I am aware that using leaders with braid is controversial but I am experimenting with using flourocarbon leaders with my braided line. I started using the Gary Yamamoto suggestion for spinning gear to use leaders long enough to have a few turns of leader on the reel when you have the fish at boatside being landed. That works out to something like 20 feet for my situation. This seems to work very well for me using spinning equipment.

Now I want to try leaders with baitcasting gear. My question is how long a leader to use. I don't see how something short enough to be completely beyond the rod tip would accomplish anything (12-18"). A leader in the 2 to 4 foot range would put the knot back in the guides. I'm wondering about using the spinning approach and going with a 20 foot leader so that the knot will start on the reel during the cast. Has anyone tried this? What length leader do you recommend? Thanks.

I don't use braid anymore on my spinning setups, but I do on all 4 of my baitcasters. My crankbait and wt'd plastic setups use 30 lb Power Pro with a 12 inch leader. The leader has only purpose, and that's to keep the braid from being cut while being bounced and or dragged on a rocky bottom.  I use to get cut off from time to time a few inches before the lure. The 12 inch leader has solved that problem.

I've tried leaders as long a 6 ft and just don't like the feeling of the knot going through the tip guide.

I use a black permanent marker on the last 4 or 5 feet on all my braid, so it's just about invisible in the water.

What lb test leader are you using with the 30 lb braid?  Which knots work best for you?

I like 15 lb BPS Fluorocarbon with a Uni to Uni knot and a drop of super glue on the knot. Never has failed me yet.

                                                    SeniorBasser

On my baitcast outfits I've been using 20 or 30 lb. stealth with 3-4 ft of a 12, 15, or 20 lb Trilene Flouro leader (depending on water clarity) attached by a uni-uni knot.  I've had absolutely no problems with this set up.  

I got out last weekend and tried my new combo, here's what I had:

BPS Bionix extreme reel, IMX MBR785, with 20lb Stealth braid, and about 15ft of Seagar carbon pro floro leader tied with a double uni knot.

I found the knot had little effect on longer casts, but it did have some effect on shorter pitching type casts. When I get the actual reel that is going to be paired with that rod, I will be going with a good mono, or Yo-zuri hybrid. I still like the braid/floro leader set up on my plastics rod and vertical jigging rod (spinning).

I have one baitcaster setup with 30lb powerpro and 10 seaguar invizx. I use a uni to uni to connect the two and run the leader long enough to just keep the knot from going into the reel. Running the knot into the reel causes lots of problems with the knot hitting the level wind guide....I hardly feel it going through the guides on the rod however. Its been fairly reliable but I did have one knot fail on me when I hooked a fairly good sized channel cat....knot was kinda old though so I wrote it off as being my fault.

I use 50# spider wire stealth with a Yozuri Hybrid leader. either 25# or 30#. leader lenth is around 2-3 feet with a uni knot

Lots of good information.  Thanks for the input.