Take me to your leader

Possibly the most important aspect of catching fish is the leader. You have to consider all types of factors to insure the best results. For starters, you need to consider the teeth of your prey. A toothy fish can destroy a monofilament or fluorocarbon leader, so you may need a steel or other wire leader for fish such as, mackerel, wahoo or other types of fish. If choosing a wire leader, make sure you choose the correct length for the type of fishing you are doing. Trolling may need a little longer leader due to fish attacking from the side of the lure and missing. The same can be said for jigging a spoon or other jig bait.

Next you need to think about water clarity, the prevailing leader material today is fluorocarbon. This is due to the clarity of the line, to a fish it is invisible. That doesn’t mean you can choose the largest fluorocarbon leader out there, you still need to consider flexibility of the leader and the type of fishing you are doing. Due to the overall stiffness of fluorocarbon, lures that need to have a natural swimming motion can be limited due to the wrong size of fluorocarbon leader. Choosing a little lighter leader can enhance the activity of your lure. You also have to consider water clarity and the amount of water displacement your leader makes. In extremely clear water fish become more easily spooked and a large fluorocarbon leader can make enough water displacement to spook some fish, so choosing a smaller fluorocarbon leader can mean the difference between fish and no fish.

When using braided line, some anglers will use monofilament as leader material. This is used in bottom fishing a lot. Deeper fish with less water clarity don’t always need the same finesse. Size does matter in this situation as well. Monofilament comes in all different colors so the correct strength and color can be a big factor in catching fish. Too large of monofilament can cause a certain different action of your bait and this may spook fish away from your bait especially when using live bait. A little lighter leader will allow a bait to swim more naturally.

The line strength can allow for no leader in certain situations, such as freelining live bait. You have to have the right water clarity for it, but some anglers prefer no leader for bottom fishing especially in river situations. The important thing to remember in this situation is to check your line for scuffs and abrasions. Some normal wear from rubbing rocks or trees can cause the loss of a good fish. Fish teeth can also cause some wear and tear on monofilament. There are some fluorocarbon main lines out there, but again you have to consider flexibility and lure action.

This all brings us to the knot! Many types of line require special knots for best performance. Research your line choice and pick the best knots for that type of line and leader. Practice practice practice until you know your favorite knots so your not researching knots while fishing. See these specials.https://softsteelusa.com/products/8x-eminent-braid?sscid=a1k6_gj1ci&