Heavy mono. or steel leader ?

[kyron4]

I fish a lake where catching a big largemouth bass is just as possiable as a pike. So question #1, would a steel leader used to troll a crankbait spook a bass or cause the bait to run eratic ? #2, would a leader of 25 lbs. or 30 lbs. mono keep a pike from biteing through ? Which would be the better opition ? The lake is a somewhat clear lake if that matters. -Thanks

[Sherlock 60]

There are lots of muskie in my lakes, so when fishing larger baits on braid I use a pre-rigged 80# fluorocarbon leader.

I fish the Barbee Chain of lakes in Kosciusko County, and they are pretty clear waters, too.

[Marty]

So question #1, would a steel leader used to troll a crankbait spook a bass or cause the bait to run eratic ? #2, would a leader of 25 lbs. or 30 lbs. mono keep a pike from biteing through ?

I seriously doubt that it would spook a bass and doubt it would make the bait run erratically to any meaningful degree unless it was a heavy leader attached to a small crankbait.

Other people have claimed success with various lines, but based on my personal experiences and observations, I would not trust any filament.

[phisher_d]

A steel leader won't affect the action any more than a heavy mono or flouro leader would.

Up here, most guys targeting large muskies or pike have switched to heavy fluoro leaders, typically #80 or more, often as high as #120. 

If you are not targetting the big pike, I would suggest using a fine titanium leader (around #15-20, or whatever your mainline is).  Titanium leaders are thin (low vis) and flexible, meaning that they won't affect the action of the bait so much.  They're expensive, but they last much much longer then standard braided wire leaders (they don't kink).

[Hooligan]

The system I use for my muskie and pike flies:

http://moldychum.squarespace.com/home-old/2010/3/2/titanium-bite-tippet.html

(We catch a LOAD of smallies every year on the same rigs.)

[Crestliner2008]

Not sure of the company name that manufactures it, there is a relatively new wire out, called, "Tie-able wire". I haven't used it myself, but I've heard other folks that it's pretty good. I don't think it's the same stuff as that titanium wire in the previous post, but I could be wrong.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't fish for pike or muskie anymore, but I do fish for mackerel and barracuda which probably have more teeth.  If I am not targeting those species I'm fishing with 30# mono leader leader on 15# braid.  If I'm going after spanish macks I use a short piece of piano wire 20 or 30#, cuda's get 30# coated wire.  This stuff handles any cuda 40-60", never got one bigger than 60, so a pike would be no problem.  I only use wire leaders I make myself.

[bear7625]

I prefer the tie-able wire. The pre-made leaders for muskie and pike have the big swivels on them which make them to heavy for me.

I would suggest going on-line to ROLLIE & HELEN'S MUSKY SHOP. They have all leader material, including tie-able wire.

[Hooligan]

The only grudge I have against Tyger or American Fishing wire is that it kinks horribly.  Since I switched to titanium, it's a non-issue.

[RoLo]

In New York and Ontario we've often fished waters that hold both largemouth bass and pike.

Wherever both species occur, the northern pike is always the dominant predator.

Bass hold their own against hammer-handle pike, but do not knowingly comingle with large pike.

Whenever trophy pike move inshore, largemouth bass take their game into shallow backwaters.

When targeting bass in the backwaters, I'll take my lumps with pike, but it's never a big deal.

When targeting pike along the outer weed-line, I don't use heavy mono or steel,

but only use "titanium leader". Titanium is knotable (no need for sleeves), kink-resistant,

non-corrosive and it's also shock-resistant (it actually stretches.......a lot).

Roger

[iceintheveins]

I use 15 to 20 pound fluorocarbon leader for pike and have landed plenty up in the mid 20 pound range. Yeah you get an OCCASIONAL bite off but they are uncommon. Wire leaders are best in heavily stained or murky waters, especially Cortland toothy critter, which is tiable.

[J. M. Richardson]

I've  had pike bite through braid ('dem teeth are sharp). have yet to have bite through a steel leader and have not had leaders affect my cranks and spoons. Only problem with steel leaders is that they don't work on jigs or spinners (which also seem to attract northerns).

I'll look into lightweight titanium rigs this summer to see if i can get less visibility on my leader.

[bear7625]

Another thing you should take into consideration is the length of the leader. I seldom use a leader over 8" long and the length depends on the bait I'm using. Jigs and spinner baits, I go as short as 4". I use only tie-able wire and this is only when bass fishing and pike are being a problem. [pre][/pre]

[Luke at Gouldsboro]

I wouldn't risk it with mono. go with wire