Do any of you guys still use just straight braid with no leader. I like the feel of braid and the strength but i am just scared that it may spook the fish too much. Any advice/ tips for fishing or not fishing braid.

It doesn't matter if the fish can see braid or not. What matters is whether you think they can see it. I'd say you should fish braid with a leader.

Most of the places I fish are stained so I can get away with using straight braid. I still use mostly fluoro and mono, but unless I'm fishing clear water, I'll use straight braid.

All the places I fish are stained, so I use straight braid.

A few times I tried using a flouro leader (to see if it'll help produce more catches), however the number of bites was the same and I was losing hooksets because of it.

Ive never had an issue with straight braid. I do fish stained water a lot but when I fish clearer water I'm flippin braid into grass, brush, or trees so the fish really don't notice it amongst the foliage.

Buy quality line like I said this wouldn't be an issue !!

I don't think it matters unless you are fishing ultra clear water but thats just me. That being said I don't use braid on anything but frogs.

I never thought that it mattered until....

Fishing the back end of Sandlin in the pads I couldn't buy a bite with either a Fluke nor a Rage Frog on top. My fishing partner kept getting bit on 15# Flouro on the same baits.

You WILL get less bites on braid than if you use straight fluoro. or mono most of the time. Ask any guide on Fork if this is not true. They see it all the time, some clients using braid and some not and fishing the same bait. They can tell you who gets bit the most and usually it isn't the one with braid, even on a C-rig.

I always use a leader with my braid. Braid has no give and you can pull the hook right out of a fish on the hook set. A leader will give you that little bit of stretch that you need for a good hook set.

In the grass and stained water I'll throw straight braid. Clear water less dense cover and it'll be flouro. I carry a couple of extra spools for my Curado's spooled with back up lines

Watch Some of Brannon Longs videos he uses braid on everything and I agree with what he has to say

True dat!

The whole getting bit on braid vs mono or fluoro probably has more to do with the line characteristics than the fish seeing it and spooking (diameter, sink rate, and stretch.)

Just my .02

I think FMJshooter has valid point. Because of the lack of stretch, a bait will behave much differently than with fluoro or mono. I've noticed braid can cause me to way over work some baits, esp. plastics and jigs. Moving the rod a couple feet to hop a bait moves it at least that far with braid. With the others the stretch will absorb some movement. Slowing down and making more subtle movements is important.