Leader or not

[666carpcatcher 0]

From the start of my Carping career i was told to use a leader/leadcore/tubing of some sort so that i dont lift any scales or damage the fish by rubbing the mainline agaisnt them during the fight, and have done so, but i hear of so many people not useing them, So do you think its necessary to use one or not??

 

Personaly i do as i can see the mainline causing alot of damage if it gets under the scales of a fish,

[zander1 1]

I always used to but have found i catch more without, as for lifting scale-when i fish on the top i have never lifted scales so why is fishing the bottom any different???

 

Do you use some sort of leader on the top??? i dobt it and i bet you have never lifted any scales

 

I think that damaging a fish or not is due to how you play it

[stoogi 62]

Most of my fishing is done without any leader. I still keep a few with me, should the need arise (big casts etc) but i honestly can't remember the last time i lifted a scale

[666carpcatcher 0]

Zander you are making it sound like im arguing the case, im not just trying to find out what other people use/how they do it

 

No, iv never lifted a scale when surface fishing, and neither have i lifted a scale when fishing on the bottom, but i would like to think im doing all i can to minimize the chance further by useing a leader of some sort, iv used a leader from day 1 so for me its a dont fix it if it aint broke situation, but with so many people saying they dont use a leader etc etc, it might be worth me having a play with a new tecnique and seeing if it does make any diff to my catch rate etc, but just not sure

[Guest jandb1]

Zander you are making it sound like im arguing the case, im not just trying to find out what other people use/how they do it

 

No, iv never lifted a scale when surface fishing, and neither have i lifted a scale when fishing on the bottom, but i would like to think im doing all i can to minimize the chance further by useing a leader of some sort, iv used a leader from day 1 so for me its a dont fix it if it aint broke situation, but with so many people saying they dont use a leader etc etc, it might be worth me having a play with a new tecnique and seeing if it does make any diff to my catch rate etc, but just not sure

when i forst got into carpin i used a fox inline lead without a leader then swithched to leadcore leadore's now im on korda safe zone anti tangle leaders

[zander1 1]

Zander you are making it sound like im arguing the case, im not just trying to find out what other people use/how they do it

 

No, iv never lifted a scale when surface fishing, and neither have i lifted a scale when fishing on the bottom, but i would like to think im doing all i can to minimize the chance further by useing a leader of some sort, iv used a leader from day 1 so for me its a dont fix it if it aint broke situation, but with so many people saying they dont use a leader etc etc, it might be worth me having a play with a new tecnique and seeing if it does make any diff to my catch rate etc, but just not sure

 

i didnt mean to try and start an arguement, i was just covering my own back with what i said incase people started having a rant at me for not using a leader sorry if it seemed like i was arguing, no offence ment 666

[zander1 1]

when i forst got into carpin i used a fox inline lead without a leader then swithched to leadcore leadore's now im on korda safe zone anti tangle leaders

 

i have a few of those korda leaders but i have very little confidence in them, they dont seem to hug the ground as much as leadcore and are as visible and obtrusive as tubing, IMO a good quality leadcore is the least visible leader/ least obtrusive than anything else with the exception of a clear flurocarbon leader- leadcore still holds the ground better so the fish is less likely to come into contact with it and spook like it can do of a fluro leader ( obviously no leader is least obtrusive )

 

Thats what i have found anyway:lol:

[Guest jandb1]

when i forst got into carpin i used a fox inline lead without a leader then swithched to leadcore leadore's now im on korda safe zone anti tangle leaders

 

i have a few of those korda leaders but i have very little confidence in them, they dont seem to hug the ground as much as leadcore and are as visible and obtrusive as tubing, IMO a good quality leadcore is the least visible leader/ least obtrusive than anything else with the exception of a clear flurocarbon leader- leadcore still holds the ground better so the fish is less likely to come into contact with it and spook like it can do of a fluro leader ( obviously no leader is least obtrusive )

 

Thats what i have found anyway:lol:

tottaly agree but where i fish leadcore is banned!!"!

[zander1 1]

Jandb1, you say that you use Korda leaders and yet your club bans leadcore, TBH there isnt much diffence in how thay are used so why have they banned the leadcore???

 

i suppose its because the korda leaders are short whereas people can use silly lengths of leadcore if they splice it themseves ,eg: 8 foot, like some idiot on a local pool near me that ended up tethering a carp.

[Guest jandb1]

Jandb1, you say that you use Korda leaders and yet your club bans leadcore, TBH there isnt much diffence in how thay are used so why have they banned the leadcore???

 

i suppose its because the korda leaders are short whereas people can use silly lengths of leadcore if they splice it themseves ,eg: 8 foot, like some idiot on a local pool near me that ended up tethering a carp.

on my water there is 5 lakes. the one i fish(quarry) has lots of damaged fish in it and the commitee have put banning leadcore on a trial to see if thats the problem. you really need to go on cdas forum to understand mate.

[carpingod150 0]

I've started using about 10 foot of fluorocarbon as a leader, without any tubing or leadcore etc and I haven't noticed that much difference in my catches, but its winter so I'm not sure. I'm going this week so I'll fish one alongside another and see how they perform

[tonybranno 3]

666 i do use a leader, sometimes flourocarbon or standard tubing. Last winter i did use just the mainline straight through to the end tackle and i never seen a lifted scale on a fish due to this

[salokcinnodrog 2,855]

Zander you are making it sound like im arguing the case, im not just trying to find out what other people use/how they do it

 

No, iv never lifted a scale when surface fishing, and neither have i lifted a scale when fishing on the bottom, but i would like to think im doing all i can to minimize the chance further by useing a leader of some sort, iv used a leader from day 1 so for me its a dont fix it if it aint broke situation, but with so many people saying they dont use a leader etc etc, it might be worth me having a play with a new tecnique and seeing if it does make any diff to my catch rate etc, but just not sure

 

Don't think its a trying to start an argument, maybe more of trying to get an explanation? Maybe slightly open to misinterpretation, but not for argument.

 

Wherever possible I try not to use a leader. I had been using Leadcore for ages, yet I'm worried about results after some experiments and the leadcore trapping Beads and Leads in twists on both Helicopter and Running Lead set-ups.

 

I have a serious Issue with Safe Zone Leaders; I have posted on them and the results that happened when one got jammed up.

 

I'm also worried about the knot and any bead being on the leader being trapped by the loop and the knot if any weed gets caught up in it, Safe Zone or not (sic). If a piece of weed gets trapped in the loop then that may prevent a bead passing over the knot. Even more concerned with something that has a pre-formed loop like a Specialist Manufactured oneJust my thoughts and something to experiment with. I have less worry for a standard Shockleader knot and mainline attachment.

 

I've fished waters where Leaders of all types are banned, and found that set-ups with no tubing produced no difference in numbers of takes than those with tubing. Never lifted a scale on tubing less rods either, and as has been pointed out, we use a freeline or tubing less set-up for floater fishing.

[the_transporter 0]

I've never used a leader yet and havn't seen any lifted scales on the ones that i have caught. Its all down to personal preferance

[tonybranno 3]

Jandb1, you say that you use Korda leaders and yet your club bans leadcore, TBH there isnt much diffence in how thay are used so why have they banned the leadcore???

 

Zander, take a normal length of leadcore and rub it along the top half of your bare naked leg in a sawing action a few times. You will then realise why fisheries ban it

 

I think the stuff is evil

[goblin 3]

too right, should be banned from every water in the country mate. does nothing you cant acheive with tubing and you risk soooo much with it through use. disgusting stuff. but hey the mags reccomend it. turds

[jemsue5 18]

Most people on here know my thoughts about leadcore and even some diehard leadcore fans have finally seen the light. This year as most of my fishing isnt at extreme range I am just using 15lb fox illusion fluoro straight through. It sinks like a stone is as tough as old boots and does all that I ask of it. As for lifting scales in 25 years of carping yes I have lifted one or two scales off carp but usually its landing nets that cause this and if you want to argue that we are damaging the carp by not using leaders I say thats rubbish.

[666carpcatcher 0]

Very rare i do use leadcore i mainly use tubing or a leader of some sort but 99.9% its tubing and have done so from the start of my carp fishing, (mainly cus i was told to from the start and got into a habit of useing it) so mainly i wanted to get peoples veiws on fishing without one

[stoogi 62]

Obviously no-one wants to see scales lifted, but even if it happens, it's not the worst that can happen. Carp do far more damage to themselves whilst spawning. We all (should) carry antiseptic with us anyway.

[carpingod150 0]

I'm not trying to argue the case of leadcore, as I too, don't use it anymore, but in two years of using it for carping, I'm 99.9% sure I've never done a fish any harm using it. I now use, nearly all the time, a 8-10ft lenght of fluoro, and then, next to the lead, a tiny length of ESP tubing, just the same length as my hooklink, to avoid any tangles, and no, I've not lifted a scale so far.

 

The only time I ever use it is on a very small, snaggy lake near me, and even thn I only use a 5inch section, with the lead inner removed, and a helicopter set up on this, with a ring spliced to the end, and you then tie the lead onto the ring with 2lb mono. Becase the lakes so small, you can reach the far side with a decent underarm cast, but there's some serious snags I fish to, and if you get a fish, you need the lead to eject, which it will with this rig. I believe it's latet incarnation is called the 'Chodernoster', but I'm sure someone came up with it before Tel started using it. Its easier to look at the pics...

http://www.carpology.net/downloads/theme7.pdf

 

I tend to use it with a normal hooklink, rateher that a chod rig, but the bottom is fairly silty, and it just sits on top of that nicely

[levigsp 409]

Jandb1, you say that you use Korda leaders and yet your club bans leadcore, TBH there isnt much diffence in how thay are used so why have they banned the leadcore???

 

i suppose its because the korda leaders are short whereas people can use silly lengths of leadcore if they splice it themseves ,eg: 8 foot, like some idiot on a local pool near me that ended up tethering a carp.

The reason most fisheries ban leadcore is that it sometimes stops the lead coming of ect,you should not have the problem with nylon coated leaders as the two work differently.

[levigsp 409]

I am afraid I am going to have to upset some people here,if you did some experiments on the tackle you use,instead of folowing the crowd,you would realise why leadcore should be banned.

Firstly get a lengh of leadcore spliced both ends,then attatch to the reel line with a lead on the end,make a few casts them remove the leadcore.

Now very slowly examine the leadcore and you will no dought find that the core itself has come through the braided coating somewhere,which on use forms a kink that things eg beads,leads,safety clips cannot slide over.

Photo1 of above happening.

Second if you realy put the leadcore under pressure,eg fasten the leadend to a post and pull on the mainline for a break,emulating a fish break under pressure of a fight,then you will find the core through the side wall again for definate,and with the same effect ,that the things on the leadcore cannot slide off.

Photo 2 showing the doubled up lead,and resulting kink/knot after a break in mainline.

Thirdley leadcore is very abrasive so makes a mess of fish,its another case of fish at all costs.

If you must use leadcore than why not use the smooth nylon coverd stuff,the abovethings cannot happen.

I was using leadcore 30 years ago so did my experiments then

Nowdays I use polyleaders,which I stole from my salmon fishing{so did matt hayse ect}they were the forunners of safezone tfg ect.

I have never had a knot in one yet,after thousands of casts

Lastly I have on countless occasions seen carp lose scales though not useing leaders,and only yesterday on the box watching kev green on carp crew catching a great line mirror of the top,you could quite clearly see one scale ripped out of the pocket.

On the same program as above a fish was shown with a piece of its caudial fin missing,guess what?pound to a penny it was the result of bare line

We as anglers have to accept that sometimes these things happen,but we should also do everything in our power to stop it.

This to my mind means--Leaders,discharge leadclips,good nets,weighsling,and matts.

And if all that fails a bottle of something to help the fish heal

[tonybranno 3]

Second if you realy put the leadcore under pressure,eg fasten the leadend to a post and pull on the mainline for a break,emulating a fish break under pressure of a fight,then you will find the core through the side wall again for definate

 

I noticed this was ALWAYS happening when i used the Korda leadcore leaders.

[carpingod150 0]

I am afraid I am going to have to upset some people here,if you did some experiments on the tackle you use,instead of folowing the crowd,you would realise why leadcore should be banned.

Firstly get a lengh of leadcore spliced both ends,then attatch to the reel line with a lead on the end,make a few casts them remove the leadcore.

Now very slowly examine the leadcore and you will no dought find that the core itself has come through the braided coating somewhere,which on use forms a kink that things eg beads,leads,safety clips cannot slide over.

Photo1 of above happening.

Second if you realy put the leadcore under pressure,eg fasten the leadend to a post and pull on the mainline for a break,emulating a fish break under pressure of a fight,then you will find the core through the side wall again for definate,and with the same effect ,that the things on the leadcore cannot slide off.

Photo 2 showing the doubled up lead,and resulting kink/knot after a break in mainline.

Thirdley leadcore is very abrasive so makes a mess of fish,its another case of fish at all costs.

If you must use leadcore than why not use the smooth nylon coverd stuff,the abovethings cannot happen.

I was using leadcore 30 years ago so did my experiments then

Nowdays I use polyleaders,which I stole from my salmon fishing{so did matt hayse ect}they were the forunners of safezone tfg ect.

I have never had a knot in one yet,after thousands of casts

Lastly I have on countless occasions seen carp lose scales though not useing leaders,and only yesterday on the box watching kev green on carp crew catching a great line mirror of the top,you could quite clearly see one scale ripped out of the pocket.

On the same program as above a fish was shown with a piece of its caudial fin missing,guess what?pound to a penny it was the result of bare line

We as anglers have to accept that sometimes these things happen,but we should also do everything in our power to stop it.

This to my mind means--Leaders,discharge leadclips,good nets,weighsling,and matts.

And if all that fails a bottle of something to help the fish heal

 

I disagree here, I've used Nash leadcore, and this happened, so, needless to say I binned it, but since moving over to ESP leadcoe this hasn't happened at all, in over a year of use

[levigsp 409]

The evidence is above I need!nt say more

Even if it didnt cone through it still would kink,and its abbrasive.