I have used both 15 and 20 pound test fluorocarbon leaders on my bass rods and I still get bit off by pike.
I know I need to bump up the pound test of the fluorocarbon but, I already have two spools that are useless and the bigger the diameter gets, the more the lure action is effected and the tougher it is to tie a knot.
What brand fluorocarbon line and what pound test do I need to go to eliminate or greatly reduce pike bite offs and still get good action from the lures?
Thanks, Go-Fish
I perch fish with a 2# flouro leader. I haven't had a pike hit my line in years. This year seven of them attacked my line. Landed a 21, 24 and 28. Bit off instantly twice, fought about a 32-35 incher for ten minutes, got it to the hole four times then it decided it was done playing, smiled at me and broke me off. Last battle was a 40" plus I fought for 14 minutes and it never came close to the hole. I had an eighth hit and run and pop the hook. A few others rip my minnow off the hook. I love panoptix. No confusion as to what is under your hole when the pike show up. If I tried to catch those slime rockets I wouldn't stand a chance.
Are you talking about open water fishing? I run 40+ pound braid on all my setups straight to my lure and had only one bite off last year. Only mono I run is on my spinning rods which is 8 pound mono and only used for finesse baits which I don't use that often anyways. If you are talking tip ups, I run a 50 pound fluoro leader and have no issues with bite offs. I think people complicate this stuff way to much imo.
As far as knots go I’ve used the figure 8 ANYTIME I use mono. It’s easy and fast to tie and won’t slip but it’s worthless on braid as it will slip. It’s the most dependable knot all around that I’ve used in fresh water and if the line breaks it will break about 2” above the knot ,not the knot itself.
I don't get to run tip ups too often, but I use 15lb flouro and small trebles. They seem to catch the corner of the mouth better than larger hooks which stick wherever they are in the mouth at hookset. Could be pure coincidence, but I've not had a bite off in a long time once I started using smaller hooks. And again...I don't tip up fish that often in the grand scheme of things.
Largemouth bass and northerns many times live in the same area of the lake. If you don't use metal leaders, you might get snipped off with a northern. Is that really the worse if you do get nipped off? Shows you are good enough to be where the fish are. I have just returned from Florida where I got to do some fishing offshore and nearshore. Ever fish in the ocean has sharp teeth. Some kind of a leader does help. I found there is a difference between (fluro line) and fluro (leader). Fluro (leader) seems to me more durable than equal lb weight of regular fluro line. To connect my braid line to fluro leader I used GT knot. Easy to tie, very strong and slips through the rod eyes easily. When tying to jig or swivel or lure I used uni knot or Palomar knot. Both easy to tie and strong. If using fluro (leader) material near 30lbs, it was too stiff to tie (improved clinch) effectively. Good luck on your fishing ventures
Go Fish
Nothing wrong with an Improved Clinch knot, most important thing is just make sure its wet when you go to snug it up. One other thing to consider is the Improved Clinch knot does not do as well when you get into the heavier line weights 20b and up. So you may want to consider a Palomar knot if your line diameter is getting up there above 20lbs give or take. I think Berkley says they don't recommend a Improved clinch on mono over 30lbs.
Most of the time I attach my leaders with a very small barrel swivel. Attaching the braid with a Palomar knot, and the 8-10 lb Fluorocarbon with an improved Clinch. I willing admit that I am always checking my leader and if I feel a nick replace it or trim if its near the bait. If your not going to be cautious about reeling a swivel into your eye lets which can cause damage then attach leader with double Uni.
for 99% of my fishing, I am tying one of three knots, Improved Clinch, Palomar, or Uni or double Uni knots.
There was a comment about tying their braid direct when the water is dirty, and I tend to agree to a certain extent. Case in point. During a recent fishing trip in NW Ontario my brother was tying his jig direct to his braid, I was using the fluorocarbon leader. I would say we were pretty much head to head with fish caught, I may of been up a few on him over the course of a couple days. Then a cold front went through, and all of a sudden I was out catching 5 to 1 easily and he was getting frustrated. I suggested to try a Fluro leader which by this point he was ready to try anything and bang, and soon as the leader was on he was back in the game.
Good luck.
With fluoro being stiffer I run a four turn uni kno from my fluoro to my snap or bait. Granted this is with 30. You can get away with lighter stuff depending on how hard you're setting the hook and how much pressure you're putting on the fish during the fight. Example, if I'm fishing heavy cover with a stout 4/0 hook on my jig, I'm gonna opt for 30 or even heavier, tossing a jerkbait with multiple thin wire trebles you risk bending your hooks out with a monster set and heavy drag and thus end up putting less tension on your fluoro that is rubbing against those teeth.
20 lb Fluro is all I've used for years and haven't had any issues with it. In dirtier water or fishing Pike in the spring and summer I don't even bother with a leader anymore. The super braids work just fine for most instances. Don't set the hook so hard is one thing I notice a lot of people do. Just let the fish set the hook themselves. Too many times have I seen anglers set the hook so hard that the line gets cut like a scissors!
Lots of good leader suggestions here guys. Some of your comments about using 10 to 20 pound fluorocarbon with very few bite off's has gotten me thinking. For over 50 years I have been using mono and an improved clinch knot, it's easy to tie and it has served me well. I am new to this whole super line thing and am wondering..... is the improved clinch knot ok to use with fluorocarbon or could that be my problem?
Go-Fish
Lots of tieable wire out there. Courtland SST , there Is quite a few 49 strand wires out there in Camo. I’ve used twist weld, 20 lb test for years in bass tournaments, and never thought it hindered my bite. It rips/ slices weeds, and bass ate. Unfortunately twist weld is no longer produced, but it was a 7 strand.
JD
I have used ten pound wire for years,crankbaits,spinnerbaits,spoons and some times with plastic.I have always done as well as any buddy I fished with.That being said if it changes the action that's different.I found that bass are really that leader shy,not compared to trout.Give it a try.
