Flourocarbon

[ice cracker]

Well stay off the Northern Pike board. I for one love fishing Pike. Nothing beats fighting  a 20 lber and seeing it flash at the hole. My biggest was caught on a steel leader with beads and red and white willow blade 12" above the bait.

never said I didn't like fishing for pike, all I said was they were trash fish meaning they will hit just about anything and they are one of the easiest fish to catch. Plus they destroy ecosystems.

[meatman]

all we use is 20# florocarbon.  have had some bite offs,  maybe 6 or 8 in 5 years.  but the # of flags has more than covered that.  get me flags if i lose one or two a season its ok.  its fishing not catching.  use circle hooks too.  most times the hook is right in the corner of the jaw.

[WildFisherWomanVT]

Floro all the way. I switched to Seaguar 40 - 50lb years ago from using steel and it really upped my bite. I used to use steel back in the day. Garbage. It doesnt have the hook flex and it accounted for tons of lost fish from failure to hook set. I rarely have bite offs with the floro. Many of the bite offs happen when people go to haul a big fish up the hole by pulling hard on the line. When the fish goes from weightless to weight hanging down on the line on their teeth is when I see the break offs. Get the gaff! No problems.      

[mr tip up]

HIGHER POUND TEST OF FLOUROCARBON IS EASYIER TO SEE THEN SMALLER POUND TEST WIRE

[deadsmelthead]

never said I didn't like fishing for pike, all I said was they were trash fish meaning they will hit just about anything and they are one of the easiest fish to catch. Plus they destroy ecosystems.

ROTFLMAO, just nonsense The Great Northern Pike are top dog thats the bottom line, Northerns keep a lot of lakes in check.. Most of your best perch and crappie lakes have Northerns in them.... Without the pike everyone would be complaining of stunted perch and other pannies that are highly sought after....

Considering pike have extremely good eyesight ill take wild guess that any pike previously experiencing be yanked through the ice after trying to eat something with a big black metal wire hanging off it will probably commit it to some kind of danger memory, i mean i do alot of brown trout fishing and i can say unequivocaly they can be extremely line shy and they are know to have great eyesight...

[ice cracker]

ROTFLMAO, just nonsense The Great Northern Pike are top dog thats the bottom line, Northerns keep a lot of lakes in check.. Most of your best perch and crappie lakes have Northerns in them.... Without the pike everyone would be complaining of stunted perch and other pannies that are highly sought after....

Considering pike have extremely good eyesight ill take wild guess that any pike previously experiencing be yanked through the ice after trying to eat something with a big black metal wire hanging off it will probably commit it to some kind of danger memory, i mean i do alot of brown trout fishing and i can say unequivocaly they can be extremely line shy and they are know to have great eyesight...

haha keep the fisheriey in check, that's a laugh. and I would hardly call a perch and crappie lake a fisherie. Most all crappie and perch get feed to the eagles up here. When I said they destroy Ecosysyems I was talking about fish that take some skill to catch like salmon, native Brookies, and touge.

[harrops26]

I like fishing pike lakes that have trout in them. Trout make big hungry pike happy.

[ice cracker]

 

I like fishing pike lakes that have trout in them. Trout make big hungry pike happy.

[JBO112394]

 I was talking about fish that take some skill to catch like salmon, native Brookies, and touge.

So apparently catching big pike takes no skill???

[ice cracker]

So apparently catching big pike takes no skill???

yes, that is correct

I mean obviously every thing takes some skill but compared to other fish there is very little skill involved to catch pike.

[pikeaddict]

We all know Mainers have a profound hatred for northerns, but please go back to your Maine or Trout forum, and stop trash talkin a fish many of us on this forum love.  I don't go over to your fav forums and trash talk, so don't do it over here.

[ice cracker]

We all know Mainers have a profound hatred for northerns, but please go back to your Maine or Trout forum, and stop trash talkin a fish many of us on this forum love.  I don't go over to your fav forums and trash talk, so don't do it over here.

not trash talking just stating facts.

[pikeaddict]

Your instigating, and it isn't appreciated. Started off as an inforative thread, and is turning into another BS thread with your comments.

[ice cracker]

Your instigating, and it isn't appreciated. Started off as an inforative thread, and is turning into another BS thread with your comments.

again, I'm not saying bs, I'm stating facts.

[deadsmelthead]

yes, that is correct

I mean obviously every thing takes some skill but compared to other fish there is very little skill involved to catch pike.

So completely untrue, pike spread out in a lake,  ( llsalmon) which i have spent a lot of time fishing for,  tend to congregate or stack,many times ive  almost felt bad targeting them because they were so easy to target, brook trout ill give ya that they can be a tough nut to crack...

Any way my point to that comment is when you have to target a wider scope of water how is that easier?

[ice cracker]

So completely untrue, pike spread out in a lake,  ( llsalmon) which i have spent a lot of time fishing for,  tend to congregate or stack,many times ive  almost felt bad targeting them because they were so easy to target, brook trout ill give ya that they can be a tough nut to crack...

Any way my point to that comment is when you have to target a wider scope of water how is that easier?

that's interesting, I have found brook trout much easier to target than salmon. although there is a huge difference between native brook trout and stocked brook trout.  natives can be tough.

I find that pike will hit just about everything and are everywhere in the water colum at any depth. my first time fishing for them me and my brother caught 4 in 3 hours on live shiners, the biggest being 5lbs 26 inches.

[Lucius33]

yes, that is correct

I mean obviously every thing takes some skill but compared to other fish there is very little skill involved to catch pike.

I think you are entitled to your opinions on tackle and game fish.  However, as sportsmen we should respect all animals and their place in an ecosystem.  From zooplankton to the muskie and everything in between we are all conservationists and advocates for our fisheries. It doesn't need repeating that the Northern is an impressive top predator and plays an important roll in the waters they inhabit.

[Whopper Stopper]

me and my brother caught 4 in 3 hours on live shiners, the biggest being 5lbs 26 inches.

I agree with you catching bait size northern wouldn't be too hard. Now target 20 # + and see how you do. A little different game. I also do some sight fishing in 8 foot and less water. Many times a bigger northen will just come in and stare at the bait. I have changed up with a  jig and a fat head and it was like flipping on a light switch. But to each their own YMMV.

                                  WS

                 

[fishin machine]

Guys, this kid is 15 years old and obliviously knows everything there is to know about fishing
                      bass slayen...now that's funny

[ice cracker]

I agree with you catching bait size northern wouldn't be too hard. Now target 20 # + and see how you do. A little different game. I also do some sight fishing in 8 foot and less water. Many times a bigger northen will just come in and stare at the bait. I have changed up with a  jig and a fat head and it was like flipping on a light switch. But to each their own YMMV.

                                  WS

                 WS

small pike, big pike. it's all luck

[piketrout85]

Does anyone tie their rig directly onto their dacron line without a Flourocarbon leader? If so.... how is your luck?

[harrops26]

My rigs are  my leaders , both steel and flouro and I tie the tipup line to the barrel swivel  on each of my rigs

[Fishin_Chip]

Who are these people that claim bite offs with Floro? I have used the Floro leaders for years musky fishing and always use at least a 6 foot piece for a leader on tip ups. I have never lost a fish due to using it. I would even go further and say that if I did lose one or two big deal. With the increas in my catches since using it I would never change.

               WS

I have only one question for you - What size lures do you use when you musky fish?

If you are like most musky fishermen, you use mostly large lures.  Very seldom do those lures end up entirely inside the fish's mouth.  Try fishing with a #5 mepps, or some other small lure and see how that works. 

Wire is more visible to the fish.  You will probably get fewer strikes some days using it.  Your "even further" statement acknowledges both the increased number of strikes and the higher probability of bite-offs.

It's your decision whether to use wire or not, but if I've hooked that "super monster", I'd certainly want to be using wire.

In the end, it's about enjoying the time you spend fishing.  Make your decisions based on the best information you can find.  Have fun out there!

Good luck!

Chip

[esox_xtm]

This stuff makes me smile..........

I just came back from a weekend on a gin clear lake with a die hard fluoro fishin' buddy. Willard's been on plastic since before I started ice fishing in the 80's. I outfished him (the plastic leadered local) 4:1. Out fished his pal 12:1. 75% of the fish out of one hole.

I gotta believe it's like real estate: location, location, location. If they want it, they'll eat it.

As an aside: none of this "gotta have invisible leader" stuff fits into my logic module. If fish are leader shy, why aren't they hook shy. If they know that leaders are "dangerous" why wouldn't they learn that hooks are the real danger? Just a question that I can't answer............... 

/m

[mjk67]

I've been fishing Fluoro leaders for about 10 years, and I certainly don't go heavy.  20-30#, checking carefully for nicks after every release.

Been cut off a grand total of 1 time.  Frankly, the only Pike that are going to cut you off are the Pike in the lower end of the spectrum.  I can't begin to count how many 40" Pike we've caught in Canada on 6-8# mono, back trolling for eyes.

[bearbgone]

I use both, Fluorocarbon when there are walleye available as well as pike. I have had cut offs several times. When fishing just pike I only use wire. I have however had wire snaps straightened out by big pike before also.

[stickandstring]

I just purchased some 40lb seagar fluoro leader for rigging my tip-ups for pike.  Was this a good choice?  Also do you guys tie this directly to the braided tip up line?  I typically fish for northerns in 5-12 FOW so I was planning on tying about 5-6ft of leader directly to the braided line.  Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks fellas!

[harrops26]

I think 5-6' is a bit much for pike. I use 12-18". That way i can store it along the arms of the tip up so it doesn't have memory. I also add a barrel swivel to the end of the leader.

[bearbgone]

Pike can be aggressive sometimes I think they would hit a tow strap with a real sharp fork on it! 

[Fish_tracker]

I just purchased some 40lb seagar fluoro leader for rigging my tip-ups for pike.  Was this a good choice?  Also do you guys tie this directly to the braided tip up line?  I typically fish for northerns in 5-12 FOW so I was planning on tying about 5-6ft of leader directly to the braided line.  Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks fellas!

Gosh that's wayyy too much. As said 12"-18" is perfect.