on fish because of no leader? Heading out to fish pool 11 on Wednesday, so info would be appreciated. Tight lines to all!

The purpose of the fluro leader is for stealth. Fluorocarbon is more difficult to see underwater. If the water you’re fishing is stained or muddy, then it may not matter. Personally, I always tie a fluoro leader to my braids with a uni-uni knot.

Thanks for the info. If you run a leader, youre only as strong as the leader, right? So 20lb suffix with a 6 lb. leader is only 6lb of strength?

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Thanks for the info. If you run a leader, youre only as strong as the leader, right? So 20lb suffix with a 6 lb. leader is only 6lb of strength?

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Or as strong as your knot.

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Thanks for the info. If you run a leader, youre only as strong as the leader, right? So 20lb suffix with a 6 lb. leader is only 6lb of strength?

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Correct. Another purpose is to give yourself a break point on a snag too. I love the feel braids offer when vertical jigging but when you snag it really sucks to break off.

When I first started adding a 16-24″ floro or mono leader I was using the uni to uni knot. I soon learned that more often than not when snagged its the uni knot that breaks rather than to jig’s knot. Unis take time to tie and I started using a #10 spro swivel for my junction knot to save time when I am breaking off a lot.

Pool 11 coughed up 54 gills this afternoon in less than 2 hours. The biggest was 10.5″ with 7 more from 8″ to 8.5″ (all released for another day). Some people are fishing the visible trees along the bank but natural humps and wing dams have yielded better numbers and size for me.

Kind of my thoughts as well. Ive straightened quite a few one eye hooks and saved them jigging with the superline tied directly. I definitely feel a snap or barrell swivel would be a good way to attach the leader. I have not yet mastered the uni-uni knot. Thanks for the info.

Those are some nice gills! Any teeth?

I used to use the swivel method for leaders quite often. Quit doing that when I found that most of my clients, have a real bad habit of reeling the swivel up into the last eye or two on my nice, St Croix rods. Which in time would eventually take out the ceramic liner in the last eye on my rods.

Now I’m back to tying 832 directly to my leader using an Albright knot. I’m not going to say it always breaks where I want it to but its still better than having to replace the last eye on my St Croix rods.