What size Leader do you use?

[Stevo]

What LB leader do you guys use when fishing pylons, pontoons and the like? If i can get away with it i use 6lb Penn 10X but when the bream are finicky i have to go to 4lb and it gets hairy!

Normally use about a 7 foot of leader too, alot of ppl seem to use a metre only but i feel the bream shy away from the yellow fireline attached.

So what are you guys using?
Stevo

[Ryan]

I am using about 1.5 to 2m of 6lb Vanish (the small spool stuff). I have had no problems with knot strenght and have found that it is very resistant to abrasion. This is especially important when working jetties/pontoons.

It might sound obvious to some but when fishing around pontoons and a fist takes you back under, drop the rod tip into the water to stop the line rubbing against the pontoon.

Cheers,

Ryan

[Richo]

Good question,

Obviously depends where I am fishing, but Ive been using 8pd Penn Powerline, from BreamMaster recently, and also have 600m of the same stuff in 10pd as well. I find the 8 is plenty for all my fishing needs and very rarely go higher or lower. I start with a minimum of 2m for leader and change when it gets down to a metre or so, but Ive landed fish when down to the last 30cm of leader as well. Ive only ever fished lighter than 8pd once (never really considered it).

Do you find by fishing lighter leader you can turn some spooky fish???..

Cheers

Richo

[chris_lemess]

10lb Toray Fluorocarbon

[mangajack]

G'day folks
I find that leader size is determines by the location of your targets.
If I'm fishing in the mangroves with only 5mtr casts max and turbid coloured waters, I don't use a leader but run the fireline direct to the snap swivel.
If I'm fishing clear waters in fairly snaggy territory i will use an 8lb leader about a metre long.
If I'm fishing the sand flats in clear waters i will use down to a 2lb leader as long as 10 feet long. Usually i run a 4lb leader tho in those circumstances.
However, I would love the money back i paid for the lures that have been taken from me by mangorve jacks and cods while fishing the lighter leaders. I could nearly retire on that amount!!! hehehe

Tony.

If you want to catch those big record breaking WA bream you will need to fish something around 50 to 60 lb leaders.


ahhahaha nah seriously I fish 3 to 4 metre 10lb Flourocarbon around structure or I go to 6lb if I'm fishing where its abit more open.

If I really know the fish aren't on the bite and there are very little snags I'll fish 4lb, yep two kilo. Kurt landed a 1.9 kilo bream this year, even pulled it out of a jetty on 2 kilo, I know casue I was there!

[Dave W]

On Sunday I was using 7lb Siglon Florocarbon. I like the Siglon, knots well and not as thick for breaking strain as some other popular flourocarbons

I'll go down to 4lb and up to 12 or more depending on:

Where I'm fishing
How clear the water is and,
How fussy the fish are.

I'd prefer to fish lighter all the time (the plastics seem to move more naturally) but have you ever tried to pull Bream out of oyster racks with anything under 10lb leader You may as well just throw the Jigs and tails into the water to save time

Cheers,

Pontoon work 4-6lb
Wharfs other structure 6-10lb
Rocky drop offs natural structure 4-8lb
Rack work 20lb and I've still been blown away.

[Matt]

Assuming the fish aren't in finicky mode I tend to use 8lb Vanish around snaggy country (Oyster Leases, Wharves, Marina's etc). On sandflats and more open territory I tend to use 6lb, running the risk of Flathead Bite-Offs.

If Bream are finicky I downgrade to 4lb (and on occasion 2lb, but think this is just plain silly ).

Cheers
Matt

[Pukka]

Much agree with what's already been said, however I would like to add, it gets a bit confusing when people refer to breaking strains, when talking leaders because different brands of line, of the same breaking strain, can vary so much in thickness.

For example:
6 Pound Siglon tournament mono is 0.165mm in diam.
6 Pound Berkley Vanish (the larger spool) is 0.23mm in diam.

It may not sound a lot, but that's quite a difference.

I'm not making a judgement on anyone's choice of line, just pointing out that width can be more important than the breaking strain, especially when talking leaders.

Ryan >>> All that's different about the Berkley Vanish line on the smaller spools is that it's thicker for it's breaking strain than the stuff on the larger spools. Look for the equivalent diameter Vanish in the larger spools, and you'll be buying 300m of line a lot, lot cheaper than you would the 50m spools.
You can even wind it onto an empty small spool if you want


Pukka

[Ryan]

Pukka,

Is there any difference between the two other than thickness? I have heard that the line on the small spool is a lot tougher than that on the large spool of equivilent breaking strain (probably due to increased thickness)? Where I fish, fishing 6lb leader is important so as not to spook the shy fish, but so is its resistance to abrasion.

Cheers,

Ryan

[Pukka]

Originally posted by Ryan
Pukka,

Is there any difference between the two other than thickness? I have heard that the line on the small spool is a lot tougher than that on the large spool of equivilent breaking strain (probably due to increased thickness)? Where I fish, fishing 6lb leader is important so as not to spook the shy fish, but so is its resistance to abrasion.

Cheers,

Ryan

Hi Ryan,
I've used both types of Vanish and the leader type line is definately more abrasion resistant, but I suspect this is only down to it's increased thickness. Berkley may or may not add some sort of coating on their leader lines, but to my eye, the material looks identical to the same diameter line on the larger spools. I think from memory, the 6 pound leader line you're using is the equivalent to around 8-10 pound breaking strain of the line on the larger spools.
You're right, achieving the correct balance between breaking strain and diameter is important, all I'm saying is I think diameter is a much better direction from which to approach the problem.

Pukk'

[geoff_abrams]

i use seven pound platil and havnt had a bust off......yet !

[Richo]

I used 6 pound all weekend for the first time and had no dramas, although I was rather naughty letting it get down to 20cm when I nailed my 41cm fish, i`ll be changing at a metre next time. I was just being lazy. Next i`ll be trying 4pd and see how that goes....

Cheers

Richo

[Ravin]

I use either 4 pound (.16) Platypus Platinum when I'm flats fishing which is 70 percent of the time & around snags etc I use 10 pound Vanish. Both go OK but up here like Mangajack said the Jacks like lures & softies too & a 50 pound leader wont stop them doing you. The big flatties around here are no problem on light leader if you just keep their heads under water they don't thrash about. Got a 90cm model yesterday & have the sliced up releasing thumb to prove it 4 pound Leader was fine though