Favorite leader material?

[Bigguyone]

I like to fish lighter tackle for big pike...I use my 7'2" MH bass rods mainly with 14# copoly or 20# braid.

Looking for a great leader material that is reasonable in price (titanium is just too spendy) even if I have to make em myself. I like the idea of clearer leaders such as copoly (as fluro not too forgiving with abrasion).

What pound test does it really take in a copoly or even braid to have a leader that is strong enough to withstand the teeth of a big one...

OR do you say just go with tieable wire and get over the visibility issue?

Early in the spring I am often moving baits rather slow...

Thank you for your input!!

[mainbutter]

Abrasion issues with fluoro? I haven't had them.

I've been running Triple Fish brand 25lb fluoro leaders for practically all my Minnesota/Ontario fishing, caught too many pike to count (lots with leader in the mouth) and even a handful of big muskies. Zero bite-offs.

I was sold for life after having a 44'' musky eat a senko I was tossing for smallmouth bass. The fluoro was raking across the teeth for the entire fight, I was using 20lb main line on medium tackle so it wasn't a super fast fight. Yeah there were some nicks in the leader and I replaced it right after I released the fish, but statistically I've had steel leaders fail more often.

I just use back to back uni knots to tie 8-14 inches to my braid, and uni knots to tie directly to lures.

If I'm tossing inline spinners, I'll use a barrel swivel in between the main line and leader.

[wahoo]

Second everything Mainbutter wrote. The fluoro does the job. This winter my son used fluoro on live bait and I used 10 lb black cable literally side by side. Not much difference in the number of bites. Neither had a break off. But, wire will twist and separate so change it when you notice. You also need to crimp with wire and tying is faster with the flouro.

I like the Albright knot for connecting the Fluoro to braid.

[esoxhunter11]

Fluoro is the way to go

[solbes]

Fluoro +3. Even 15# offers some decent bite protection, although I'd want something significantly stronger if I was only targeting the big 40+ plus pike. I have a musky test fluoro leader for that (and still hunting).

[ESOXGEEK]

Yo-Zuri hybrid in 40 pound for regular fish, Jen-Kai in 80 pound for real fish !

[20lbSloughShark]

I have used Berkley Steel leaders for years. Normally they work just fine but when you start fishing heavily like I have in the past few years, they get bent up and frayed easily. I tried all sorts of leaders and leader materials. I tried Fluoro but I just didn't feel confident in them, since I did have a bite through on a steel leader (it was 10 pound test, very thin, and made cheaply). My favorite it 50# Toothy Critter in green color, made by Cortland. It is a steel leader with a waxy coating, and that keeps it from bending and fraying. As a side note, Toothy Critter claims it can be tied using standard knots, but it cant. Don't even try, get some barrels (the ones that tie off each end) and barrel swivels and you have a leader that will not break.