How do you determine leader length on your spinner rigs? Hopefully you’re not running the same length in all conditions! Experienced fishing guide Brad Hawthorne shed some light on how he determines his leader length in various fishing conditions from dirty water to clear water and negative bites to positive bites.
Leader Lengths and Different Bodies of Water
When it comes to leader lengths and pulling blades, you have to look at the body of water you’re on. For example, on Lake of the Woods, historically we don’t go any longer than three and a half to four feet because the water is so stained and also it’s snaggy. So if your boat stalls and you have that long leader, it’s going to fall quicker and you’re going to snag.
On lakes like Leech, we are custom building butterfly rigs that are eight and nine feet long on spinners just to get that away from the weight. You see, the weight can scare fish. On the other hand, on lakes like Black, we’re using four to six footers with a quarter ounce weight and we’re pinching it on and we’re going right over the tops of the weeds and that’s how we’re getting them.
So, leader lengths plays a part in whether your depth of water, color of water, and whether or not you’re fishing with weeds.
Experiment with Leader Lengths
If you’re not getting bit, always experiment with leader length. For instance, if you’re using a five foot leader and you’re not getting bit, simply go to an eight or a nine foot leader and I guarantee you you’ll start catching more fish.
Conclusion
So, there you have it. Leader lengths plays a huge part in your success when it comes to pulling spinners. Make sure you experiment with different lengths to find the one that works best for you.
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