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Moosealicious
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Another newbie question... with the possibility of pike, is it necessary to always fish with a flourocarbon or steel leader?
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stonecutter
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Personally I would not use a steel leader unless I was specifically targeting pike. If you are concerned about catching the incidental pike while targeting other fish and losing your tackle, a flourocarbon leader in combo with a swivel will greatly increase you chances of landing said pike while retaining your tackle.
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Rapid Runner
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i use some type of a leader. i dont mind that the line breaks or i lose a lure. i would rather it come back unusable and i pack it out than to have it sitting on the bottom of one of those beautiful lakes.
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PaddleAway
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I'll second Stonecutter.
I fish pike a lot in & out of the BWCA & almost always use a metal leader of some sort & have only had a handful lost over the years.
On the other hand, I have a friend who uses 20-25 lb. test for a leader on pike, & I've rarely seen that heavy line fail. I've taken to using it for leader material on tip-ups in the winter & haven't had a bite off yet.
So both work, but I started using leaders & it works, so I've stuck with it. Although now that you mention it I might just through some of that heavy fluoro in the tackle box this weekend...
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frogger
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I am by no means an expert and I use flourocarbon leaders in 10# on my level wind reels attached to my braided line but didn't realize that the flourocarbon was that much tougher than regular mono, I have used because it is less visible. If you are using it for pike what pound test and how long a leader?
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lundojam
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When I troll, I use a light, small steel leader. Keeps the pike from eating your eight dollar raps. In my opinion, when a bait is moving along at a pretty good clip, a walleye doesn't have time to reject it because of the leader. Jigging, rigging, and bobbering are another story: never use a leader.
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urbanflyguy
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i make my own leaders and still use the old school 7 strand braided steel covered in plastic. i connect right to the lures and use one larger size barrel swivel up top. but this is also just for targeting pike. other wise i don't bother with leaders, but i use a lot more jigs for eyes and bass which are a little easier to loose than raps
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knothead180
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I've landed many incidental pike while fishing for walleye without a leader. If I am specifically targeting pike I will use a titanium leader, which I like better than steel because they don't kink and don't rust. They cost a little more, but I've had the same two in my tackle box for years, so no biggie. Usually I'm fishing for walleyes or small mouth, and I don't use a leader. Occasionally I will lose a piece of terminal tackle to a pike bite off, but that's a price I don't mind paying, and it's a kind of an exciting experience in itself.
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snakecharmer
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I've never used a leader in the BW or Quetico. It's very rare that I've been bit off. I've lost far more tackle to snags than fish.
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