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I use 60 or 80. I've broken a few off but I think I get more flags than I got using steel or titanium. I just tie a loop with a single overhand knot. With line that thick it won't slip and fancier knots get bulky and hard to tie.
20lb flouro. I have yet to need heavy stuff and over the weekend I saw a huge difference between my traps with 20lb, another guys with 80lb, and another set of 5 with steel. The steel had no action. The 80lb flouro had one flag. I had 6. I believe its all in when the angler sets the hook as far as bite offs are concerned. Two weeks ago I landed a 25lb tiger on 20lb gear the whole way. No issues and treble was in the corner of the fishes mouth. People say I'm crazy but I have no need to go heavier, yet.
You just said it all though. The hook was in the corner of its mouth. Wait till you get a big fish that takes the bait a little deeper. To the op: I am running 80lb Seaguar fluoro. Fluorocarbon LEADER MATERIAL not just fluorocarbon fishing line. There is a difference. Stretch your leaders a little before you put them down the hole, no coiling.. ive seen 40lb, 60lb, and 80lb all break on big pike. But i do like it better then steel.
Had a 38" swallow my treble on Saturday. Not arguing the fact it may be an issue at some point. Just hasn't been one for me yet.
I stretch my leaders and thats just it Fluoro = no stretch, I used the leader material to, tried a few different brands, even used my old SCI/Angler fly leaders that were 0x 1x and 2x still coiled like a slinky dink,.. Im just curious as to how long of a leader youre using? Id love to use fluro i like how it disapears, sinks and its abrasion fighting qualities, but when it gets cold the stuff changes for the worse, almost seems like it gets a little brittle in the knots also
where da pics?
If fools want to catch more and bigger fish, then im a fool....... Dawg............
I run 40lb Seaguar Premier and Blue Label when fishing shiners. Bait presentation is more natural than when I use steel. I would like to use lighter to help with the presentation. However, I have a hard time being confident with anything lighter when targeting pike. I have had 3 bite offs in the past 4yrs on fluorocarbon, but each one was on the hook set and I never felt the weight of the fish at all. It may cost me a big one someday, but I get a lot more flags with it. I use inline circle hooks exclusively, so that helps get the line out of their mouth, but its no guarantee. I fish Lake Champlain all the time and you are allowed 15 lines per person, so they get to see a lot of presentations. I don't believe pike are leader shy by nature, but believe they can become conditioned to it in highly pressured waters. I still will use some 20lb nylon coated steel wire when using big presentations, such as yellow/white perch and seeds/gills. Best advice I could give anyone using any leader material other than steel is to check the leader for nicks/cuts/abrasion after every HOOKSET you make.
Okay get bent out of shape about it lol. if youve never been bit offnon 20lb fluoro then icjust flat out dont believe you have caught nearly as many pike as you claim.....dawg...
The only thing i get bent out of shape over is running out of beer at an inoportune time , ive shared plenty of pics of pike ive caught.. From hammer handles to fish pushing 30lbs. im just offering some advice, especially to folks who have a hard time getting on fish or the fish they are looking for.. If your leaders work for you then use them.There isnt just one way to do something, i understand that.But telling the masses that anyway but the way you do it is wrong,,,is well, in that of itself.. Ive used it all, steel,fluoro, mono , everything just shy of winch cable... Its just completely ironic that myself and many others have seen the clear cut difference (pun intended) in the catch ratios.. And for the record if i had to estimate, ive probably caught over 500 pike in my day..What i say comes from my experience... Homie....
Yep, I don't think its right either. Not to mention he must be the most skilled fisherman in the world. 500 pike an no bite off's? I estimate that about 1 in 50 pike bite off 50# fluorocarbon. That's pretty good in my book, and I don't see how you could catch 10 times as many fish one something less than half the strength. When I was younger and dumber, I just tied right to my main line. I lost a quarter of the fish I had on, and that was 12 pound mono. You might be more skilled than I am, but you have had no bite offs on 20# fluorocarbon? I simply don't think you have caught that many using that leader.
I'm not saying you are lying, I am just trying to figure out what exactly causes such a difference in results for people. Some, like you, can use really light leaders without problems. Many use much heavier leaders and still have failures. I'm not sure if its different fish, different fishing styles, different knots? I can say I am FAR from figuring it out. Its not like I just yank fish in, I am an experienced pike angler. I've had them bite through 50# fluorocarbon like its nothing. The best theory I have is it happens when a pike bites down hard. The reason I think using super braid is the dumbest thing you can use for a leader is because it offers no resistance to slicing. You can cut 100 pound super braid with a knife like its butter. It is ,however, hard to cut with a scissors. Super braid doesn't last a second against pikes teeth. Fluorocarbon and mono are kind of the opposite, the are kind of hard to cut with a knife, but you can use a scissors no problem. I think that is the vital difference. For whatever reason pike love to chomp down when I'm fishing. I don't know if its the bait I use, or maybe I'm just not lucky. Who knows. All I know is I've tried lighter leaders, and for me they don't work at all. I would never recommend them. If you get anything but steel between 2 teeth its gone. The strange thing is I've had more bite offs with circle hooks with their gentle hook sets, than I have with quick strikes and violent hook sets.