Anybody here use a fluorocarbon leader attached to braid while casting crankbaits on wingdams for the abrasion? If so what brand and lb test? I’ve been using the Berkeley vanish in 10lb and still frays up pretty bad.
In the river I would use Maxima ultra green or Berkley XT or Big Game. Fishing cranks rapidly at wing dams is a reaction bite so line invisibility does not matter.
Mwal
Does anyone else every.single.time. read flourocarbon and hear al lindner in the back of your head? fLerrocarban….
I’m a big leader guy, I’ve said this before and ill say it again until the fat lady sings, flouro once it’s stretched out(snags) it doesn’t retain it’s same physical properties as a mono will. Knot strength diminishes and so does overall integrity, will start getting weird phantom breaks.
Mono leaders all day on the river for this guy. Sufix is a great stretchy mono that works well for this, I’ll use a modified Alberto to a 4′ leader and will break off 20 times to make that leader 4″ long and knots still hold like they should.
Just so you are aware. There is some differences between Fluro. designed for leader material and fluro designed as a mainline. I did not find this out till last year and since switching to a fluro. designed for leader use my breakoff, biteoff, fraying, and nicks has went way down. I’m not saying that Fluro designed for mainline will not work as a leader material – Just not as well. I do not fish wingdams on the river so no help there. I would think you could go up in lb test and have little effect on the action on a crankbait. I would fish 14-17 lb test at the least if I was doing what you are.
None of my leaders are more than 10# on the river, thumper what # test u run?
None of my leaders are more than 10# on the river, thumper what # test u run?
For most of my bass fishing ( Jigworm, neko, ect ) I normally fish 10-12 Lb. when fishing Jigs I’m going to step up to 17-20 after two breakoffs last outing while using 10-12. I think with Fluro leaders you can get away with higher test than normal without much negative effect.
Seaguar InvisX seemed to work pretty well in Canada for river applications in 10#.
I fish nothing but mono as a main line on my crankbait rod and most of my other rods as well.Not a big braid fan.I must be doing something wrong because i get some fraying but retie occasionally no issues.I can’t remember the last time i had a fish break off.
I pretty much only fish the river and alot of rocks.
Wouldn’t over think it too much. Seaguar fluoro on all my crank rods (as a leader). What’s more important is having a ball bearing swivel to avoid line twist. Used to run line-to-line knots, absolute nightmare with line twist
Zebra mussels will do a lot of cutting and fraying up the lines. I up to 20# or even 30# leaders for that situation. Less need to retie.
20# mono leader (Trilene XL) for cranks on wingdams for me.
-J.
My waters have very LITTLE Zebra Mussels anymore. They are nowhere in the VISABLE depths. Central Sewage for the whole river area has wiped them & others out.
It may have been crap to everyone. But it provided a very good food chain of life for our sport fish.
Add in EPA controlling new dock types & construction ??
We have lost so much weed areas. That had loads of schools of all types of new hatched out fish types. Deserts underwater. Do 1 better deed ? Destroy some other parts of life.
Oh well
I have never found a need for leaders once the plankton blooms get really good.
One of the main reasons for me running 20# mono is it help a lot to keep the hooks out of the main line on the cast. (14# to 20# main line braid) Pretty rare to have a fouled crank at the end of a long cast. Works especially well in situations like casting into the wind.
-J.
I use floro leaders on everything since I run braid on everything. I’m fishing really clear lakes usually though. For the Mississippi, I wouldn’t feel the need to use one, unless my crank kept fouling up like Jon said.
I make about a million casts with cranks on wing dams each year. Never run a leader. Braid is more abrasion resistant than fluorocarbon. I also run lighter braid…never seen the reason to run heavier. 6 or 8# suffix 832 has always been my choice. You are going to lose cranks on dams and it’s fricking impossible to break the heavier stuff off. At least I have a chance to break the lighter stuff.
I run leaders on live bait jigs and plastics because even in dirty water I’ve found walleyes to be line sensitive. Not so much when you are ripping cranks across a dam.
6 or 8# suffix 832 has always been my choice.
We’re probably saying the same thing here. 20# Suffix 832 is 6# diameter mono. 6# suffix is like 2# mono. 
-J.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Matt Moen wrote:</div>
6 or 8# suffix 832 has always been my choice.We’re probably saying the same thing here. 20# Suffix 832 is 6# diameter mono. 6# suffix is like 2# mono.
-J.
I run the light braid…the actual 6 or 8# 832 that has the small diameter.
My waters have very LITTLE Zebra Mussels anymore. They are nowhere in the VISABLE depths. Central Sewage for the whole river area has wiped them & others out.
It may have been crap to everyone. But it provided a very good food chain of life for our sport fish.
Add in EPA controlling new dock types & construction ??
We have lost so much weed areas. That had loads of schools of all types of new hatched out fish types. Deserts underwater. Do 1 better deed ? Destroy some other parts of life.Oh well
So you’re saying your river had sewage in it…and you were happy about that? Confused?
We had FANTASTIC fishing FOREVER. While riverside homes had septic & some sewage going into the St. Lawrence River It broke down with no odors ever. That fertilizer was the perfect amount for weeds at all depths.
Now with City sewage connected to all the homes. The fishing is almost gone. There are no more small bait fish in the shore edges. Very sterile.
Crystal clear water everywhere. Down to 60′. See anchor easily.
I run the light braid…the actual 6 or 8# 832 that has the small diameter.
You’re casting cranks on 2# diameter thread? That’s crazy!
-J.
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