Finally, I get what all these losers at Blue Crick were doing last winter. I inquired about this practice with the the fellow I was touching elbows with at the end of the line and couldn't seem to get a straight answer about why everyone was using 8' leaders. The funny thing was is that I ended up foul hooking a big Steely on my 30" 8 lb leader and had a blast until it snapped off down stream and I found a large scale left on my hook. I would have certainly let the fish go if I would have landed it because #1 the law requires it and #2 how could a self- respecting angler take pride in keepin a snagged/flossed/netted/dynamited etc. fish? This is supposed to be sport right? Keep it real..