This has been bothering me for a while now. I can't find a set up which I am totally happy with. At the moment I attach the fly using an Ad Swier spiral lock (which I like) but it is the wire leaders I am unhappy with. I have found that wire leaders weaken and snap when casting, if the wire has been crimped, so at the moment I am using a flexible titanium which I whip with mono fly tying thread, superglue then cover with shrink tubing. But I have my doubts!!

I have used shop brought leaders used by coarse pike anglers, but they don't work to well.

I don't like the heavy mono leads as I have lost a few fish with them.

Please let me know what you use? am I missing a trick here?

Many thanks

Jason

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i have never lost a pike while using mono. try toothy critter or one of the tapered leaders used by the saltwater boys .What length and make have you tried in wire ,if you visit the pike fly association site they could have your answer there

I use American fishing wire Micro supreme wire.

I have found no better after looking at all the different wires on the market.

I use a bonefish tapered leader thats 7 1/2 ft long and using a shock leader knot attach around 12" of wire.

I use the Davey knot to attach my fly and have NEVER had it slip.

I use 20lb or 26lb wire to a 15lb leader.

WCB

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Here we go again...

Ive never had a crimped trace snap during casting, Any wire ive used kinks at some point, i just treat wire as a consumable much like a normal tippet.

As it stands, i use about 10 / 11 feet of 15lb mono, with 1ft of fox carboflex wire at the end. As for my trace, i crimp a loop of wire at the leader end and join it to the leader via loop to loop connection. This saves me shortening the leader anytime i need to change traces. At the fly end i use fox snap link things, cant remember the actual name. I know some people say they come undone but ive never had any problems, i hooked a bike in my local canal and hauled it in without any of my rig snapping.

yep

Like speycaster I also use 0.60mm HardMono or Fluoro shock tippets, attached to about 1.20m of 0.50mm mono (as butt section). Over the past past 7 or more years where I have been seriously targeting pike on the fly, I have had a total of two bite offs and both of them were in the same afternoon, within an hour of each other

To attach pike flies to the leader I use a Homer Rhodes knot.

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The only reason i use wire now is the waters i fish for Pike say i have to.

I used heavy Fluro for a while without ANY bite off's.

WCB

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I use depending on how I'm fishing... 3 - 4ft of 15lb mono (MemorX) and grinner to it 1ft of Cannelle Supratress tied to an Ad Swier spiral lock... NO bite offs!

I will try some of the American wire if that chap puts some in the post for me

That's two too many

I agree with Dougie

Me too, and it's a tippet you can be sure a pike will never bite through.

Allrounder