leaders for pike fishing

[passlake]

I lost a nice pike last night due to a broken 12lb test tippet, so I need to change my leader setup.

I am fishing from a boat in about 4 to 10 feet of water with a 7 wgt floating line. Using mostly size 1 lefty's deceivers. The fish are abundant in the 6 to 15lb range with an occasional 25 pounder, so I need something substantial.

I am thinking of this:
line-6ft braided sinking leader-4 ft 12lb test mono leader- 1ft wire tippet
or
line-10ft 30lb test leader-1 ft wire tippet.

I tried a commercial mono leader with coated wire tippet, but the loop connection failed and I lost another nice fish.

Any suggestions?

[Fatman]

In Fisherman editor Doug Stange fly fishs for pike and he use's some kind of wire where you wrap it around itself and then touch a lighter to it and it acts as the leader.

I'll try and find it and let you know

Fatman

[passlake]

sounds cool. It is hard attaching the wire tippets

[William Fitzgerald]

I use 15 lb Berkley Nylon Coated Wire. Got the idea from Larry Dahlberg years ago. Thru the eye of the hook a couple twists and heat and melt the plastic with a match or lighter. great for pike or musky BILL

[fcch]

I use (used to) regular leader setup. When I get down to the tippet, I'd tie on 12-18 inches of "Firewire" (or any kevlar fishing line) 15lb test with an albright knot.

Never ever lost a pike to a cut leader.

[Midwest Custom Fly Rods]

In Fisherman editor Doug Stange fly fishs for pike and he use's some kind of wire where you wrap it around itself and then touch a lighter to it and it acts as the leader.

I'll try and find it and let you know

Fatman

Fatman its called "Tyger wire"....it's what I use for pike leaders. Great stuff.

http://www.tygerleader.com/

Steve

[tailingloop]

For surface and near surface fishing I use a 7.5 tapered leader. For subsurface I use a 5 to 7 foot level leader.

To the end of the class tippet I attach a small, black, high quality barrel swivel with a palomar knot. I then attach a wire bite tippet of 6 to 12 inches of Tyger Leader, Surflon, Toothy Critter wire or other knotable coated multi strand wire with a figure eight knot. I attach the fly to the wire with a figure eight knot or a two turn non slip mono loop knot. I didn't invent this method. I learned it from the writings of Dan Blanton and Lefty Kreh.

The swivel does not affect casting. It also helps prevent leader twist that can develop from casting flies that might spin during the cast.

I do not need to mess with flame. I don't smoke so I never have a lighter anyway.

I do not need to fuss with connecting wire or braided line directly to the leader. It only takes a few seconds to replace the wire tippet since the figure eight and non slip mono loop knots are very quick and easy to tie.

I do not need to shorten the leader to replace the wire. On a week long pike fishing trip to Canada, I did not need to change a leader on any of my three rods over 7 long days of fishing. Just the wire. I did re-tie the class tippet to swivel connection at the end of every day, just in case the knot had been worn.

I have used the same setup for saltwater toothy critters also. I have caught saltwater fish in excess of 35lbs with this leader setup - fish that fight much harder than pike.

[Jeremy]

Rigging:
This is just the way I've found that works best for me. I'm sure others have their favorites.

From the end of your fly line which has a loop tied in the end by way of 3/0 tying thread and the wraps coated with "something hard". I use Sally Hansens Hard As Nails or Pliobond.

Make a 6-7 ft leader out of any 20 lb mono. The cheap stuff. You can spend a lot of $$ if you wish ...
Tie a Perfection loop in the end of this mono leader. Small loop.

On the business end I use some supple, braided 26 lb (approx.) American brand Wire or Tyger brand wire. Attach this to the leader via an Allbright knot ("U" shape about 3" of wire then use the mono for 6-8 wraps. Simple knot.) and leave it about 16" long.
This length makes it easier to use more flies w/o having to re-tie another wire tippet on....nothing other than that. I'll change/re-tie another wire tippet when I get down to around 6" left!

The knot!
It's called a Jig Loop. Tie an overhand knot about 3" from the end of the wire tippet BUT don't pull it totally shut. Leave it "just loose enough" to insert the end of this wire back into. Now put the tag end into the hook eye.

Now push this tag end through that overhand knot...that you left loose "enough" but not too loose, right? Now, take and make a 1/2 hitch just behind that overhand knot and snug it up. and make a second 1/2 hitch again behind this one but this time puller her tight with a pair of pliers!
Done! If it turned out right..and sometimes it doesn't, depending on how tight that overhand knot was...you'll end up with a neat little "jig loop" that your fly can swing freely on!!!

If it didn't turn out just perfect don't sweat it. Fish it anyhow. And I find it best to try to tie a few of these in the plain cheap mono before I go fishing...for a test!

Really, it's simple.

[Fatman]

Steve

Thanks, I hate knowing something and when I need to recall it sit there going DUH!!!!!!!!

Thanks

Fatman