Pike bite tippet

[Polarbear78 0]

I am going to try and make my own furled leader this year... Just not sure what pound mono/flouro to use for pike. I was thinking that 12# flouro or mono should be plenty? Then for a bite tippet would it be bad to just use some 60# powerpro in dark green color? Or should I just put a snap swivel on the end of my furled leader and attach the fly to that?

 

I have not been successful catching a pike on the fly rod yet so I am just wanting to try something different this year... last year I was just using some braided line as a leader with the fly tied directly to that.

[fly-chucker 0]

I am going to try and make my own furled leader this year... Just not sure what pound mono/flouro to use for pike. I was thinking that 12# flouro or mono should be plenty? Then for a bite tippet would it be bad to just use some 60# spider wire in dark green color? Or should I just put a snap swivel on the end of my furled leader and attach the fly to that?

 

I have not been successful catching a pike on the fly rod yet so I am just wanting to try something different this year... last year I was just using some braided line as a leader with the fly tied directly to that.

 

 

50# fluoro for a bit tippet will be plenty for almost any pike in the lower 48

[deeky 0]

I like a length of 50# PowerPro for a tippet. I've found it to be really strong and very abrassion resistant for those teeth. I also like the suppleness of it over heavy mono. I use it on my conventional gear, so it is easy enough to come up with a length off the end of those rods.

 

Deeky

[Polarbear78 0]

Okay. Thanks. I didn't want to go out and spend $10.00/ leader or what ever for the toothy critter or Scientfic Angler stuff... I figured I had plenty of stuff already that could work just fine. I'm not targeting trophy pike, anything that'll bite... to be honest, even if I hooked up on an 18" pike that would still make my day. I just didn't know it the braided line would scare them off. Thanks!

[Peterjay 0]

Pike aren't what you'd call leader-shy. Back in the day, I caught plenty of fish trolling with wire leaders.

[H.Champagne 0]

I worked as a fishing guide in upstate NY for one season after high school working for my friend who guides for pike and muskie. We used 8lb test all the time, just straight mono. The one thing with pike is that when they want something, they usually crush it, and since they are crushing it, you know exactly when to set the hook, if you time your hook sets correctly the hook will be right in the top of their mouth 90% of the time. Pike flies are usually quite long so you have at last 3 to 4 inches of fly. Also, using a trailing hook like you see on some steel head patterns helps a lot. The teeth rarely even tough the line unless you are chucking dead minnows and the pike swallows it. my 2 cents is make the leaders so that you can cast what you are gonna throw, dont worry about the teeth. The moving fly and proper hook set will almost always save you.

[H.Champagne 0]

"rarely even touch..."

 

Also, a bit of advice that I thought was really useful. Find a large trashy kitchen towel and a small bucket that it fits in. Keep this with you on the boat or where ever, Get the towel soaking wet, leave in bucket. If you land a big ass pike, or even a little guy who is going crazy, chuck the wet towel (never dry, it removes the protective slime)over the pike's head and hold it down for just a few seconds, they will settle down rapidly from not being able to see. Once calm, move the towel so that it still covers the eyes, quickly remove the hook, and free your fish. Works great, safer for you, safer for the fish.

[KHoss 0]

why are you using furled leaders for pike?

 

i've found that most smaller fishin (less than 35") have a much larger concentration of teeth than larger fish

therefore they can shred mono/flouro

 

i worked in Canada (NW ontario above MN) for 3 summers... fishing pike every day

not once was there a thought of using anything but wire

 

still I only fish wire

mostly beadalon from the craft store (which is from the same factory as fishing specific products)

 

i have heard good things about 100# and 80# flouro... but those are from people fishing larger fish

i even bought a spool of each

but i wont use it when targeting smaller fish

[Polarbear78 0]

Thanks for the input everyone. I was just going to try the furled leader because it was something new I saw and I don't want to spend the $7-$10 each on the toothy critter leaders...

[KHoss 0]

pike is not a finese game

 

i never run a leader longer than 6ft

for floating lines

40#-> 30#-> 20#-> wire

 

and i think that is over kill

straight 20 or 30 to wire would be fine

 

 

on sinks... 3ft of straight 20# to wire...

[Steeldrifter 0]

I usually will run either a short section of 20# Maxima knotted to a shorter section of 15# Maxima, or sometimes I will run #20 Maxima and then a section of Tyger wire. Like mentioned above pike are not leader shy at all.

 

Steve

[ditz2 0]

I haven't been north for many years but I personally would use 4feet of 20-30# then 2 ft of 10-15# of flor. and the 6" of wire. The 2 ft tippet would protect your fly line. I don't like loosing or breaking $80 lines.

[Fly Fishing Russia 0]

I am going to try and make my own furled leader this year... Just not sure what pound mono/flouro to use for pike. I was thinking that 12# flouro or mono should be plenty? Then for a bite tippet would it be bad to just use some 60# powerpro in dark green color? Or should I just put a snap swivel on the end of my furled leader and attach the fly to that?

 

I have not been successful catching a pike on the fly rod yet so I am just wanting to try something different this year... last year I was just using some braided line as a leader with the fly tied directly to that.

 

My pike leaders for the 9 wt rod are 7' long; they are furled out of 0.1 mm mono line (36 in the butt and 8 in the tip). At the tip I loop in a 2.5 mm tippet ring; the tippet is 2' of 0,4 mm mono line with 8 inches of a steel tippet plus a clip for the fly.