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With the development of nylon by DuPont, a major advance was made in fishing lines and leaders. Nylon monofilament is strong and smooth, resists wear and friction, is waterproof, and is almost invisible. You can buy coils of nylon monofilament in various testing strengths from 1 pound or less up to 120 pounds or more. You'll find that for most fresh-water spinning you'll need nylon leaders testing 6, 8, or 10 pounds. When you are after larger fish you may need 12 or 15 pound test. The leader should test a few pounds more than the main fishing line. For salt-water fishing, nylon monofilament leaders testing 8, 12, 15, and 20 pounds are usually used. Surf fishing or heavy-tackle trolling may require nylon leaders testing 30, 40, or 50 pounds, or more. The length of the nylon monofilament leader will depend on the tackle you use. Generally, it should be long enough so that when you reel in most of your line and are ready to cast again there are a few turns of the leader on your reel. In other words, the leader should run from the reel to the rod tip and beyond to the lure. When you cast, most of the shock will be absorbed by the stronger leader instead of the weaker fishing line. So, most such leaders will run from 6 ft. for the shorter, lighter spinning rods to 12 or 15 ft. for the longer, heavier spin rods and surf rods. For trolling, such long leaders are of course not needed, and you can usually use shorter ones.
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