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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Travis- My number one criteria is toughness/hardness, i.e., resistance to teeth. Try the old bite test on same weight flourocarbon's from different manufacturer's. You will be amazed at the differences, i.e., just like your skin is sensitive to temperature gradients. Your teeth are sensitive to hardness of materials you bite.
Have fun!
Al |
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Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin | Seaguar is what I have stuck with.
I use 50lb for trolling, 80lb for casting and quick strike rigs.
I tried 80lb for trolling but it was getting beat 4 to 1 by the 50lb.
This is what works for me. I know it's on the light side and don't recomend it to everyone unless your have been around the muskie block a few times. Any kind of abrasion or flaw in the leader it should be removed from use. Cut off the ends and remake a new one. I will make 20 to 30 quick strike rigs and 40 to 50 leaders every year. I also make up wire rigs and use them when the water is dirty or when I fish in stained water.
I have fished North and South Twin for years and always beat the wire leader boys I fished with. Most of the guys I fished with have switched to flourocarbon and they told me it helps. I don't want to be responsible for any lost fish. Flouro is not for everyone.
A way back I read someone wanted to know what I do different on hook sets?
I will reel my rod tip down and lean forward until the line is tight, then pull back hard while stepping back. The reason I step back is so I will have the line tight with plenty of room to pull back still. This will allow me to keep lots of tention on the line while the fish trys to shake the hooks free. Once the head shakes start you usually own that fish shortly aftyer that.
One other tip I use with this lighter flouro is to use extremely sharp hooks. Owners and Gamakatsu in 1/0 for Spring and bigger in Fall. Remember, always use hooks big enough so you get the best results. The bigger the suckers the bigger the hooks.
I also run multiple hooks on my rigs for extremely good hooking percentages.
Also, PLEASE don't wait when a muskie picks up a sucker with multiple hooks. You never know how fast a muskie can swallow a sucker. Quick strike is QUICK STRIKE.
I see some people out there following a muskie around with the trolling motor and waiting for the best time to set the hooks. I DON'T believe this is a good practice with suckers and treble hooks at all. Circle hooks I can see if you use them. My view is why wait and waist time. Quick strike and hit em......Fish ON !!! |
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Posts: 55
Location: Nekoosa, WI | As I was looking through this thread, people are talking about how long they have used flouro and have'nt lost a fish to it "YET". It seems that those of you who do use it are in fact "just waiting" for it to happen. To each their own I guess, but I will stick to wire, both single strand and Tyger and those of you flouro fans I'm sure, will stick to just that, at least for now. MikeK., Your outfishing your buddies on Twin had to do with other factors other than your ''FLOURO''. I grew up just 25 minutes from there in Three Lakes and fished it often, about 3 times a week. The fact that you always out fished your amigos had more to do with other factors than it did with your leader. As I mentioned before, I have logged about 150 days on Twin and have fished along side people fishing flouro, and I out fished them, just as you did with your fishing buddies. It has more to do with skill, bait presentation, bait selection, spot selection and good ole plain luck. Good luck to everybody in '06, it should be a great year. Jason Bovee  |
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| Seaguar invented Flourocarbon - it is by far the best - being cheap will cost you eventually.
I use 40# for casting smaller baits.
50# and 60# for bigger baits and 80# for large baits.
I've been using it for 5 or 6 seasons now - before that I used heavy mono.
I use 80# on Quick strike rigs and circle hook rigs for sucker fishing. They far outfish steel.
THE biggest benefit from using Flouro is that when your musky rolls, thrashes or corkscews - she's not getting sliced up by steel.
With the zebra mussel clear waters we fish - using Seaguar leaders is a no brainer.
If you figure what it costs to tie an 18 inch leader yoursellf- you come out way ahead, I use 60 inch flourocarbon leaders for trolling - works for me and my clients and tournament partner.
Kevin Moore |
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Posts: 3926
| Jason Bovee you are just one scrapper of a dude! But I expect you're reasonable too, so consider this observation.....
I was at an early and big Cass Lake outing where M1 folks were not moving too many fish. Mike E rolled in a few days late and proceeded to move and boat fish left and right. Pretty much ran away from all of us. While I'm not in his class regarding skill and experience, others present at the outing most certainly were. He was more successful, by every measure. The one significant difference between him and the rest of us was that he was the only one using flouro leaders.
I have no doubt you are an excellent muskie guy, Jason. Excellent. I wonder how your numbers might change if you were to try using flouro yourself for a while. Oh, I've never had a flouro leader fail but I have had metal leaders fail.
Take me fishing sometime Jason! |
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Posts: 55
Location: Nekoosa, WI | Ranger, A srapper of a dude heh! Thanks I guess!!  This is an endless debate that will probably go on forever. It seems to be 50/50 or so on wire and flouro, and I am sure a few guy's from both sides will switch at some point, one way or the other. As I said before, it is a matter of confidence, plain and simple. Thats it. You can't tell me that a muskie will care if you have ''wire'' in front of your lure, but could care less about a rod swoshing around at boatside while you are doing a figure 8!! I hate to tell you this, but in reality muskies just really are'nt all that smart. It's just that they are very ''moody'' at times and can be a pain in the @$$, but that is one of the things that I love about them. A friend caught the same fish twice last year that was 52'' and approaching 40#'s. Thats right, twice,...in 24 hours!!! So if they are really that smart, why in hell would that big old 'smart' fish make a mistake twice in 24 hours on the same bait!!?? I rest my case. As I said before, it comes down to confidence and thats about it. So use what you are comfortable with, and in the long run you will be succesfull. Jason Bovee Ranger, I am sending you a PM. |
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Posts: 3926
| Ok, I give up. Take me fishing, Jason.
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Posts: 55
Location: Nekoosa, WI | Ranger, You give up to easy! LOL I am shooting you a PM. Jason Bovee |
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