i need help!!!

[Fish like crazy]

today i lost a really nice pike at the hole and need to what kind of line to use.i was thinking of steel leaders.Thanks

[busler15]

Yes, if you are fishing where there are big pike, use steel leaders. You may not get as many flags, but you will deff. not have any breakoffs. If you fish where there are medium-small pike, use flourocarbon. Either way, always use a leader when fishing for pike. If you have a good leader, you can land a 20lb pike on 15lb test.

[Fish like crazy]

thanks the one i had a 33"er up to the hole.. 

[Trout Sen-Sei]

Instead of steel, you can also beef up your leader with 30 lb mono or a superline like Fireline 50lb test. For pike, I often tie hooks right onto my braided tip up line which is 30lb test.

[esox slayer]

I've had limited success with 40 pound mono as a leader, but I've always used a steel leader, you hook into something in the 20 pound range you want steel....tried the mono this year when the bite was slow, it made some difference but not enough to keep me using it and foregoing steel, I use 12 inch leaders......

[AD]

If say go with steel leader, Ive had bite offs on 30 lb mono from pike/Tiger musky.     Steel leader doesnt affect the amount of flags or bites you get too much, from what I have seen so far.     Id prefer a few less bites and get a big one then a few more bites adn lose the big one anyways.     

    I like cable leaders with a #4 or #6 treble (prefferable a scorpion treble).     

[Fish like crazy]

thank you again.The place we are fishing is small so it is not that hard to find them .ps.i just got steel leaders and 25 pound line hope it does the job. 

[esox slayer]

25 pound line should work fine for you.  Personally I use a minimum 36 pound test, not for the size of the pike but for the following reasons....the higher break strength will take more abuse on the underside of holes, etc.  Every year I cut off the first 2 feet of line on the reel, this seems to take the most abuse the way I fish.

Secondly, the thicker line is far easier to untangle on the ice in the event you do get it tangled, at least it is when my fingers are cold and wet, not to mention the fact I've got big hands and the manual dexterity isn't as precise as someone with smaller fingers......

[Fish like crazy]

Well the 25 worked for me i caught 5 today the biggest was 26 and very fat.esox slayer you are right steel leaders dont effect the bite (i think).

[iceintheveins]

DON'T USE WIRE. It does reduce bites. Here in Colorado using wire usually equals getting skunked. No sooner than I switched from wire to fluorocarbon, I started getting plenty of flags.
I have had two bite offs in the last two years, and I regularly tangle with pike in the 10 - 20 pound range. I use Stren High Impact fluoro leader or P - Line fluoro leader in the 15 - 20 pound test range.

[akdg]

DON'T USE WIRE. It does reduce bites. Here in Colorado using wire usually equals getting skunked. No sooner than I switched from wire to fluorocarbon, I started getting plenty of flags.
I have had two bite offs in the last two years, and I regularly tangle with pike in the 10 - 20 pound range. I use Stren High Impact fluoro leader or P - Line fluoro leader in the 15 - 20 pound test range.

How many pike are we talking here ice?
Here are the numbers for my season so far. We have been using 50/50 steel/floro everytime out.  The largest has been 13lbs (on steel-cortland toothy critter 15lb) The smallest was about 6 inches.  I have been bit off once on the 30lb floro but it was because of equipment malfunction not the leaders fault.
134 pike total (have only kept 6 to eat all season)
30lb floro- 63 pike
steel (15lb toothy critter and 15 lb berkley steelon coated)- 71 pike and one salmon
Take it for what it's worth.

[grumpymoe]

How many pike are we talking here ice?
Here are the numbers for my season so far. We have been using 50/50 steel/floro everytime out.  The largest has been 13lbs (on steel-cortland toothy critter 15lb) The smallest was about 6 inches.  I have been bit off once on the 30lb floro but it was because of equipment malfunction not the leaders fault.
134 pike total (have only kept 6 to eat all season)
30lb floro- 63 pike
steel (15lb toothy critter and 15 lb berkley steelon coated)- 71 pike and one salmon
Take it for what it's worth.

..... well spoken....Grump

[iceintheveins]

How many pike are we talking here ice?
Here are the numbers for my season so far. We have been using 50/50 steel/floro everytime out.  The largest has been 13lbs (on steel-cortland toothy critter 15lb) The smallest was about 6 inches.  I have been bit off once on the 30lb floro but it was because of equipment malfunction not the leaders fault.
134 pike total (have only kept 6 to eat all season)
30lb floro- 63 pike
steel (15lb toothy critter and 15 lb berkley steelon coated)- 71 pike and one salmon
Take it for what it's worth.

Biggest Pike was nearly 30 pounds. Caught a 20 pounder, and about two dozen in the 10 - 20 pound range. Eighteen more pike in the 12" - 10 pound range. One biteoff that was because of the fish being overplayed.
I would fish with wire before switching to fluoro. Catching even one pike per day was rare in the same lakes and same locations using wire. Take THAT for what its worth.

[Water Wolf]

I think it all depend on the lake and the fish population.
If the water is very clear and the fish seem to be leader shy try the fluorocarbon leaders in the heavy line weights. But some lakes are stained and the pike are not really fussy. In these lakes the in-visa leaders by Southbend work well. I use both steel leader and fluorocarbon and see which the fish seem hit more.
Fishing all about ex permenting and having fun doing it.

WW

[northdease]

if you notice the guys using floro always end their statement with " with a couple of bite offs" i tried it once and first fish bit me off and wasnt a very big fish. i make my own quick strikes with the malin titanium leader material with 2-4 ft. of floro then the main braided line and never had any bite offs.

[Water Wolf]

Use the red steel and put that flouro away besides you will save money on that expensive flouro.

JHM where do you find red steel leaders, what brands makes them?
They sound interesting, pike should like the red.

WW

[TroutFishingBear]

give me floro any day. Wire=pretty much no flags and never big fish
floro= flags and sometimes big pike. Of course, I am fishing heavily pressured colorado waters that are pristine and crystal clear with WELL FED pike. You guys in canada and stuff with skinnier pike in some lakes and more pike and less pressure in general should use wire.
Here's a small sample of what ice (formerly mackdaddy21) and I a have caught this ice season.
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=30382.30

[AD]

Heavily pressured?     When I fish for pike I'm fishing in NY lakes, with fat well fed and heavily pressured fish, I solely use wire leaders.   
 
I guess I agree with what a member or two said.     A lot of it depends on the lake you are fishing if it is crystal clear water with skiddish pike, maybe mono is your best shot.   
    But what Id say is use wire leaders first and if you get enough flags with that then stick with the wire because you will never get bit off.     

[Fish like crazy]

I have to say i do like the wire better they are eaiser to land less to think about. The water i was fishing was kinda merkey tho.

[grumpymoe]

You guys in canada and stuff with skinnier pike in some lakes and more pike and less pressure in general should use wire

.....and I'm sure that the most recent Manitoba record of 60.5" was using exactly that....Grump

[fishnut]

I always take light into consideration.  If it's a murky lake, you're alright with a leader, but a Clear Lake in the spring with the sun shining in midday, pike would be very likely to be spooked by a leader.

[Water Wolf]

American fishing wire (Bleeding leader wire) you can order from cabalas or the company.I have used it last couple of years with good results.You have to crimp and make your own but I think its well worth it.I have caught a ton of bass and even trout with this stuff on.No fish more leader shy than a bass or trout.It is suppose to vanish in deep water and mimic blood in top water.It works for me anyway.

Cool, thanks for the info JHM.

WW

[GAMBELL]

I tried the heavier mono leaders earlier this season.  I had half wire and half mono (florocarbon).  The numbers were exactly the same.  The biggest pike actually came on wire leader.  It probably depends on the waters you fish.  If you fish a heavily pressured lake you might want to go with heavy florocarbon leaders.  My suggestion is play them light no matter what you are using.  Most fish are broken off at the hole because they are thrashing their heads.  Play them out and they will do less thrashing around.

[iceintheveins]

if you notice the guys using floro always end their statement with " with a couple of bite offs" i tried it once and first fish bit me off and wasnt a very big fish. i make my own quick strikes with the malin titanium leader material with 2-4 ft. of floro then the main braided line and never had any bite offs.

One bite off this year, one bite off last year. All on fluoro. Using wire equaled NO FLAGS before. But if you fish heavily stained water and you find that wire doesn't reduce strikes where you live, use it.

[esox slayer]

Well...I don't fish "heavily stained water"  I fish in waters where the zebra mussels have basically made it crystal clear...I use wire leaders almost exclusively....tried mono this year and it made fish bite more for a short period, but in the past 3 weeks have noticed less action on the mono rigs, went back to wire leaders on all the tipups and have been catching fish....

There's only been one spot I've fished this year with heavily stained water and the fish didn't bite on either mono or steel...and I've been using steel for 40 years now with good results every year....

[Kyle_]

iceintheveins/troutfishingbear,
one thing ive always noticed is that you guys SAY you caught 30 pound pike,10 pound trout,13 inch bluegills
but only post pictures of 10 pound pike,5 pound trout and 11 inch bluegills.
iceintheveins,
pike are dumb creatures, if i tied a hook onto the end of an anchor rope i am sure they would bite it.
they do not care about wire...
and also i would like to see pictures of that 30 pound pike to prove you are not full of it.

[iceintheveins]

iceintheveins/troutfishingbear,
one thing ive always noticed is that you guys SAY you caught 30 pound pike,10 pound trout,13 inch bluegills
but only post pictures of 10 pound pike,5 pound trout and 11 inch bluegills.
iceintheveins,
pike are dumb creatures, if i tied a hook onto the end of an anchor rope i am sure they would bite it.
they do not care about wire...
and also i would like to see pictures of that 30 pound pike to prove you are not full of it.

There is a link to a pic of a 20 pound pike I caught in the photos section. The 30 pound pike could not come through the hole easily and broke the line after several tries getting her head up. We have pics of 10 pound trout and 13" bluegills if you will care to check myfishfinder.com. We don't catch TONS of 10 pound trout or 13" bluegills, but we do catch several of each per year. We do catch tons of 5 pound trout and 11" bluegills though. Check the photos on myfishfinder to.

Pike in Colorado are different. They are VERY finicky most of the time and are not all that aggressive. They would laugh at a hook on an anchor rope, and getting few if any pike using wire before, then switching to fluoro and fishing the same tactics and same areas and starting to bag pike proves that. They are not nearly as aggressive as pike elsewhere.

[esox slayer]

There is a link to a pic of a 20 pound pike I caught in the photos section. The 30 pound pike could not come through the hole easily and broke the line after several tries getting her head up. We have pics of 10 pound trout and 13" bluegills if you will care to check myfishfinder.com. We don't catch TONS of 10 pound trout or 13" bluegills, but we do catch several of each per year. We do catch tons of 5 pound trout and 11" bluegills though. Check the photos on myfishfinder to.

Pike in Colorado are different. They are VERY finicky most of the time and are not all that aggressive. They would laugh at a hook on an anchor rope, and getting few if any pike using wire before, then switching to fluoro and fishing the same tactics and same areas and starting to bag pike proves that. They are not nearly as aggressive as pike elsewhere.

OK...now this is getting nuts...first a comment is made about a "nearly 30 pounder"  and then we find out the fish never came out of the hole??  How do we know it's a nearly 30 pounder?

I had a northern up here a few years ago straighten out a couple barbs on a 2/0 treble hook and had one this year straighten out 1 on a 2/0 treble hook...can I "assume" it was near'y a 30 pounder or bigger???  Gotta be a big fish to straighten out something as heavy as a 2/0....I don't think a wimpy 30 pound pike could do it...musta been up around 40 or so,,,,another of those skinny Canadian border waters pike we're used to catching up here in our stained water.....Sorry, I couldn't resist.....

[Kyle_]

couldnt of been a 40 that straightened out the hook.  Had to be a good 60 pounds if not more.
Yeah,
i lost a perch at the hole this year that HAD to be a good 8 pounds right at the hole..sorry no pictures.

Also iceintheveins,
theres tons of pictures on myfishfinder so couldnt you atleast post some links?

[grumpymoe]

You guys need to lay off us

.....if Colorado fishing is So different from the rest of the world, then dont tell everyone that Infisherman tactics need to be thrown out the window as useless.....its detrimental to fishing in general....and a disgrace to the the intellect of those that use tactics that are time proven.....and one mentions that they had the BIG ONE gilled but it thrashed and broke off.......guess you can only count on 9 digits now...if its been gilled in the hole by hand, how in the heck can it break off thrashing?....it gets monotenous after awhile....lighten up a little.....the whole fishing world isn't against either one of you....when you get taken to task on a supposed factual post, be prepared to answer the questions......hit the moderator button again.....that gets monotenous to read too!!!.....you need to grow up and stand on your own two feet....Grump