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Braid is no good for pike. Titanium or steel leaders are good. Heavy fluoro is good with circle hooks.
It blows me away how many people use braided line for leader.. it has strong knot strength and great breaking strength but it is NOT resistant to abrassion! Two different things.Braid is designed for main line. Not leader use. Doesnt everyone know this? Lol...
Thank you guys for all your input.the other thing I forgot to mention is that we usually fish walleye.im sure in most people’s eyes braid isn’t ideal for them but for me it works,my only issue with steel leaders is the fact that it seems like the eyes steer clear of them. I usually don’t specifically target pike,so I’d like to find something in between that will work. We pretty much hook them by chance,but it is awfully irritating when you see a 40+ incher under the hole and then it’s gone.
From my understanding pline is braid covered in floro so not sure why that makes it that much better.More expensive but sufix 832 baid has worked well for me with no breakoffs.Totally agree with tail hooks though.
There's a Pline braid with teflon coated treatment. I am not aware of a braid with flourocarbon coating.
Profisher, I wish I had your luck with bite offs. I use 50lb power pro for frogs and pike bite um off almost every time they eat one. Same thing with a jig in pads or slop.
Here's the problem I see. Pike and walleyes both have teeth but those teeth are very different. Walleyes have sharp teeth but sharp like an ice pick, only on the points not on the sides. Pike teeth different story, think razor blades all up an down the sides plus pointy to boot.Walleye teeth won't/cant cut any line, fish whatever you want. Pike teeth cut (notice I said cut, not "break off) everything but steel or titanium.I know this won't change anything for many of you but it is real. Plastic cuts, steel don't. Period.Crossover rigs? Difficult. Perception is pike rigs are too heavy/clunky for walleyes (correct in many cases) yet those geared more toward walleye put you "at risk" for cut offs (notice I didn't say "break off). I can land fish that weigh 3x the pound test of the leader or line providing I don't get slashed. that changes everything.On a "cut-ability scale" here's how it goes:Best: Steel or Titanium2nd: Heavy fluorocarbon3rd: hard Mono Dead flippin' last: any kind of (I'll say) superline. Braid, fused, heavy, heavier, any manufacturer. Cuts like soft butter. Use this and you hopes of landing any pike (or relative thereof) should be about zero. Sure, some folks get lucky a number of time but the odds say disappoint will ensue at some point.So y'alls do as you wish. I can't change that. Just let it sit in the back of your mind when the pike you really want gets cut off at some point... If I lose one I only have my lack of skill to blame not my poor choice in tools. Maybe some of you feel better blaming it on the tool but don't forget, that was also your choice.