I catch quite a few pickerel around here, actually some pretty nice ones, and i never use leaders, and rarely loose bait to fish, every time i get and expensive lure it gets lost withing a month or so, due to a fray in the line, a big fish,stupidity or an obstacle underwater, in some cases expensive lures out preform for me but usually whatever i can find cheap works well, I like to experiment, and when i find some thing that works better for a buck or two more i get it, but if the all work the same i get whatever cheapest.