I would like to, but can't bring myself to use a leader diameter less than .011". I go slightly larger occasionally but not smaller. This is pretty much true of every technique I'm fishing. Am I needlessly skittish? (The lake I fish most often supports state record smallmouth and state record musky, as well as, outsized pike, drum and catfish.)

oe

My number is measured in pounds test and it is lower than your floor, but I have developed one in recent years, 8# in both mono and fluoro. I consider it a me issue, but not a consequential one. I don’t really have a ceiling on it.

My fear of thinner line is strictly driven by fear of breaking off a PB.

I use both FC & mono leaders, all on spinning gear.

Casting gear is straight FC, no leader.

There's some sporty Brown Bass in Lake Mendrchuck as well.

I will not use a FC leader regardless of brand that is less than 8 lb test.

I will use mono down to 8 lb but only in the cooler months (early & late season when the waters cool and the fish are a bit sluggish).

In the warmer months 8 lb FC/mono leaders become 10 lb, and 10 lb becomes 12 lb.

The very few times I might want to say Drop Shot with less than 8 lb FC, I use 6 lb Maxima Ultra Green,

which in all honesty, probably has a diameter closer to 10 lb FC.

But it makes me fell better.

btw- I hate DS.

Good Luck.

A-Jay

@OkobojiEagle I'm just a little under your threshold, .26mm or .0102 10lb sniper/shooter, but have been throwing 12lb or .0112 shooter/tatsu the last 8 weeks and have noticed no decline in bites but an important advantage in abrasion resistance. I might have just fully committed to the upsize for future purchases.

scott

Edit: and the reality is, my fishing will be hard pressed to find a bass over 7lbs.

I'm the same. I've landed a few nice fish on leaders that size, but smaller makes me nervous. Teeth, rocks, and now zebra muscles, have me running fluorocarbon on almost everything. I still get bit off maybe once a year. Never on a Rogue or Husky Jerk, always on something expensive 😆.

Nothing smaller than 10lb invizx for me, but at this point my idea of finesse fishing is dragging a 1/2oz jig so I rarely go below 15lb.

It all depends on what the leader is.

I started using Blue label when 100yards of #50 was around $20. Its small dia made a big difference fluke fishing, because I could use a lighter bucktail or jighead and still keep it just above the bottom on a drift. The 30% or better, reduction in dia you get when going to Blue Label from Ande or Hi Catch, makes a big difference if there's a significant amount of sweep in the wash.

I used Blue Label exclusively until about 2019. That year I was doing an awful lot DSing from a small layout boat. I couldn't carry a ton of rods, so there wasn't a designated DS rod. DS rigs eat up a lot of line and even more when you have removed and tie them back on later. I decided to try using a mainline FC for DS rigs, so I wouldn't blow through spools of expensive leader material so fast.

The shallow lakes and ponds close to me are packed with pickerel. Despite catching hundreds of pickerel per year, while using #8 or #10 Blue Label, I could count the amount of bite offs on one hand. Once I started using #10 InvizX for leader, the difference was immense. I had days where I had more bite offs with InvizX, than I had in a year using Blue Label. Sure, per yard, Blue Label or any other leader material is far more expensive than a mainline FC. However, when you lose an X70 or 110 Jr and a several good jigheads, the extra $ for the high quality FC leader is more than worth the price. I knew that InvizX was softer from the start, which is why I went to #10 right from the start. I tried to see if #12 would fare better, but it didn't make much of a difference.

I can understand being hesitant to use mainline FC that's < .011. .011 is a fairly heavy leader material, .011 is #15 Grand Max and #12 in Blue Label. I use #8 (.008) in fairly open water or water with minimal hard cover. I'll go to #10 (.009) if I'm a little concerned about abrasion. In the winter I fish #6 often. There isnt as much grass in the water and the fish don't really have the energy to fight very hard.

I can only suggest trying out some #10 or #8 leader material for yourself, and go from there.

I never go above an 8# leader which is 0.0093 diameter " Sunline Sniper " on spinning tackle.

There's a couple of reasons.

One being that the 8# leader matches up well with 15# braid and the leader knot is small which passes through the guides nicely with an Alberto knot.

Reason #2 which may not apply to many is I throw the Jackall Flickshake quite often and anything above an 8# leader, the 4.8 worm loses it's wobble on the fall, I've found.

Jigs and large plastics on casting gear, been getting along well with 15# invizX.

I use 15 lbs flouro leaders generally on bait casters. If I plan on flipping and pitching into heavy pads I will upsize the leader on one of my bait casters a bit. I’ve kinda settled on 30 lbs braid main line for the bait casters that I have braid on.

I run 20 lbs braid on all of my spinning rods. For the most part I use 10 lbs flouro for my leaders. If I’m fishing a gin clear Northern Michigan lake ( visibility 20ft plus) I’ll down size to 8 lbs flouro with a leader length of 10-12 feet. I can and will run 8 lbs on normal visibility lakes. If I’m trying to get a jerk bait deeper.

Generally, I run longer leaders than most people do. Usually, about 1 of my wings spans I’m (6ft 4). That way if I break off on a snag I don’t have to re-tie my leader ( most of the time ). On the big rivers it’s not a question of if but, when I get hung up flipping and pitching to objects.