Jar11591

Leaders are usually used for one or more of the following reasons: 1. Invisibility. Fluorocarbon is less visible than braid so people will use leaders for line-shy fish. 2. Abrasion resistance. Braid frays quickly around hard cover, and fluorocarbon should offer the best resistance to the abrasion. 3. Toothy fish bite-offs. Esox can saw through braid like butter, but I have never been bitten off with a fluorocarbon leader >20lbs. 4. Shock absorption. A leader can give necessary shock absorption, and the longer the leader, the more shock it will absorb. 5. Preventing braid from wrapping around treble hooks. Braid is so limp that when casting a treble hook bait, the braid will often wrap around the hooks, preventing an actual retrieve. A leader of non-braid material will give a little stiffness to prevent the line wrapping. Do any of these apply to you and how you fish? Besides weedless frogs, I use a leaders on all braid applications, mostly for reasons 2-5. The invisibility factor isn’t why I use a fluorocarbon leader, but it can’t hurt. 40lb braid is a good all-around line choice for baitcasting gear. It’s up to you if you think you need a leader. If you can’t yet identify any reason why you may need a leader, I suggest fishing with straight braid first, and seeing what you think. If any of the above reasons become relevant when using straight braid, tie on a 20lb leader and see if that helps.

And I’m inclined to agree. I think I said that to myself a dozen times while I was out there. Doesn’t get more perfect.

3/4oz Spinnerbait is my number one search bait. My number one bait period. I’ll throw it into brush, thick milfoil or hydrilla, or right through lily pads. I use a 3/4oz because it’s a lot easier to keep down towards the bottom where I want it.

You, me, and @TnRiver46

@Swamp Girl thank you, and good luck tomorrow! Can’t go wrong following the advice from either of those 2 sticks. We all know how skilled they are. Hopefully you’ll be on the board for 2025 tomorrow!

I’m partial to the Rapala Rattlin’ Rap.

Launched at my favorite lake shortly after sunrise this morning. Lake was like glass, and it was an incredibly beautiful mountain morning, as cold as it was. Air temperatures at launch were about 30°, water temperatures were 47-49°, and the sun was shining. High 40s water and sunshine is a recipe for catching in my book. With a strong feeling they’d be munching today, I had to figure out where they’d be doing that munching. Would they be up shallow in the trees or on deep structure in their cold-water haunts. Well the first tree gave me my answer. Siebert Outdoors brush jig with a Netbait Paca Chunk did the damage today. Fish were all shallow and crashing that jig. A couple of my hooked fish had 1-2 followers trying to rob the jig, only to immediately grab it when I unhooked one fish and dropped it back down. Called it a day when the predicted 15mph winds turned into 20-30mph gusts. No spring hawg, biggest went 18” and change and was a few ounces short of 3lb on the scale. But I’ll pitch a jig into timber for 2-3lb fish all day long. With this lake I know it’s only a short matter of time before I run into the size class of fish I’m looking for.

That’s sad to hear. I remember Roger. RIP.

I wasn’t exactly sure what this thread was referring to, until just now when I tried to update my status. Then I’m like “oooh that’s what A-Jay was talking about, member status duh”. That’s too bad. I always liked reading the pre fishing-trip statuses of folks on here. Anyway, here’s my status update. I’m getting up to my favorite lake in the mountains tomorrow. Hopefully it’s not too early for the shallow-timber jig bite, but if it is, I have no problem running the 3/4oz spinnerbait by them out deep. Jerkbait and lipless should still be in play as well. I’ve already gotten my first bass of the year, now I’m looking for my first spring hawg.

Geez. This is so sad.

I usually use Rage Swimmers as trailers for swim baits and spinnerbaits.

You’ll be in my thoughts, MN. Wishing you the best.

The couple times I’ve eaten largemouth it’s been out of very weedy lakes, and the fish very much smelled and tasted like stinky seaweed. The one time I’ve eaten smallmouth it fried and tasted just like a bluegill or pumpkinseed.

And kind enough to share the pictures of those donkies with us admirers.

Football season has started I see.

My fishing knots have become so second-nature that I don’t even remember the names of them besides the clinch and palomar knots. Couldn’t tell you how or what knot I use for leaders. It’s all muscle memory, zero brain memory.

Way to go Blue. You’re one hell of a stick

Hope things get better for ya, Gim. And sorry your friends suck.

Awesome. Fishing does wonders for the mind. Prescribe yourself some more fishing time!

I’ve been having problems as well. Very slow, sometimes unresponsive. I just assume Glenn is aware and working on it like always.

I’m not sure. I don’t have any secret techniques or baits that the public hasn’t found yet. My most used techniques are all fairly standard. There are some minor tweaks I make to equipment choices that may buck the mainstream trend. What I have found though, is that a lot of conventional thinking or “rules” of bass fishing run counter to my on-the-water experience.

Black Lake, northern NY. Mid June. About 15 years ago. Found a mid-lake hump where 15’ FOW came up to about 4’. Stiff westward breeze and the smallmouth were eating the DT-6 every single cast. As fast as I could get that crankbait back in the water another smallie would crush it. Every hooked fish had 3-4 followers. The fishing held up for 2 evenings, until the wind shifted and that hump turned into a ghost town.

Im finally on the board for 2025, and a day after an inch or two of snow. April’s weird, man. It was cold, breezy, and overcast, and I was able to get out for about 2 hours. Surface temp was 45°-47°, air temps were 35°, and I was targeting 8-10' of water. After a couple sporadic short-strikes, one finally got stuck by the spinnerbait. Hucked the Bama rig and slow twitched a jerk bait but no takers. Pitching a jig into timber also proved ineffective, but the timber was too shallow for the 45° water so I wasn’t expecting much. No spring tanks, but man it feels good to have some bass slime on the boat and some skin off my thumb.

3/4oz Spinnerbait Weedless Frog 5” Senko Big popper Small Popper 3/8oz Brush Jig 1/2oz Brush Jig Rage Tail Structure Bug Netbait Paca Craw Zoom Baby Fluke

Geez. Glad everyone was safe at least.