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Uncoated seven strand for this old boy. No more fluoro, no more titanium, no more sorrow. I differ from esox_xtm on quickstrike geometry but his thoughts on leaders should be written in letters of gold.
OK, someone invoked my name so I gotta wade in again...First and foremost: Any gel spun PE product is out as a primary pike/pickerel/musky leader. I don't care if you you use 100# test. It stands up to abrasion very well but you can cut it very easily with a knife edge. And that's pike teeth. Not just sharp on the points like the ice pick teeth walleye have but also, literally, razor sharp on the sides which is where the problem comes. My confidence in ANY superline, by that I mean any Spectra, Kevlar, Dyneema etc., as a leader material for pike/muskies is absolutely zero. When they first came widely available I was excited and intrigued to hear that "muskie guides were throwing away their steel" in deference to this miracle product. Really, just try to cut it with a clipper or bite it with your teeth, no way. It must be fabulous. Only within parameters I discovered. After losing my first three flags of the year fishing a modified 35# superline quick strike rigs with little to zero pressure (one cut the leader before I even got to the flag). No, not knot failure or crappy line. Cut...As an illustration take a brand new razor blade and a length of your superline of choice. Stretch it fairly tight as if the pressure of a fish was on it, place it against the razor blade and let it slide just a bit until...........well you'll see. The sides of pike teeth are equally as sharp and that is where the problem lies. No superline for dedicated pike leaders. Period.Second: What's wrong with wire? Hmmm? It's thin, flexible, cheap, easy to work with and not particularly visible (more on that later).Third: I get the allure of plastic leaders. They're "invisible". Sure. And I got a bottle of stuff that cures everything from hangnails to cancer. As far as fluoro goes, I believe that while they are different than conventional nylon based monofilaments, 10# does not provide enough insurance against bite offs, even in seasoned hands. Again, I did some early trials with some 20# test fluoro leader material with circle hooks and lost several fish to bite offs in the process. Many that got into weeds and cut themselves off before I could even get to the flag. Sure I landed pike and some good ones, but there were those that cut through the 20# with the barest of pressure. However, based on my experiences and associations will revisit the fluoro product only in 60# this time. 50-60# IMO is the minimum test that provides enough diameter to resist most bite offs. Fluoro is way tougher than nylon.I've been in this discussion in a number of places already, so I guess I'll throw it out again. Fish brains are maybe the size of a pea (the big ones, fish not peas) and for the most part I do not believe that visibility of leaders, swivels, snaps or other terminal tackle does much individually to put fish off. That said, the combination of clunky snap/swivels with unduly thick line/leader and over size hooks can limit a finesse presentation to the point where a fish will not commit. I've been through a number of discussions on other boards regarding leader shyness, yet the lures that are being presented sport 5/0 trebles or better. Oh yeah, you're showing me a lure with three giant treble hooks swinging from it and yet you are worried that I'll see the leader and realize that eating is a bad idea. I'm not getting the point.No disrespect to anyone posting their opinions here, I just don't get the quest for "invisibility". Take red line, leaders, hooks etc. Depending on who you listen to, the red can incite a vicious bite because it represents blood in the water OR it can render solid object "invisible" in the water. I'm confused. Marketing...To those that feel the need for an "invisibility cloak" I submit that IF you use a suitable pound test (read 50 - 60#) to protect you from a casual biteoff that my bait on a thinner and more flexible wire has a big advantage in lower visibility AND better bait movement.My take is to use strong, reliable quality tackle with a size appropriate to your bait, prey or presentation. Fish effectively in good locations with efficient techniques and you will be rewarded. IF you are "crossover fishing" you have two choices: 1.) Focus on a species other than pike and take the occasional biteoff as the tradeoff. OR 2.) Focus on pike and take reduced bites from your secondary species as collateral damage. There is no perfect middle ground. It's all tradeoff.In case you haven't noticed this is really not a simple Q and A.Of course my focus is mostly predator oriented so as usual...Just my opinion, user mileage may vary...
20lb mono topsFlouro withstands abrasion, but once it gets knicked or frayed, it breaks with little pressure. It takes more to initially damage it, but once it is done, flouro is super weak.Mono can take a bunch of knicks and rubs and still have enough integrity to pull in the pike.One of my buddies who will read this uses 15lb monoWe get big pike without breaking off.
.Phew, thats alot of words.
Mono.Love the stretch. Takes some getting used to.Way more action.
This right here. Those using wire won't lose any, because they won't get many flags to begin with! Sure, you'll catch pike, and some big ones too, but you won't get nearly as much action as you would with mono. I've seen it first hand, a sea of tip ups out, and one group (using strictly mono) running constantly while the steel leader guys are wondering why they aren't getting anything. You'll break off a lot, but that's the trade off. Get to the flag as quickly as possible and set the hook. Hook setter type tip ups work good with mono. Try using straight 10# mono once, and see the results. My 2 cents.
Sorry neighbor, no disrespect but I'm callin' on this...Way too many other variables to credit the use of plastic leader to all that success. First and foremost it's location, location, location aka "hot hole syndrome", what kind of bait (species, size, condition), set high or low, got gas stink on yer hands, holes covered or no, I could name another half dozen at least that have no connection to whether your leader is wire or plastic. Just not buyin' it. I'm pretty much a strictly wire guy and never been significantly nor consistently outfished by plastic users. I have my times where I get to thrash the plastic users. Pretty much evens out.I even play with plastic from time to time just to remind myself but it's more like 40 - 50#. 10# is just, well, never mind. 10#??? Oh yeah, here's your change...
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Topic: Leader material for pike (Read 3149 times)
