Pike On Yum Dinger?

[aquaholic]

Tonight i set the hook on something big on a lake in southern michigan. The first thing out of my mouth to my buddy was,"we're going to need a bigger boat". And then my line went slack, my mono leader was cut. Ive never caught a pike so im not sure what they feel like. Is there any tell tale signs? I was throwing a yum dinger into some weeds and it hit when i twitched it. The lake is known for pike so im guessing thats what it was, either that or a bull shark. I still havent ruled that one out. Either way im really starting to reconsider the mono leader i use. Would a fluro leader be better than mono if i hook into the occasional pike?

[Bluebasser86]

Pike will eat about anything, stickworms included. What happened to you is about the most telltale sign, when the line breaks easily for no apparent reason. If you buy floro leader material it might help a little bit since it's harder and a little tougher than regular floro but they'll cut that too.

[Scott F]

If you can cut it with a knife, a pike can cut it with it's teeth. If you want to be sure to keep from being bit off, you need steel leaders or VERY heavy mono/fluoro. Baits like senkos are inhaled so the risk of being bit off quickly like you experienced is a lot higher.  I often bass fish in lakes with pike and was reluctant to use the steel leaders I usually use for pike because they would destroy the action of weightless senko. I did get tired of not landing the pike that were biting so I made some very light leaders out of wire that you can tie in a knot. There is a trade off, but I accepted that in favor of landing more fish. I also use the light wire leaders on suspending crankbaits that are a lot more expensive to lose that a hook and a plastic worm.

[Marty]

Agree, pike will take anything in your tackle bag. I've always used steel leaders when necessary; I would not trust any filament, be it mono, fluoro or braid.

[Jmrichardson2011]

Pike have ruined many a good bass bait for me. They are fun to catch when specifically targeting them, but tend to be more of a nuisance when fishing for bass. I use a steel leader of at least 8" when I target northerns. I have seen northerns the length of my arm eat crappie jigs right before they hit the water...if its a lure, they will eat it.