Using A Steel Wire Leader For Crankbaits And Spoons

[pafishing717]

will it affect the action?

[livetofish28]

I honestly have never tried it so I don't know but I'm gonna take a guess and say you keep getting bitten of by toothy critters arnt u? Lol

Tight line

Andrew

[pafishing717]

no but im trying to getting into those critters lol i figured that i use a wire leader so if i do i wont have to worry  

[J Francho]

Look at Cortland Toothy Critter in 10 or 20# diameter. It's a tieable leader that works really well.

[Raul]

Not everyday I tie a steel leader but when I used to visit several lakes in Tamaulipas a steel leader didn't sound to be a bad idea, gator gars loved to munch your cranks, the leaders we tied had a snap and apparently the action was pretty much the same.

[RoLo]

Over the years, I've probably used enough Sevenstrand steel leaders to fill a garbage can.

Steel leaders are highly kink-prone and rust-prone, but since the introduction of titanium leader I discarded my entire inventory of steel leader.

Two excellent brands of titanium wire leader are "AFW Titanium Wire" and "Knot2Kinky Nickel-Titanium Wire".

No sleeves, no crimping pliers, just swing a quick figure-8 knot and have at it.

 

Yes, wire leader dampens lure action, but I'm not sure that it also dampens your catch rate. Either way, a low cutoff ratio

is just as important as maximum lure action, especially with my luck. Titanium leader will boat every toothy fish without a single cut-off,

something that cannot be said of steel leader (which weakens as it kink) and something that could never be said of fluorocarbon leader.

The sticker shock of titanium leader scares many anglers away, but thanks to its high kink-resistance, one titanium leader can last

the better part of a day. In the long run, titanium begins to look reasonable, and is far more pleasurable to fish than steel. 

 

Roger

[ww2farmer]

I seem to catch less of everything, including the toothies when I use one. So I don't. It's probably all in my head, and just a confidence thing, but hey... Someone has to keep the crankbait companies in business, might as well be me.

[WIGuide]

On a crankbait it won't change the action that much. I'd use something other than a steel leader though, because they will eventually rust out and snap when you least expect it. Also, if they get kinked they're shot. I'd recommend either a titanium leader or the Knot-2-Kinky leader material.

[Master Bait'r]

That's a tough call, and really mosr of a question of "Would I rather not get the bites or am I fine with getting all those bites but *maybe* losing the bait"

[Scott F]

I make my own stainless steel single strand leaders. They do kink up but when they do, I cut the terminal hardware off and twist up a new piece of wire. It's cheap and easy to do. MUCH cheaper than buying pre-made leaders. I've got some leaders and wire that are 20 yeas old and have never seen one rust. I used titanium for a very short while but although it doesn't kink, it does break. You have to use crimped sleeves which are not very reliable and they hang on weeds pretty easily.  Whether steel leaders effect the action of a lure or not doesn't matter to me. I can't afford to lose expensive lures to bite offs not to mention finding it unacceptable to leave lures hanging from a fishes jaw.

[RAMBLER]

On a crankbait it won't change the action that much. I'd use something other than a steel leader though, because they will eventually rust out and snap when you least expect it. Also, if they get kinked they're shot. I'd recommend either a titanium leader or the Knot-2-Kinky leader material.

If you don't use a metal leader, of some kind, in Lake Holcombe, you will be giving lures away to the northern pike and musky.  Go right across the road from your house and you will find "toothy fishes" that have no respect for fishing line.

[WIGuide]

If you don't use a metal leader, of some kind, in Lake Holcombe, you will be giving lures away to the northern pike and musky.  Go right across the road from your house and you will find "toothy fishes" that have no respect for fishing line.

Been there done that lol. Maybe I'm just stupid, but I still take my chances without a leader on Holcombe most of the time I'm throwing a spinnerbait there anyway which I've actually lost fewer baits and fish without using a leader haha. If I'm fishing for bass out there it's usually up the river for smallies and the abundance of the toothy critters goes down a bit.

[SirSnookalot]

Wire and spoons are used here everyday, it makes no difference with some species and with others you won't get near as many strikes.  Whether it's a premade with snap and swivel, coated surflon crimped, or piano wire looped with a haywire twist, I've not noticed any difference in action.  I've seen the tieable haven't used as yet, not a bad idea if that's what you have more confidence in.  I make my surgical tubes using surflon which is coated stainless and doesn't rust. I do prefer black rather than clear which is really not clear but bright and fish will hit the "flash" of the leader.

[AQUA VELVA]

I don't think there is a lake in my area that does not have pike so I use a 6'' steel leader on most all my CB's. Bass don't seem to mind and I don't loose $$ lures to pike.

[RAMBLER]

Been there done that lol. Maybe I'm just stupid, but I still take my chances without a leader on Holcombe most of the time I'm throwing a spinnerbait there anyway which I've actually lost fewer baits and fish without using a leader haha. If I'm fishing for bass out there it's usually up the river for smallies and the abundance of the toothy critters goes down a bit.

Up which river?  I hooked two muskies just north of the main creek bridge and saw one that was the biggest musky (alive or mounted) that I have ever seen.  It was in a little patch of lily pads just below that big house on the hill, there on the west side of the river.

Has main creek gotten cleaner?  I know, cleaner that what!  There was a farmer, upstream, that used to winter and feed some of his cattle on the ice.  Cow manure can really make a mess of a stream that size.

[WIGuide]

Up which river?  I hooked two muskies just north of the main creek bridge and saw one that was the biggest musky (alive or mounted) that I have ever seen.  It was in a little patch of lily pads just below that big house on the hill, there on the west side of the river.

Has main creek gotten cleaner?  I know, cleaner that what!  There was a farmer, upstream, that used to winter and feed some of his cattle on the ice.  Cow manure can really make a mess of a stream that size.

Up the Jump, the backwater that connects the Jump River and Main Creek has a few smallies in it. Main Creek has probably gotten a little cleaner, with no more feeding on the ice. There's a lot of grass back there now. The bay right across from where saw that Musky gets choked out as well as the backwater to the south east of the bridge.

[gulfcaptain]

fishing in and working in the charter business for more then 20yrs, if you want to use wire, I'm thinking you're fishing with less then 15lb line.  I would try a single strand 27lb wire.  Use a haywire twist and buy some welded small rings to tie to.  I haven't used wire in fresh water, but fishing offshore I started wiring all my surface irons with about an 18" piece of wire.  It let the jig swim with a wider kick as well as kept it in the water a bit longer without it skipping out.  This added action increased the amount of yellowtail that would come up and hit my jig when they wouldn't hit a jig tied straight to mono.  So if you want to experiment give it a shot.  If it doesn't work, well you might be out at the most $10.00