I have my new canoe and my 9’ Orvis Clear Water 8wt rod. I have a Rocky Mountain Large Arbor reel with DT-8-F and spare cartridge with WF-8-ST lines. I need advice for leaders to use for toothy critters like tiger muskie and walleye. Should I use steel or mono. I am Leary of mono because a nick from a tooth and it’s game over. Any advice folks?
Eric “nighthawk”
American veteran and proud of it!
Cortland toothy critter knottable steel leader - I’ve got some and it has worked well for me
another leader material that I’ve been using for a number of years is Berkley FireLine, A gel spun Spectra line . I like the 10 lb. test for leaders for pike/Musky and other assorted Toothy Critters.
Knots as good and as easy as mono, Does not kink or coil as wire will and has no memory or stretch. Which helps greatly in getting solid hook sets in the bony mouths of toothy Critter’s.
I also like Furled leaders made with the 2 to 6 lb test for bass fishing in the wood/salad.
A lot cheaper for tying deer hair bass bugs than the Gel spun threads spooled and sold for that purpose!!!
Just some thoughts.
Nighthawk, there is a podcast you MUST listen to.
go to
[url=http://podcasts.yahoo.com/:b9a58]http://podcasts.yahoo.com/[/url:b9a58]
search " pike on the fly "
It is an “Ask About Fly Fishing” interview with Barry Reynolds. He discusses toothy fish and mentions his leaders of choice.
You will have to have an “My Yahoo” user name and password. It’s free if you don’t already have one.
Jim
Re: Fireline
I gave fireline (35#) a try this spring on my pike/bass waters and had two pike cut through, and neither fish was all that big. Are there different types/grades of fireline? I was using a Berkley product.
Mason monstrand (coated steel) was recommended by an experienced “piker” up here and has worked well for me. Resists kinks and it’s pretty cheap. I am still seeking the ideal solution for fishing in bass/pike situations, which are common up here (southern Manitoba and NW Ontario)as the steel just doesn’t work well with poppers or other presentations for bass…TIM
fireline and other gelspuns have about the same abrasion resistance as mono of the same diameter
I’ve taken my share of muskie to about 40" and pike (mostly hammer handles) on a fly and I’ve never used wire. I prefer a foot of 30 to 50lb test florocarbon. I’ve been bit off once or twice, but I’ve also noticed that I get a lot more hits than my companions fishing wire.
If you really want wire, get thee to a Bass Pro or similar shop and bypass the fly fishing area. Go straight to the hardware section and look for titanium leaders. They make a nice little 6" 15lb test version with a miniature swivel and snap - easy to cast with a fly rod and plenty stout enough. They’re a bit spendy at $5 or so for 3 of them, but they’ll guarantee no bite-throughs.
Good luck and let us know how you do.
Joe C.
CM: interesting. I don’t use florocarbon and confess that I know little about it’s properties (other than its refractive qualities, I just assumed it was simiar to mono). Does it have more abrasion/shearing resistance than mono? (Given your experiences, I know this is sounding like a dumb question!)…TIM
Fluorocarbon is commonly used as a saltwater leader and/or bite-guard because it does, in fact, have a greater abrasion resistance than nylon monofilament of the same diameter. It’s not noticeably tougher, but because of its refractive quality you can use a thicker piece with less visibility.
I hope this helps
Joe C
Fly Fishing Warm Water Rivers is my new book based on nearly two decades of exploring and fishing the flows of the Midwest. [url=http://www.flyfishohio.com:66af4]www.flyfishohio.com[/url:66af4] for more information
I have used Mason Hard Mono in 30# and 50# with great success for many years. And while I have not lost many fish due to biting through the mono, I religiously check the leader after each fish. If I see any tooth marks, nicks, or abrasions from teeth, I cut off and re-tie.
I did try some of Cortland’s Toothty Critter wire this spring and found it to be a good product.
Thanks for the advice. All of you have given me several options to try and I will do that. I am certain this will help me become a better fly fisher for these toothy fish.
Neat pod and cool web site. I downloaded the interview for future references.
Eric “nighthawk”
American veteran and proud of it!
I get a spool of 18# Sevalon from Cabela’s. It is nylon coated 7 strand stainless wire. It cost like 5 bucks for a hundred ft spool. I attach a 3ft bite tippet to the end of my leader w/ an Albright knot or make a loop w/ a melt knot. I attach the fly w/ figure 8 knot and I’m good to go. I have never had one these rigs fail in over 20 years of pike fishing.
Ron M
Nowindknots,
That podcast resource is great! I guess I just realized the potential of Internet Radio for finding niche markets!
Thanks!
BigFlatBrook, I download every pod-cast from
Ask About Fly Fishing
Fly Fish Radio
The Itinerant Angler
and
The Utah Outdoors Show
I can play these at work whenever I wish, so every Monday is “listen to fly fishing” day.
Jim