steel leader with braid?
- Thread starter Bentrod
- Start date
Polish-Newfie
Well-Known Member
Depends on the size of Pike you are targeting. Depending where I am fishing (odds of catching a big one) I use between a 20 & 80# fluorocarbon leader as is recommended above. If you are multi-species targeting and smaller Pike then I would use 20 or 40# if you are using smaller lures/jigs.
Leaky hull
Well-Known Member
i have fished musky for 20 years, i grew up on lake st clair where 50 plus inch musky are caught frequently. I use 30lbs power pro straight to the lure and i have never been bit off. just me though.
Bucketsoff
Well-Known Member
Knot2Kinky is your friend. Best stuff I've ever used. I don't throw a jerkbait, or fish in the north, without it. It stretches, you can tie knots in it and it won't ever kink. Comes in lots of pound tests, in single and multi strand.
Well Bentrod, I can make some recommendations that may help with leaders. I've been fishing for pike for a long time and have caught a few. The best leader material invented to date that I have used is Seaguar Flouro Premier. I use Power Pro braid in both 20 and 30 pounds and trust me, pike will bite it off easily. It all depends how they are biting. One day 4 pound mono will work and the next day you will lose almost every fish using 30 pound braid. As Polish-Newfie stated, usually any fluoro 20 lbs or better will work but expect to lose a few using 20. Personally I use Seaguar 50 and have only had one fish bite it off ever. I've used fluorocarbon since it was first advertised, at least 10 or 15 years ago. Wire leaders are OK if the fish are not turned off by them but there will be days when wire leaders are the kiss of death, especially in pressured fisheries.
Bassassin
Well-Known Member
Braid has good break point strength and is no stretch but it wears easily. I always use a 3 foot leader or up to 50' of flouro at the end of it, the flouro is invisible and that tag on the end helps to keep the braid off of rocks, stumps etc. I said 100lb flouro that may be too heavy for Pike, for Musky I'm told by a Musky Guru it's a must. If you have access to a crimper you can make up as many as you want and no need to tie flouro to braid directly, crimp a loop at both ends or only one end and use snap swivels at the braid end at least.