Frustrated Newb Pike/Musky Leader Maker

[bobber_down_1979]

So I recently decided to delve into making my own leaders for Pike and Musky fishing. I decided to go to Thorne Bros. for advice and guidence on building leaders and quick-strike rigs. Through doing some additinal research online to further improve my skills I found out that there advice really was not very good at all. The biggest problem is they sold me a crimper that is for wire crimps and told me that it would work for double barrel sleeves on floro. Turns out that this style pinches in the middle of the barrel instead of compressing the barrel like is needed. A guy in the store went so far as to show me how to do it the wrong way on some materials I had just purchased. Not only that, but they never even suggested any other way to do it besides single sleeve crimping for steel. Don't get me wrong, it is my fault for not doing enough checking first, but they are supposed to be the experts. If you don't know just don't say anything. I now have about 50 dollars invested into leaders and rigs I don't trust. Thanks for the help Thorne Bros.

That all being said, would you trust a steel musky leader if it was double crimped? That is to say, having two sleeves. The rigs I am makeing are not that conducive to tying the leaders.

[merkman]

So I recently decided to delve into making my own leaders for Pike and Musky fishing. I decided to go to Thorne Bros. for advice and guidence on building leaders and quick-strike rigs.

Just make sure you are only targeting northern pike in the winter on those leaders. It is illegal to target muskies in the winter in Minnesota.

[bobber_down_1979]

Thanks for the clarification, but yes, I will not even be on any Muskie Lakes this winter.

[merkman]

Cool

Good luck with the leader making.

I would like to learn how to do my own in the future too!!

[bobber_down_1979]

My biggest reason for wanting to make my own is so I can build them with the spiner and bead built into the body of the leader to comply with DNR regs. You just can't find these in stores.

[merkman]

My biggest reason for wanting to make my own is so I can build them with the spiner and bead built into the body of the leader to comply with DNR regs. You just can't find these in stores.

Just an FYI, technically (by the letter of the current laws) all quick strike rigs are illegal to use with live bait in Minnesota. I have e-mailed St Paul and they are overlooking this until the laws that allow them do go into effect. They have been working on changing the law for several years and it is still caught up in red tape from the sounds of it.

[bobber_down_1979]

More good insight on the Quick-Strike law. However, I don't want this thread to turn into a debate about that. The biggest reason I want the blade and bead on the leader body is because I primarily fish with a leader and a single treble as my minnows for pike fishing are usually not big enough to justify a double hook set-up. Taking the whole floro and quick strike thing out of the equation, what is most important to me is the strength of the leader and connections. If the leader is strong, then I can use it for anything I want. I can use it for pike or musky, or converting to a quick-strike at a later date.

[TravP]

You might get more hits if you put this in the musky forum.

[Bigtom]

You should just test your finished product. Try to find a scale and see how much weight difference two crimps are to one.