# Buying new mainline/leader, need help.



## Danw (Jul 9, 2009)

Im looking to advance to Braid for my 2000 sized reel, im looking for braid suited for Bream, Flathead, Trevally, EP, small Snapper, Tailor and more of the smaller river/estuary species.

I need help on which size braid (brand aswell if you know of any good ones) and which leader i should buy? (Ive heard that flurocarbon is best for leader correct? what size should it be in relation to the mainline?) Also, how long should my leader be whe using SP's and HB's

Ive come from a fishing background of catching English species such as Perch (known as redfin here), Carp, Bream and many others, for most of them species you just use mono straight through. So im a beginner when it comes to braid.

Any help will be greatly appreciated as always.

Dan.


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## jozzy (Jun 28, 2009)

Gday dan, to cover all of the species you mentioned 8lb mainline and 10lb leader should do the trick
unless you come across a monster lizard or snapper,i tend to go a bit lighter 4lb and 6lb for the same 
species bar the snapper,as for brands the blokes down the local tackle world recommended nitlon for both braid
and flurocarbon,i usually use about a body length or 6ft of leader.

cheers jozzy


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## KhoisanX (Aug 27, 2009)

Hi Dan,
A year ago I was where you are now....I had fished in the surf/estuaries for 25yrs with nylon mono - mostly in the 12-30lbs line classes using overhead reels. I gave that all away and went light to a 7'6" rod in the 2-4kg class fitted with a 1500 size spinning reel, and I don't use bait anymore. I had never fished with braid before that.

I did lots of reading - the internet's a wonderful thing and there's no shortage of information and advice. You'll get as many points of view as people you ask; there are lots of good products out there, with not much between them other than personal preference.

Braid is available in so called "true braid" and gelspun lines - google this for info on differences.

My rig is fitted with 4lb Berkley Fireline (green) and I use 6lb fluorocarbon leader (10lb very occasionally). I've caught Bream to 37cm, Salmon to 50cm and Flathead to 55cm on this rig without any problem....lots of fun!

I've generally been happy with the Fireline, and I know it's widely used out there, although there are some other braids which command higher prices and are supposedly "better" for things such as wind knots for example. I've not tried any of them to date.

On the leader front I've tried a few different ones, and I like the Daiwa and Siglon products so far (a longtime Siglon mono fan )
You "get what you pay for" is usually a consistent rule of thumb.

I'd suggest you do some research on the internet for background knowledge, then go and find somebody at one of your local tackle stores who does this kind of angling to help you make your decisions.

Good luck


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## Danw (Jul 9, 2009)

Thanks for the informative reply Khoisan, made a good read for me. I was originally going to use 4lb, mainly because im using 4lb mono straight through at the moment and its awesome fun on the species i target (havnt had a single bite-off as of yet, even from pike and 40cm Flathead). Your gear is nearly the exact same as mine, 7'2" Steve Starling Soft Plastic Light Rod (2-4kg) with a Shimano Sienna 2500 and then i have a Shakespear Ugly Stick with el'cheapo Reel (who doesnt have an ugly stick!?). So a good Rule of Thumb is to go 2-4lb heavier on the leader to that of your mainline?

As to Jozzy's reply, When i say snapper, im only talking 30-50cm range so dont need anything to hardcore, and i reckon 8lb line would be "overkill" no?

Thanks for the advice.

Dan.


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## YakCult (Nov 4, 2008)

KhoisanX said:


> My rig is fitted with 4lb Berkley Fireline (green) and I use 6lb fluorocarbon leader (10lb very occasionally). I've caught Bream to 37cm, Salmon to 50cm and Flathead to 55cm on this rig without any problem....lots of fun!
> I've generally been happy with the Fireline, and I know it's widely used out there, although there are some other braids which command higher prices and are supposedly "better" for things such as wind knots for example.


I think KhoisanX is on the money.
Sure - many will mention better braid (and there are, of course), but considering bang for bucks, (& Big W) I think it does a good job.
I tend to use crystal - the 4lb has a breaking strain of approx 8lbs, so I use 8 - 10lb fluro's with it. No problems.


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## GregL (Jul 27, 2008)

Danw said:


> As to Jozzy's reply, When i say snapper, im only talking 30-50cm range so dont need anything to hardcore, and i reckon 8lb line would be "overkill" no?


No mate, I wouldn't call 8lb braid overkill for snapper.
You will probably be grateful of the extra drag you can apply on the fish - snapper punch well above their weight compared to bream and flatties as they are a much chunkier fish with more meat/muscle and a big tail - and even though its easy to say you'll be targeting small snapper.....trust me, where there's little ones, there will often be big ones - and you'll spew all the way home if you get done up by a good fish because you weren't able to control it on really light gear.
If you're new to using braid, then I would recommend having a spare spool with 8lb or 10lb dedicated to snapper fishing whilst you're getting used to it, and also start of with at least 15lb flurocarbon leader. Remember snapper are generally going to be near reef or other structure, so you'll want to have a decent amount of resistance to abrasion if and when the snapper run over a rocky drop off into deeper water, or take you into weed.
I use 8 and 10lb braid with 20lb flurocarbon leader on my snapper rods and still get really good fights out of the fish, but still get dusted every now and then.
I know a few guys who are fishing a lot lighter, and still get lots of fish, but I've also seen them loose a few of the bigger ones because they were arguably a bit under gunned.
My advice would be to start (targetting snapper) with the gear slightly more on your side, and gradually work back to where you feel comfortable.
Regards,
Smeg

ps - English Bream - _shudder_ nothing worse than having your optonics go off at 3am when you're waiting for a nice 30lb carp, and having to reel in a 4lb lump of snot! :twisted:


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

GregL said:


> Danw said:
> 
> 
> > As to Jozzy's reply, When i say snapper, im only talking 30-50cm range so dont need anything to hardcore, and i reckon 8lb line would be "overkill" no?
> ...


Hey Smeg quality thinking there, but with my limited experience I'm going to disagree (sorry).

At Wello Point there will be more experiences with Squire than Snapper. A flathead might chew through, but on the whole I have a whole lot more fun at Wello going light. Think bream rod. Also note Wello is very shallow reef, even the drop offs arent that deep. I find leader as invisible as possible is best in the high visibility of shallow water. The advantage is that you will have lots of fun landing the inevitable pike, grinners, bream, moses perch etc. You'll probably get by on smaller flaties and squire. You will have bust offs but more hook ups and more fun. Tailor are fun on the light kit too.

My favourite set up at wello is 4lb braid (I like vibrant flouro yellow or pink for SPs) with 6lb leader. I'd leave a heavier combo floating out the back with a HB, paddle tail SP or pillie - say 8ld braid and 15-20ld leader. I would use the same at Green Island and even Mud, but at Mud be ready with something heavier for (fingers crossed) boils or after a bust off.

I dont know enough to be fussy with the brands but note that some guys are saying that non-true braids are better in the lighter gear.


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## dishley (Jan 20, 2009)

I won't go under 6pd mainline, it's a good balance of strength and finesse i feel. I also carry 2 different spools of flurocarbon with me. I start off with a 6pd leader and if i'm getting busted off or snagged up too much i'll swap to 12pd fluro. A good 12pd leader will drag a branch off the riverbed if you happen to snag it.


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

dishley said:


> I won't go under 6pd mainline, it's a good balance of strength and finesse i feel. I also carry 2 different spools of flurocarbon with me. I start off with a 6pd leader and if i'm getting busted off or snagged up too much i'll swap to 12pd fluro. A good 12pd leader will drag a branch off the riverbed if you happen to snag it.


I like to have a heavier leader on the yak too. Interested in your thoughts on 4lb v 6 lb main (braid) - they both punch way over their rating. Thinking it through, once you are on (light) braid, the responsiveness + fight (to me = fun) will be more to do with reel and rod. My favourite combo at Wello is Berkely 2-4kg Drop Shot with Shimano Stradic 1000.

Dan - have this has GOT to be more fun than hunting perch in the UK!


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## dishley (Jan 20, 2009)

I really don't see any need to go below 6pd fireline. 4pd will hold up in most situations, but i reckon 6pd fireline will hold up in nearly any situation if your knots are good. Also think the extra castablity of the lighter line would be negligible, and in the yak unimportant. I want confidence in my mainline, i can go for finesse in leader if need be.
If i'm using a true braid i'll use about 10pd.


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## GregL (Jul 27, 2008)

dru said:


> GregL said:
> 
> 
> > Danw said:
> ...


No worries Dru! I don't know that area at all, or its inhabitants - so from what you are saying about likely species, then I totally agree with staying with the trusty '4 and 6', as that is certainly a combination that will see pretty much all shallow water critters kept under control.
The Smeg hates bust offs though!! :lol: :lol: :lol: 
Regards,
Smeg


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## Danw (Jul 9, 2009)

Hey guys, thanks for all the reply's all of them were very informative and gave me a good insight into braid and leaders etc. 

Dru, your bang on the bucks saying more squire than snapper at wello. Therefore im gonna stick with the 4lb braid on my 2-4kg Bream rod (2000 sized reel) and use a 8lb leader. Then on my slightly bigger rod with similar reel ill whack on some 8lb braid and use a 15lb leader incase those monster flatties or snapper makes an appearance on my HB's!

Thanks again for all the help. Much appreciated.

Dan.


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