Have always wanted to ask this question. What’s the difference between say, 20lb mainline vs 20lb leader ?
Why can’t I use main line as leader line ?
Thanks !
U can always use mono mainline or even braided mainline as leader bro… it’s all due to preference…
Some are more specific as leader is because they simply can’t be used as mainline, due to too stiff, or the obvious ones is they dun even come with the long distance required!
Sometimes leader are more specifically designed to be more abrasive resistance, hence stiffer & not feasible for mainline usage… On the other hand, mainline are made to be as good as wat mainline is for… softer n easily used n reduce birdness, good line lay on spool, lower diameter, more forgivin etc…
I hope i’m correct anyway… hehehe
Novice angler here, any constructive advices greatly appreciated. Thank you
quote:
Originally posted by Tan Jiin Sheng
U can always use mono mainline or even braided mainline as leader bro... it's all due to preference...Some are more specific as leader is because they simply can’t be used as mainline, due to too stiff, or the obvious ones is they dun even come with the long distance required!
Sometimes leader are more specifically designed to be more abrasive resistance, hence stiffer & not feasible for mainline usage… On the other hand, mainline are made to be as good as wat mainline is for… softer n easily used n reduce birdness, good line lay on spool, lower diameter, more forgivin etc…
I hope i’m correct anyway… hehehe
Novice angler here, any constructive advices greatly appreciated. Thank you
TJS Bro, ur reply can consider as SIFU already. still novice meh?
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" Why can’t I use main line as leader line ? " - in short, " Yes " you can, and many people use main line direct to lure / bait.
Others do not, and this is because they believe that the requirements for a good main line, are different from the requirements for a good leader.
These differences were further emphasized with the increasing popularity of braided lines - where people still used mono for their leaders, because mono had some qualities that braids could not deliver.
Looking at mono for leader first.
e.g. Visibility - clear mono is less visible than braid, so it makes sense to use mono for the part of your line near the hook / bait / lure.
e.g. Shock absorbing qualities - mono is more stretchable - so if you use mono as a leader, the extra stretch will give you a better chance when a fish hits your bait hard and not tear the bait out of it’s mouth. This is also true when you strike too hard - again the mono is your " absorber ".
e.g. Like TJS has also said, mono is more abrasion resistant than braids ( lb for lb, not mono and braids of similar thickness ) so you want it at the end nearer the fish.
Looking at braids for main line.
e.g. braids ( lb for lb ) are much more thinner than mono - so you can have more line on your reel.
e.g. braids have almost zero stretch - so they are more sensitive and connect you better with your hook.
e.g. being thinner, braids are less affected by currents / flow of the water - again, gives you a better connection, allows you more precise placement of your bait.
These are just examples, and there must be many, many more - but they all come from the different requirements.[:)]
Thank you all sifu !
I was using mono mainline as my leader for floating pallet rig. Those leader line material is too inflexible and will curl up hence looks “artificial” on the surface of water. Couldn’t find leader line which is as “soft” as mainline.
Thanks again
All the above sifu are right.
My additional two-sen:
If you are practicing Sports Fishing, your mainline will most likely be of low-poundage. E.g. TJS uses 8-lb line (ada betul ka??) as mainline and a leader of higher poundage (abrasion resistance, more invisible, etc). The lower poundage mainline is to give the fish a sporting chance of getting away.
As mentioned by Mike, normally an angler would pair braided mainline with a mono leader.
One would also pair a (lower-poundage) mono mainline with a higher poundage leader.
Hope this helps.
Sifu StarTrek,
All these while I have been reading from various forums that the leader is to be twice the poundage of the mainline. And I have been following suit. Actually there is no such “rule” except for sportfishing purpose, right ?
“… that the leader is to be twice the poundage of the mainline.”
I would suggest that this is not the way to do it. You should instead decide on what poundage leader you need based on the application that you have in mind. This is more important.
Now, if you wind up with a leader that is roughly twice the poundage - so be it. This is not critical.
e.g. Most of my ( and friends ) pay pond fishing is done with 12 - 15 lb braided main line, and 40 - 50 lb ASSO leader.
e.g. In Boon Ma ( Thailand ) we were using 20 lb braided main line with 50 lb leaders for siakaps, and 40 lb braided main line, with 60 lb leaders for the Pla Buks.
You will note that in a straight pull, the main line will obviously break first - so why have such a heavy leader ? The leaders are deliberately heavier than necessary because we want the abrasion resistance offered by a thicker leader.
Have fun [:)]
quote:
Originally posted by weng
Sifu StarTrek, All these while I have been reading from various forums that the leader is to be twice the poundage of the mainline. And I have been following suit. Actually there is no such "rule" except for sportfishing purpose, right ?
I have not come across such advice before. I just use whatever suits the occasion. My deep sea fishing is 40-lb braided with 50-60lb leader. Sometimes, 60lb braided mainline with 50lb leader; rather the leader break when snagged than the more expensive braided main.
My pond fishing is 10lb braided with 17lb Berkeley Floro leader.
Oh that’s misinterpretation of my reading on the forums. Thanks Mike and StarTrek for the correction
Can I add two more sen?
To me, there is no such thing as a standard leader. Before I decide on what line/thickness to use for a leader, I wud consider these things:
- The fish I’m targeting for: are they ‘shy’ (caught too many times)? Can they easily break the line? (strength, abrasion, sharp teeth)
- The water: got snags? what kind? rock? wood? weeds? sunken steel drums? [8)]
- What fishing method I’m using (legering ie bottom; float, spinning with a lure etc.)
Some examples:
-Pond fishing for small fish with CNR: ultra-light leader, down to 3-lb mono. Mainline oso only 2.5 to 4-lb., on long soft rod. This type of rod allows you to catch even the big fish confidently, cos the rod is doing most of the fighting, not the reel drag (less chance of break-offs). Usually, I use free-lining ie no lead used. More sensitive to bites.
-Float fishing in similar pond: roughly the same. The smaller the line, the more sensitive te float!
-Pond fishing for pacu: still using light mainline (3-6-lb), but with 20-lb braided leader and circle hook (at east size 2)! Pacu bites thru even steel hooks. Circle hook ensures that the pacu is hooked at the corner of the mouth, usually. The braided leader is added protection: the pacu usually manages to get to the weeds!
-Kelah fishing: mainline of 12 to 18-lb. Leader is 20 to 30-lb of “invisible line”. If I use fluorocarbon, I’d opt for the thickest line possible. Fluoro lines abrade faster!
-River kalui: leader of at least 20-lb (30-l if fluorocarbon). Kalui have rough snouts, and can easily abrade thinner leaders.
-When spinning with lures, I tend to be lazy and tie my mainline direct to the lure/snap. At times I would also do a Bimini, for snaggy rivers.
We went fishing with Arnout Terlouw (that “goliath” angler) in Belum. He used a 20 - 30-lb fluorocarbon leader (about 0.8 m) with 15-lb braided line. Yet he managed to land toman up 5.9 kg! BTW, he was using an 8-ft Lemax spinning rod (borrowed from Fong) and a Twinpower reel. He tied the leader to mainline using a kind of Albright knot. Bloody effective!
JB
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JB - my knot tying skills were so lousy that my Albright knot self destructed after a minute or so !
Now trying very hard to master the FG Knot.
For all those who want the easy way out - use any decent knot, but also a drop of CA ( super glue ). SSsshhhh ! … Don’t tell the experts, they frown on people like us. [:o)][:o)][:o)]
Whatt??!!! You use SUPERGLUE???!!![:0][:0][:(!]
Haiya, any self-respectig sifu would use 24-hr epoxy instead. Then he can laze about on the sandbank, enjoy the riverine scenery, and wait for dinner. Good excuse for not catching fish too.[:D]
But true-blue kelah hunters would only use the natural options like gutta percha resin, and the knot bound with fibres from the terap tree bark…[^]
BTW, why is your Albright knot not so bright? I believe it’s a much simpler knot than the FG.
I have one guiding principle: if you can’t tie a particular knot with your eyes closed (which means, in the dark), then that knot may be complicated enough for you to make mistakes!
Most of my favourite knots are easy to tie: Palomar, Double Uni, Cat’s Paw, Water Knot. I guess the only exception is the Bimini. As always, it takes practice.
Even after 26 years of active fishing, I still practice knot-tying in my fishing room, during those boring late nights when Liverpool’s trailing 2-0 to some lousy team…
That knot which Goliath showed me, was simple enough, and he doubled the braided mainline first. That way, the much thinner braid will not cut through the thicker mono leader. He has used it for giant Nile Perch and monster S.American catfish, so that’s a good enough testimonial!
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Improved albright/modified albright???
http://longkanggang.blogspot.com/
Be Happy Go Fisshing
for all my paypond trips or wildponds..i only stick with fluro and mono lines..usually fluro mainline with 20 to 30lb floro lines…
mono give me resistant on abrasion and stronger knot compare to fluro… so that will be my ultimate leader
as for knots…i only use 1 knot…palomar
its very true what junglebum say..if you can’t tie a knot with your eye close..that knot is too complicated for you
Tiger/Mike:
Actually, it’s a simplified Albright. Aiya, difficult to describe withut a drawing, but let’s see:
Double the end of the mono leader. The doubled braid then goes in between the mono ‘loop’, then whipped say 5 or six times around the whole loop. The braid then comes back in exactly the same number of whippings, and goes through the mono ‘loop’ again.
The key to this knot is proper tightening. You really need to pull slowly (to set the knot right), then pull really hard to tighten the whole thing. Goliath used pliers. Gloves or two pieces of cloth will do too.
k3lv (you’re not related to K9 or R2D2?):
There is one mono which is just as good as flouro, in the invisibility game: Daiwa Crystal Clear. Sadly, it is now rare. I use this line exclusively for kelah leaders.
It comes in quarter spools so, if you use it only for leaders, it’ll last forever! I bought the whole range, from 6-lb to 40-lb. The 20 and 30-lb are my favourites for kelah.
To test the invisibility, put a length of the line in a bottle of mineral water. Magic!
However, the line somehow is not as abrasion resistant in sizes of 6 - 15-lb. It’s still better than flouro, though, and less stiff too!
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Wah ! … you titillate us like crazy … then you say … " I bought the whole range, from 6-lb to 40-lb " !!!
The next time we see you, we are all going to follow you back to your house lah ! [:D][:D][:D]
Mike,
Actually, not THAT titillating lah. There are probably other lines which can serve the same purpose, only I have not done the mineral water test. (Hmm, this calls for another interesting experiment, what?!).
Another method to make your leader more ‘invisible’, especially in shallow water, is to get rid of the gloss on the surface of the mono. Easist way is to use clay. Rub some with your thumb/forefinger along the leader, it’ll take the gloss off, without hurting the line.
Fly fishermen use this product called “Mud” or Fuller’s Earth, for the same purpose. BTW, Fuller’s Earth used to be found in rubber estate clinics. No, not for fishermen, but for treating estate workers with penchant for drinking Paraquat!!! The clay absorbs the poison, hopefully saving the poor fellow, so that he can try to commit suicide again in the future…
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Thanks JB - actually one of these days, I am going to take a whole bunch into a pond and have a close look underwater.
I know that many of you have already done so - but it’s nice to try to behave like a fish once in a while [:p]
G’day…
I have wandering around looking for that ARLOW TERNOUT’s albright..
and feel the urge to revive the topic…
it is not easy imagining as what i’ve found out in my early days
of fishing…and not mastering the knot is a real pain…
and why not using technology…it is meant to be useful right???
ENJOYYYY…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qE67Hg2CBg [/youtube]