# Tarpon leader



## LPKENNER (Apr 26, 2006)

I know I'm early, but I'm messing around with my tarpon setups already. Question is.. For casting with **** pops, how long of a mono leader is typically used? I have 60lb braid main line on the reel. Do you prefer to tie directly to main line then loop knot to lure, or a swivel in there? I used 80lb mono last year with a swivel but I don't think leader was long enough. Didn't jump any the few times I got to go. I'm hoping this years different.

The silver king dreams are hitting me early this year!


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

LP, I'm curious as to why you prefer mono for your leader with Tarpon casting lures that sink? 

My fishing for Tarpon these days is with the fly rod, but same principles apply. Flouro is superior at invisibility, resistance to abrasion, sinking, and no stretch. 

Not being argumentative, really, just wondering why mono is preferred? 

I like loop knots and direct tie with something like surgeons to the main line. Just my opinion. 

Silver King dreams are the right stuff!!


----------



## LPKENNER (Apr 26, 2006)

No I agree, that does make sense! I may buy some flouro as well to make up some leaders. But how long do you you like to make your leader?


----------



## Masoud (Feb 25, 2016)

I'm not a Texas angler nor do I target Tarpon but I do make a lot of leaders and throw poppers/stick baits at Amberjacks and Tuna. I sure can't give you advice on a Tarpon leader but I can give you a little advice to get you headed in the right direction.

When it comes to throwing lures at fish on the surface there are two things that you want, the first is to be able to accurately cast the lure and the second is that if the need arises, be able to cast a long distance. The rod action, lure weight range, reel, line, leader and your proficiency combine to determine your casting accuracy and distance.

You never said what kind of #60 braid you were spooled up with so I can only make a few comments about braid that night be helpful to you. The coarser the braid the more friction when casting which means less distance. The diameter of the line can make a difference as well. For line with a breaking strength around #60 I use Berkley Trilene Professional #40. It tests out with a breaking strength of over #65 consistently, it's economical, it's thinner than #60 braid, weights less than #60 braid, give more line capacity than #60 braid and it will give you more distance casting.

You never mentioned your set up so I couldn't begin to compare it to anything. I always test my set ups tying by the mainline directly to lures to find out which lure, style and weight, loads the rods up to the sweet spot for the longest casts. With that information I can see readily see the effect of my leader on casting distance.

I don't know anyone throwing poppers with spinning gear that has the leader material wound on the spool. If you hear leader slap on the guides, know that each slap knocks off a bit of distance on the cast. On conventional reels a lot of leader on the spool can affect casting distance as well if the leader has formed spool memory. A knot joining the leader to the mainline hitting the guides on the way out will knock some distance off the cast as well.

Both monofilament and Fluorocarbon leader material stretch more than you would think. The reason I know this is because I preload most of the leaders I make to 50% of the leader rating to serve them. I use Fluorocarbon for leader shy species and abrasion resistance, other than that I use monofilament for most of my leaders. 

My preference is for loop to loop wind on leaders because they fill every leader need that I have but they might not be your cup of tea. For L/L on spinning gear the mainline loop should be out past your finger when holding the line to cast. For tied on leaders the knot should be off the spool and past your finger as well. For popping tuna I use a leader that has about an 8 inch insert all of which is outside of the tip when casting, it's not a very long leader and I only use those for AJ and Tuna because that's when I find that sometimes I need to squeeze every inch out of a cast to put the lures where they need to land.

Practice casting, it's good therapy and it will gain you proficiency. Check your servings/knots for wear and damage caused by going through the guides and after each fish if it's a battle. I hope I didn't ramble on and that I have given you some advice that you will find useful. Tight lines to you.


----------



## Masoud (Feb 25, 2016)

A couple things I forgot, tying line to leader PR Knot is first choice, Mid Knot is second and FG Knot is third choice. To connect terminal gear I would tie a #150 BB swivel to the leader with a TN Knot and connect the swivel to the lure using a SOM Ocean Snap OS4.


----------



## BrandonFox (Jan 8, 2013)

4-6 foot leader, uni-uni to the braid.


----------



## TrueblueTexican (Aug 29, 2005)

*Crazy Alberto*

And a drop of super glue on braid - mono topshot 20' to braid. Your leaders need to be at least 102" to stop tail whip.

We have always used Seaguar 130# fluorocarbon top shot, Avet 4/0 reels. Haven't failed a connection in years. And the heavy leader will allow you to handle most Tarpon boatside, see far too many tarpon with busted off **** pop circles hangin in a lip. With Avet and educated thumb you can cast a mile.

Crazy Alberto is easy to tie, but we recently started experimenting with Sebile splice.


----------



## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Mizpah can probably jump in here. He's the ****-pop casting king around here. My preference is a direct knot between leader and braid. My preference on braid is 80 lb. on spinning. 60 lb. is probably better on conventional casting. 

Leader should be 100 lb. or slightly better. With 80 lb. braid the issue is visibility of the braid. About four feet on the leader length works under most instances, but you can use as long a leader as you can cast.

If you use swivels, be sure and use the smallest dark colored ones you can get away with. Makeral can be a problem cutting you off with more visible swivels.

On my conventional casting **** pops I use mono main line of at least 30 lbs. 

I personally don't throw **** pops myself. I usually have a few rigged but my preference is DOAs or home made similar lures that I pour myself. I use spinning reels to throw that. More hookups. If you have smaller fish, sometimes to hard to get a hook t stick but the 100 lb. plus fish, the DOAs stick pretty good. Setting the hook right is key.


----------



## LPKENNER (Apr 26, 2006)

Thanks for the helps guys. I actually am using flourocarbon now. 80lb. I am going to get some more this week a little stronger. I like to tie directly to the braid and I like the looks of the knot in the post above. I use the unit to uni for trout fishing but I think this one will go through the eyes a lot easier for this big line.

I guess the backstory to this is that I went with a guide in '13 for the first time here in Galveston and had a pretty awesome day. Matter of fact, screwed me up real good!! All I can think about is getting back out there! We casted **** pops the whole time and i wanted to try on my own. I tried last year but didn't have very much luck. Only saw 1 ****. I didn't get to go when the weather was right, I went when I could go, that was my first mistake. We did catch some ling a few times, so that made the trips worth while!

For my first year really ever going past the jetties, I got a 7-1/2" Shimano med heavy rod and a Calcutta 700. I know there better setups but I felt good with this for now. Casting is not a problem. I went with 65lb pp slick. I am still playing with everything, but this year I hope to spend less time in the bay and more time out in the gulf. I am going to get another setup this year as well and slowly build he arsenal


----------

