Leader confusion - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

StarsnStripers · 11-07-2002, 04:51 PM

I always wonder,
Mono/Flouro leaders are not easy to see, but don't little knicks that weaken them from the bluefishes teeth break the leader after another big fish??

So you use steel leaders and your fine with the blues.
But the stripers can see the steel leaders and may avoid the bait!!!
IS THERE ANYTHING in between that is less visible but strong enough to prevent weakening from a blues sharp teeth??

Fishpart · 11-08-2002, 06:56 AM

Check and change them if they are nicked...............

MountainBreeze · 11-08-2002, 07:23 AM

It really depends on the abuse they, and the line, are taking but I usually change my mono leader (30#) every third time I cut new line (15#).

And... to save time, I tie a bunch of leaders, with swivel on one end and snap on the other, the night before I go out. That way I just have to tie the line ot the swivel and I'm done.

Good luck,
Rob

Jenn · 11-08-2002, 09:32 PM

Quote:

IS THERE ANYTHING in between that is less visible but strong enough to prevent weakening from a blues sharp teeth??

unfortunately its not a perfect world!!!! I use 30# mono...and change it often (YEAH RIGHT!!! fish on...reel in.....get that bugger back out there!) but seriously I do TRY to change them after a few blues...

Bernzy · 11-08-2002, 10:09 PM

I never use steel leaders even when bluefish are around, I just switch to heavier mono ( fluorocarbon ) up to 50lb test.

Bernzy

Lace · 11-09-2002, 06:56 AM

I have found that 99% of the time I use 25-30 lb Fluro, about 2-3' on a small barrell swivel, attached with a Palomar knot to 10-12 lb Spiderline/Fireline/Power Pro. If BIG blues are around, I will swith to very thin 5" 18lb test leaders with small snap swivels that the bass have no problem with. I get these at Sports Authority. I change them after about 15 fish as the wire gets kinked, and the bass definetly become leader shy then. During the day, I almost always use Fluor. I use Light Tackle exclusively, and fish primarily from shore or near shore in a boat.

JohnR · 11-09-2002, 07:09 AM

Lace - welcome to S-B...

I generally use heavier gear but I've lost very little tackle when using heavy mono with blues. 50 # test. Now I still occasionally lose something but it's fairly comparable to using steel.

Are bass leader shy? Probably but I don't plan to find out

capndave · 11-10-2002, 07:43 AM

" Are Bass leader shy?"

Perhaps...under certain conditions.

But since they eagerly commit suicide three or four at a time jumping on Umbrella rigs, that are essentially coat hangers, 100# test mono and plastic tubes in garish colors found nowhere in the ocean....

It makes me wonder....

Dave

Miles Offshore · 11-10-2002, 09:11 AM

I realize we use different techniques down south, but they are not leader shy down here. I do like Capn Dave and use clear Ande 100/125 lb test leaders. I save my florocarbin for leader shy fish such as big red drum etc on fishfinder rigs. I never have problems with loosing rigs to big bluefish either. I just check them occasionly for nicks. Craig- where the big bass are now showing up.

StarsnStripers · 11-10-2002, 09:43 AM

\Will 50# flourocarbon do?

JohnR · 11-10-2002, 10:36 AM

50# Flouro is fine and probably overkill inshore to smaller fish...

I agree about the Umbrella rigs but while not often, the are more likely to be used in murkier and deeper water from 20' to 50' or 60'.

The shore angler working 3'-12' can sometimes face brighter water, not neccesairly cleaner... Wonder what the submerged one would think about that...

Hey Miles...

schoolie monster · 11-11-2002, 11:49 AM

If you believe that fluorocarbon leaders are more invisible than mono, then you can go with heavier fluoro.

If the fish were mixed with blues and bass, I used 40lb. fluoro and generally had no problems with blues from 3 to 11lbs. I did have to re-tie if a fish got alot of teeth on it. Generally, the bass didn't seem to mind it.

Before the blues arrived, I used 20lb fluoro most of the time.

If the fish were primarily blues, I used titanium leader material. This stuff is fairly flexible and you can tie knots with it to limit your hardware (i.e. no swivel, no snap).

The extent to which a fish is leader-shy varies. During blitz conditions this fall, when the fish were mixed, I caught bass on the titanium. If they are aggressive and competitive, they'll hit it. On the other end of the spectrum, I had to drop down to 12lb. fluoro on the clear water flats in Nantucket. I'm also convinced it helped to drop down at times this summer when the fish were spooky due to high fishing pressure.

ragfly · 11-12-2002, 07:23 AM

Here's one for you. This summer when the blues blitz was on I actually had a time when the blues were steel leader shy on my fly rod. Go figure, the fish were breaking all around the boat, I would cast into the middle and nothing? So I finally took the steel leader off and put on 30# Fluoro (biggest I had). and as soon as I stripped the fly once...FISH ON. The weird thing about it is when we used plugs the fish didn't care anything about the steel leader...

JohnR · 11-12-2002, 09:27 AM

Hey Ragfly - how ya doing?

Maybe it was the swim/wobble of the plug that made up for the fact it was on a steel leader? Where they noisemakers?