Like you I am new to this but not to fishing.

Everyone swears flouro catches more fish than mono because it is invisible underwater. They say it’s molecular structure matches water. Well I know better. If that were true then their 400 lb flouro would also be invisible and it is not. The way to get some invisibility is to go thin. A 2lb mono leader will be more invisible than a 8 lb flouro.

The issue becomes how thin can I get away with. What is my comfort level with losing a few nice fish ?

Crappie do still bite when using braid line, which makes no claims to be invisible. Many fish in fact do NOT seem to be put off by line. Many claim it has no affect at all, but how does one know that ? How could one know that ? Well they would have to fish each at the same time in the same manner and then they could guess at it. LOL. Maybe ask the fish.

There can be all sorts of reasons why one line will outperform another though. Depth, visibility, floatation, flash, color, etc. Advice on this usually points those who ask silly questions towards thinner lines for some reason. Keeping in mind some say it doesn’t matter, but thinner is usually recommended. So why is that and what does that mean ?

Well I have concluded that it is based on the action of the jig. Forgetting visibility, 50lb flouro would limit the action of my very light weight jigs much more so than say 6 lb flouro. Could that be the key ? I tried a heavier leader and it did not perform anywhere near as well as the thinner stuff. Lesson learned.

I now use an 8lb flouro leader attached to my 30lb braid. The lighter braids wrap whimsically around the rod tips and form beautiful macrame knottings and such. So I use heavier braid for sanity retention, but then lighter leaders to impart action.

I troll long line fashion and that should be a basic steady straight forward pull, but it is not. There are wobbles and waggles and all sorts of small activities occurring back there. I discovered jigs swim differently as more line is given. Duh !!!! When I am using two exact same jigs and one seems to be more popular than the other, by a bunch, I start to look closely at the details. Maybe the plastic bait is impaled differently. Could be dumb luck, but usually there is something to be noticed.

So my advice is to stick with your heavy braid because you can manage well with it, but consider sizing downward on your leaders. There are many options in this regard, and 8 lb might be thin enough to work with your style. Maybe dropping down in size again to 6 lb would do something for you, maybe increasing the action will cost you some fish. Maybe not.

Some here use 2 pound line because it allows them to cast super light weight lures. Not because it catches fish better. Easy to miss some of these nuances.

I discovered that no matter what, all the advice in the world will not be of much use until you make a big decision. You MUST select a style. Once you have chosen that style then and only then can you begin to dial in your gear. What works really well for vertical jigging while staring at a Death Scope machine ain’t worth spit for long lining. So I recommend playing around some with the different styles and see what pleases you best. What works for you. Then line selection will become a breeze and you will have it right. No one can help you with this. It must be what you will be doing out there when no one is watching.

I like to add my leaders by forming King Sling loop knots in both the leader and the braid. Then slip the braid loop through the leader loop, pass jig through the braid, and draw down. This will leave the braid to form a Catspaw, with the leader material not forming anything at all, completely uninvolved, just captured. It can slide about within the sleeve of the Catspaw, with no kinks, creases or other damage at all. Pristine. The Catspaw prevents the braid from over tightening because the leader material is inserted and has a diameter to it. It can accept the folds very easily and without any damage. Forming the sleeve keeps the pull spread out along the leader material and not at a small point. The entire mess is streamlined and durable. Simple, quick and works with no need for a swivel, which is also a matter of debate.

Find yourself……then start figuring. I like the posts you have been generating and you will be a quick learner with this. While learning and finding your way try to experiment as much as possible. There are still plenty of things to be invented, discovered and imagined. You seem to be an idea man and I wish to encourage that in you. I suspect you will like crappie fishing a little more than being a BassMaster. Just find a style that you can enjoy as you enter your golden years. Something you can do whilst also being old. I left surf fishing for that exact reason, and I think I chose well. Too hard dragging my junk down the hot sand in what can only be viewed as a death march because all the stupid fish are all two miles down the beach. HAH !!!