Pike and fishing line

[izzyfender]

 hey guys i was wondering what kind of line u use for pike fishing. i usually use 8 lbs and sometimes even 10lbs

[Mackdaddy21]

I use 10 or 12 pound mono with a leader made from 14 pound test fireline. If throwing really light lures like soft jerkbaits, I will drop down to six pound mono with the leader. When I hook the fish on lighter line, I just back off the drag more. But I feel much more confident with 12 than anything else.

Tyler

[Esox]

30# Power Pro.....w/ a steel leader.

[JeffH]

30# P-line with a Sampo steel leader.

[Powerworm]

The biggest pike I ever hooked cut through 20# fireline like a gerber knife. Know I use 50# spiderbraid and a titanium leader.  Don't buy South Bend leaders.

[TroutFishingBear]

The biggest pike I ever hooked cut through 20# fireline like a gerber knife. Know I use 50# spiderbraid and a titanium leader.  Don't buy South Bend leaders.

I have a very hard time believing that a pike could bite through 20 lb. test fireline. I mean, come on, I can't do it... Maybe it was abraided some, if it wasn't well, all I can say is, you had one HUGE pike.

[quiet]

I have a very hard time believing that a pike could bite through 20 lb. test fireline. I mean, come on, I can't do it... Maybe it was abraided some, if it wasn't well, all I can say is, you had one HUGE pike.

I saw a pike snap a 24lbs steel worm harness, right in front of the boat. It sent spoons and beads and hooks everywhere!

[Esox]

A pike will cut through fireline like it's butter. Try this test... Tie a piece of fireline to something and hold tension on it. The cun a knife over it with only a little pressure. The fireline will cut very easy. The same goes with any braided line. Steel of heavy florocarbon (I'd lean toward steel) are the wat to go.

[Jigwiggler]

I have a very hard time believing that a pike could bite through 20 lb. test fireline. I mean, come on, I can't do it... Maybe it was abraided some, if it wasn't well, all I can say is, you had one HUGE pike.

I had a very similar experience with a large (47-48" would be my best guess) musky.  I was using 30 lb. Fireline, the fish struck, I set the hook, he turned and made one surge and cut through that Fireline like it was butter.  Fireline and other super lines have their applications but not as a leader for large toothy fish like pike and musky.

[Mackdaddy21]

I agree with Esox about the knife experiment. If you hold a lot of tension on the fireline, you can cut it easily with a VERY sharp knife. If the knife is dulled, it will not cut.
To put the experiment to test, I kept the head of the last pike I caught, a 26" with good sized teeth. When I put a lure with heavier monofilament or fluorcarbon all the way into the mouth of a pike, and then pressed down with the powerful jaws and pulled and jiggled, the line cut fairly easily within about 30 seconds.
Doing a similiar experiment with 14 pound fireline, and experimenting with various placements in the pike's mouth, and clamping down very hard, pulling very hard, the line was unable to be cut or abraided. If the line is already abraided, the pike can cut it, but still more difficult than mono.
Braided line does not work as pike leader because it absorbs water and weakens. I do not use fireline as leader for livebait presentations through the ice. I use thin wire for that. I use the fireline because it ties knots and doesn't interfere with lure action.

Results for me showed that when the line is abraided, the pike can bite through. So if you notice any nicks, replace the leader. I agree it is far easier for a pike to cut through even new fireline than wire, but with fireline on most lures, you will get more strikes from a better lure presentation. I have seen one pike ever bite through line, and that was mono. Nary a pike has ever bitten me off while using fireline. But if you have too much trouble with pike biting off, stick with wire.

Tyler

[Mackdaddy21]

Esox, have you ever tried the new tiable wire? Is it worth a darn? What kind of fluorocarbon do you use for leader and how often do you get bit off? What sort of wire would you recommend for pike fishing? I would think something very thin and fine.

Tyler

[Mackdaddy21]

I was thinking, maybe I fight my pike different than you. When I hook a pike, even a small one, I back the drag off immediately so the fish can take line. I have found that heavy pressure will pop hooks out of a pike's mouth very easily. Since I started backing off the drag and allowing the pike to run and have just enough pressure to keep the line tight, I don't lose them anymore. And maybe I don't get my fireline cut because I'm not putting a lot of tension on the line. Plus I use a short leader that makes it difficult for the pike to hold tight and keep a lot of tension on it. So maybe those reasons are part of it, or maybe it's just luck, but I would be surprised because I've hooked and landed dozens without a single bite off, even when the leader was back into their mouths.

Tyler

[Esox]

MD,
Yes I've tried the knotable leader, but mostly for ice fishing. If I use leaders it's normally steel. When I use floro it's for ice fishing and I use 50# Seguar.

The pike baits I usually use are large....Mepps Magnum Musky Killers + Giant Killers + Musky Marabou, 8"+ hard plastic swimbaits/jerkbaits, large topwaters (Mepps Super Top-props, spooks, etc), and large soft plastic jerkbaits (Mister Twister sassy shads with the belly cut down...I'll tell you more about that later), and once in a while...live bait.

For the lures with a steady retrieve like the Mepps bucktails and the hard swimbaits, I find I almost never need a leader. The fish almost never have the line in their teeth. With lures with a jerky retrieve soft jerkbaits,topwater, etc. (and live bait) the fish seem to get the line in their mouths a lot. So in these conditions it's really important to use a leader. I don't really think the  fish are leader shy on moving baits. They are generally not seeing the profile of the bait for very long and are usaully following it, so they really don't even see the leader. In ice fishing, the fish can..and do..get a long look at the bait, so I think leader visibility is very important. The most important thing about your leaders, is to get a good quality one with good hardware. They don't need to be titamium or super expensive, just make sure they have duolock or crosslock snaps.

As far as drag settings...I get the fish to the boat pretty quickly. I tend to release most of my fish, so I don't want to tire them out too much. I don't have any problems with hooks pulling, but I use very good and VERY sharp hooks. I usually catch 200-300+ pike a year, so my average is pretty good.

Did I answer everything?

[Mackdaddy21]

Esox,

Yeah you covered most everything. And I was using mostly spinnerbaits and soft jerkbaits when pike fishing. The 26" that I caught last trip hit a 5" silver blue rebel jointed minnow. The line didn't stay in their mouth for long. The only time I have ever seen a bite off was when my friend was using a sassy shad and a jighead with a spinner (his favorite pike bait), and it cut him off right at hookset and you could hear the tearing line. He was using 12 lb mono.
I agree, I don't think wire would harm a large spinner or spoon presentation. Using anything that isn't tiable though is almost impossible when throwing spinnerbaits. When I ice fish, I use very thin, low visability wire. I don't think their is much difference in visability from thin wire to mono.
The only question you forgot was how often do you get bit off ice fishing when using fluoro for leader? If it's not much, I think I will switch.

Tyler

[Mackdaddy21]

Yeah I forgot to add it does concern me to play a fish a long time because I generally release my catch too. The 26" pike I landed on six pound mono I fought for probably 5 minutes.

Tyler