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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 pikesteel (15lb toothy critter and 15 lb berkley steelon coated)- 71 pike and one salmonTake it for what it's worth.
Use the red steel and put that flouro away besides you will save money on that expensive flouro.
You guys in canada and stuff with skinnier pike in some lakes and more pike and less pressure in general should use wire
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.
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.
iceintheveins/troutfishingbear,one thing ive always noticed is that you guys SAY you caught 30 pound pike,10 pound trout,13 inch bluegillsbut 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.
You guys need to lay off us