# Mono as a leader.



## j102 (Jun 26, 2017)

Anyone use Mono as a leader? Or are you strictly Fluorocarbon?

I have used Fluorocarbon leaders so far, but was thinking of trying Mono as a leader to save a bit of money.


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## Daz (Jul 14, 2015)

I use mono with poppers and gurglers, and fluoro for pretty much everything else.


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

Well mono will work just as well in a lot of locations and situations. If you fish in highly pressured and clear waters, light flouro might work better from my expierience. I just ran out of my 200 yard spool of 12lb stren flourcarbon which I think cost <$6 and had it for probably 2 years. It is flourcarbon but meant for spooling entire reel. Works just as good and I even caught my biggest red(27lbs) on it.


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

all i use is mono.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

What did we use before floro...mono. And did we not catch any fish? Just sayen


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

j102 said:


> Anyone use Mono as a leader? Or are you strictly Fluorocarbon?
> 
> I have used Fluorocarbon leaders so far, but was thinking of trying Mono as a leader to save a bit of money.


I tried 12# flurocarbon and it was not as durable as 12# mono , with specs in winter plastic swim baits. Flurocarbon would fray n break off after 4 or 5 trout. We have a 25 fish limit here
and lots of throw backs early in Sept. More strikes but lots of break offs. I have found PLINE FLUROCLEAR fluorocarbon coated perlon line that is smaller in diameter and am getting lots more strikes than the mono line. I tried 10# and the diameter was toooo small and it would slip under the swim baits hook eye crimp. Then bought the 12# line and all is good now. This winters trout line so far, lots better luck.


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## j102 (Jun 26, 2017)

I hear you. All we had at some point was Mono and fish were caught. After trying Fluorocarbon for quite a bit, now I am afraid that the fish will "see" the Mono line. I know it's stupid.
You guys are right, Mono is a little bit tougher and way cheaper.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

I use mono when throwing topwater flies. It floats better than flouro.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Flourocarbon is no clearer than clear Trilene Big Game. I fish gin clear water and sight cast trout and redfish with no issues. 20# Big Game Clear mono leader 4-5' long with 20# Sufix832 braid.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Flourocarbon is no clearer than clear Trilene Big Game. I fish gin clear water and sight cast trout and redfish with no issues. 20# Big Game Clear mono leader 4-5' long with 20# Sufix832 braid.


Yes you are right. But the difference is not how clear it is, but rather how it absorbs and holds light. Mono ends up becoming a piece of fiber optic cable under water, absorbing some light. Those levels might not be enough for us to see, but to some fish, it can be picked up and noticed down in deeper water. Fluorocarbon will bend the light back out at that spot and therefore not accumilate it like mono or other nylons do. Also FC is a little harder than mono and more abrasion resistant, which helps with toothy critters and nicking structure.

I use to exclusively use nothing but mono up until the mid 90's when FC and Braid started coming on the scene. Back in the day, the fish didn't get as much pressure and so it didn't matter as much. But with the pressure ever increasing, I'm constantly looking to have that edge over the other guy out there. Like some of the fly guys said above, sometimes I'll use mono occasionally for floating flies or fishing for junk fish with the kids, but when it's just me, I'm reaching for the FC.

Hey, I don't knock guys for using mono. In fact, I want them to use it! 

Ted


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

I also used split bamboo and solid glass rods at one time.


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

There is chitty FC brands out there just like there is chitty mono, but there is also good ones that are more abrasive resistant like mono for the cheap. Vanish or Stren are the ones I had luck with. 

If you fish light line you can get away with lighter leader. And also depends on species, snook and tarpon will fray you off before a Redfish does. I fish with 6lb mono and 6lb/8lb braid so that is why I can get away with 12-15lb leader with no problem. I caught 15+ trout with same rig and never got frayed/broke off with 15lb FC leader.


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## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

This stuff is made by seagar, I think anyways? http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/offshore-angler-pre-cut-leader . It's a good product and very affordable. Like the others said above, Mono is best for top water because it's more buoyant.


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## Pole Position (Apr 3, 2016)

Do y'all believe the monofilament product they sell as leader material is any different than the line for the reel, or is it just marketing hype?


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## j102 (Jun 26, 2017)

That's a good question. Like the Ande leaders, they are Mono.


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## bonehead (Dec 9, 2016)

Mono all the way, except I'll use fluoro when targeting picky beach snook or bonefish in gin-clear water. In my opinion the presentation is the most key aspect to get a fish to bite... but that's not to say that fly, leader setup, and all that doesn't matter.


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## fishicaltherapist (Mar 9, 2013)

I prefer the FC overall yet, mono for topwater using braid. BUT, when I first started fishing (dinosaurs were present) we used BLACK dacron line and still caught fish !!! Side question: Have the fish gotten smarter or have WE become dumber ???


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

sjrobin said:


> For you people from the show me state. Just the comparable difference in diameter should push you to fluoro. Can you see the fluoro on the bottom of the pot? However fly fishing people are notoriously tight $$$.


The mono is floating nicely on the surface. A sub-surface lure or fly works very differently with the two leaders and you can use much shorter leaders with fluoro to braid or on your fly line leader.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Pole Position said:


> Do y'all believe the monofilament product they sell as leader material is any different than the line for the reel, or is it just marketing hype?


To answer your question, most FC's that are used to spool up reels are fluorocarbon coated mono core. They are not true 100% FC through and through. That line is more supple due to the inner mono core. So its better than mono, but not as good as the FC Leader material, which is a bit stiffer. If you are spooling up a reel with the the cheaper FC coated monocore, than ok, but just use the good stuff for the leader. On my spinning rods, I'll FG knot about 4-6ft of matching FC size to my braid, then tie on a 18" piece of FC leader material. So for leader material, I stick with true 100% FC Leader material. In fly fishing, we also use tippet, so sometimes I may use 10-15lb tippet that is the FC line (P-Line, Sunline, etc and sometimes even Vanish (tho not as good)) for general purpose fly fishing, but with very finiky fish, then I'll use the better FC leader material.

Ted


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## j102 (Jun 26, 2017)

Backwater said:


> To answer your question, most FC's that are used to spool up reels are fluorocarbon coated mono core. They are not true 100% FC through and through. That line is more supple due to the inner mono core. So its better than mono, but not as good as the FC Leader material, which is a bit stiffer. If you are spooling up a reel with the the cheaper FC coated monocore, than ok, but just use the good stuff for the leader. On my spinning rods, I'll FG knot about 4-6ft of matching FC size to my braid, then tie on a 18" piece of FC leader material. So for leader material, I stick with true 100% FC Leader material. In fly fishing, we also use tippet, so sometimes I may use 10-15lb tippet that is the FC line (P-Line, Sunline, etc and sometimes even Vanish (tho not as good)) for general purpose fly fishing, but with very finiky fish, then I'll use the better FC leader material.
> 
> Ted


I think he meant to compare regular Mono line to the Mono leaders (like Ande for example). 
Not FC nor Mono coated (FC) lines.


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## Pole Position (Apr 3, 2016)

^
Correct, J102


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Ok, sorry about that, I must have read it too quickly and assumed you were asking something else. Tho the info I wrote is a question I always see with FC line vs leader material.

So to be specific, like with the large arbor Triple Fish spools, the leader material normally comes on larger arbor spools, which helps to avoid memory. I've also tested both mono that you spool your your reels up with vs the mono leader material and the leader material is a bit stiffer/denser, which helps with memory and bite resistance IMO.


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## timogleason (Jul 27, 2013)

RunningOnEmpty said:


> This stuff is made by seagar, I think anyways? http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/offshore-angler-pre-cut-leader . It's a good product and very affordable. Like the others said above, Mono is best for top water because it's more buoyant.


I might try me some of that. 75 leaders for $11. Works for me


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

timogleason said:


> I might try me some of that. 75 leaders for $11. Works for me


Yeah for 4ft of the them too. I don't hardly know of any situation where you need 4ft of leaders, aside from tarpon and sharks. So if you cut them all in half to make 2ft leaders, that's 150 of them!


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## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

Backwater said:


> Yeah for 4ft of the them too. I don't hardly know of any situation where you need 4ft of leaders, aside from tarpon and sharks. So if you cut them all in half to make 2ft leaders, that's 150 of them!


I start at 3' and work my way down until it's too short. I bought 6 bags of that stuff at first and now it's getting harder to find at my local Basspro. Maybe I should've kept it a secret? LOL


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## j102 (Jun 26, 2017)

Are they good? Are the Bass Pro brand leaders good?


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## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

I use it without any problems. Comes in pink and clear just like seaguar http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/offshore-angler-pre-cut-leader
http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/seaguar-pink-label-fluorocarbon-leader


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## Kthesage (Sep 23, 2017)

A fair priced FC that's decent is Seaguar Salmon yellow label. It's decent in #30 and #40 for live bait fishing snook with medium sized bait 3-4".


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## timogleason (Jul 27, 2013)

j102 said:


> Are they good? Are the Bass Pro brand leaders good?


I'm pretty sure Seaguar makes the BPS stuff. Packaging is exactly the same which leads me to believe it is the same stuff. I've been using the 25 yard rolls for a couple years now on a daily basis. No issues at all.


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## ZaneD (Feb 28, 2017)

I buy Seaguar from Amazon or the Pink Yo-Zuri Flouro leader spools, $12 for 30 yds lasts me a while. The water I fish isn't particularly clear, so I would probably be fine with mono, but I like to up my chances as much as possible so I stick with flouro.


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## j102 (Jun 26, 2017)

If it’s made by Seaguar, it’s worth a try.


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## timogleason (Jul 27, 2013)

RunningOnEmpty said:


> This stuff is made by seagar, I think anyways? http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/offshore-angler-pre-cut-leader . It's a good product and very affordable. Like the others said above, Mono is best for top water because it's more buoyant.


I took a look at this stuff at Bass Pro and it is labeled as "Fluorocarbon Polymer Alloy". Not sure what it is alloyed with but I guess it isn't 100% Fluorocarbon. I bought a bag anyway as it was cheap. Seems to work fine. It definitely feels smoother and more slippery than what I usually use which is the BPS 100% Fluorocarbon (which I think Seaguar makes). Which leads me to believe it isn't the same material. Funny story was when I asked the guy at BPS, he said they mixed the Alloy into the fluorocarbon (meaning he thought alloy was the actual substance). I just shook my head and said thanks...


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## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

I just know it's cheap and it works.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

20# clear Trilene Big Game


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## EdK13 (Oct 3, 2013)

timogleason said:


> I took a look at this stuff at Bass Pro and it is labeled as "Fluorocarbon Polymer Alloy". Not sure what it is alloyed with but I guess it isn't 100% Fluorocarbon. I bought a bag anyway as it was cheap. Seems to work fine. It definitely feels smoother and more slippery than what I usually use which is the BPS 100% Fluorocarbon (which I think Seaguar makes). Which leads me to believe it isn't the same material. Funny story was when I asked the guy at BPS, he said they mixed the Alloy into the fluorocarbon (meaning he thought alloy was the actual substance). I just shook my head and said thanks...


Not even a giggle- oosh.


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## Cam (Apr 5, 2017)

You can buy high quality fluorocarbon leader for less than a quarter per and pennies when buying in bulk. Fluorocarbon line is a near perfect leader material. Its biggest disadvantage (high memory) is a non-starter as a leader. I wouldn't spool up with the stuff but as a leader it is amazing.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Cam said:


> You can buy high quality fluorocarbon leader for less than a quarter per and pennies when buying in bulk. Fluorocarbon line is a near perfect leader material. Its biggest disadvantage (high memory) is a non-starter as a leader. I wouldn't spool up with the stuff but as a leader it is amazing.


I have had no luck with fluorocarbon leader material. It tends to break at the knot much more easily than mono due to it’s stiffness and I have zero confidence in it since then.


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## j102 (Jun 26, 2017)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> I have had no luck with fluorocarbon leader material. It tends to break at the knot much more easily than mono due to it’s stiffness and I have zero confidence in it since then.


What knot are you using? I mostly use uni-uni to connect braid to fluorocarbon, and improve clinch to the lure, with no issues.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

j102 said:


> What knot are you using? I mostly use uni-uni to connect braid to fluorocarbon, and improve clinch to the lure, with no issues.


Crazy Alberto just like I use on braid to mono. Uni-uni is too big and ends up screwing up my last couple of rod guides because I like to use a 4-5’ leader. I catch plenty of fish on my 20# clear Big Game mono leader.


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## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Crazy Alberto just like I use on braid to mono. Uni-uni is too big and ends up screwing up my last couple of rod guides because I like to use a 4-5’ leader. I catch plenty of fish on my 20# clear Big Game mono leader.


I used cheap 1/4 lb spools for leader for many years. I still use it when I'm fishing at night.


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## j102 (Jun 26, 2017)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Crazy Alberto just like I use on braid to mono. Uni-uni is too big and ends up screwing up my last couple of rod guides because I like to use a 4-5’ leader. I catch plenty of fish on my 20# clear Big Game mono leader.


I hear Crazy Alberto is a good knot. Fluorocarbon might work better with different knots.
In reference to clear Big Game Mono, I like it too. I might give it a try as a leader.


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## Cam (Apr 5, 2017)

Running any leader knot, even the FG Knot, through a guide will weaken the knot and sometimes contributes to wind knots. It cannot always be avoided but when casting artificials it is far better to shorten the leader a bit and preserve the knot/line strength.

That said, virtually every guide in SW Florida fishes braid to fluoro for a reason. If fluoro leader knots snapped that easy, nobody would use it. A properly tied braid to fluoro should in almost every circumstance be substantially stronger than the drag on a reel. I cannot even remember the last time I snapped a knot and I tie a modified Albright with a lock knot finish. We actually snap hooks more often than line. The other popular and highly functional knots are uni-to-uni and FG.


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