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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Looking to pick up some leaders for the upcoming season.....what do you think are the best ones on the market....going to throw everything topwater, cranks, glide, bucktails.....do I need different ones for each situation?
Mike |
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Posts: 108
Location: IN | I used leaders made by Charlie Runyon all of last season and absolutely love them. I like the .051 wire because it will last forever. It's great for weagles because the leader won't kink and you don't have to keep trying to straighten the leader. For everything else I recommend his 240lb. wire. He offers a wide variety of ball bearing swivels and snaps and all at a very reasonable cost. I'm getting atleast 5x more life out of Charlie's leaders than I would get from the 174lb. Mania leaders I was using and at a cheaper cost. Check him out. [email protected]
John.
Edited by EsoxJohnny 2/20/2006 11:22 AM
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| I second charlier leaders. I got half dozen fluoro leaders that he customer tied for me and have been very happy. Price is right and quality is great. He was selling them on Ebay. |
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | When I started musky fishing I was using seven strand for everything but jerkbaits(which I used
single strand for). But ever since one of my seven strands broke at the crimp on a cast and sent
my lure with it, and the day my seven strand coiled up after a day of casting a bucktail I switched
to single strand for everything. I haven't payed much attention to the brands i bought, but the
leaders I use now are ones I bought at Gander so I think they might be Pete Mania's and I know
there's one more brand.
Edited by fish4musky1 2/20/2006 3:32 PM
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | Pointer,
My leader guy makes some of the best leaders out there, and are priced WAY below everybody else.
He sells them in packs of 10, shipped to your door for $22.00
Here is the info on them:
These leaders have only the highest quality components:
-Deluxe Ball-Bearing Swivels with double solid welded rings provide maximum
strength, rated at 100lbs. This is by far the most important component of
the entire leader. The quality ball bearing swivel is very expensive and they drastically increase the cost to make a high quality leader.
-The StringEase Stay-Lok Pro Snap size 5 is the best snap available for the musky fisherman. The Stay-Lok Locking Ring prevents these snaps from opening and increases the strength of the snap. The snap is rated for over 165lbs.
StringEase is simply the best.
-The wire that I use is American Fishing Wire single stranded 174lb
camouflaged brown torsion wire that is very springy and bends easily back to a straight position. The wire absorbs the shock when a large fish strikes the lure.
You can see photos of these leaders, and ordering info for them on my site.
Go to: http://www.mikehulbert.com/fishingreports.shtml
Click on the anchored topic at the top titled: STOCK UP ON LEADERS HERE
I used these leaders in 2005 without any problems.
Check them out, you won't be disappointed. |
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Posts: 2112
Location: The Sportsman, home, or out on the water | Mikey,
When you FINALLY get over this way, I'm going to teach you how to build your own. We can build up as many as you want, but you bring the snaps and swivels. This will be included in your bucktail building lesson. |
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Posts: 374
Location: Bemidji | Check out my leaders on Hulbert's site. This is the best deal you are going to find anywhere, $22 per 10 leaders which includes shipping anywhere in the US. I only use the best quality components, ball-bearing swivels and StringEase snaps. I have sold over 700 leaders this year already. They will be available at Mike's booth in Chicago. Any questions feel free to contact me. |
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Posts: 42
| Smity hundo # test.
MG5 |
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Posts: 5
| Mike Hulbert, I thought you didn't use snaps of any kind on your leaders. Split rings on the baits and loop end on leader. |
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Posts: 374
Location: Bemidji | Fishinnut,
The leaders that I make for Mike do not have a snap only a looped end with a #4 ball-bearing swivel. The ones that I sell through his site have a snap and swivel. Many people think that it is a hassle to attach split rings to all their baits and slide the looped end on and off. |
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Posts: 921
Location: Apollo, PA | Kevin and Charlie BOTH make really nice leaders for the money. You can't go wrong with either of those guys!!!!!!!!!!!!  |
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Posts: 2037
Location: lansing, il | i think kevins leaders are not only the best value out there, but also very very tough and reliable! im 90% flouro but when i want a solid leader ill be using nothin but kevins! if you want to give flouro a try ill put my flouro leades up against anyones!! they are the same hardware as kevin uses with 100# climax flouro, nail knots and glue for security! im selling some on the buy/sell board.
Edited by muskihntr 2/27/2006 7:52 AM
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Posts: 108
Location: IN | Their both good quality leaders but for the same $2.20 per leader, I'd rather have the 175lb. swivel and 240lb. wire. just my opinion. |
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Posts: 2024
| Thorne Bros solid 174 lb. w/ o-rings and with stay-lock (a.k.a string-ease) snaps: jerks, gliders (including your new Snax!!), topwater
Thorne bros. 90 lb. Sevenstrand: 'Dawgs, cranks, spinnerbaits, bucktails
Thorne Bros. 80lb fluoro: everything except pull baits!!!
Edited by esox50 2/26/2006 5:13 PM
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | Pointer,
Rick Jaroch of BMT(bait maker tackle) makes some fine leaders, for a great price. He will mak them to your specs. I used to twist all of my own, but now order a couple hundred at a crack from Rick made to the exact specs that I prefer. Check him out some time! |
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Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | IMHO: ZaltNAD "No-See-Um's, 50lb,80lb, & 130lb fluorocarbon, 140lb & 200lb hardware, custom length's available. They are hand tied with superglued 5 wrap cinch knots. $4.00 for a 12" 80LB jerkbait/glider leader.
These are my basement fishing gear contribution to the muskie & pike fishing world. I've been using them for 3 years, no lost fish, + great results on other species , i,e, trophy walleyes, bass etc. On our annual June 2005 Canadian walleye expedition using 14" 80lb flourocarbon leaders and #33 Zam's we put 18 walleyes over 25" into the boat with 3 of them over 30", + numerous walleye 20"-25", northern pike, included a 38". One of the other boats got a 41" and the other got a 40" and lost a 50" class fish when she came unhooked 10' from the net..
This is a trophy Splake, Walleye, Northern Pike lake, with very good water clarity. The walleye's didn't seem to care about the 80lb fluorocarbon leaders, i.e., whether we were trolling or twitching/cranking over the cabbage bed's. I'll never go back to steel leader's. BTW: our three boats combined were outfishing everyone in camp, although we had a hard time catching any walleyes under 20" (most likely because the Zam was to big at ~6.3" long). we really didn't care! There were ~ 24 other boats and we never lost a lure to bite off by northerns, i.e., a common complaint from the other guy's in camp.
Mike Hofmann & his son Mic lost the 50" pike. We use this lake as a test bed for new lures, tackle, and techniques. Mike tried running steel leader versus 80lb flouro with both running #33 Zam's on "yellow Bird" side planner's. At 16 walleyes (flourocarbon) to 1 walleye (steel), they switched the steel back to flouro & both rod's produced ~ equal # of fish again.
I honestly believe they give me an edge with muskies, i.e., more hits and they don't affect the lure as much as a heavy steel leader.
Ranger (another MF member) got started me on flourocarbon's, he also makes & sells flourocarbon leaders.
Have fun!
Al
Edited by ESOX Maniac 3/3/2006 7:51 AM
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Posts: 40
Location: Canada, Eh! | I've also switched to fluoro for everything but jerkbaits where I use 'piano wire'. I like the rigid leaders for jerkbaits - find fluoro or 7 strand get fouled on the front treble too often.
I make my own leaders out of 130lb Seaguar FC. 12" for casting, 3' for trolling. I'm not so concerned with visibility (although it is a bonus) but I find the fluoro outlast wire greatly - it does not kink. I also think the FC is easier on the fish if it decides to roll.
The initial investment is high, but over-time I think you actually save due to their durability.
Edited by boost 3/3/2006 12:47 PM
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