leaders

[letsgosioux93]

i fish with steel leaders, would it be worth getting the flurocarbon leaders. will they break easier? i need to get new leaders and i was just wondering if you like steel vs. flurocarbon.

[Cooter]

Personally I fish single strand steel for pretty much everything - 7 strand and some knotable material like the toothy critter/tyger occasionally.

Reports on fluro are almost always positive - especially if you go at least 100lb and more and more are going to 130lb.

I can make a lot of single strand leaders for next to nothing - and honestly I'm not 100% confident in fluro. because they are not 100% bite proof.

Just my opinion, I'm old school.

[letsgosioux93]

yeah that was my thought to if they cant bite through steel why take chances of losing expencive lures

[guideman]

Unless you fish clear water or very heavily pressured lakes I just don't see the need for floro. I also have very little confidence in anything they can bite off.

I make and sell my own leaders and I have never had a failure in over ten years of using them. I use a multi strand air craft cable in 90 and 150lb test. I also make them coated and uncoated, in 12 and 24" or I also have a 40 inch for trolling applications.

"Ace"

Ace guide service.

[VMS]

Hiya,

I am also not sold on Fluoro leaders and I spend 99% of my time on waters that are clear down to around 16 feet. I did up my strike average by just a touch over the years that I used them, but found (at least in my experience on them currently) is that I don't get as good of a hook-up with them. I also found that with fluoro, The lures would be more prone to catch on them...bulldawgs especially.

I also found that after time, fluoro loses it's ability to disappear in the water over time from use...scratches, abrasion, and plain and simple daylight seems to make it change color into an almost wax paper color...

The clear water thing I think is way overrated... I'm using stiff wire for everything, and on the smaller crankbaits, I downsize the material and use a split ring...don't seem to see much of a diminished action of the bait.

Steve

[propster]

The thought of the fish not seeing it as easily is the last reason we went to fluoro for most of our baits. Any fish that will hit a pice of 2x4 with hooks probably isn't overly concerned about seeing a line in front of it. Though we still use the single strand for the side to side baits, flouro has replaced all the 7 strand leaders we were using. We have found the flouro much better for not kinking on us when you do get a dawg ball or other screw up. They are much easier to make, and we have not found that they break any easier, though I suppose there is a remote possibility a fish could chomp through one if he bit it just right. Metal fatigue is just as much a concern in my opinion with the others. I'd say you can make a good case for both styles.

[cjac]

Quote:

Any fish that will hit a piece of 2x4 with hooks probably isn't overly concerned about seeing a line in front of it.

Couldn't agree more.....

With the exception of rocky conditions banging the rocks (which I'm rarely in), I'm almost 100% fluoro, even on the WTD topwaters like a Weagle. I've not seen any reason to not go fluoro. Less kinking, fewer fouled up casts, easier on a fish if she wraps up, and easy to make.

As with any piece of ternimal tackle, it requires inspection and will only last so long, as said above metal will fatigue over time as well.

Chris

[guideman]

Using a coated wire gives you the same advantages as flouro does when it comes to fish rolling up in the leader. I never said Muskies were leader shy, I was simply stating one of the reasons people went to flouro leaders in the first place.

I do fish a lake with lots of rocks and I have seen them cut Floro/mono leaders. After 35 years of Muskie fishing I just don't see the advantage of a flouro leader only the obvious disadvatages. JMHO

"Ace"

Ace guide service.

[b1gf1sh1]

personally i've used both for a few years now and made fluoro for a couple years. made wire, cable leaders for years. the last few years i've switched off between every kind of leader made and i can make and i caught muskie on all of them. i don't see a difference in the way a fish reacts to a certain type of leader except near the shoreline in certain types of areas on the croix/ssippi. i've got a couple theories but i'll keep them to myself untill i'm more sure.

if i'm not useing a solid black titanium leader in these areas i get looks and/or skedaddles. not sure whether they might hit on an 8, because i refuse to do it anymore, but they just vanish. of course they vanish useing titanium too but very rare. i'm in the mind that in most situations a leader don't mean jack to a hungry muskie. a curious muskie(not feeding) i think it does but only a little bit, enough to notice it maybe but not enough to care or fear it.

i heard bill dance say something one time. ''big fish don't get big because they are stupid''. i'll take that to my grave. i believe the big fish is the one that cares. the one we need to hide our wares from. i believe after 20-30 years of swimming through the waters it owns it's instincts have become thought. if anythings out of place it knows it and uses caution about what it eats. where early in it's life it was just hungry and ate. any biologist would scoff, but any biologist never studied a 30 year old native muskie for 30 years. there i'm done.

[Tim_Anderson]

I used Stealth Tackle leaders last year exclusively. No sponsorship, or anything like that. Never had any issues with the leaders. Never had a crimp fail, or a leader break for that matter. Like cjac said, I only had to inspect them, like I would any leader. Bout the only thing I had to worry about was wearing out the snaps from changing lures. Once in a while one would show up with a serious nick. I fish alot of shallow rocks on Mille Lacs and Vermilion, so one has to really keep an eye on this no matter what leader you're using. But I gotta say, I was overall really impressed. I plan on using them in 2009 for sure.

[tonkapat]

steel single strand for jerkbaits and flouro for everything else. No memory in the flouro so they last quite a bit longer. Overall personal preference as they both work good.

[Rebel9921]

I personally prefer Fluorocarbon Leaders... and I use it exclusively for everything I throw out... I do have one steel leader made out of .051 SS wire but I never used it... no reason to...

Zero kinking... Easy to check for defects... cheap to make/replace... easier on muskies...

Even with steel, the damage can be too late without u noticing anything... there could be a minor kink inside or too small to even feel or see... but it can be the same for fluoro leaders...

Just practice a constant vigilance at checking everything including your line, knots, crimps, leader body, lure etc etc at every 5-10 casts... retie, replace, or whatsoever whenever necessary would help tremendously with landing/releasing a fish safely...

[JRedig]

I've thrown a lot of fluoro, but I have my doubts. I can take my not-so-sharp knife out of my tackle box and cut it. That's not good, IMO. Steel leaders are cheap and replaceable if they get bent/kinked and some lures just don't have the same action with fluoro. I'm going to be switching back to more single strand this year.

I saw enough muskies go ape-scheit at boatside this year and get tangled up to the point it's got me concerned about loosing one from this ending up in their mouth. It would only take 1 time of it getting cut for me to regret using it, whether the odds are for or against it.

[Cooter]

My bigger concern other than losing a fish and being upset about it is having that fish swimming around with a mouthfull of wood and treble hooks in its mouth.

[smeese]

I run the titanium ones....I like the 75# ones better then the 100# though as it gets pretty heavy guaged. Seems kind of silly attaching the 75# leaders to 80# line, but they still serve the purpose I guess. Recently found them on sale for half off so I stocked up.

[cupper]

I switched to mostly floro a few years ago. I really like it. The debate will always be there about whether or not it is clear under water... I like it because it is much easier on the fish. They can really mangle their faces with wire... I've never had a fish inflict more injury to itself while using the floro. As far as strength goes, I've caught several fish without getting so much as a scratch in the leader. I always check them to make sure. Last summer I caught three in about 2 hours on the same leader without a problem. I use the 130# leaders that Thorne Bros. make.