Fabricated Leaders

[gshaw]

I'm sure this topic has been done to death, but I did a search and couldn't find quite what I was looking for.

At my normal fishing holes in the BWCA I target walleye and smallies, but pike are VERY abundant. I'm altering my approach this spring and am concentrating on using cranks.

So, instead of going leader-less, and instead of going with the traditional steel or super leader, I plan on simply making my own leaders out of barrel swivels and 20# Spiderwire. That way I can continue to use my normal 10#test, have some pike protection, and retain the crank action as if i were using no leader at all.

Does anyone have any advice as to why I should or shouldn't pursue this approach? Possible alternatives? Thanks in advance.

g

[Deitz Dittrich]

It sounds good in theory. And I dont want to be the person to tell you it will not work... However, I have still lost a lot of lures on 20 lb braid. Pike can cut that just like mono.(Now if they can only make a cutting device out of pike teeth, because I cant find anything to cut braid usually.. LOL )

[gshaw]

Is 30-40# more reasonable?

[Ralph Wiggum]

Check in the Musky forum. You're not going to want to use a braid for a leader. Pike teeth will slice that stuff like a hot knife through butter. Mono gives you better abrasion resistance than braid. You're best bet is either steel/titanium or making you're leaders out of think fluorocarbon. Jon Petrowske makes his out of fluoro. If you poke around in the musky forum, you should be able to pull up some leader posts with his intstructions/advice.

[onemore]

I agree with others that you don't want to use a braid, especially if you know you're going to get harrassed by the pike. I have had success with tiny steel leaders that are only 6-8 inches in length. These are the same type you find pre-made on stinger hooks for walleye. I have caught many smallmouth and walley with using these. I started using it while fishing for small mouth and getting bit off by smaller pike. I also have caught a 38" northern with this set up and on 4 lb test line! The only reason I landed the fish was because of that tiny steel wire. It is a stiff thin wire that seems like it could cut you, but it also has lower visibility(I believe) and works well with the smaller baits/jigs.

Good Luck