what pound test for pike fluorocarbon leaders

[chironomidkraut]

what pound test for pike fluorocarbon leaders and what's the best knot to tie them to a swivel

[saxmatt]

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.

[Whopper Stopper]

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.

I am in the same camp with leaders in the 60 lb + range. I have never had a bite off and like the fluorocarbon leaders much better than steel.

            WS

[deadsmelthead]

30 is about my limit, i cant deal with the coiling, to be honest i started going back to mono and i really havent had any issues.. I still have some heavy fluro leaders on tip ups i throw in the heavy weed beds but out in the flats ive been downsizing..

[Knife2sharp]

I use 80lb, same as my musky leaders. The coiling used to bother me and I'd try straightening them by attaching a couple ounces to one end and let them hang. But I've noticed my minnows are quite lively, even after being on my line for several hours. I think the slight coiling creates more freedom of movement for the minnow.  I typically use shiners with a single hook in the back and a #6 treble as the stinger through the top lip.  I make my leaders about 16". 

[HybridHunter]

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.

[Drifter_016]

I use wire when ice fishing but during open water when fly fishing for pike I use 40# Seaguar flouro leader material.
I have lost a couple of fish over the years but for the most part I do well with it.
I got this fat girl using a chartreuse leetch on 40# flouro tippet.   

[northernnyice]

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.

[HybridHunter]

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.

[colsac]

I've had good success with 40# flouro leader material.  I use a surgeons end loop knot that i spiral onto quick rig cork screw swivels.  Also run the leader from the spool and hook it to the base of my tip up flag (beaver dam) during storage, which elimanates most of the coiling.

[thomasthepikehunter]

I roll my leaders right up on the spool. I don't have any coils with either 20# toothy critter coated steel or 50# seaguar fluorocarbon.

[deadsmelthead]

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.

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

[thomasthepikehunter]

I run up to 3' on mine without problems. Fluoro actually does stretch, often more than mono. The difference is mono stretches like a rubber band, while fluoro just kind of pulls out and stays that way. Imagine pulling apart putty. I've never noticed it getting brittle, at least not any worse than anything else in the cold.

[lakerman]

go steel or.................... ............go home unhappy, sooner or later

[northernnyice]

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.

where da pics?

[northernnyice]

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

i use about 30'' of leader material and I can get my leaders to stretch quite a bit. Give them a good 3 slow stretches and my presentation is nice and straight.

[HybridHunter]

where da pics?

38

37 and 32from today


And 43" tiger two weeks ago that was 25lbs+

And that's this year, not to mention years prior. But again, that's just what works for me. Others can disagree, it doesn't bother me a bit. I defiantly saw a decrease in flags from two other guys last weekend compared to me. One was using 80lb flouro and the other steel. It was about a 1:4 ratio.

[northernnyice]

Lol its all good dawg. It will fail you eventually. If you think not, then your a fool.

[HybridHunter]

Yup

[northernnyice]

Nice bumpboard, gotta get a new one. i have had one that i made for a long time, but Ive lost it.

[deadsmelthead]

If fools want to catch more and bigger fish, then im a fool....... Dawg............

[northernnyice]

If fools want to catch more and bigger fish, then im a fool....... Dawg............

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...

[pikeaddict]

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.

[northernnyice]

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.

The last thing you said, very important.

[deadsmelthead]

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....

[northernnyice]

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....

Lol word, son.

I know youve caught a lot of pike i was just busting. I just cant rationalize it in my head. Only because i have seen friends break off on 60lb and 80lb right before my eyes. The typical response is then, "well you cant horse them, you gotta play them, you cant do a hulk hogan hookset". I have a friend who is very skilled, very calculated and patient. Always checking equipment, and still one day bang cut off on 80lb. I was like holy chit. Ive seen 40lb break on several occasions. I know there is more then one way to skin a cat. But 20lb fluoro fore big pike just doesnt even seem right to me. For anglers who care so much about the fish it doesnt even seem ethical! But i guess if you have had good results, then why not.

[thomasthepikehunter]

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.

[deadsmelthead]

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.

Never said after 500 pike on mono or fluro, I used steel leaders for a very long time  and a vast majority of the estimated 500 pike came on them as ive only in the past 7 seasons really made a full transition to using polymer line..

I have absolutely nothing to gain from saying I havent had a pike bite threw fluro or mono in the 7 seasons i been using it, im not sitting in the corner chuckling saying watch me get all these guys to loose fish on mono or fluro... I think there is alot more to line snapping than the pikes teeth, its just my opinion..

[thomasthepikehunter]

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.

[deadsmelthead]

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.

Where do you hook your bait ? My experience has been to hook all bait it the rear 1/4 of the bait... I know everyone runs with the idea that pike tussle and flip bait around in their mouths before attempting to swallow it.. My belief is they just inhale it from the get go... Their teeth are more of a restraining or wounding tool.. I dont know about yall but it always seems a bait is going down their throat head 1st... Keeping this in mind and having a bait hooked in its tail quarter allows the hook to leave the bait more freely and at the same time have a shorter distance to the tooth line.. Which is why i seem to have almost a 95% hook up rate in the outside corner of the jaw.. Thus eliminating teeth from the equation.. Do i still get gut shots ? Yup.. But not nearly as many as i have in the past hooking bait in the dorsal fin or back area... I just recently started to document this... Tail hoked bait leads to corner of the jaw hooksets... Give it a try see for yourself... Rub a few sets like that and see what happens, id be interested to see your results....