Opinions on using Flourocarbon leaders for Pike

[[email protected]]

Well if the ice will get the hell out of the way i will be heading up to the Red Lake area May 20th-25th to do some Pike fishing. I went to pick up some lures and other gear for the trip today and because of the huge price difference i ended up getting 80# Flourocarbon leaders instead of the Titanium ones that it said to get on the camps website. Wondering what you guys opinion is on these being good to use for large Pike or do i need to take them back and get the Titanium ones?

[irishfield]

You made a good choice. When those trophies roll up in your leader it won't cut into them like the titanium ones do.

[GbayGiant]

You'll be just fine and then some. Just rub your leader after a fish and every once in a while to check for big nicks in the line.

Edited May 3, 2008 by GbayGiant

[taper]

Won't go back after trying them. I'm sure you will like them as well.

[[email protected]]

Thanks guys,looks like i will stick with the Flouro leaders.

[silveradosheriff]

Great choice, you will be happy with that.

[Chris]

Hi, a friend and I used to log a lot of hours fishing pike with bucktail jigs. I always used a leader and he always tied straight to the line. Our break-offs, unbelievably were roughly equal. Now that is using jigs where 90% of the fish are hooked in the corner of the mouth. Worst bait ever for getting swallowed by pike are the countdown rapalas. Awesome bait for targetting pike, but we stopped using them because we were getting too many bad situationes where the fish had the bait halfway down it's throat. It wasn't worth it.

 

Good luck man.

[Greencoachdog]

Fluro leaders are great!!!... for everything except topwater lures, it really does kill the action of a topwater bait.

[DANIMAL]

I have had pike cut through fresh 60 lb flouro leaders with ease. I only use steel now.

[scuro]

I have had pike cut through fresh 60 lb flouro leaders with ease. I only use steel now.

 

I had one cut 1/2 way through 80. Depends on the fish you are going to encounter. If you are going for lots of hammerhandles, 60 be fine. If you are targeting the big girls in big pike waters I'd do a minimum of 80 lb. I haven't given up on Flouro, I've just gone heavier. They are cheaper to use then Titanium or steel. Steel gets kinked too often and Titanium prices are just insane. I make my own while watching pike DVD's. Homemade are cheap.

Edited May 4, 2008 by scuro

[e-z-out]

LEADERS

 

Why use leaders

 

Leaders can aid in angling in many ways.

 

I think most people look to leaders to protect from being bitten off and losing those valuable hooks. However there are many other reasons to use them. Some conditions needed to be considered when choosing a leader are, structure in the water, type of fish, water clarity, desired bait presentation and size of fish.

 

 

Braided wire leaders

 

These are the most common off the shelf leaders that come with a basic swivel and hook latch. They come in lengths from 6" to 3' and can be either silver or black. Usually crimped but can also come in braided ends.

The crimped style can easily be made with inexpensive tools and the wire can be bought in rolls.

They are frequently used for trolling or casting for pike and walleye and other fish with teeth.

 

They can easily be attached to either braid or mono line and will kink so a change now and then is necessary.

 

Titanium leaders

 

These leaders are one up on the wire leaders and are super durable. A bit more expensive but will not kink.

They also come in a variety of lenghts but not usually more than 16".

Some Titanium leaders will have a ball bearing swivel and also a hook latch. The ball bearing swivel will prevent line twist better when trolling spoons.

They are also used for casting and trolling but being more rigid can also be used for top water walk the dog presentation(usually 12" max lenght).

 

 

Mono leaders

 

Mono leaders are cheap and easy to tie. They are also available at the local tackle store.

They are available in spools from 4-50lb test or higher if you can find it.

They can be attached to either a ball bearing swivel or regular swivel and a hook latch by either a tied knot or crimps.

When crimping care has to be taken to not nick the line or breakage will occure.

They can be tied in any length needed but have memory and will kink and coil often , needing to be replaced. Mono leaders will only protect against teeth to a certain degree and if snagged on rocks will cut easily.

They can also be used for either casting or trolling but are visible in clear water.

 

 

Fluorocarbon leaders

 

Fluorocarbon leader are available from 4lb to 150lb test. Ultra abrasion resistant and virtually disappear in the water they are becomming the choice of many anglers.

They too can be tied or crimped, with tying the preferance to reduce slippage of the connection. They can be used in any length and will not coil and will resist teeth and rock cutting them.

In the smaller diameter they can be attached to a braided line or mono line with a double uni knot and a straight tie to a hook for a stealthy presentation. They have been used in lenghts of up to 10-12' for certain presentations.

 

They are used for casting and trolling for critters with big teath and are the leader of choice in clear water. I have used a single leader on my muskie trolling outfit for an entire season. They last.

 

 

Straight wire leaders

 

These rigid leaders are used for casting primarily but can be trolled.

They will be most effective presenting a walk the dog top water or glide bait to perfection. The most desired lenght is 12" but can be longer or shorter.

Shrink tubing on the swivel and hook latch will keep the leader from sagging in the water thus making bait presentation easier.

They also come in different grades of wire thickness which will add weight to the bait thus changing action, so this has to be considered.

 

They will bend but can be straightened and are difficult to make without a wire leader bender. They will definitly last for many casts.

 

 

 

So if you match your leader to what you need to present your baits properly you will have better hook ups and lose less fish.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Matt

 

I'm just Quoteing Matt from Ottawa thats the way i see it as well

[Want]

I've never tried flouro leaders but I did go with Titanium for the first time this year. Bought the 30lb. wire from LeBaron's for $9.80. Tied up a bunch of them. Reduces the cost substantially over the pre-tied and they are easy to tie.

 

The stuff is very light. Plan to use 4" titanium leaders for poppers, frogs, and surface lures. Good stuff. But my home lake is murky so I don't have to worry about water clarity. Keep reading good reports about Flouro but for the heavy stuff, I'm going to stick with steel, at least until my supply runs out. Habit I guess and I've never had a problem with them.

[[email protected]]

Well i have the 80# ones but maybe i will take them back and get the 100# just to be safe,they did have 150# but i would think that might be overkill and hamper lure action? Also i will be fishing mostly Suicks,spoons and inline spinners,will these type of leaders be good for those lure types?

[mepps]

I used 80# fluro leaders last spring up near Red Lake and they were great. Even leaders with small nicks in them worked perfectly. For piece of mine I changed leaders when there were too many nicks.

[lew]

Well i have the 80# ones but maybe i will take them back and get the 100# just to be safe,they did have 150# but i would think that might be overkill and hamper lure action? Also i will be fishing mostly Suicks,spoons and inline spinners,will these type of leaders be good for those lure types?

 

I use 8 inch, 130 pound Seaguar fluoro on my jerkbait rod for Suicks all the time and it works perfectly and doesn't affect the action at all, and it'll also work as well for the spoons & spinners.

 

Best of luck on your upcoming trip.

[[email protected]]

Well i decided to take back the the 80# and grab the 100# instead just for piece of mind,i have 8 of them i am taking with me,should this be enough for 4 and a half days of fishing?

[irishfield]

Yes should be plenty. I'm still using the same 130 lb floro leaders that I used for Musky all last season. 12" casting one saw 10+ Muskie over 40" and up to 50".... 36" trolling one saw at least 6 muskie and a lot of rocks. The trolling one is a tad nicked up, but I have no reason not to use it again to start this season or at least keep it as a good spare.

[PatrickGG]

25 Pound Test Seaguar fluoro Uni to Uni on Braid never had a leader snapped so far "Knock on wood" no worries especially when using jerk baits.

Edited May 5, 2008 by PatrickG

[Ben_Daniels]

I'm still fairly new to Pike fishing but I think I'm gunna stick with premium thin wire or maybe titanium leaders. After talking to a lot of people and hearing stories of them losing pike using 80-90lb fluro leaders I'm guna be safe and use some metal. Another thing I saw this weekend was fish rolling around in the line while I was fighting them. I was using 12inch leaders and I was still seeing my 10lb test main line wrapped around pike just centimeteres away from their teeth. I think I'm gunna go grab some 18 inch leaders

 

-Ben

[[email protected]]

Well there are quite a few people in this thread who sound like they have caught a pretty good number of large Pike and Muskie and only one of them sounds like they had a Fluoro get cut on them and he was the guy using the 60# instead of an 80+# and this is why i went and took back the 80's for the 100's which i am confident in after hearing from the guys on this thread.

[35Wailin]

I tried 50# Berkeley Vanish a few years ago when I was fishing a lot of pike. Never had one bite off., Never lost a leader to a snag. I was also using 50# Power Pro braided line. Usually I would either pull out the tie ring or straighten out the hook(s).

 

I stopped using it on a regular basis because the lake I have been fishing the last two years is filled with hammerhandles and eater walleyes with the odd smallmouth thrown in. I use 20# uncoated sevenstrand wire leaders now that are brown in colour. With the stained water and many weeds, the fish don't seem to notice the leader.

 

I liked using the flouro leaders at the time, because they were more flexible and less visible than wire. I just tied them to the snap and swivel using the Trilene knot.

[John Glynn]

I was a big fan of FC leaders but not anymore. Two weeks ago on a recent pike trip my boat fishing partner had a pike bite clean through a 80 FC leader at the boat. Cut completely through like a hot knife through butter. I am back to using steel. That has been my experience. Not worth a dead fish or possible lost trophy.

[[email protected]]

35wailin that is a very similar setup to what i am planning on using,50# Power Pro with a 14" 100# Seaguar flouro leader. I know some people seem to dislike the flouro leaders due to bite offs but with these 100 pounders i feel pretty good about not having any get cut through.

[CLofchik]

Fluro leaders are great!!!... for everything except topwater lures, it really does kill the action of a topwater bait.

 

Rub a wax candle over the flouro, will make it float. Also helps with using flouro & suspending stickbaits (won't pull it into a nose down attitude).

 

Old flyfishing trick I remembered yesterday