Northwest Fishing Reports

Just wanting to get other opinions on this, I use 50# spiderwire braid but when I downsize the lure, if I'm using a wire leader, it will sometimes kill the action of the lure. Anybody just use a braided superline without a leader?

tmusky1: Welcome aboard! Are you East or West side? Knowing this will help us give very specific information. I'm on the East side, out of Spokane.
I tried the leaderless super line fishing for about 2 days. Then I got bit off by a small muskie in a figure 8 and that was the end of that business.

I had read about improving the action on soft plastic lures by fishing leaderless with superbraids, so I though I would try it out too. Since then I have learned to match my rod action, line size and leader size to get the best action out of smaller baits.
Typically I'm using 35lb. terminator leaders with 15 - 17 lb. florocarbon line with a 7ft. med/hvy rod, something rated at 3/8 - 1 oz. Like the Shimano Compre I use for it's qiuck tip action. This is what I consider to be light musky tackle, you will find a wide range of opinions on this.

Along with the smaller leaders I love florocarbon leaders in 50lb. test for really clear water. All the leaders I use are at least 12" in length. I prefer the terminator leaders because they have the Stringease Stay-loc snap on them. I have found the wide bend in the snap allows for great lure action on swimming baits. The Cross-Lock snaps are fine, but they aren't as wide in the bend.

Anyways, that's my 2 cents worth.

Good advise Muskie guy,
I thought fluroucarbon leaders too! Great minds.....well you know. See ya

Thanks for the input, I'm on the west side. (Just updated my profile) I fish for muskies almost exclusively in Mayfield although I hit Fazon hard after they stocked it. (no luck) I'd also like to try Tapps this year.

Absolutely correct on the Sta-loc snaps. Love em. No real complaints about the Cross-locs either. Another item that robs action on small cranks is to heavy of a leader. An 80# flourocarbon or 50# wire leader will definitely improve the action of most small lures. I put a #5 or 7 Bucher split ring on most of my lures. This will really help the action plus it makes it a lot easier to change lures.
Always use some kind of leader.
I've been using 125# single strand wire on jerks and gliders, 125# flourocarbon on my crankbait rods and a 75# wire leader on my spinnerbait and bucktail rods. Remember that most of the time you're going to get a reflex strike and the leader's visibility will not come into play.
Good luck and welcome aboard.

Wouldn't flourocarbon leaders be more prone to failure due to teeth and gill plates ? Also, what's the difference between mono and flourocarbon? Why would you switch between single strand, flourocarbon, and multi strand ?

When the water's stained or the weather's dark, cloudy, windy or rainy, I don't think the leader makes any difference. When it's sunny and the water's clear I think a flourocarbon leader might make a difference in some cases. 7 strand wire leaders are great all-around leaders and will work for almost everything. Some or most jerks and gliders need a single strand leader mainly for it's stiffness so it doesn't flex while working the lure and end up fouled in the hooks thus wasting a cast and just maybe putting a good fish on hold because of a bad presentation. I could be full of horse dung on that last statement but I think the good ones have seen a few casts and maybe have been released before and might be hesitant to strike under less than ideal conditions.
Either way, always use a leader.
PS Flourocarbon does not tear like mono will if it gets nicked.

Stiff wire leaders were standard until flourocarbon came along. As Mark says, a stranded wire leader is flexible and can get tangled in the hooks or impair the action of jerkbaits and gliders. The trend now in stiff wire leaders is from steel to titanium. In recent years, "hard" mono and flourocarbon have become popular. They're about equal to stranded wire in stiffness. Flourocarbon costs considerably more than other leaders but is less visible to fish in clear water. I usually pair a 60# flourocarbon leader with 30# mono line, or an 80# flourocarbon leader with 80# superline. I don't see a need for heavier lines or leaders for the 30-pounders my boat partners and I are battling down at Merwin, even though that lake is full of logs. The theory behind using heavier leaders (say 120#) is they give you a margin of error for nicks and other damage, as the leader and the last 2 or 3 feet of line take the most abuse. But this isn't an issue if you regularly inspect your line and leader for damage, periodically cut off about 3 feet of line and retie your knots, and discard questionable leaders. As for using Spiderwire without a leader, musky teeth are excellent superline scissors.