On 8/4/2023 at 11:39 AM, Pogues2300 said:

I love braid to leader but on this forum you will be told knots fail every other cast which isn’t true if you tie the knot correctly.

What knot do you use?

3 hours ago, jbrew73 said:

What knot do you use?

Fg 

After putting up with mono, I switched three of my reels to 30 lb. yellow braid with a 5-6 ft. , 12# fluoro  leader. Using a Shin knot, it goes through standard guides well and doesn’t break. However the knot doesn’t flow smoothly through micro guides. I’m thinking of changing one of my mono reels to fluoro. A couple of friends, better anglers than me, use all fluoro.  

I run braid to leader on my BFS stuff but for the most part I use straight braid. No issues with knots ( modified Alberto ) and it helps with small swimbaits.

All my bait caster stuff is straight reaction so dont really need it.

On a baitcaster?

There are things about it that I like a lot, but under most circumstances with most of the baitcasters I own:

• I don't like it enough to deal with an FG knot.
• I don't like it enough to deal with it's limited abrasion resistance in the structure and cover I fish in and around.
• I don't like it enough to be OK with the Alberto knots hanging up on a T-Wing or some guide trains.

The pros just don't outweigh the cons for me, but it might be the best thing ever for you.

 

I run a braid to leader for most of my setups. A big reason I like it also, that hasnt been mentioned here, is that you can keep a spool filled with braid for a couple seasons without changing it depending how much you fish especially if you have a fluoro leader on.

 

The only time I’m really cutting off braid from my main line is to re tie my leader every so often instead of every time I need to change lures. A couple feet of fluoro every so often isn’t gonna hurt as much as a whole spool’s worth. Saves some money instead of changing the entire spool once the mainline gets a little low, affecting your casting distance and gear ratio even more.

 

To each their own, I see more pros in having a 6ft fluoro leader where the knot doesn’t go into the spool. Less wasted line, more sensitivity, less visible in clearer water, and hey, you’ll get more practice tying FG knots. It’s the only connection knot I’ll run, especially with spinning gear too.

 

IMO a lot of people are hesitant with a leader just because of the connection knot. I used to be the same way but trust me, it’s not as bad as it looks. Especially with all the video tutorials online once you get good at tying it, you won’t go back (depending on the situation)!

Braid to flouro all day. As long as you get some decent 8 stand braid even 30.lb line won't give you braid dig for most applications. For rods with guides that don't like knots I'll usually just tie on a shorter leader and have it outside the guides while casting.