question about braid

[iknowyoulike]

Hey guys i generally fish for bass but this memorial weekend i'm headed up north by ely for a camping trip. though they have smallies at the lake we stay at. the majority of the time last year i was getting bit by nothing but pikes.

my question is what is everyone opinion on a wire leader on braided lines? i ask because it's pretty tough stuff but i've never used it for fishing pikes and pikes only, so i don't know how it will hold up to the abuse without a wire leader. i've been using 40# and 50# braid on a curado and a revo sx.

thanks again.!

[chief]

iknowyoulike,

Braids, or other superlines for that matter, are not biteproof. They are tough, and they offer a measure of bite-off protection, but they can be bitten through, and they will weaken and abrade over time. Having said this, braids, when tied directly to certain lures such as spinnerbaits and larger inline spinners, do catch a lot of smaller pike without the use of a leader. (Here it's the length of the lure itself that offers protection from teeth.)

On the other hand, you really don't want to risk breaking off fish that have hooks still embedded in them. A quality leader of nine to twelve inches in length, with a cross lock, or stay lock snap and a ball bearing swivel, will cover most pike fishing. Generally you'll want a leader with a break strength at least that of your line. There's a good variety of leaders available in the retail world, and the best of these will be made of titanium wire (IMHO). These are amazingly durable, very kink resistant and they're very thin for their strength to weight ratio.. As secondary options you can use those made of multi strand wire or those made of fluorocarbon.

If I were targeting pike, I would use a wire leader.

[iknowyoulike]

thanks chief! that basically covered what i need to know in a nutshell.

[crazyice]

I use braid for pretty much all of my fishing, with the exception of panfish. When I am targeting pike, I too still use a leader though for fear of losing a big fish.

[solbes]

I usually will forgo the leader when fishing for pike in areas where I may get the occasional walleye bite as well. If I'm out speed trolling or deep trolling for suspended fish where I will only get pike or larger fish, then I'll use a leader.