What thickness for Fluoro leader?

[mercman]

Thanks Mercman, I've definitely read that page already, and many like it. I'm now just at the "practice, practice, practice" phase in the backyard shooting at a snowbank

I just realized, your new reel is a level wind. I was thinking iw as the lowprofile caster with the thumb lever. Thats a sweet reel.I have an older 5000 series that belonged to my dad.Great reels, mad to take a beating.On mine, when you press the line release, the spool becomes free spinning, and when you crank, the spool locks.Is yours the same?

 

[NADO]

G'Day!

So I picked up my first baitcast reel, a (barely) used Ambassador C4 5601, yesterday and I'll be spooling it up with 50lb Suffix 832. Is there any hard/fast rule to determining the test strength of fluoro that I should use as a leader?

-John

I would say the hard fast rule would be that your leader should be lighter than your mainline, anywhere from 20-40lb would be good.

Its funny how the mention of heavy line will always change the subject lol, its almost as predictable as the background debate. Before I got to the part in the thread where you said you have many rods I was going to suggest going to a lighter line for more all aroundness. But since you said you have many rods I would say there could be other benefits for the 50lb for you other than easy learning. As Spinning reel said 50lb is what is used for Flipping and Pitching setups, I read about these setups all the time in bass fishing magazines. I personally dont have enough rods to have a setup like that but there are times when I could use it. I use the flipping and pitching technique with my all around 20lb braid rod on Puslinch Lake in the summer and I pitch my worms and crawfish right in the middle of lily pads and you would not believe how strong these lily pads are. I end up breaking off a few times on the lily pads every time I go out because the 20lb isnt strong enough for that application. If I had a bass boat I would definately have a Flipping setup with a baitcaster and 50lb braid.

One thing that should be stressed is make sure you have a heavy action rod with 50lb braid on, but by the sounds of it you know that already.

 

[ChaseChrome]

What thickness for Fluoro leader?


[font="tahoma]Rather personal question don't you think??[/font]
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[mercman]

[font="tahoma][size="4"]What thickness for Fluoro leader?[/size][/font]
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[font="tahoma][size="4"]Rather personal question don't you think??[/size][/font]
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Love your avatar dude !!!!

 

[ChaseChrome]

Love your avatar dude !!!!

That's my boy!!!

 

[Spinninreel]

I don't know how much heavier line will help with birds nests, so if you don't need the heavier line, I would go with a lighter. I find the real trick to preventing birds nest is to put your finger on the spool just before your lure hits the water.

 

[hightechdecks]

yes thumming is key also a fluid casting action and being sure to adjust spool control when changing baits

 

[Pinck]

I just realized, your new reel is a level wind. I was thinking iw as the lowprofile caster with the thumb lever. Thats a sweet reel.I have an older 5000 series that belonged to my dad.Great reels, mad to take a beating.On mine, when you press the line release, the spool becomes free spinning, and when you crank, the spool locks.Is yours the same?

Yep, works the same as that. I bet that most reel models change from year to year more than the ambassador line has changed in the last 50.

 

[Pinck]

I don't know how much heavier line will help with birds nests, so if you don't need the heavier line, I would go with a lighter. I find the real trick to preventing birds nest is to put your finger on the spool just before your lure hits the water.

Absolutely, number one is thumbing the reel which is what I'm practicing. Some of the lesser factors that heavier line will help with will be dig-in resistance (when you fight a fish hard, then your next cast backlashes) and ease of untangling a backlash. Or at least that's the consensus I've found through reading a metric crap tonne of baitcasting advice on the 'net.

 

[mercman]

Absolutely, number one is thumbing the reel which is what I'm practicing. Some of the lesser factors that heavier line will help with will be dig-in resistance (when you fight a fish hard, then your next cast backlashes) and ease of untangling a backlash. Or at least that's the consensus I've found through reading a metric crap tonne of baitcasting advice on the 'net.

Sift throught that ton of crap. They make it sound harder than it is. I have never experienced line dig with my caster this far. I use 20lb power pro for most of my fishing, except pike and musky.

 

[ChaseChrome]

Sift throught that ton of crap. They make it sound harder than it is. I have never experienced line dig with my caster this far. I use 20lb power pro for most of my fishing, except pike and musky.

darn--you guys are profound, the technical details of such angling is truly humbling. Never would a thought--well I will have to consider this a lesson and appreciate my mind having been expanded to proportions I never would have imagined.............

LOL
Keep well guys!!

 

[hightechdecks]

Is that a hint of trout snobbery chase?lol oh yeah pinck if you dont have one already get a line pick to help you with those nasty overruns.

 

[GBW]

I think that the UL rod is too light and you may want to consider a 7' Med action one. the 7' length helps with casting too.

 

[Pinck]

I think that the UL rod is too light and you may want to consider a 7' Med action one. the 7' length helps with casting too.

I have 3 rods:

7' UL rod with UL reel
7' Med Ugly Stick with Med reel
6'6" Med-Hvy rod with Baitcast reel

It's the last one that I'm talking about. I only brought up the UL because I had enough comments that were assuming that the baitcaster was my only rod, and therefore had to be a jack-of-all combo.

 

[GBW]

the the 6'6" MH should do just fine.

 

[mercman]

darn--you guys are profound, the technical details of such angling is truly humbling. Never would a thought--well I will have to consider this a lesson and appreciate my mind having been expanded to proportions I never would have imagined.............

LOL
Keep well guys!!

I love ya man !!!!!
I got a good smile outa that answer, and i actually was able to comprehend it

 

[ChaseChrome]

Is that a hint of trout snobbery chase?lol oh yeah pinck if you dont have one already get a line pick to help you with those nasty overruns.

 

[ChaseChrome]

I love ya man !!!!!
I got a good smile outa that answer, and i actually was able to comprehend it

This old dog can still learn a thing or two MM

 

[ChaseChrome]

Maybe I missed something in the thread but I'm not altogether sure whether anyone has mentioned fish mortality--sometimes Pink, it is best to err on the side of heavier leader so as to ensure the fight is a little shorter and the fish survives (particularly when water temps are up).

CC

 

[hightechdecks]

The reason i stopped fishing ski's was mortalility...water temp over 75 gets really hard on them. They arent tough like steelhead. Wrapping fish in wet towels bringing them on deck and cutting 3x trebs from their gills with a pair of sidebites......at times coming in from the back to get at the hook.