# Shark Leader Material?



## saltbranch (Apr 6, 2012)

Last year I was using .130 weedeater line for most of my leaders. I have some made from 700 lb mono that I bought.
Anyone else use weedeater line? Thoughts on it?
Last summer was my first full summer/fall to shark fish in 20 some odd years and a 6'+ bull was our biggest catch and with little fight. So I do not have any big fights on the weedeater line to make a judgement. I have read pros/cons other places.
At work I have access to be able to pull test line. I tested some of the leaders I made last year with Weedeater line. On our small machine the biggest # we hit was right at 350-ish lbs, the problem we had was the stretch. The leader started out being 3' long. In our small test bed we maxed the length out in 3 pulls and had to move it to a bigger test machine. That machine does not read in 100 lbs so I could not get a pound break on it. We stretched it to 11' long before it broke. So the line stretch 9' before breaking. I think I am going to try a test with 700 lb mono and new .130 to see what happens..
This year I am going to 40-50' leaders from WE line or Mono and use 2-3' coated cables for my drops,then using floats at top. Last year I was going 15'-20' with cable drops.
I would like to hear what you guys with experience think and suggest?


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## troutless (Feb 17, 2006)

You might want to check the tkf board in the btb section they good info.
Also go to FTU and check out all of the leaders materials


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

Just say no to weedeater line. Use real tackle. I'll never understand why people don't just buy proper leader line, all that money and time and effort and thought and prep just to go cheap on the terminal end of the entire rig. Will it work? Sure... Will a Snoopy rod & real work for trophy trout in Baffin Bay? Sure...


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## illesr23 (Oct 22, 2013)

Never tried weedeater line but I use 15-20' of 400lb mono with 3'-4' of 270lb coated 49 strand cable with copper 2.4mm double sleeves. Also caught 2 6 foot bulls last year with no problems. Only times I have been broken off were due to the 100lb power pro breaking(probably rubbing on sand bar). Having a float helps with retrieving your stuff when you break off. Will 400lb mono hold up to bigger sharks? I have yet to find out.


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## AguaMala (Feb 28, 2012)

Buddy had this today. I didn't know if he was going fishing or weedeating the yard.


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## jimj100 (Dec 1, 2012)

I would worry about the tape on the eye of the hook. That circle hook is going to need to rotate at some point as the shark turns and swims off with the bait in its mouth. I make a fairly big loop in my crimped cable or haywire twist single strand so it has lots of freedom of movement.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

jimj100 said:


> I would worry about the tape on the eye of the hook. That circle hook is going to need to rotate at some point as the shark turns and swims off with the bait in its mouth. I make a fairly big loop in my crimped cable or haywire twist single strand so it has lots of freedom of movement.


Agreed, I always have a nice big loop on the eye of a circle hook to be sure it can move freely and do what it's designed to do.


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## AguaMala (Feb 28, 2012)

He's just starting out. I told him to salvage the hook a coastlock snap swivel, an junk the rest. Before he loses a good shark to one of those improperly crimped crimps. Crimps look like they were crimped crossways with lineman pliers.


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

He needs to get the coast lock out of the middle of his rig, that's the first thing that will fail with a big shark, and he needs to go up about 5 sizes on his swivels. 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

sharkchum said:


> He needs to *get the coast lock out of the middle of his rig*, that's the first thing that will fail with a big shark, and he needs to go up about 5 sizes on his swivels.


Oh hell I didn't even notice that. That is bad.


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## ronnie collins (May 21, 2004)

burn the end of the mono to make a small mushroom, then crimp. it will not pull thru if crimped good.


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## AguaMala (Feb 28, 2012)

He needs to make his own or buy better quality leaders


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## IrishSharker (Jan 20, 2015)

I also keep a large loop connecting my large circle hooks but in saying that people that catfish hard often times Snell their circle hooks, I have a few smaller circles on all mono rigs I've done like what's in the pic and have had good luck with hookups.


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## matagordamudskipper (Feb 18, 2006)

Snelling is the way to go if the line is small enough(can't snell 700#-1200# mono). I power snell every circle hook I can. I don't crimp large loops and have had good luck, to each their own. If it works for you and like it go for it.


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## 69*camaro (Aug 16, 2008)

It has been a couple of years since we shark fished with serious intent. I switched from weedeater to flourocarbon due to stretch and seemed to have a better hookup rate.


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## Picudo Azul (Apr 29, 2014)

7X7stainless steel 3/32 cable is the answer to the question.


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## troutless (Feb 17, 2006)

I used to BTB fish for BU and Sharks at HI and my hook up rate improved when 
I went to 400# mono and never got bit off. The. I haven't caught a real big Shark, the bigist around 6ft. I haven't used wire since.


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