Does anyone care to share a simple leader design for smallmouths? I’ve only ever used a piece of 20-pound and a piece of
10-pound. The 20 pound is connected to a piece of 30-pound amnesia butt section, maybe a foot long. I was thinking something else would might help. It seems to work okay, but maybe I can improve it.
Thanks,
Bruce
For top water, I have used 3’ of 20#, 15# & 10#. For subsurface a staright 8’ or 9’ piece of 10# fluro. Seems to work for me.
On a recent smallmouth guided float trip the guide rigged us up with a 9’ Rio Bass leader tapered down to 10#. Cut of 2’ and blood knoted on 10# Maxima Chamelion. That also worked quite well for the top water bugs that we were throwing.
I keep it very simple, I just use a 4 to 5 foot piece of Maxima Ultragreen mono leader in the 12 pound and above range.
Larry —sagefisher—
Bruce,
What you are using seems fine to me.
I wouldn’t change anything unless it’s causing you trouble.
Bass don’t tend to be leader shy, especially with topwater applications, and if it ain’t broke, why try to fix it?
Buddy
For the majority of fishing I do I keep it simple and easy to do. When fishing for bass, that’s on the surface (poppers) or under the surface, nymphs, streamers or wet flies, I do a leader of 20# mono of about 5 1/2’ and tying on about 3 1/2’ of 6# mono. Follow he same pattern for trout, only doing the same lengths of 12# mono and tying on 4# mono. Only when fishing dry flies do I use a store bought tapered leader, and then usually tying on a 5X tippet.
Seems to work for the girls I go with.