Leader-specific materials

When it comes to braid-to-leader combinations, there are many different options for what to use. It can often be overwhelming for an angler when looking at all the different options of braid and fluorocarbon, and it can sometimes be challenging to know which ones to choose when you don’t know the differences between them.

This is why we design leader-specific lines at Sunline to meet the anglers’ needs when looking for that perfect line that performs well when tied to a braid main line.

Leader-specific materials are unique as they have certain characteristics that stand out more than other fluorocarbon lines, such as superior abrasion resistance, sensitivity, and strength required for those heavy hooksets and hard-fighting fish.

A braid-to-leader combination can be used for many different techniques, and there are tons of benefits to using braid-to-leader. For more information, check out our in-depth article on the benefits of using braid to a fluorocarbon leader. 

What Jeremy Lawyer Uses for Leader-Specific Lines

One of the most experienced anglers when it comes to using our leader-specific materials is Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour angler Jeremy Lawyer. Lawyer has over $1 million in career earnings with MLF, including his wins on the BFL All-American level, Toyota Series level, and Pro Circuit level.

Lawyer primarily uses braid-to-leader combinations on his spinning reels tied with an FG knot, and he has a few different options that he likes, depending on the situation he is fishing.

FC Leader

Starting with the leader material, he usually uses a 10-pound FC Leader, especially in the Midwest where he is from. For baitcasting setups, he likes to use higher sizes like the 14, 16, or 20-pound tests depending on how heavy the cover he is fishing or how big the fish are that he is targeting.

The FC Leader material is specifically designed for tying to braided lines because of its superior braid-to-leader knot strength rating, perfect amount of stretch, and triple resin processing, which improves abrasion resistance and knot tying when tying knots like the FG knot, Quintet knot, or Albright knot.

Tornado V Hard FC

Lawyer prefers the 10-pound Tornade V Hard FC leader material when targeting bigger largemouth, stripers, or catfish. Then, he goes down in size to 7-pound Tornade V Hard when targeting smallmouth around current or zebra mussels.

This line is coated with Plasma Rise Technology, which is a hard glass-like polymer layer that creates ultimate abrasion resistance and water repellency, which is important for drifting in current for smallmouth with lures like drop shots, ned rigs, or any other lure that drags on the bottom.

Tepa Tapered FC Leader

If fishing around boat docks or trees, Lawyer uses the 8 to 12-pound Tepa Tapered FC Leader. He chooses this line when he is fishing hard pieces of cover that his FG knot could brush up against as he is reeling it in, so he wants to have a stronger line tied to the braid while having a thinner line at the lure.

If you are wanting to try this tapered leader on a baitcasting setup, try the 36-pound to 16-pound or the 36-pound to 22-pound sizes.

Nylon Leader

If you're looking for a leader material with a little more stretch or if you want to keep your lure shallower, try the Nylon Leader. Like the FC Leader, it's designed for tying to our braided lines because of its superior braid-to-leader knot strength rating and triple resin processing for better abrasion resistance and improved knot tying. This high-quality nylon line is extremely rare in the market, and it also reduces water absorption more than other nylon lines, which prevents breakage issues.

Shooter Fluorocarbon

Outside of using leader-specific materials, Lawyer does have one standard fluorocarbon that he occasionally uses as a leader. Because of its superior abrasion resistance and sensitivity, Lawyer might choose 7 or 8-pound Shooter fluorocarbon tied to his braid when fishing around rock piles with a drop shot or when targeting largemouth around boat docks and cables.

Braided Lines to Pair with Leaders

For many anglers, choosing which braid to use can be as overwhelming as choosing your fluorocarbon leader; however, it doesn’t have to be that complicated if you know the situation in which you are fishing! To be ready for any situation out on the water, Jeremy Lawyer has a few different options for his braided lines as well.

Almight Sinking Braid

When targeting fish with forward-facing sonar using spinning rods, he chooses the 18-pound pink Almight Sinking Braid to get his lure down to the fish faster. By being 50% heavier than traditional braided lines, the Almight sinking braid reduces line drift caused by wind and waves. This not only results in getting the lure to the fish faster, but also creates better lure contact allowing the angler to feel the most subtle bites from the fish.

Overwatch Braid

Another great option as a braided line for spinning reels is the Overwatch Braid, ranging from 8 to 18-pound tests. This braid is a metered braid featuring 30 inches of dark green line alternating with 12 inches of chartreuse line for high visibility. It is also an 8-strand braid that has flexibility for improved handling on spinning reels and a slick surface allowing for greater casting distance and less guide friction.

Xplasma Asegai Braid

When fishing in current, Lawyer prefers the 12-pound light green Xplasma Asegai Braid because of its water repellency, allowing the lure to perform more efficiently. Similar to the Tornade V Hard fluorocarbon leader, this braid is coated with a P-Ion plasma technology that causes it to be more water-repellent, abrasion-resistant, slicker, and longer lasting than other lines.

SX1 Braid

When fishing around vegetation, Lawyer loves the 16-pound yellow SX1 Braid because of its rough texture that allows it to cut through anything like a knife.

Siglon PE AMZ

When fishing in cold weather or when needing something with the most abrasion resistance, strength, slickness, and durability, he chooses the 18-pound orange Siglon PE AMZ Braid. The AMZ is our top-of-the-line highest quality braid, but try the regular Siglon PEx8 if you’re looking for a more affordable yet reliable option.

If using braid-to-leader on a baitcasting setup, we recommend using a minimum of 30-pound braid and matching the diameters of your fluorocarbon to your braid as much as possible. Please note that diameters are different from pound tests, especially regarding fluorocarbon/nylon versus braid. Braid is always a smaller diameter than fluorocarbon even if it is the same pound test.

Jeremy's Rods of Choice

Jeremy Lawyer has a few options for choosing the right spinning rod for his braid-to-leader techniques. When fishing deeper, setting the hook after long-distance casts, or fishing for largemouth, he generally reaches for a 7-foot 4-inch Denali Lithium Pro medium heavy power spinning rod.

When targeting smallmouth or needing to land fish by hand, like in tournaments where it is illegal to use a landing net, he prefers a shorter rod such as a 7-foot Denali Android medium power dropshot spinning rod or a longer rod with more of a moderate bend like the 7-foot 6-inch Denali Kovert medium power spinning rod.