Leader for bass.

[Ripen lips]

Hey all. I know this is a bream site. Just I am having a flick at some bass tomorrow and this is a first for me. Can anyone give me some advice on leader size?

[JustCasting]

I dont usually go under 6lb for bass. This is mainly because I am not fishing clear water and I hate it when the lure catches in weed and I can't apply enough pressure to pull it free. I have not found bass to be as leader shy as bream but again this could be due to water clarity
I have caught them in the past using 20lb mono as leader.

[4weightfanatic]

Depends mostly on the sort of country you are fishing. I only fish spin not a baitcaster (couldn't cast one to save my life) so if I'm fishing tight creeks with average fish (250 - 40 cm) I'll use 7 kg Maxima mono and 10 lb braid. If I'm fishing open lake or dam type country with mainly weed beds as structure I'll use as light as 4.5 kg on 4 lb braid. If I'm fishing very snaggy country with a higher fish size average e.g. 40-55 cm I'll use 7-10 kg leader off of 7 kg braid - especially as I will more often than not fish spinnerbaits in this sort of country e.g. upper Brissie river. If I'm fishing fly for bass generally 10 lb minimum. I have fished typical bream gear and lures for bass e.g. 4lb braid , 6 lb leader but find the lure loss is too high mostly from lures snagging and not being able to be pulled off without breaking the leader (landbased). Hope this helps. Cheers Pat.

[Ripen lips]

That's extremely helpful. Thanks pat.

[basscada]

Bass are not leader shy, therefore you should not have any problem using 10pd
Any less and you are likely to be busted off and a bass with a lure stuck in its gob and unable to feed
Hooks take a lot longer to rust in fresh water

[Ripen lips]

I have some 12lb. But I run 4lb braid on my bream reels. Not shore if that will do.

[cameron087]

Originally Posted by Ripen lips

I have some 12lb. But I run 4lb braid on my bream reels. Not shore if that will do.

have 4lb on a few reels i use for bass and bream and i have used 12lb leader many times but usually 8lb. But as said above depending on what structure to leader lb

[fishbutler]

I love fishing 2 and 3 pound leaders for bream and whitting but wouldn't go anything under 8lb for bass!

[Ripen lips]

Guess I'm gonna have to just wing it. Thanks all for the advice, has been grate. Hopefully have some pics to show.

[bargeass]

12lb will get you by for most bassing applications. But when I chase big fish or fish a few particular creeks its 20lb leader on 15lb brain minimum. You'll soon work out what you need to fish and where mate. Like I saw someone else say, bass fishing tends not to take place in crystal clear water so leader size spooking fish is more of a non issue.

[uh-0hh]

I think if you are fishing rivers, 8lb is fine, I normally use 6lb+ on 4-6lb braid.


Cheers

[Breamingwithjoy]

Depending on where I am fishing anywhere between 6 and 12lb leaders for me. Ultra snaggy and it 12lb river 6-8lb

[JC93]

I personally used 4lb braid, 4lb leader on bass without much dramas. I now use 6-8lb leader just to be on the safe side !

[jgarner447]

Originally Posted by JC93

I personally used 4lb braid, 4lb leader on bass without much dramas. I now use 6-8lb leader just to be on the safe side !

4lb leader ??? Dammmmm thats risky business , i used 5lb for one session and got SMOOOOOKKKEEEDDDD by 2 fish in 2 casts .....it only took these 2 fish to work out that 5lb was a stupid idea LOL


Personally i use 10lb Minimum , if im fishing extremely snaggy territory ill go up to 17lb

With braid i stick to 8lb sunline super PE and 15lb in snaggy territory

[uh-0hh]

I rekon 6lb is fine most of the time if you are fishing small estuaries, you just have to be on the ball.

=)