Kelly Watkins of Sarasota, Florida, says: I fish mainlyfor snook and reds with a 9-weight rod. I fish some flats and somestructure. What material should I use? Should it be mono, hardnylon or fluorocarbon? What should the butt section be made fromand what length?
Lefty: If you fish the flats for snook, which can be veryskittish, I would use no less than a 10-foot leader. If you arecasting under structure (boat docks, for example) or along mangroveshorelines, I would use no more than an 8-foot leader or you mayhave difficulty throwing tight loops.
I prefer mono for tapered saltwater leaders, and it should allbe of the same brand. Good material is premium-grade spinning line.Hard mono for a butt section is a fallacy -a butt section of50-pound soft, flexible premium spinning line that is half theleader’s length works well. You don’t need fluorocarbon.
