what size braid for estuary fish? 3lb , 6lb , 8lb?

[gutzy]

I looked through the threads and found nothing.
All Im after is bream , whiting , flathead and the odd tailor in the estuaries of the Gold Coast.
I pick up my new baitcaster this weekend and need to know what strength main line and do I use a monofilament leader with a swivel?
Please help.

[snakecatcher]

For the fish you are chasing I would stick with 8lb as this gives you a chance of landing a monster flattie if you hook into one. If you are bait fishing you can use a swivel and tie a mono leader to it - if however you are flicking plastics then learn how to tie albright knots, uni knots and bimini twists as you will need good knots to tie braid and mono together. Personally I use a 50 twist bimini in the braid and then tie the mono leader to it with an albright knot.

[Matthias]

I use 4 and 6lb and haven't been done up yet on the GC but haven't been fishin during jack season. The lighter the line the further you can cast and the more you can feel whats going on, on the end of your line.

pete.

[PinHead]

9lb mono is all you need

[flickflack]

Gutzy

Go with 4 or 6lb braid, just change your leader to suit the target species. 6lb leader should be fine for the majority of Bream fishing but I would upgrade a bit for the flathead and other fish. I use 4lbbraid for just about everything from bream to flathead to Jewies with plastics and havnt broken it yet. If you test it you will see that it breaks at a lot more than 4lb. Hope that helps

Cheers Rod

[TinarooTriumph]

6lb Braid main line and 8lb leader is ample, you shouldn't have any prob's / bust off's with 6lb. If you were to be fishing with mono, id go 8lb main line and 10lb leader. It all comes down to where you are fishing I guess...

TT

[TheSaint]

4lb or 6lb line is the go just up your leader to what you need at the time..

[gutzy]

thanx guys.
Ill stick to 8lb main line and up the leader when needed.
Thanx again

[tiges]

Hey Gutzy, are you bait fishing, or lure fishing? Although if your mentioning baitcaster, I imagine your talking lures. Go mono if your bait fishing, 8lb. Braid in 6lb for lure tossing. As others have mentioned, vary leader from light for bream and whiting (6-8lb), to heavier for flathead and jew (10-12lb). Generally no massive differences between mainline and leader diameters, so an allbright knot is fine for connections if your not using a swivel.
Cheers
Tiges

[Bundy_Burp]

For the fish you have listed Gutzy I'd go with a 6lb braid 8lb would be ok but I thick you would get a better strike rate with 6lb .

Bundy