new south wales Info On Leads

[Titus]

Hi,I'm teaching myself the ancient art of fishing and Iv got some questions.I mainly fish in estuaries for bream and the like.can someone tell me what lead line is for.Why not just put my tackle on the end of my main line?At the moment I fish with a swivel and about 30 cm of lead going down to my hook.Im trying to keep it light but I'm a bit confused about what the lead is for.Any help is appreciated.

[Binder]

By the sounds of it you are talking about what is commonly known as a trace. a section of line with a hook on it sitting below  a sinker. Usually held on with a swivel. It is used to allow the bait to move freely, either alive or in the current, to give a much more natural presentation of the bait. Sometimes this trace might be a heavier line if fishing for fish with a reputation for biting through line like flathead.

A leader is generally flourocarbon or nylon line tied to the end of a braided line when lure fishing. Used to provide a little bit of shock absorption and it is much less visible to the fish than a braided line.

[Titus]

TThanks for the reply.What you said is exactly what Iv been setting up.I thought the trace line was used because my normal line was seen by the fish.At the moment I have the line my rod came with when I bought it with a very light trace.Im going light for bream.Im not sure if I even need a trace.So why not just use some of my main line as a trace?Why use a different line.

[Fishaman]

If you are fishing light line (Mono or flouro) you can go straight through however when fishing with bait you can get line twist (hence the need for a swivel)

 

If you fish braid you should use a leader unless fishing murky water. Flourocarbon is thought to best as it is thought to be less visible. The other added benefit of having a leader is that if you get a snag the leader should break instead of your main line when fishing a lighter leader. Conversely a heavier leader will be more resistant to breaking than the main line (For when fishing near rocky country or targeting fish with abrasive teeth)

 

Youtube is your friend mate. plenty of great info on all those things on there.

 

Good luck 

[Do$tylz]

3 hours ago, Titus said:

So why not just use some of my main line as a trace?Why use a different line.

You definitely can.

Generally, the lighter the line, the more likely the bait presentation will look more natural and the less likely the fish are to see you line.

Sometimes it doesn't make a difference, other times when the fish are particularly picky it will be the difference between a great haul or a big doughnut.

 

[bassmandan]

You can definitely use your main line but i would always have a trace on when i ised to bait fish the estuaries..

Sinker on main line above swivel and about 1m of trace down to a hook below the swivel.. the sinker will sit on the bottom and normally the bait will float back with the current goving a more natural presentation to the bait.

You could use your main line as the trace by just cutting a metre off and tieing to a swivel but eventially you're going to run out of line on your reel. So would be better to have a spool of line for trace use..

 

Cheers

Dan