Guys, this question may have been beat to death, so I want to beat it some more.  I was a avid musky fisherman.

A long move took me away from the waters of Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Anyway, fishing musky I would use #85 or #100 braid with a #100 fluorocarbon leader.  I have seen where some guys are using #40 or #50 braid and a #12 fluoro leader.  Why are you using leaders

for smallmouth with braid?  I used it because musky would bite off braid but I have never had one bite off #100 fluoro.  Anyway, doesn't using a #12 leader take away from the benefits of the strength of braid?  #12 fluoro will break before #50 braid.  Thanks!!

I have a spinning reel with 15 lb braid and 10 fluoro line. Here are my reasons for this setup:

 

1) The flouro is practically invisible as the leader. 

2) The braid is very small in diameter which allows a lot of line to go on the reel.

3) The long length of line is a bonus because it will cast a mile which is great when working certain lures such as a topwater popper.

4) I find that the braid and fluoro combo is very sensitive to strikes and I think I can feel structure better than with heavier line.

5) The lighter setup makes the 'fight' of the fish more rewarding. 

 

There are drawbacks to such a setup but I think the advantages outweigh them and this is one of my favorite setups. 

Heavy braid on bass gear has more to do with the diameter of the line rather than the breaking strenght. 20lb braid would be more than sufficient for most bass fishing, but it's so thin it digs in on itself easier. If I had to take a guess ( I don't use leaders very often) people try to match the diameter of the leader to the main line.

I use 30lb braid for stripers but 65lb braid for LMB, go figure.

Anyway, doesn't using a #12 leader take away from the benefits of the strength of braid?  #12 fluoro will break before #50 braid.  Thanks!!

well, yes. But this way you will not loose all your tackle, and this really helps to deal with hangups. And IMHO the shorter the line the harder to brake it. So 5 inch 12lbs leader is harder to brake than 40 inch 12 lbs leader. It is juts my opinion. Others may disagree.