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your reasoning for your leader length and material?

M

Marcus Ruoff

Active Member
My apologies as there have been countless debates about leader lengths and materials here. I read them but I am still unsure about the huge variety in leader length and materials people use.

Eg. some are using carp-style shorter leaders (as I do) with braid or mono up to about 12in.
Whereas others are using 20in or up to 5 feet.
The reasoning behind that being to present your bait in the line of the feeder groundbait or to prevent weed covering your hookbait if I remember correctly.

My reasoning for short leaders but to about 12in. is that there are chub, carp and barbel present and I am a believer in not giving the fish too much room to give a proper bite indication aka move the line (see e.g. Matrix excellent underwater videos on YT).
Also I think 12in might be good (might as I havent seen it) to present the bait effectively in the line of the groundbait.

So whats your reasoning for using x-length of leader and under which circumstances? Do you change leader lenght often and depending on the fish you target. Or do you always use the same length and material?

Thank you and have some good autumnal fishing :)!
 
Do you mean the hooklength ?

As I understand it a leader is a length of heavier line between sinker and main line, usually in freshwater about 6 ft but could be much longer, to absorb any last sudden lunges when a fish approaches the net, and also act to resist abrasion on the riverbed .

I should add that I am no Carp angler and their ”leaders” could have a different meaning .

I myself just fish 12 or 15 lbs main line and a lighter hooklength of about 12 to 18 inches, probably 12 or 10 lbs bs. I have never seen the need for anything longer on the waters where I target Barbel. I never ever ever use Braid in freshwater or see the need to.

In sea angling a leader is a length of heavier line between Sinker and main line, usually about 1-1/2 times or more the length of the rod gauged on size of sinker, e.g 6 oz sinker, 60 lb bs leader . Ten pounds BS for every ounce of the sinker weight.
The leader in that case is to absorb the power of the cast which in most cases is well over 130 yards, and up to 175 yds when an accomplished angler /caster is concerned. The leader is there toavoid crack offs where the normal BS of the line, probably around 15 lbs or so on a clean beach would make a crack off much more likley .

Just my take on things. I like to keep things simple, works for me.

David
 
Think the question refers to the length of line from lead/feeder to hook.

That could actually be longer than the hook length itself as there are options to use a shorter hook length, but adjust/extend the distance from lead to hook (e.g. Enterprise adjuster beads, or even just a short hook length attached loop to loop to a length of line below the lead).

For me, I like to use a combi hook length. When I fished the Severn, before moving up North, I used 10lb double strength attached to about 3 inches of soft braid via an Albright knot. Now I use 15lb Amnesia to 15lb braid. Total length is typically 18 inches. The reasoning for this is that the river I now fish is rocky with sharp drop offs and since switching to Amnesia I have had hardly any cut offs.
 
I feel that the greater the distance between your hook and your lead reduces the occurence of line 'bites' and fish spooking when they hit the tight line above the lead . Wherever possible I also fish with my rod as low as possible to minimise this problem . This said many anglers fish their rods at a jaunty high angle and catch plenty . I just think it looks daft and they must get terrible neck ache!
 
I think it’s horses for courses, I use coated braid, Gardner ultra skin on the Trent where it is rocky. Never had a breakage yet. Lengths up to 6 feet if the fish are wary. Smaller less snaggy waters I use drennan acolyte fluorocarbon, thin diameter very supple and surprisingly robust. Again varying lengths dependant on bites or lack of and indications of fish being present but wary. Despite the general opinion that Trent barbel are suicidally easy to catch they can be extremely spooky at times and often a change of hooklength has brought quick results.
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
I feel that the greater the distance between your hook and your lead reduces the occurence of line 'bites' and fish spooking when they hit the tight line above the lead . Wherever possible I also fish with my rod as low as possible to minimise this problem . This said many anglers fish their rods at a jaunty high angle and catch plenty . I just think it looks daft and they must get terrible neck ache!
Click to expand...
Depends on flow and how far across river ( on big ones!)

My go to is where my eyes focus straight ahead in the chair.

Fishing Inside line, lower. Casting far bank on the Wye, Lower Severn etc, up in the air, back legs of chair set down.
 
20lb Super slick braid to 12lb GT80.
Between 6 and 24 inches. Usually around 18 inches.

No barbel will break that and if ever snagged, hand pulled as it will probably break a 2lb rod.
 
Conditions dictate the length of hooklength for me.

When I used to fish the Trent, I found that in bright daytime conditions, when the water was clear, then a longer hooklength (>3ft) without question resulted in more bites.

I've used hooklengths as long as 6ft In those conditions. A pain the backside on windy days!

When the river is coloured, or at night, or in snaggy swims I'll typically use a shorter length.
 
Boilies or pellets in normal conditions, 2' of 30lb braid. Meat or paste in coloured water 12" 30lb braid. Both with 30lb braid main line.

Rod tips as low to the water as possible, back lead where possible.
 
The rod pointing high is good for keeping line out of the water although the downside is liners and spooking due to angle of line. Rods up is essential really on the big rivers here...to compensate the above problems use a longer hook length up to 6ft .
For close in work very much rods tip down for me and I use float stops to adjust length of hook length to suit.
Fishing straight 'thru with a couple of swan shot with a big piece of flake is for me fishing heaven ...keep it simple ...
 
Usually around 6ft of fluoro with a soft braid combi for the last inch. Usually no more than an ounce lead... It's rare I fish more than a rod length out, often just a couple of feet, rod tip down by the surface pretty much pointing towards the bait.

If on a rare occasion I fish on the far bank then I'll use a baiting pole and lower it in.

Since fishing this way my catch rate went up a ridiculous amount when fishing for spooky fish, though I haven't really bothered fishing for barbel for the last couple of years.
 
For me it's all about time of year. The upper Severn is my regular haunt so normally don't have to worry about the state of the bottom. If I'm fishing a low clear section with a far bank glide for example during summer I use fluro and my rule of thumb for length is hand to hand across my chest. This is to keep them away from the mainline and stop them spooking (nothing spooks barbel more than them rubbing up on mono) and also to try and build their confidence downstream of a feeder. As the seasons changes and the water colours I switch to uncoated braid and shorten the length. I tend to start using meat during Autumn onwards and from a confidence point of view I feel that braid gives it a much more natural presentation.
 
I mainly fish around the Middle & Tidal Trent around Newark so have to contend with gravel, rocks & boulders on the bottom. I have hooklengths varying from 1 1/2 Ft, 3 Ft & 6FT for varying conditions from floodwater completely opaque to clear. Hooklength comprises Guru Flurocarbon 12 Lb to 2" of Drennan Gravel Braid 12 Lb a combination for it's abrasion resistance and better presentation.
 
Im another for long hook lengths when low and clear and shorter when there's water on. Always fluro for me for abrasion resistance and its sink properties.
 
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