Does a leader defeat the purpose of braid

[X53Gunner]

I'm just curious on what your thoughts are on this. I was going to start using a high vis braid and then tie on a clear type floro leader as I see a lot do, but if I tie on a leader aren't I defeating and taking away from the properties of the braid ie no stretch ultra sensitivity?
Scott

[CT Fish 'n Hunt]

I don't fish braid much in freshwater but I do use it for drift or bottom fishing in saltwater .
The flouro/mono leader is short enough that it doesnt take away the sensitivity of braid , you only have a few feet of line that is subject to stretch .
Using pure flouro or mono , you have the effect of stretch all the way from your bait to your rod tip .

[Turtlebait]

I think it does,depends on what is short enough and a few feet means.
I don't use a leader,see no reason for it,save a lure use braid.

[skeetbum]

i don't fish braid much in freshwater but i do use it for drift or bottom fishing in saltwater .
The flouro/mono leader is short enough that it doesnt take away the sensitivity of braid , you only have a few feet of line that is subject to stretch .
Using pure flouro or mono , you have the effect of stretch all the way from your bait to your rod tip .

x2

[papadave]

Having several feet of mono on the end doesn't seem to effect the sensitivity of the braid enough to matter, and with a good splice it doesn't seem to effect the cast much either.
I prefer braid for almost any fishing, and using a mono or fluro leader makes sense for several reasons. Braid seems to me less resistant to abrasion than mono, if for no other reason than it's thickness. Braid is more visible which matters in some cases. Mono's cheaper, in fact cheap stiff mono makes good leaders, so I don't mind trimming away as it gets frayed. And probably most importantly for me, with eyesight and dexterity slowly going away, mono is a heck of a lot easier to tie, especially in wind.
(Not that it matters much with crappie, but when surf fishing I'd much rather take a wrap on #40 mono than #20 braid in order to drag a good fish to the beach.)


With some practice the braid to mono splice is nearly as strong as either line. I splice on leader at home where wind and poor lighting aren't a factor. About the only time I tie directly to braid is when I've lost the leader for some reason and I'm too lazy or in too big of a hurry to get back in the water to make another splice.

[GrumpyLoomis]

X53Gunner, I use the floro leader alot up here cause I f fish where young walleye/sauger are abundant and those teeth on young fish are murder on braid. If you fish like that or around alot of rock/shale I would recommend a leader. If your fishing brush, weeds and typical crappie habitat I don't think it helps a thing. But a leader will not hurt your fishing sensitivity in my opinion.

[deathb4disco]

Like the other guys said, there's not enough stretch in a couple of feet of mono to hurt the sensitivity.

[X53Gunner]

Thanks for the replies! Great information shared on this site and I'm learning something almost everyday!!!! Take care.
Scott