Steel Leader or not

[ThroughTheIce]

When fishing a lake with both Pike and Lakers, should you line w/ a steel leader or not?  Lake St. Catherine to be specific.  I'll be fishing there in 2 weekends (weekend before the derby) and am getting my gear ready.  I bought the new Heritage Laker traps (per the suggestion here) now I'm lining them.   I've put on 150 yards or 27 test braided line already.  Next step is the leader......  Should I go with mono and a steel leader, or just mono?
Ice fished a good chunk of my life but haven't in some years, just getting back into the game.

My gut tells me to go with the steel so I don't have a pike cut through my line.  But then there's the part of me that says the steel will deter the Lakers.

Thoughts?

[Bigbellyperch]

My buddy caught a 14.5 lbs laker on a steel leader about two weeks ago in the islands...

[Little Brown Dog]

I'd suggest florocarbon leaders, trout won't see them and pike only sometimes cut them.  There are not to many lakers in St. C any more, so you may have better luck setting up for either browns or pike.

[juniorshanty]

Go with your gut..

[Hunkerdown]

Id have to agree with Little Brown Dog. I use Seaguar 15# Flourocarbon leader about three feet with a #1 or #1/0 red Tru-Turn hooks. It doesn't spook trout and is tough enough for pike especially with the larger hooks.

[MRwalleye]

I would also have to say just go with the Flourocarbon leader. I catch pike while fishing for lakers and walleye and haven't got cut off yet. I don't like to use steel leaders unless i'm fishing for pike only. I know that you can catch other fish with them, but belive you will catch more without them. caught a 13lb pile last yeat on a 8lb Flourocarbon leader. you just can't horse them in. 

[gould]

I am also new to ice fishing and tried the steel leader and flourocarbon and the flourocarbon put a lot more fish on the ice and a lot were pike with no problems.

[VT snotrocket]

I use surflon micro supreme by American fishing wire. I use is in 40 lb test camo. I like this because you can use standard fishing knots, no crimps. It has serves me well. I make quick strike rigs with these. I have never used fluorocarbon. I will try it sometime to see if I get good results.

[pursuit]

We did a test on Shelbune pond a couple years ago to prove to buddy that his steel leaders were the reason his fishing was slow. We used 14lb mono on our 8 jacks, he used his steel. At the end of the day we had 17 northerns on mono. He had one flag all day and that could have been the wind. His leaders are mono now and he's catching fish.

[FondoFishin]

Go with floro rather than mono. Has better abraison resistance. If your really worried about pike cut offs, go with floro of 30 to 50 lb. Thats really if your targeting trophies though, and nothing else.

[habaneromoon]

i always fish half and half i have lost way too many good pike with mono so i steel up for them but also like the browns so i mono for them, hasnt much mattered lately though as st cat slowed way down since the ice got so thick, 

[northern nightmare]

the day i switched from steel to 50# flouracarbon was the day i started getting more fish, and i have even gotten a few small lakers and even a walleye on that big stuff. I have only ever had 1 northern cut me off and i know it was a very large fish. My buddy uses 30# flouracarbon tippet and lands his share.

[JigginJo]

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