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Posts: 283
| Has anyone actually been bit off? If so, what pound test were you using? I direct tied 80lb on a couple smaller lures, without any problems so far. I'm just wondering if I'm asking for trouble. |
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Posts: 582
| i have never had one get bitten off. I use the 130# flouro Seaguar right now. Had a 41" on who inhaled my lure and after a successful release i found the leader was slightly nicked but still had its strength. I was fishing with a small topwater lure and the leader was very close to the mouth, i would imagine it hit teeth during the fight.
is it possible? sure, a steel single strand is stronger (obviously) but i don't think you have to worry about flouro leaders. |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | I would say with 80 pound you are flirting with having future problems. For a few years I used 130, but have now switched to 150 pound Stealth Leaders. When it comes to flouro, use a good quality leader material. Stealth Tackle uses all the best flouro and best components. One thing to remember with flouro is that CLEAR is CLEAR so there really isn't any huge advantages to using anything under 130 in my opinion. |
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Posts: 501
Location: Norway | I had an "almost-accident" once, not with biteoff, but when the fish was in the net, it started to trash, and the leader was caught in the joint of the jointed lure I used, and lets just say that I didnt use that leader again. It was a homemade, but it wasnt the components that almost failed, so I still have comfidence in my homemades, but, like many others, prefer Stealth Tackle mades.
Michael |
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Posts: 3240
Location: Racine, Wi | MikeHulbert - 9/28/2009 7:22 AM
I would say with 80 pound you are flirting with having future problems.
I agree with Mike. I've had 80# floro cut (once). Never used 80# again. I've been using 100# and 130# and haven't had any issues since. Have had some fish with the leader all over teeth, but was only knicked up and no failures. |
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Posts: 395
Location: NW WI | What if the flouro is scuffed up? Safe to use? Toss it? I've got one leader that's got about a 3" long area that's scuffed up. |
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Posts: 1243
Location: Musky Tackle Online, MN | I toss my leaders whenever they get knicked up at all. While they might be fine if it's minor. It's not worth taking the chance, in my opinion. Leaders are cheap when you think about the amount we spend on everything else, not to mention the amount of time we spend to get even one fish to eat. I don't take the chance when it's something that I can control.
Aaron |
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Posts: 3240
Location: Racine, Wi | If it's got any scratches or is nicked up, I'm putting a new one on. No use in taking a chance becuase that's when you'll have a failure. Even if they may be okay for another fish, I personally wouldn't chance it. |
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Posts: 392
Location: lake x...where the hell is it? | AWH - 9/28/2009 1:02 PM
I toss my leaders whenever they get knicked up at all. While they might be fine if it's minor. It's not worth taking the chance, in my opinion. Leaders are cheap when you think about the amount we spend on everything else, not to mention the amount of time we spend to get even one fish to eat. I don't take the chance when it's something that I can control.
Aaron
you are right on, if it knicked at all toss it but we never know how or where a ski will bite our lure. we make our own leaders with 100lb YO ZURI pink and its been great wiht no issues until the other night. my buddy had tied a new one on and we had been fishing for a few hours when he got hit and then notthing. he was bit off. a 15" new 100lb leader was peeled and broke 3-4" from the swivel. either the fish came up from behind it and inhaled the 8" lure and 10" or so of leader or it missed the lure and hit the leader. i was worried for a while that the lure was stuck in its mouth but after my buddy retied and put on the exact same lure and made a few casts he got hit again but this time the fish bent his hook and came off. ever have this happen? |
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| most every bite-off or other horror story that i've heard has been with inexpensive lightweight or old worn out fluoro. same thing with steel leaders: thin ones or bent up ones break. same thing with components: cheap swivels or old snaps break.
in fluoro i stick with 130lb Stealth leaders and change them out when visibly worn.
i like their 174lb straight wire for jerkbaits, too.
i've never had a single issue - good materials matter!
http://www.stealthtackle.net/
Edited by lambeau 9/28/2009 5:41 PM
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Posts: 2270
Location: SE, WI. | I would never use a Floro-carbon leader. I had them shred like string cheese.
Also have heard too many horror stories of lost BIG fish and bite offs. Don't take the chance. Use wire and pay attention to wear.
You've been warned!!!!!  |
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Posts: 676
Location: Wisconsin | I just made some with 270lb fluorocarbon........No string cheese there. |
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Posts: 1237
Location: South Portsmouth, KY | Ive been using #130 Stealth fluoro leaders since he came out with them and i have had no failures. Their made out of top notch quality components! |
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Posts: 202
| It can be bitten off with out a doubt however I would have to agree with Mike W, almost all the horror stories are do to other factors. I use floro on all my leaders and have never been bitten off when using lures. On sucker rigs I have had some close calls and have been bitten off one time. I do still recommend using floro and think it will put many more fish in your boat then it will cost you do to bite offs. Bottom line if your going to use floro do not use anything smaller then 130, be careful crimping it (crimps can pinch it and cause weak spots), and MAKE SURE you check your leaders, not only when you catch a fish but when you snag, hit a rock etc. |
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Posts: 17
Location: West Haven, UT | I am on fish number 6 with the same stealth 130 # floro leader and have seen nothing that resembles string cheese. Great product. |
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Posts: 2270
Location: SE, WI. | I currently have 120 musky in 09 on Steel leaders. And also NO string cheese!!!
Spencer berman, How can you prove that floro will produce more fish??? |
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Posts: 307
| If it's nicked I replace it. If it is just a little scuffed from banging rocks I don't worry about it. I worry much more about snaps failing than anything, even stringease. You let a stringease go for longer than it should and it WILL break apart. I have bags of them and everytime one gets bent or looks a little worn I replace it. |
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| I use 50 and 60lb for my jig and creature fishing with no issues. I use larger lb depending on the size of bait and if I am trolling...no need to use saltwater equipment for muskie at all.... |
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| jdsplasher - 9/28/2009 7:35 PM
I currently have 120 musky in 09 on Steel leaders. And also NO string cheese!!!
Spencer berman, How can you prove that floro will produce more fish???
they are not afraid by the boat,but everybody know how they can be scared by a lil wire leader |
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| I use stealth floro in 130 and 150. Great leaders, never had one break. Only time I ever broke my line was when a fish bit me off above my 14" floro leader. This was not a weak spot in my 80 lb tuf line either because it broke on the initial hit before I could even set the hook. After close inspection of the line, it was cut clean thru. Only time in my muskie fishing career that I have broke my line on a fish. I just hope the fish never got hooked since I never had tension on the fish or even set the hook. That had to be a freak of nature fish, just hope she lived. Think I might go to a longer leader after that incident.
Edited by Baby Mallard 9/28/2009 8:48 PM
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Posts: 90
| I don't know about anyone else, but I use Flouro Leaders Exclusively, 130# Thorne Bros, that and a bag of replacement clips is all I need to feel comfortable in what I am doing. For me I don't think the clear aspect of the Flouro is what makes the difference as I caught many fish for many years using steel, but I prefer the action allowed by the flouro as well as the lack of memory that it has compared to steel. I have a whole box full of bent straight wire leaders and kinked seven strands that are virtually useless after one very ambitious fish twists it up on you. As long as the Flouro doesn't get nicked up, it has a longer life in my opinion. |
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Posts: 311
Location: Ontario | The loops, knots and crimps are the trouble spots in a fluoro leader (or any steel leader) IMO. Watch these areas for wear. The main body section of the leader usually long out-lasts the ends and the hardware in my experience. |
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Posts: 299
Location: Nowheresville, MN | I bought into the floro deal finally last year. The third week into the season I had a clean bite off on a mag dawg, I mean a clean ping on the hookset. And yes I checked them periodically. 130 lb Seaguar. Later in the drift (open water) pieces of dawg tail were floating up. Seeing as how tail pieces came up and 5" of the leader was missing it seems to me the fish absolutely inhaled the whole bait and theb some. Could have been a giant...Being an idiot I just put a new one on. The next day I had a very, very hard hit on a pounder which I missed. Upon inspection the big top hook was bent out at a 45. Upon further inspection the veritable swiss cheese was evident. Both leaders in the picture below. Floro is great for dawgs because you can get dawg balls out, but that was enough for me. Floro no more. I don't know about you guys, but a lot of the bites I get on dawgs are all in the head putting teeth closer to the leader than say blades or cranks. Watch a dawg fall, the bait falls head first and the leader sort of almost goes back and lays on top of the head.
Floro with quickstrike live bait is asking for trouble and IMO is not putting the fish first. As Spencer admits...
Edited by tfootstalker 9/30/2009 4:25 PM
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Posts: 1270
| SOmeone mentioned in floro clras is clear so poundage doesn't matter. That's not entirely true. Many floros are in fact so clear that they are actually clearer than the water they are in and therfore can stand out because they are so clear. I know it sounds wierd but it's true, they actually seem to glow in the water. |
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Posts: 388
| Been bit off, 80#, and by a very good sized fish. Inhaled my depth raider which I was unable to reclaim (stayed in the fish never to resurface). Only metal for me now. Still have bad dreams about that one.
Edited by Yake Bait 9/29/2009 10:49 PM
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Location: Contrarian Island | I have been making and using my own for around 5 yrs? 180 lb and have many friends using them as well...no bite offs with 180 with I'm sure well over 1000 fish on them.....it's pretty hard to cut w/ a filet knife so I have 100% confidence in it...I think 80 is asking for trouble...130 or more ..but as TFoot notes above even that can get cut...
Edited by BNelson 9/30/2009 8:48 AM
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Posts: 2015
| Floro rocks! -Made my own for 5 years as well - Have used 130 exclusively for the last 4 years - 300+ in my boat not a single failure. For me is not that it is "clear" - I like the properties of floro, no kinks... takes me 30min. to make the 15-20 leaders that get me throught the season - generally you can catch 4-5 fish on the leader before replacement (on average) and with qualitly components I have about $2.50 in each leader. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | 4-5 fish? heck Justin I have some leaders with 20 or more fish without barely a scratch on them..... ; )
making them is easy but it does take some initial investment in a good crimper and all the components....
Edited by BNelson 9/30/2009 9:20 AM
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Posts: 2015
| On average - I'll admit every once in awhile I replace a leader after one or two fish, any nick at all is reason for me change - cut the swivel off/stayloc off and reuse....10 fish on a leader is not uncommon -i've never got to 20 (but not doubting you)... yep you need a good crimper but $30 spread over 200 leaders the last five years is pennies.. |
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Posts: 582
| one thing however, using a single strand wire leader, vs flouro, you will go thru WAY more wire. Every fish i have ever caught on wire has bent it so bad its garbage. I have caught multiple fish on the same flouro. |
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| Two bite-off's for me, both half-way up the leader.
One bite-off was on 80lb. test using a 10" Suick. This was in the early days of flouro leader making for muskies. After that experience, I super-sized to 200lb test and was bitten off again, this time using a Mag Dawg.
BrianF.
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | Been using flouro for a few years now, and with an avg. of over 300 muskies per season, and not a single bite off I think there is something to be said for that. I used to use 130, never had a problem at all. Since the 150 is so close to the same diameter as the 130, I made the switch to Stealth Tackle's 150 pound flouro leaders this year. One thing to remember is that all flouro is NOT the same. Just like a $89 reel is not a Calcutta TE. Some will break, frey, split, get cut and get bitten through, while others can take and handle the abuse. I remember one leader that I had over 60 fish on last year. Went through a ton of snaps, but never changed my leader in over 60 fish. 4 seasons with over 300 muskies per season with no bite off, no breaks, no failure.....I'm sold. Stealth 130 if you want to go "light" or I would recommend Stealth Tackles 150 pound test for any other everyday application. |
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Posts: 743
| What kind of flouro do they use?
Edited by KSauers 9/30/2009 8:24 PM
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Posts: 231
| KSauers - 9/30/2009 8:23 PM
What kind of flouro do they use?
Seaguar, good stuff!
Chas |
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