Thinking about leaders, what to use and when

Since moving to braided line, running a leader of some kind is important. So how important is it?
I finished reading an article in Fly Fisherman magazine where they tested 10 mono and 10 floro leaders and it got me to thinking. In fly fishing we pay a great deal of attention to leader material(tippet)for many reasons. While boat fishing, I’ve been using tippet spools for my leaders as they are sold in more convenient lengths and I’m used to using them. I’ve carry at least 6 different sizes with me when fly fishing. Mostly I’m trying to match the size to that of the fly as presentation is everything.
Do you think about presentation when choosing leader material? What other factors are you thinking about.
Do you use Floro or Mono?
Floro has greater water resistance, is abrasion resistant, very low visibility in water and less prone to UV and temp degradation.
Mono is softer, stretches more and could have a shock-absorbing effect and is more prone to UV and temp degradation.
If you chase line class records, the choice could make the difference between making it in the records book or just landing a really big fish.

I use flouro whenever I can either tied to braid on a conventional rod or as tippet for fly fishing. I only use mono when fishing top water or dry flies since it floats.

There’s a big difference between presenting a fly compared to presenting a conventional bait. Flies for the most part are weightless. With conventional tackle, lures are bigger and heavier.

When you’re fly fishing any stiffness in the leader material makes the fly look and act very unnaturally. We carry 7 spools of tippet material and go up or down depending on circumstances. Even if there are bigger fish around, sometimes you have to take the risk and use 6x or they wouldn’t bite in the first place.

With conventional tackle that isn’t as much of a consideration, since lures are bigger and heavier. You can get away with 8# or 10# mono when you’re pitching a floating Rapala. Or if you’re fishing for Bass in heavy cover with a 3/4 ounce jig with a rubber trailer on it, you could probably use 30# mono and the Bass wouldn’t care.

I personally don’t like Fluoro as I can’t tie good knots with the stuff, and it doesn’t deteriorate and go away like mono eventually will.

SR

I recall a recent Canadian river trip where a leader was critical. Due to longer casts and having line contact with rocks I found straight braid was unworkable. For fishing heavy currents it was beneficial to run 10# braid as a running line for lower drag resistance but it simply had no abrasion durability. Adding a 10# or 12# fluoro leader made a significant difference. The main application was spin fishing spoons, in-line spinners and jigs. Quarry was walleyes, brook trout and occasional white fish. From a presentation perspective the consideration was more weight vs current to prevent the lure from washing out.

My thoughts are a lot of fly tippet & leader material is softer for less memory and better fly presentation. Obviously, small dandruff flies require small line diameters (6X, 7X, 8X) and heat from tightening knots can become a real issue.

This has been debated on this site a ton. Many run straight braid but I’m a believer that under certain conditions a leader is absolutely required. For me, that is clear water on the river with finesse presentations. However, I almost always run a leader in vertical jigging or pitching. I use exclusively braid for everything but panfish and slip bobbers. I always run a fluoro leader tied direct to the braid.

My combo of choice is 8# suffix 832 with an 8, 10, or 12# leader. I usually run suffix fluoro but I don’t really have a preference. I run the lighter leader if going vertical or dragging live bait in clear water. I upsize the leader when pitching structure.

I don’t like mono – it’s too spongy for me. I don’t want any stretch when setting the hook.

I’ll run straight braid pitching cranks or trolling but that’s about it. Even when pitching cranks in shallow or clear water I will usually throw a leader on.

Matt Moen wrote:

This has been debated on this site a ton. Many run straight braid but I’m a believer that under certain conditions a leader is absolutely required. For me, that is clear water on the river with finesse presentations. However, I almost always run a leader in vertical jigging or pitching. I use exclusively braid for everything but panfish and slip bobbers. I always run a fluoro leader tied direct to the braid.

My combo of choice is 8# suffix 832 with an 8, 10, or 12# leader. I usually run suffix fluoro but I don’t really have a preference. I run the lighter leader if going vertical or dragging live bait in clear water. I upsize the leader when pitching structure.

I don’t like mono – it’s too spongy for me. I don’t want any stretch when setting the hook.

I’ll run straight braid pitching cranks or trolling but that’s about it. Even when pitching cranks in shallow or clear water I will usually throw a leader on.

Matt summed it up well. You don’t always need a leader, but sometimes you do so I always keep one tied on. Exceptions have been made after a day of donations on the river, or when I’m trolling I will go straight to braid.

Me personally I use straight braid or straight monofilament and no leaders only time run a leader is fishing Pike and even then not all the time. I pitch a lot of wingdams and I find Berkley Fireline works well for me and for mono like Berkley XT solar.

So for me it’s a preference for using a leader or topshot on braids. For one thing, it’s less likely to tip wrap when windy. The other thing is dealing with the knot flying through the guides on the cast. As long as one isn’t running micro guides, most line join knots will flow through. Some flow through better than others, some hold stronger than others.

There is the technical aspect to leader lines as some lures are less likely to get tangled in the line while working them, like Spooks or Poppers, jigging tail spin lures, or working a jerkbait. Fluorocarbon line helps out with my tail spin lures and suspending jerkbaits performance. Monoline/copolymers help out with my Spooks and Popper type lures.

I may want a stiffer thicker line when in contact with structure to prevent breakoff or line wrapping. I may want a thinner line to help with lure presentation when finessing micro lures. Most of all, I just want to prolong the braid life and avoid line fluff and frays.

River fishing my leaders become mono. In my experience when flouro gets stretched out, which happens over and over on snags, it compromises the overall strength, and especially the knot strength.

Most flouro will stretch like mono and have the same benefits of a bouncy material between you and fish.

Livebait rigging I enjoy the invisibility properties of flouro, but since it sinks and is more ridgid it tends to snag up easier and presents a less natural bait. I use mono.

Flouro has been mostly delegated to tipup leaders for me lately. Mono gets the job done for everything else without the hassle of finicky knots.

I have used flouro leaders more on the river the past few years than ever before. I especially like and think the flouro leader is critical when pitching smaller blades. The hooks used to tangle a lot with straight braid (Suffix 832) because that line is so limp. The flouro adds stiffness and really reduces the hooks fouling on the line. I also think it makes a difference during winter months when the water is much cleaner.