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I am going to explain how I splice braided line to fluorocarbon for spinning rod or bait casting applications. The reason we do that is because we're using the advantages of both lines. I'm using a Seaguar SmackDown 15-pound high-visibility braided line. The reason we use braid on the spinning reel is that when I open this bale, the line doesn't just coil off because braid has virtually no memory. It has a stronger weight-to-diameter ratio so I can use a 15-pound test and have the same diameter of a six-pound mono or fluorocarbon, so it's easier to manage. It casts further, and it's going to give me more sensitivity. It also has virtually no stretch, so I'm going to feel all those bites no matter how deep I'm fishing.
With all of those advantages of braid, one of the disadvantages is that the fish are going to be able to see it. On a lake with really clear water where I can see 15 or 16 feet down, I want to use a really high-quality fluorocarbon leader. Often, I'll throw Seaguar Tatsu. Now that Seaguar has Gold Label leader, oftentimes I will go with this. I've got eight-pound Tatsu and I've got 10-pound Gold Label. What you really want to pay attention to is the line size diameter. The eight-pound has a diameter of 0.009. The 10-pound Gold Label also has a diameter of 0.009. When you're finesse fishing, you want minimal line diameter. Now, if I was going to throw this in a brush pile, standing timber or something like that, I may go up to a 12-pound test so that I've got a little bit more abrasion resistance and I'm gonna be able to manage that, but I'm gonna still throw the same braided line.
The rest of what I want to share with you is visual, so please check out the video above for a demonstration of how to use a Crazy Alberto Knot to join the leader to the braided line!
--Pro Angler Brandon Palaniuk
