What is your favorite 8lb leader?

Steeliekiller said:
but it coils up with memory on my spin set. So I tried cxx in #12 and I really like it. The line index posted on here is a great read and may start trying different lines.


Your strongest line that will behave the best on spinning out fits is either sufix siege or elite but the seige is stronger.
 
Tacomasteelheader said:
Your strongest line that will behave the best on spinning out fits is either sufix siege or elite but the seige is stronger.

X2 I use these lines when tossing hardware. Especially the seige. And i like to use the Elite when the water is low.
 
Last edited:
rippin fish lips said:
X2 I use these lines when tossing hardware. Especially the seige. And i like to use the Elite when the water is low.


Absolutly but i always use a bait caster so i stick with pline cxx just starting this year. Will see how it works out ive landed some giants on 10 test and it held no problem. Never broke one fish off this year , unlike last year with maxima ultra green >:(.... Switching to some 8 or even 6 soon and will see how that works out. Sure ill break one on the 6 or 8 never know.
 
I've used 8# Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon (not their Vanish variety) on walleye and ended up landing a 38" muskie - grateful that she didn't bite through the leader. But I've also had fluorocarbon break within the knot when casting... as they are prone to do.

The best knot I know - and what finally solved the knot strength issue - is a double Pitzen knot. Just a Pitzen knot tied with doubled line. I've had luck with a doubled San Diego Jam knot, but it's harder to tie in the field.

You also don't want to get the knot too wet when tightening it. Just moist. Don't slobber on it like we do with mono.

I don't like fluorocarbon line in general because of it's inherent "features", but as a leader, with the right knot, it's hard to beat. Just think of fluorocarbon as behaving like graphite - if you stress it too much (like the torsional stress created within a knot) it develops microfractures and can fail. Tighten the knots slowly so you can see that they're setting properly.
 
That's a Pitzen knot. The pro's tie it with a doubled line which makes it a Double Pitzen knot...
 
Palamar knot works for me when i actuially do run floro , not often
 
I use seagar red label for all my leaders. I use from 6# to 15# depending on conditions and cover. If I'm tying my leader to my mainline and not a swivel I use a modified Albright knot "I use 10# braid as mainline" I use a regular Palomar knot to tie to my hook or lure . I did have some breaking issues at my splice knot until I started using the modified Albright. I've never had problems with a Palomar knot. Make sure and wet the line before you cinch the knot.
 
By "modified Albright," do you mean the knot also called an Alberto's knot on the WWW right now? Years ago, I was shown a modified Albright that's tied nothing at all like an Alberto's knot and it seems that only recently have people started calling the Alberto a "modified Albright".
 
Tinker said:
By "modified Albright," do you mean the knot also called an Alberto's knot on the WWW right now? Years ago, I was shown a modified Albright that's tied nothing at all like an Alberto's knot and it seems that only recently have people started calling the Alberto a "modified Albright".

Yes that's the one. By modified I mean I start my wraps just below the loop and wrap between 6 to 8 then I wrap back up with the same amount then finish it off like the Alberto/Albright.
 
Yeah, that's my favorite, too. Never failed me and it's easy to tie it correctly in the wind. Thanks.
 
I think I want a line that breaks at or very close to it's rated strength. Ten pounds for ten pound line, 12# for 12# line, and so on... That allows me to decide to go heavier or lighter when and if I want to and know, roughly, what I'm doing. If I'm buying line rated at 12# but it breaks at 20#, does the same brand in 10# break at 16# or at 12# or at 8#?

It seems to me that if a company can't get quality control closer to it's target than those "strong" lines in the article, that a small change in rated strength could have a huge effect on the reel. Maybe. Maybe not. I don;t think I want to put my trust in any brand that can't get remotely close to breaking where it's supposed to break.
 
I been using Maxima Ultra green 8# lately. Its strong and can handle a lot.
 
I like to use a braided line (Berkley FireLine) as the main line, with a short mono leader - anywhere from two feet to eight feet, depending on where or how I'm fishing. I don't run the knot through the guides, and eight feet is about all I can manage without hooking something that's not a fish...

I like how the braid casts from a spinning reel, and Fireline has been the most well-behaved braid I've tried and seems to make the least noise when passing over a roller bearing. The mono is a shock leader, so-to-speak, so there's a tiny amount of springiness.

I'm not a steelhead expert by any stretch, since the only one I've landed was a steelhead only by the SW Zone's definition (rainbow trout over 16 inches), but I've used the combination on sea run cutthroat and rainbows without a hitch. For light tackle, I like 6# braid (3# mon equivalent diameter) to 4# mono. For the cutthroats, I like 10# braid (6# diameter) to 6# mono. For steelhead, I like 15# braid (8# diameter) to 8# or 10# mono. For chinook, I use 30# braid to 20# mono.

Mind you, the steelhead and chinook lines are theoretical. If I hook a real steelhead or a chinook larger than my 10# best so far, I'll know if I'm undergunned and when my heartbeat gets back close to normal, I'll let everyone know how it worked out.

I was using Trilene XL as a leader but stopped using it because it fails very easily when it's been wet for a while. I've been using Maxima UG leader material - it's stronger than regular Maxima on the larger spools - and haven't had a line fail, yet. I'm kind of curious about the comments against Maxima because my greatest uncertainty is the mono leader.

Oh! I snell my hooks with a standard snell knot. I haven't found anything stronger and more dependable than a snell knot for attaching a hook.
 

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