Twisted Leaders or Single Strand ?

[Earl Hamilton]

Hi guys,
Its been a while since I posted, but you guys do cover things pretty well as I see when I visit the forum most days to catch up.I just finished a stint preparing a bunch of twisted leaders for an exploratory trip to a completely unknown and unquantified area to us at least, in the northern Islands of Sulawesi, Indonesia, in the Celebes sea. The trip unfortunately was postponed, and left me time to consider the needs. However, I do now have a question. What are the criteria for choosing a twisted leader over a single strand leader or visa versa ? What are the benefits and disadvantages of each ?

[Brandon Khoo]

Earl, much of this is determined by personal choice. You will find there are strong proponents of each who will argue the merits of why one attachment is better than another. I use both so I'm in the middle ground. I persoally beleive there are benefits to both.

Single strand leaders are normally attached by way of a PR, FG or mid knot. All of these are time consuming to tie but result in a very fine connection. The mid and FG knot can be tied without a tool but the PR knot requires a bobbin to tie. The advantage of the single strand leader is that it casts beautifully and may be a better attachment where fish are shy and/or visibility is very good so fish may be able to see the twisted leader. Some people argue that the attachment of a long bite leader to the end of a twisted leader nullifies this advantage.

These knots are fussy to tie and require a lot of practice to develop the necessary expertise. That said, a well tied knot this way is as strong as any attachment I've used. I use PR and FG knots myself and while I have had a failure on a FG knot, I have noone but myself to blame as it wasn't well-tied. I have never had a failure with a PR knot nor have I ever had one that even looks like slipping. This disadvantage of these are that they are very time consuming to tie. These would be hell to tie in a rocking boat so if you want to use these attachments, you will need a number of spools with the leader pre-tied.

Twisted leaders are very convenient and can be very easy to attach quickly if you know how. If you can tie a bimimi competently in a boat, you can attach a twistie very quickly and you're back fishing straight away. The disadvantage of twisties is they don't cast quite as well a single strand leader. You also need to learn to attach them properly to the braid otherwise the bimimi loop will cut through the twisted leader loop.

For me, I now nearly always use a single strand leader with a stickbait and for a poppper, I use either. I am pretty convinced that I am better off using a single strand leader for a stickbait.

A question I have been asked in the past is whether a single strand 200lb leader would be as abrasion resistant as a twisted 100lb leader. I don't really know! What I can say though is that you need a softer leader material to tie a single strand leader whereas you can use just about anything for a twisted leader. I tend to use Penn 10X which is the toughest leader material I have found. I have no doubt whatsoever that the 10X is a tougher leader material than what I am currently using for my single strand leaders.

To me, there's a place for both in my tackle box.

[Kasey Leong]

Thanks Brandon,
I never really thought about the 'stealth' aspect of single strand. Most people that I do know use 170lb. May I enquire more, as to how you finish it off? Is there a bite leader?

I guess I better remember and practice how to tie my FG-knot!

[Brandon Khoo]

for a stickbait, I tend to just tie it to a swivel whereas for a popper, I sometimes create a bite segment.
I generally use 200lb.

FG knots are not difficult. You just have to make sure it bites into the leader and then ensure your half hitches are very tight.

[Earl Hamilton]

Hi Brandon,
Its appears that you reiterate my own thoughts . The camps are devided and the choice is a personal preference for the merits of one over the other. The twisted leaders are certainly an advantage in covenience for attachment, and they have superior shock absorbing properties-however I think there could be some hook penetration issues if the twisty is too long and elastic, especially if the twisty is made out of a soft mono. Against twisted leaders is that the casting ability is affected and there are stealth issues with visibility especially in clear water.
For me the dilema is that I believe the twisty is more reliable in holding bolting fish once they are hooked, but the issue of visibility with twisties dents my confidence in getting the fish to take the hook in the first place!
The debate will continue !

[Brandon Khoo]

Earl, on the issue of shock absorption, I'm not sure that twisties are actually better. Some of the Japanese leaders are made specifically for use as single strand leaders and are made with an amazing level of elasticity in them. Fisherman shock leader is one.

For me,it is a debate which I have little interest in. I use what I have confidence in and it works for me. I can't understand why some people try to enforce their views over others in this regard when it is clear that both systems work and have worked over the period of time. The twisted leader proponents will argue that the single strand attachment cannot be trusted and is too time-consuming to tie, that it has superior abrasion qualitites etc and the single strand leader camp argues it casts better, that twisties are visible in the water, that the way twisted leaders are finished with a nail knot or a bite leader is a weak point etc etc. I've pretty sure I've heard it all over time. I can only encourage you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each and that whatever system you use, you learn to tie it properly. Your knots and attachments will take care of you if you take care when tying them.

[Earl Hamilton]

I must try to get hold of some of these shock leader products and give them a whirl when I get the chance, as I feel they could offer a solution. I have only seen them mentioned here for popping, apart from those that have been around in the fly fishing world which do not have the breaking strains required for heavy popping, but thats why I do come here to learn from others who have the experience, and I thank you all for that. 25 years ago it was not possible to interact with imformation the way we can today on the internet.
As for knots, I'm also a fly fisherman, and knots have to be learned, perfected and trusted, or your left in a world of frustration-popping and jigging is no different in this respect.

[Andrew Poulos]

I'm landbased and fish off the rocks and have changed from twisted leaders to a single strand for a try for a few reasons:
#longer length of single leaders to prevent braid hitting the rocks
#easier to cast(though not too sure how much)
#less visible in clear conditions
#hopefully a bit more stretch to reduce pulled hooks

I was using twisted leaders made from 60 or 80lb lines, and now am using a single of 100lb in black magic leader. Braid bites into the supple one quite well. Will see how that goes and may go up to 125lb next for my usual targets. I've used a PR knot, and will just carry twisted leaders with me should I need to replace on location as I wont be sitting on the rocks using a bobbin to put together a new rig.

[Brandon Khoo]

I think that is a really sensible approach, Andrew. if you need to , you can always whip up a bimimi double and attach a twisted leader. Kings are a lot more particular than GTs in what they will hit. It seems to me that a king needs to be convinced about something before it will have a bite. A GT on the other hand will hit first on suspicion.

I'm landbased and fish off the rocks and have changed from twisted leaders to a single strand for a try for a few reasons:
#longer length of single leaders to prevent braid hitting the rocks
#easier to cast(though not too sure how much)
#less visible in clear conditions
#hopefully a bit more stretch to reduce pulled hooks

I was using twisted leaders made from 60 or 80lb lines, and now am using a single of 100lb in black magic leader. Braid bites into the supple one quite well. Will see how that goes and may go up to 125lb next for my usual targets. I've used a PR knot, and will just carry twisted leaders with me should I need to replace on location as I wont be sitting on the rocks using a bobbin to put together a new rig.