Is it best to use tubing, leadcore or a leadfree leader? Or is it largely down to personal preference?

Myles Gibson

I’d certainly say personal preference, and also venue-dependent as different lakes will have different rules. If I had to choose between the three, then I’d be using leadcore. It pins your end tackle right down to the lakebed, whereas I’ve seen leadless leaders in the past that don’t lay anywhere near as well without the weight inside.

However, fluorocarbon leaders are also a possibility, and at the moment this is what I use. They are super-strong, virtually invisible underwater and sink like a brick.

Braid combined with a fluoro leader would be my number one choice

So if I did have the choice, it’d be none of the above in the question! I’d go with a braid mainline and a fluorocarbon leader - this gives you the strength in the braid, yet a slight cushion with the stretch in the fluroro. It makes the fights that little bit better and not as savage.

A snaggy pit stunner caught using fluoro leaders