Jigging Leaders: Why You Need One & How to Choose It

Understanding Leader Line for Jigging Yields More Fish

When doing any type of jigging, whether it be vertical, slow pitch, speed, or bottom bouncing, braid is the best option for your main line. Anglers need to use a leader when jigging because braid has qualities that make for a great main line, such as high sensitivity and little to no stretch, but it also has two qualities that make it unsuitable to be tied directly to the lure. Those two qualities are braid’s high visibility and low abrasion resistance. The use of a leader line between the main line and the jig eliminates these negative qualities of braid.

Some fish are skittish when they see fishing line. Braid is easy to see, so anglers need to consider using a leader that isn’t as noticeable in the water. Fluoro is virtually invisible in the water, so using it can help secure of bite from even the most skittish fish.

Often times, jigging is done near structure such as a reef, wreck, or drop off. These environments tend to hurt fishing line after repeated contact. If you were to tie your main line braid directly to your jig, and then get snagged on rocks or coral, the braid can end up fraying and even splitting off. Frayed braid line will cause loss of line strength, so much so that you may lose your fish and your jig right as you’re setting the hook. Anglers naturally want to avoid losing their expensive jigs and the fish of a lifetime. Experienced anglers will use a monofilament leader when jigging near structure to protect against deterioration of the main line braid.

Stretch in a leader line can act as a shock absorber. If a fish is hooked and has a sudden and strong pull, a monofilament leader can absorb some of that sudden shock without putting the strain the main line braid. This can prevent your line from snapping off and help ensure your fish makes it to the boat.

When jigging near toothy fish, anglers will even opt for a wire leader. Wire leaders can withstand the sharpest bites, and are a must when jigging near species such as bluefish or kingfish. Although wire is the most difficult leader to camouflage, it can be a necessary tool when in the presence of certain fish. When slow pitch jigging into toothy fish, the assist hooks are most likely to be the part that gets bit off. Anglers will use wire or cable to attach the assist hooks to the split ring when this happens.

Some jigs spin or twist when used, such as Shimano’s Butterfly Monarch Jig that has a circular action on the fall. As you might imagine, this can cause line twist that can become a mess on your reel. Leader lines are often used with a swivel to prevent a spinning jig from twisting the main line braid.

To read more about the best line to use for jigging, read my article “Is Braid or Mono Best for Jigging? And What Pound Test?”

A Long Leader is the Way to Go for a Jigging Setup

The best length to use for leader line varies based on a few environmental characteristics. If you’re jigging into a lot of rocks or a wreck offshore, a longer leader, a 30 ft is a good starting point. I’d recommend having a few spare leaders ready to go in 30 ft length. With a 30 foot length, if your leader ends up getting bit off, you may have enough length left to tie on another jig without redoing the leader.

You’ll also need to make sure your leader is long enough to ensure the braid doesn’t rub against the gunwale of your boat if the fish gets under it. You could lose a tuna with a 10 ft leader that gets snapped off when it's the fish is not far from the boat. Also consider how you’ll be getting the fish in the boat. If you’re planning on grabbing the line, wrapping it around your hand one or two good times to get it to the gaff, you need to make sure your leader is long enough for the line you grab to be the mono or Fluoro leader, and not the braid. If you grab the braid, you’re asking for some painful cuts in your hand.

Here are a few different leaders lengths for different types of jigging.

• Leader length for Bluefin tuna vertical jigging: 15-30 feet

Bluefin Tuna are known to be leader shy. When vertical jigging offshore for this species, you’re often in nearly 200 ft of water, and a high gunwale boat, so a longer leader is better. The length also helps ensure the mono will be the one rubbing against the side of the boat if the fish moves all over.  

• Leader length for slow pitch jigging: 15-30 feet

When slow pitch jigging, light main line is used, usually 30 lb test braid. Even with the lower strength line, you could hook a fish capable of snapping your line if you don’t have any shock absorption. I always lean towards the longer leaders and rig mine up with 30 feet of fluorocarbon or monofilament, depending on where I’m fishing. If a fish jerks away too hard and your drag is set tight and your leader is too short, you’ll risk your main line breaking and losing the fish and jig.

In Some Cases, the Strength of the Leader Line Should be Lighter Than Your Main Line for Jigging, and Sometimes It Should Be Heavier

The strength of leader line is another important aspect of your jigging setup to consider. Leaders can be lighter, stronger, or the same strength rating as the main line, depending on the situation. I choose a lighter strength when I need the leader to be invisible, a stronger strength when I’m around rough structure, and the same strength if I’m somewhere in between. The target species and conditions of the day can change, so I usually have spare leaders in my lure bag to change them out if I need to.

When I’m fishing clear water, on a sunny day, I’m usually looking for the leader strength that will be as unseen as possible, without being so light that it’ll snap off. For these conditions, I’ll reach for the invisible leader fluorocarbon in a thinner diameter strength. I’ll usually go down one to two steps of line strength size when doing this, for example if I’m jigging with 30 lb test braid main line, I might do a 20 lb test fluorocarbon leader on a clear day in depths less than 100 ft. A weaker leader is better when your goal is to disguise your leader line.

If I’m jigging a reef, I usually take the more protective stance and use a step up in leader strength. The stronger the leader line, the thicker the diameter is, and the more resistant it is to getting snapped off. For the same reason, I’ll choose a stronger leader line when there are toothy fish around. Be careful not to choose a strength that’s too much higher than your braid. Choosing a strength that’s too high can have the undesirable effect of scaring the fish away.

Most of the time, the water isn’t perfectly clear, the sky isn’t perfectly clear, and I’m jigging a drop off with little to no abrasion risk. On days like this, I’ll choose a leader with the same strength as my main line. One of the positive things about using leader lines is that if you change your mind during the day and want a different leader strength, it’s something you can change while you’re out on the boat.

Monofilament, Fluorocarbon, and Wire Leaders: Each of Them Have Their Time & Place When Jigging

Braid is undoubtedly the best main line for jigging, but with so many different fisheries and situations, anglers sometimes struggle to choose which material to use for a jigging leader line. Once the different characteristics of each line material are well understood, the choice between monofilament, fluorocarbon, and wire leader material for jigging becomes simple. Monofilament leader line is best when jigging around rough structure like reefs, wrecks, or rocks. Fluorocarbon leader line is best when jigging in clear water or targeting leader shy fish like tuna. Wire leaders are necessary to prevent getting bit off when jigging for toothy fish like barracuda.

Monofilament is a stretchy material with high abrasion resistance. It also has the advantage of being the most affordable fishing line and you can almost guarantee you’ll be able to find some mono in any bait or tackle store. The stretch of mono gives it great shock absorption qualities. When you hook in to a big fish that’s going to do rapid and jerky movements to get away, you’ll need shock absorption to prevent the hook from ripping out of the fish’s mouth. As well as preventing the hook from ripping out, it’ll soften the movements you’ll have to endure as you hold the rod and reel. I recommend using a mono leader line when jigging near a reef or rocks, and when jigging for big game fish.

Fluorocarbon is another leader material choice with different qualities than monofilament. Fluorocarbon is effectively invisible in the water which makes it a fantastic leader choice when targeting leader shy fish. Similar to monofilament, fluorocarbon has high abrasion resistant and works well when jigging in rocks or near coral. The sensitivity is where fluorocarbon has a great advantage over mono when jigging. When jigging, the angler relies on feeling when the jig has contact with the bottom, and when the jig gets bit. The sensitivity of the line is what transmits this feeling back to the angler. Fluorocarbon is very sensitive, and helps the angler feel the jig better than a monofilament leader.

A wire leader when jigging is a last resort for me. There’s no hiding a wire leader in the water, so you need to make sure the wire is really necessary. A wire leader is also heavy and will action of your jig. If a wire leader must be used, I recommend using the shortest length you can. I rarely ever seen a wire leader over a foot long. Most of the time, a wire leader is used in conjunction with another leader line, such as monofilament. This will give you the protection you need from toothy fish, but prevents your setup from being overly bulky and visible.

For a more in-depth discussion on leader line material, read my article Types of Leader Lines and Their Uses.

The Knot Which Joins the Braid Main Line and Leader Line is Critical for Jigging

Once you’ve decided on your leader strength, length, and material, you’ll need to attach it to your main line. At this junction point between lines, you’ll want to prevent any line strength loss, and choose a method that’s thing enough to slide easily through the rod guides. The last thing you want when reeling in a big fish is to have even more resistance on your line from trying to get your knot back through that tip guide.

Best knot for braid to mono or fluorocarbon: FG Knot

Best knot for different diameter lines: Alberto Knot

Best knot for wire leader to mono leader: Albright Special Knot

The FG knot has incredible strength and a slim profile to slide easily through the guides. Since your leader line tends to be 30 ft in length or more, a smooth knot is crucial when you fish nears the boat. When you choose a leader with a different strength than your main line, you’ll see a more substantial diameter difference and you may want to go for the Alberto knot. The Alberto knot isn’t quite as smooth as the FG knot, but it is strong and easier to tie when joining lines of different diameters. A wire to mono leader connection must include consideration to keep the knot small and tuck in the tag end of the wire to prevent any injuries or accidental line cutting. The Albright Special knot handles these concerns for a wire to mono leader connection.

I hope this article helps you choose your leader line the next time you go out jigging. If you need guidance on your rod, reel, line and jig selections, read my article How I Chose My Slow Pitch Jigging Rod, Reel, Line and Jigs. Tight lines, y’all!