Thread: leader lengths

I'm at a stand still for making my rigs how long do I need to make the lengths of my leaders I have rigs for Spanish redfish kings and sheepshead got everything I need but don't know the lengths of leader for ea thanks in advance

Personal preferences have a lot to do with ones leader length.

My own:
Wire on treble hook for Kings, about 12"-18"
Wire on a lure for Kings/Spanish, about 12"-18"

Heavy mono (40-60#) leader for Spanish, on a lure I like them long. 24"+
That way I can trim and retie when the section near the lure/bait gets frayed.

Sheeps, 10-25# floro, 12"-24"
Reds, 20-50# mono or floro, 12"-24", depends on what I'm fishing.

Castable shark leaders, 3-5' of 135# cable
Yak shark leaders, up to 30' combined length

And if you use a swivel get the. smallest black/gunmetal you can find.my 2 cents

Do you use the wire leader with lures (got-cha plugs, etc I assume) just because it's less likely to be broken off so you save yourself $5 or so? Or is there another reason? I was going to tie some heavy mono on mine (like 30-40#). i think when I was there last year I was just using 10-15lb mono leaders on everything except for kings where I used 50lb mono. And then some kind soul dropped about 20 yards of wire leader on the ground on the octi near my tacklebox and I snagged it. Caught a 22lb ray and a 17lb Jack thanks to whoever it was that dropped that wire leader on the ground. My Dad even got a King with it

I use 40lb clear mono for gotcha lures and bubble rigs. Inspect your line and re-tie often or get ready to donate some coin to the fish gods. I use a double uni knot to tie 8-10lb mono main line to the 40lb mono and I like to start with about 30". That way you can cut and retie lures without having to change out the whole leader when the bite is hot. I use a rubber tube on my bubble rig even when fishing with a piece of drinking straw and it helps to protect the leader somewhat from sharp teeth. I tried using 15lb 7 strand wire and I just simple wasn't getting bites when everyone around me was catching fish. For throwing big plugs to kings I use a #10 black SS swivel and about 10" of 30lb seven strand tie to the lure. That's probably too short and I'm going to lose some lures but get more bites. **********I'm not a local and I don't target kings as much as locals and regulars do but I have never lost a king due to a leader break using 7 strand. However, my Haywire twists S.U.C.K. and I have landed 2 and lost at least 6 or 7 on single strand wire.****************

If the Spanish are killing anything and everything wire is OK, but they are usually just wary enough that 40-60# clear mono is the ticket.
Chillinfish has it right on the money.

I sprung for some of that "tie-able" titanium leader wire a few years ago, and I really like it. You can tie an actual knot with it AND it is nearly impossible to kink. When I run out of that, I will be buying some more.

that said, the action on lures seems better with heavy mono or fluoro leaders. I haven't logged enough hours on the pier to have an opinion about which type is more effective.