Freshwater Leader

Here are some guidelines from some of our Pro Team:

• You can fish with a slightly heavier leader in murky, silty or discoloured water as the reduced visibility will hide your leader, and allow you to put more pressure on your fish.
• In clear or slow moving water, with limited structure, a lighter leader can offer some advantages with its thinner diameter and flexibility.
• 2 metres of leader (or the length of your rod) isa good average length to work with for most freshwater species.
• For super finnicky species like trout and bream, a supple leader (like Deception) can work well, but its abrasion resistance isn’t as high as Fluorocarbon, so you still need to consider the environment you’re fishing in. Our Supple Fluorocarbon offers improves flexibility, with the strength of fluorocarbon.

Here are some of the key points of difference when comparing mono and fluorocarbon:

• Mono has more stretch than fluorocarbon and subsequently copes better with shock loads.
• It’s a good choice when visibility isn’t an issue i.e. at night or in low light conditions, or in deep water. Our green and pink Deception leaders are ideal for fishing in murky water.
• It holds knots really well due to its supple characteristics.
• It’s more buoyant than fluorocarbon, which makes it ideal for fishing on the surface.
• The suppleness of mono makes lures swim more naturally, making it a good option for fishing with freshwater spinners and spoons.

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• It has a higher level of sensitivity due to the low level of stretch – you receive feedback from your leader quickly i.e. when a fish takes your lure.

• This lower stretch is also advantageous with hook sets as stretch in the line can create slack enabling a fish to shake or spit out the hook.
• It’s ultra clear, meaning it works extremely well in clear water. This makes it ideal for easily spooked species like trout.
• It also doesn’t reflect sunlight.
• Fluorocarbon has a lower level of shock absorption compared to mono.

TROUT are typically a wary species. They’re crafty and can be difficult to catch, but they can be caught with a wide variety of tackle including flies, eggs, lures and jigs.

They typically stay close to cover, so accurate casting is required, as well as a durable leader that can handle contact with underwater structure.

Fluorocarbon and Supple Fluorocarbon are ideal for chasing trout, even the big ones.

Fluorocarbon offers a higher level of abrasion resistance than mono, and in the lighter weights, it offers a good level of flexibility to help your lure swim naturally.

FRESHWATER SALMON, particularly in New Zealand in the hydro canals, can grow to over 25lb. When egg rolling, a lighter leader (6lb) is recommended for natural presentation.

However, a higher weight (8lb –10lb) should be considered due to their ability for strong, bursting runs.

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‍BREAM are easily spooked so fishing with light tackle is important.  But their small size can be deceiving, as they can put up a good fight, so your gear set up is really important.

4-8lb Fluorocarbon or Supple Fluorocarbon are recommended, particularly in estuaries. Increase your line weight to 10-12lb when you’re fishing around lots of structure.

MURRAY COD regularly reach 80-100cm in length, so your gear set up needs to be strong.

If there’s a lot of weed or underwater structure, you’ll want to fish with 50-60lb Fluorocarbon leader, but if you’re fishing in open water, you can reduce this to 30-40lb Fluorocarbon leader.

BARRAMUNDI is an euryhaline species (meaning they do well in both freshwater and brackish waters). They live and hunt near the bottom, but they come closer to the surface to feed during the night.

The main thing to consider when fishing for barra is structure. A strong, abrasion resistant leader, like Fluorocarbon or Tough Trace, with a line weight of 40-60lb is recommended.

This is when fluorocarbon can be a good choice. It has a much higher level of abrasion resistance than mono so it can handle being scraped and rubbed against sharp or rough objects for slightly longer periods.

Mono leaders will also work in these situations, but you just need to consider that it may not handle as much wear and tear as fluorocarbon.

If you need stealth plus natural presentation, then our Supple Fluorocarbon can offer the best of both worlds. It maintains a high level of abrasion resistance and is a more flexible leader which will improve the presentation of your lure or bait.

If you’re fishing in murky water, or in low light conditions (or at night) then leader visibility isn’t such a concern. So mono leader, like our Deception tippets, will be ideal. They have a good level of abrasion resistance meaning they can handle some rough and tumble from structure and fish, just not as much as fluorocarbon.

A pink mono leader can also work well in these situations. This is because red is the first colour in the spectrum to disappear underwater. Our pink Deception tippet is ideal for trout, when the rivers are murky, and our Pink Shock Leader (for over 20lb) is a good option to use in shallow murky water for bigger species like Murray cod and barra. Our Pink Shock leader has very good knot strength combined with very good abrasion resistance.