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On the titanium, I'm seeing mixed reviews on this...some say you can tie it, others say you have to crimp. Some say it kinks, others no. Not really sold on this stuff. Change my mind.
This will be the season finally where I do a side by aide of steel and fluoro. I don’t like ti. Pain to work with. I currently use 50lb fluoro and no breakoffs. We get into multiple 20s a year. I would rather fish steel to save some money and maybe I will after my head to head comparison.
VTLakers, now you are talking. You came to the same conclusion that I have. In Champlain where I do most of my fishing, my 2 biggest pike were caught on panfish tipups using 6 pound test STREN with a size 12 treble presenting a fathead minnow. The small hook seems to avoid deep throat hooks and most of the time ends up hooking the pike in the extreme corner of the mouth, where the line is not even in contact with any part of the fish. It is heart stopping but when you know you have a big fish on you need to stick with the plan that works - NO HORSING and let the fish run as many times ( 10 plus runs in my extreme cases ) as necessary to get it tired out and vertical in the hole. The 2 biggest pike that I mentioned, on 6 pound STREN ?? Very girthy 35 and 34 inch fish, easily 13 pounds each. Another myth that I may as well bust while I am at it is " You can't catch crappies on tipups, only on tipdowns " WRONG ! Tipups with super sensitive flag trips and no resistance on the spool have put many, many crappies on the ice for me.
I have personally done the side by side comparison in NY at Simon pond. Fished half the day and then switched the three with steel with the 3 tipups with 40# flouro. You get 7 type in NY. Exact same length leaders and blades and beads on, same size and color. Used medium large bait as that is the size of the hatch. The tip-ups were every other in a straight line and alternated half way thru the day. I did this 2 years in a row there but the first year I did not alternate half way thru, thought every other was a fair comparison. The results were astounding, between the 2 years it was 2 1/2 times more hits on flouro then there was on wire. Im not sure if it would have been different on titanium but this was wire. I have never had a bite off with flouro however am very aware it will happen some day. When I fish around here im Ma,NY,VT,NH, I would rather get 250% more flags and risk the bite off. I like many of you, live to ice fish so with the right set up and knowing how to fight the fish as long as it takes I am willing to take the time necessary. I watch my friends right next to me all the time get 2 flags all day while I run around all day because they insist on steel! If I am using a very large dead bait on 1 tip-up I may put steel out on that one. My biggest Pike was 42 1/2 inches on 8lb test with a $8 hook wgile fishing for bass and it was hooked deep and I still got it in with mono and no cut off!
Idk how i feel about wire now.in the last 2 years ive tried it just haven’t caught much.hate to say it esox xtm but im going back to 25lb mono and see if my catch rates go back up.i like eating pike..fried or pickled.i was catching 10 a year but im down to 1 in 2 years.maybe i ate them all.i only keep them 26 to 30” mostly,all the rest go back.
Give fluorocarbon a try... you wont be disappointed.
You guys using 17 or 20# flouro are pushing your luck. Only a matter of time before u break off on a big fish. I use 60#+ flouro.
id use 7 strand wire again before i use big 60# flouro.i can count on my 1 hand how many fish have broke me off in 30 years of fishing for pike using 20 or 25lb mono.think 3 have.i have caught alot of big pike.i just dont get as many flags using wire or huge pound test line or i would use it.rather get flags and maybe have a breakoff then drown shiners all day.
Mono is absolute garbage for leader material.
well i use it for every species that swim here in mi.from monster flatheads,sturgeon and king salmon.everyone has their own opinion but i think flouro is coily stiff crap.i will add overpriced too.lol plain old berkley big game gets it done..
To each their own. Mono is not very abrasion resistant. Flouro is.
But there is no plastic out there...as far as leaders...that can match steel. Period. Will it get you as many hits? Debatable. But you won't lose the ones that do because of cutoffs.
I guess we will see how the season goes this year. All I know is I'm using florocarbon and no ones going to change my mind.