Had a pike break my line yesterday & lost a $150 glide bait. What can I do to my setup to prevent this in the future?

[joelhains]

7 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

See that’s what’s crazy I was using 20 lb Big Game

Flourocarbon is much more abrasion resistant than mono

[Dan N]

I just had a small pike(24”) cut clean thru 20 lb . Brand new mono a day ago. Saw the fish. Cut clean in a mili second 🙄

But it not a 150 lure. Ouch!!!

[Ohioguy25]

12 hours ago, joelhains said:

Flourocarbon is much more abrasion resistant than mono

No it isn’t lol I’ve had fluoro fail way more than mono. Commonly held myth pushed by the aggressive marketing behind the far more expensive fluoro whose only advantages are that it has very little stretch for finesse sensitivity and sinks, and that it might be slightly less visible submerged. 
 

https://www.saltstrong.com/fishing-tip/fluorocarbon-leader-abrasion-test-vs-mono/

 

This is from Sunline‘s website:

 

”However, as mentioned earlier, fluorocarbon is less abrasion resistant than monofilament which means it can break more easily. One disadvantage of fluorocarbon is the amount of memory that it has, which often causes line twists that can occur in your reel spool and cause the line to kink up and eventually break.”

 

 

 

https://sunlineamerica.com/blogs/news/fluorocarbon-braid-or-monofilament

[Scott F]

5 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

No it isn’t lol I’ve had fluoro fail way more than mono. Commonly held myth pushed by the aggressive marketing behind the far more expensive fluoro whose only advantages are that it has very little stretch for finesse sensitivity and sinks, and that it might be slightly less visible submerged. 

:

Very little stretch? That’s probably one of the biggest myths about fluoro. Some may stretch a little bit less than mono, but the difference is minimal. Some types stretch even more than mono. The worst part about that is that unlike mono, when you do stretch it, it doesn’t return to its original shape. 

[Ohioguy25]

9 hours ago, Scott F said:

Very little stretch? That’s probably one of the biggest myths about fluoro. Some may stretch a little bit less than mono, but the difference is minimal. Some types stretch even more than mono. The worst part about that is that unlike mono, when you do stretch it, it doesn’t return to its original shape. 

The key takeaway is that fluoro has terrible abrasion resistance and damage tolerance, once nicked or stressed/compromised it’s toast.

[gim]

46 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

The key takeaway is that fluoro has terrible abrasion resistance and damage tolerance, once nicked or stressed/compromised it’s toast.

That’s why you replace it when it’s nicked or cut or visibly damaged.

 

I would argue that it’s a good idea to replace or remove any type of fishing line that is visibly damaged. I certainly do. Damaged line is a failure waiting to happen on a new personal best.

[Ohioguy25]

On 7/12/2024 at 10:37 AM, Hulkster said:

I think you could use a steel leader if there are big pike around. 

I doubt the bass care. I have caught many bass while fishing for pike with a steel leader while casting spinner baits and #5 Mepps black fury's. 

If you are fighting a big pike they can still work their way though even thick flouro from what I understand. same with muskies 

How about this stuff, can I do better brand wise than this? If not what pound test & length? Thanks!

 

https://www.amazon.com/AFW-Stainless-Single-Strand-Leader/dp/B0000AXZCS/ref=mp_s_a_1_11

On 7/12/2024 at 11:08 AM, Scott F said:

I’ve had pike miss my top water bait so bad, they cut my line above the leader. Fortunately, it was a floating bait so I got it back. Pike, even small ones just destroy tackle. 100lb fluoro is overkill especially with lighter tackle. Pre-made, light wire leaders with quality hardware or even better, tieable wire leaders you make yourself are a much better choice. 

 

On 7/12/2024 at 3:37 PM, WRB said:

What size and type of line was bit off?

Tom

 

On 7/12/2024 at 5:26 PM, Susky River Rat said:

I would NOT use heavy FC I would opt for a tie able  or solid steel leader. In the musky world for bass size baits we used smaller steel leaders for using a 100 or great FC kills the action of these smaller baits. I always bought stealth tackle leaders. 

 

On 7/12/2024 at 8:06 PM, gimruis said:

This topic seems to have come up several times recently.

 

A steel, titanium, or fluorocarbon leader will certainly help. The size of the pike or muskie is pretty irrelevant though. They are aggressive fish with teeth and they ruin lures. There’s only so much you can do. At some point you just have to accept the fact that they are going to ruin lures or bite you off completely.

 

I personally would not use a $150 lure with pike around.

 

On 7/13/2024 at 8:42 AM, ABU is overpriced said:

No no no, this is not a knot made to go through guides. This is what you use to tie to a swivel or directly to a lure when using braid. For standard fluoro leaders to go through guides, i always use improved alberto.

Kinda agree, $150 is way too expensive to just cast out there. That money can get you a nice handle and knobs assembly from studio composite, etc. And while i have a bunch of slide swimmers 175 that cost over $100 each on TW, i bought them all used, so i paid less than 50% than what they're sold for, so its not too bad.

 

On 7/13/2024 at 10:32 AM, Susky River Rat said:

@Ohioguy25 100lb plus FC is heavy and has. Lot of drag.  The steel is thinner and has less drag. That FC will ruin any action if a small bait. 

 

On 7/14/2024 at 10:07 AM, redmeansdistortion said:

Use a wire leader.  With pike, most bite-offs aren't actually bite-offs, but from the sharp gill plates.  As the fish thrashes about in the water, a gill plate will make contact with your line either nicking it or breaking it. Those gill plates are sharp enough to cut your hand.  It stinks losing a $10 or $20 bait, but a $150 bait I'd keep scuba gear and a spear gun aboard lol

 

On 7/15/2024 at 2:54 PM, The Maestro said:

How about this stuff, can I do better brand wise than this? If not what pound test & length? Thanks!

 

https://www.amazon.com/AFW-Stainless-Single-Strand-Leader/dp/B0000AXZCS/ref=mp_s_a_1_11

[Ohioguy25]

On 7/12/2024 at 3:37 PM, WRB said:

What size and type of line was bit off?

Tom

20 lb big game 

[Susky River Rat]

That’s not a bad option.  I’d run around 75-100lb and 6-9” leader length. You must have jinxed me. I got bit off this week by a musky. 

[ABU is overpriced]

43 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

That’s not a bad option.  I’d run around 75-100lb and 6-9” leader length. You must have jinxed me. I got bit off this week by a musky. 

What did you lose?

[Ohioguy25]

7 minutes ago, ABU is overpriced said:

What did you lose?

$150 glide bait 

51 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

That’s not a bad option.  I’d run around 75-100lb and 6-9” leader length. You must have jinxed me. I got bit off this week by a musky. 

Is there a better brand? And 75-100 even for steel?

[Scott F]

1 hour ago, Ohioguy25 said:

How about this stuff, can I do better brand wise than this? If not what pound test & length? Thanks!

 

https://www.amazon.com/AFW-Stainless-Single-Strand-Leader/dp/B0000AXZCS/ref=mp_s_a_1_11

I used the single strand wire, although much lighter and thinner stuff, for all my Canadian fly-in trips. You need a leader making tool to wrap the wire neatly, it’s pretty stiff stuff and add cross lock snaps and a ball bearing swivel and make leaders 6-12 inches long. The tieable wire is probably a better choice for you. 13-20 pound test would be fine. I tied a loop on one end of a 6-8 inch piece and tied a split ring on the other end. It’s the lightest weight leader you can make. You need to practice tieing the stuff. When you pull on it to tighten the knot, it curls up into pig tails. You can also put a snap on one side or tie it directly on to a jig head. Lots of possibilities. 

[gim]

1 hour ago, Susky River Rat said:

I got bit off this week by a musky. 

 

I got bit off by a pike targeting river smallmouth about 2 weeks ago.  I lost a discontinued storm subwart.

 

Then last Friday the pike were on a rampage when I was targeting largies in a lake.  There was a low cloud deck with a good wind which created a nice chop on the water on one end of the lake.  That's where the fish were, including voracious, aggressive pike.  We caught 17 of them mixed right in with the largemouth, including 28, 29, and 31 inchers.  At one point I caught 3 on 3 consecutive casts.  My Father got bit off twice, and I had several lures mangled.

 

When those things are biting, its an all out war against the pack of teeth.

[Ohioguy25]

16 minutes ago, Scott F said:

I used the single strand wire, although much lighter and thinner stuff, for all my Canadian fly-in trips. You need a leader making tool to wrap the wire neatly, it’s pretty stiff stuff and add cross lock snaps and a ball bearing swivel and make leaders 6-12 inches long. The tieable wire is probably a better choice for you. 13-20 pound test would be fine. I tied a loop on one end of a 6-8 inch piece and tied a split ring on the other end. It’s the lightest weight leader you can make. You need to practice tieing the stuff. When you pull on it to tighten the knot, it curls up into pig tails. You can also put a snap on one side or tie it directly on to a jig head. Lots of possibilities. 

Any of it I can just buy and tie on to a swivel? I’d like to keep it as simple and fool proof as possible.

[MediumMouthBass]

On 7/21/2024 at 1:43 AM, Ohioguy25 said:

No it isn’t lol I’ve had fluoro fail way more than mono. Commonly held myth pushed by the aggressive marketing behind the far more expensive fluoro whose only advantages are that it has very little stretch for finesse sensitivity and sinks, and that it might be slightly less visible submerged

Im late to the party here, but its nice to know im not the only one on earth who is also anti fluoro.

I bought into the social media, youtube, hype and bought a ton of it years ago.

Nothing but constant line tangle, twists, mess, and broke off constantly. And when i say broke off, it broke off so easily. Every 5 minutes at the river or creek i would be getting out a new ned rig jig, and thinking about how much money it will take to replace the baits at the end of the day.

Switched to hybrid and mono and have had barely any break offs, with 12lb hybrid sometimes i feel my reel will break before the line when i get stuck in wood or rocks.... Going to have to invest in a wooden dowel.

And the part you said about fluoro being as they say "less visible to fish in water" is so true, its an absolute joke!

Bass are barely affected by line, ive caught bass on mono so thick it made me confused, whereas trout are some of the most sensitive, paranoid, moon phase has to be right for them to even consider being hungry, fish on the planet. And yet i catch them constantly with bright green fluorescent monofilament line in shallow crystal clear creeks.....

And did i mention what a mess it causes? On spinning reels it would make a nun use vocabulary you wouldnt think possible. Casting reels are more forgiving with it, but its still a mess.

I can get 4 spools of mono or hybrid for 1 price of good fluoro, vs buy ridiculously expensive line, have to spend more on a line conditioner for it, that ill have to use frequently, and then throw the line away in a month because its almost down to the spool from constantly breaking off and retying.

Im still on the same spool of YZH from 3 years ago i paid $4 for, leave it out in the sun, in the heat, it gets shredded by zebra mussels and rocks, yet i dont cut that part off and it still doesnt break.....

Same spool of Big Game mono on my spinning reels from about 4 years ago still works great too, i think i paid $10-15 for a 1500 yard spool of it.

And ive had pickerel (alot less viscous than pike, with much smaller teeth) cut right through fluorocarbon too when ive used it in the past.

 

The only real way to deal with the esox family of fish is tieable wire or premade steel leaders.

Ive had success with pike on the premade ones, just make sure the snaps and swivels used are good quality before buying them. Its very simple, neat, and doesnt take much space.

 

[Susky River Rat]

@Ohioguy25 I’d just buy them premade from stealth tackle personally they have a variety of different style leaders. And I lost a crush 100x I was not using anything tooth proof. Just my normal leader for the abrasion on rocks. 
 

@gimruis still no northern pike for me lol

[Scott F]

13 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Any of it I can just buy and tie on to a swivel? I’d like to keep it as simple and fool proof as possible.

Single strand wire, even the light stuff, is very stiff. You can’t easily tie anything to it. You need a tool like this to work with it.

The tieable wire while tricky to tie, is easier to tie to anything. 

[Ohioguy25]

5 minutes ago, Scott F said:

Single strand wire, even the light stuff, is very stiff. You can’t easily tie anything to it. You need a tool like this to work with it.

The tieable wire while tricky to tie, is easier to tie to anything. 

I’m talking about pre rigged leaders with swivels/snaps already on them 

[Ohioguy25]

46 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

Im late to the party here, but its nice to know im not the only one on earth who is also anti fluoro.

I bought into the social media, youtube, hype and bought a ton of it years ago.

Nothing but constant line tangle, twists, mess, and broke off constantly. And when i say broke off, it broke off so easily. Every 5 minutes at the river or creek i would be getting out a new ned rig jig, and thinking about how much money it will take to replace the baits at the end of the day.

Switched to hybrid and mono and have had barely any break offs, with 12lb hybrid sometimes i feel my reel will break before the line when i get stuck in wood or rocks.... Going to have to invest in a wooden dowel.

And the part you said about fluoro being as they say "less visible to fish in water" is so true, its an absolute joke!

Bass are barely affected by line, ive caught bass on mono so thick it made me confused, whereas trout are some of the most sensitive, paranoid, moon phase has to be right for them to even consider being hungry, fish on the planet. And yet i catch them constantly with bright green fluorescent monofilament line in shallow crystal clear creeks.....

And did i mention what a mess it causes? On spinning reels it would make a nun use vocabulary you wouldnt think possible. Casting reels are more forgiving with it, but its still a mess.

I can get 4 spools of mono or hybrid for 1 price of good fluoro, vs buy ridiculously expensive line, have to spend more on a line conditioner for it, that ill have to use frequently, and then throw the line away in a month because its almost down to the spool from constantly breaking off and retying.

Im still on the same spool of YZH from 3 years ago i paid $4 for, leave it out in the sun, in the heat, it gets shredded by zebra mussels and rocks, yet i dont cut that part off and it still doesnt break.....

Same spool of Big Game mono on my spinning reels from about 4 years ago still works great too, i think i paid $10-15 for a 1500 yard spool of it.

And ive had pickerel (alot less viscous than pike, with much smaller teeth) cut right through fluorocarbon too when ive used it in the past.

 

The only real way to deal with the esox family of fish is tieable wire or premade steel leaders.

Ive had success with pike on the premade ones, just make sure the snaps and swivels used are good quality before buying them. Its very simple, neat, and doesnt take much space.

 

How heavy/long of a leader?

2 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

That’s not a bad option.  I’d run around 75-100lb and 6-9” leader length. You must have jinxed me. I got bit off this week by a musky. 

How are some people saying 20-30 lb and others 75-100?

[Susky River Rat]

I am recommending what I actually used to catch musky and my experience using small baits for musky. 

[Ohioguy25]

Just now, Susky River Rat said:

I am recommending what I actually used to catch musky and my experience using small baits for musky. 

Yeah, how much will it impact the action 

On 7/14/2024 at 10:07 AM, redmeansdistortion said:

Use a wire leader.  With pike, most bite-offs aren't actually bite-offs, but from the sharp gill plates.  As the fish thrashes about in the water, a gill plate will make contact with your line either nicking it or breaking it. Those gill plates are sharp enough to cut your hand.  It stinks losing a $10 or $20 bait, but a $150 bait I'd keep scuba gear and a spear gun aboard lol

How long does a leader need to be to steer clear of their gill plates?

[Susky River Rat]

Minimal. Which is why they recommend steel over FC for small stuff for musky. 

[Ohioguy25]

5 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

Minimal. Which is why they recommend steel over FC for small stuff for musky. 

But a 30” fish can thrash and easily nick the line 12” up no?

[Susky River Rat]

Anything is possible yes. I wouldn’t go any longer than 9” for baits 7” and under I don’t go longer than 14” unless I am trolling. I use long trolling leaders because of grinding bottoms and hitting stuff. 

[Ohioguy25]

6 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

Anything is possible yes. I wouldn’t go any longer than 9” for baits 7” and under I don’t go longer than 14” unless I am trolling. I use long trolling leaders because of grinding bottoms and hitting stuff. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000AXZCS?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

 

 Bought this. Can I use a crimp or clasp like this to make loops at each end for snaps/swivels?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sanuke-Stainless-Thimbles-Aluminum-Crimping/dp/B08ZXQWKSB/ref=mp_s_a_1_8_sspa