Leader length for sturgeon

[fish_on]

I have been trying a few diffrent leader lengths and found little diffrence in productvity. I see some people with long leaders 1-2' from bait, and some 8-10" from bait. Seems that in high current a shorter leader would be good and in low current a longer leader. Any thoughts on this and how long are your leades and why?

[invader]

i have been using about 10 to 12 inches for my 80 pound dacron leader.....but dont always catch fish either!!.......gonna try up there tomorow!!........john

[brshooter]

I am certainly no expert but this is what I do. When I started sturgeon fishing, I used those pre-tied sturgeon rigs with 36" leaders that you can buy at some of the sporting goods stores. If you used smelt and put a bunch of half hitches around your bait, you ended up with your bait about a foot from your weight. I gave up on those pre-tied leaders after straightening a few hooks and trying to keep them sharp. I now tie my own leaders so that I can use Gami's or VMC hooks. They are sharp right out of the package and easier to touch up if you need to. I use either the 96 pound test braided nylon or 80 or 100 pound dacron. I tie my leaders about 30" long. With smelt, I now just insert the hook behind the gill plates and out through the eye, then put a couple of half hitches around the tail. Then I tie the smelt to the leader with elastic thread. Your bait will last much longer. A smelt is usually good for 3 to 5 fish. It seems that as the condition of your bait deteriorates, the better if fishes. I use the same leader set up if I am fishing pickled squid or a roll mop/sand shrimp sandwitch. By the time you tie your leader to the swivel and rig your bait, it ends up about 24" from your weight.
Like I say, I am no expert, but the the last three trips up to the fishery, the wife and I have picked up three keepers, two oversized, and about 70 shakers between us.

[bait boy]

The only rules that ive heard concerning leader length is that you want it to be long enough so you can properly wrap your bait, like smelt. that being said I use a very long leader when fishing whole shad due to the increase in the size of the bait and the number of wraps it takes to properly secure your bait. and when I fish sandshrimp alone or something like rollmop I go with a really short (like 12") leader.

Now after all that the reasons why I do this....

My goal is that I keep the bait ON the bottom not floating or waveing in the current.

[Capin' Dan]

Right on Rick, Keep your bait as close to the bottom as possible. Adjust your leader so that your bait is right on the bottom and it is not spinning especially true for large shad.

[Pilar]

No need for stealth. It's black as night on the bottom. Go with as short as possible to prevent slack bite and missed strikes. Sturgeon are smell and feel oriented. So a soft dacron or braided leader is the way to go. Mono never seems to work very well. The other thing is that the fish is pretty abrasive. They can cut line with their scutes if they roll on it.

Bait spin is bad for this type of fishing. Also short leaders prevent fouling your sliding sinker. I thread my bait so most leaders are no more then 20". Once rigged, probably 6" from the lead, tops.