Okay, I see a lot of you guys talk about leaders on here...stupid question alert, what do you use the leaders for? I use leaders when trout fishing with a Carolina rig where you cast out and forget about it until a fish bites but I've never used a leader for bass fishing where you're constantly casting out and reeling in and casting out again...what are the benefits?

I'll use a leader on my MH rod with 65 lb braid (usually use 10lb fluorocarbon for the leader) if I'm fishing in clear water or not heavy cover. Same for drop shot with the spinning rig that has 15 lb braid.

What kind of line are you using?

 

The discussions here usually regard use of mono/flouro/copoly leader attached to braid main line....for variety of reasons.  If you're not using braid, there may be no reason for any leader at all....if you're mostly fishing for bass.

I usually use no leader when fishing a reaction-strike bait only because I'm lazy and don't think the fish will notice the line when their instinct tells them to attack a prey.  Some people will use a fluoro leader because braid floats, fluoro sinks, and their crankbait/swimbait/reaction bait will sink faster/run deeper when using a fluoro leader.

 

When I'm using a slower/finesse technique I'll use a fluoro leader because it's basically invisible in the water, gets the bait down faster, and there's no bright line to spook the fish.  Also if you get a snag you're more likely to lose just the leader and not a big chunk of your pricey braid.

I don't have big abrasion problems; I don't worry much about how the fish react to seeing my line; I rarely consider very long about the bouyancy of my line.  I use leaders on some of my outfits for one primary reason: the braid I've spooled on a reel will last me for years since I'm just replacing leader material and not chopping off a piece of braid every re-tie.

  Also if you get a snag you're more likely to lose just the leader and not a big chunk of your pricey braid.

 

 

 I use leaders on some of my outfits for one primary reason: the braid I've spooled on a reel will last me for years since I'm just replacing leader material and not chopping off a piece of braid every re-tie.

 

^^this is the only reason i use a leader

I use a leader of varying lengths,size, and type depending on the situation. Pluses for me are...

Abrasion resistance

Break offs due to snags

Slack line sensitivity

Shock resistance

Lure action

Abrasion resistance

If your waters have toothy critters braid stinks. Or things like chunk rock or zebra mussels.

Break offs due to snags

You only lose the leader and what's tied on.

Slack line sensitivity

Fluoro has better slack line sensitivity vs braid.

It's a plus when fishing weightless plastics.

Shock resistance

The line will stretch a bit on your hook set. Helps when fishing treble hook baits.

Lure action

For me things like jerkbaits and poppers work better with a mono leader. I get too many fouled hooks for my liking with straight braid.