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Seaguar Report

Bass Pros Share Fluorocarbon Leader TipsBass Pros Share Fluorocarbon Leader Tips

Many anglers struggle with how to get optimal use of fluorocarbon leaders - when to use leaders, length choices, the best knots to use to attach them to main line and which presentations benefit most from their use.

Here are some tips from the Seaguar staff:

When asked about the typical fluorocarbon length he uses bass pro Brandon Palaniuk responded, "My fluorocarbon leader is between 10- and 12-feet long. I don't have an exact measurement for it, but rather make sure that my knot is in my reel and then I make two more revelations with the reel and cut the leader next to the reel after it travels through the guides and back down the rod."

Palaniuk keeps the fluorocarbon length the same for each technique. He says the length of the rod may vary slightly or he will go longer for extremely clear water like lakes or reservoirs with greater than 20 feet of visibility. In terms of the type and test of his preferred fluorocarbon, Palaniuk prefers 6-10 lb. Seaguar Tatsu for his leader material. He says the deciding factor for which pound test will be the type or amount of cover he's fishing around.

Greg Vinson prefers 6- to 20-foot leaders depending on water clarity, depth and technique.

"For weightless rigs like twitching Netbait T-Macs, flukes or wacky rigs, I like to use a 6- to 10-foot Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon leader," he explains. "That helps get the most sensitivity, but more importantly, helps to get a solid hookset, which can be a challenge with weightless rigs, especially when the hook is Tex-posed, like a fluke. But I will also use a shorter leader with heavier fluorocarbon like 10 to 15 pound test. And in deeper, clear water I prefer a longer 20-foot leader for drop shotting, vertical rigs (Damiki), and especially when casting a finesse swimbait to suspended fish. Sometimes I feel that the leader-main line connection passing through a group of suspended fish can be a turn off if it's too close to the bait, especially in clear water and heavily pressured waters. That's when a 20-foot leader really excels. Although the leader is long, the braid on the spool lessens the amount of overall stretch and absorbs the line twist after hours of dropping or casting."

John Garret says his preferred go-to leader length when fishing the stained waters in the southern states is usually about six feet of Seaguar Tatsu 8-pound fluorocarbon. He says that keeps the leader knot out of the guides when you cast and in most water conditions it's enough that fish do not see your braid.

"This length also allows for the maximum hook driving power which is a big key when throwing a spinning rod and fishing shaky heads, weightless worms, small lures with treble hooks, and casting drop shot rigs," he explains.

However, if he's fishing clear northern waters or dropping directly down on fish Garret will up his fluorocarbon leader length to 15 feet depending on how deep and clear he's fishing. "That still gives you plenty of fluorocarbon leader that the fish don't see your braided line. And the majority of the time you're fishing deep clear water you're using a smaller size wire hook, so you do don't need as much hook driving power. You have a little more give from the leader length."

Bass pro Matt Lee's typical fluorocarbon leader length is about 10 feet with 8-pound Tatsu. He says that length typically keeps the Albright Knot out of the spool to prevent the knot from catching a rod guide when casting. However, he sometimes ups the length of the Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon he uses in lakes with greater visibility, going as long as 20 feet with 8 pound and switching to an FG knot to connect to his main line braid. "There are some situations when I might go up to 10 pound Tatsu, but I don't ever need to go heavier than that."