Whacked a few studs on the last trip on Falcon. I have been switching between rods from #20 braid to #10 Fluro I have seen no difference in bites . One advantage to braid
Is when I get stuck I pull and bend the hook straight then fix it .

I honestly don’t think it makes a difference one bit . Your thoughts ?

Depends on water clarity.

I think it matters..... sometimes.
So I use a 6’ fluorocarbon leader in the end of my braid

Makes not a tinkers damn. Find the active fish at the right depth. They will strike most anything you put in front of them.

I've fished straight braid for years now, all over the country and our Texas lakes. It has not made a difference to me, but go with what you think is best.

This thread comes up quite often.

It does not matter until it does.
Size doesn't matter until it does.
Color doesn't matter until it does.
Presentation doesn't matter until it does.

I believe water clarity is a factor.

I stated in past threads on this subject that Dad, myself, and another guest in our boat all fishing same jigs.
All experienced Crappie Fisherman.
Dad and I with a Leader and the guest without.
We had 10-12 fish in the boat and the guest zero.
Put a leader on the guest line and dropped down and instantly caught a fish.
That day it mattered.
We got a triple limit that day.

My thread from the other day when I took Mom and Dad out.
Had a fisherman come up to us in a small boat asked how many we had and at the time we had 41.
He had not had a single bite and was very frustrated.
I gave him a package of the jigs we had been using and told him to use a leader. He was fishing Braid.

Talked to him a couple hours later and he had 15 in the boat. He told me it made all the difference in the world...at least that day it did.

I'm sure there are plenty of lakes and days it does not make a difference.

But sometimes it does.



Like Duck Jerry stated go with what you think is best.

Tight Lines to all.

Leader or No Leader...May we all Load the Boat with some Slabs.

I agree with what Hogon said, which has been my personal experience, especially when I find fish short striking and/or line shy. View Tommy Ezell's Bonehead FB post on short strikers, and it may have you thinking another way too.

My from LiveScope observation is this - If the bait is above the crappie it does not matter. However, if the bait falls past the crappie it can matter. By testing both, without a leader there have been times that it would literally spook the fish you pass off of the tree. Drop a jig with a leader and BAM! Without LiveScope I would definitely use a leader to increase my odds.
Again, just my ! God bless and tight lines!

Braid doesnt sink very well with lighter jigs and the wind blows it around a whole lot.

Have had trips were braid and flouro both produced equally. I have had trips were flouro outproduced braid. But I have yet to have a trip where braid has outproduced flouro. So I use flouro

One thing about braid is all the cuts in my hand . I am a bass man and one time
At a lake in Mexico my buddy smoked me like 28-5 and he used all fluro i switched all my braid after that . The crappie I have seen very few ones that haven’t took it . I started off with 10# fluro but when I would hook a bass in a hardwood it would break me off

Not sure how you are getting cuts in your hand from braid. I've fished it for nearly 10 years now, and have not had any cuts. Is this when you get hung up and are pulling on it?

If so...here is how I go about that. I fish baitcaster reels on all my vertical/pitching fishing. When a jig hangs up, I reel down so that my rod is in the water pointing to where it is hung up...put my thumb on the spool and gently pull back. The jig will pull free and no cuts

Yes spinning head on the crappie today and pulling up with my hand

I fish stained water. I fish with 6lb hi vis braid 90% of the time. The rest of the time I fish flouro. I use flouro when I can't get a bite on braid.

Makes no difference. I have used nothing but high vis mr crappie for over 10 years and catch fish today with it in the creek. Super clear or muddy water makes no different. Just my observations.