Curtis, you are one special kid if you think that you have to use 8 lb leader in the winter, or the fish will bypass your offerings!! =) Granted it is more sporting, but just think about it, in my opinion you could have fished 20# leader, hooked 4 fish instead of 5 on a bad day, and went home with your limit of "12-14#" fish... 12# I would say you would greatly benefit from, or at least your freezer would!
Bump it up a notch!