Thread: Leader or no leader?????

I have limited experience with braid for casting methods ... but, I have used it & caught fish with it while tied directly to the jig. Now, those occasions were not in "gin clear" water, but stained water of certain KY & Tenn lakes. I'd estimate the water clarity was such that a chartreuse jig could be seen down to no more than 2ft at the clearest condition. And the braid I was using is PowerPro 10/2 High Vis.

If you "think" it's going to be a factor in your "fairly clear water" lake .... then it's likely to be a factor. That's that "confidence factor" showing up.

I always use a leader, there's enough other things that affect these fish NOT biting so anything as simple as using a leader I'll happily tie one on to remove that doubt....

I believe your concern is due to water clarity and the spooking of fish if using straight braid. I use braid exclusively, with a fluorocarbon leader. Not for the invisibility factor, but more for abrasion resistance. Braid doesn't do well when rubbed up against cover and/or fish teeth. Fluoro is far superior in that area, which is why I use a 3' - 4' leader ahead of my braid. This way, I can better determine when abrasion has started and snip off an inch or two and retie. JMO.

I don't braid fish much , but when I do I don't use leader

I prefer a leader, only to change out a pretied setup.

I use 10/2 yellow and strike the last 15 or so inches with a black sharpie. I just fished that in some light stain water last week. I'm satisfied with that. I've been watching Kevin Rodgers and Todd Huckabee last couple of days on youtube and from what I see and hear, they don't use leaders. They use 15 lb braid mostly but they search for dirty water if they can find it. Kevin uses white line. They vertical jig mainly and they use a lot of 1/4 oz. jigs as well. Hope this helps.

I use braid exclusively, no leader. The braid i use is not high vis.

To me it is a sweet & sour thing. I believe that in very clear water (as cp said) the braid can look like anchor rope underwater. I love braid but I choose not to use a leader with it. My reasoning is that it is just 1 or 2 extra knots that could be the weakest link. If I feel that braid is not the line to use I simply switch over to a reel that has mono. No leader or extra knots required. Just my thought process.