| Brian Shea |
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Reply with quote | #1 |
What type of leader should I be using for fishing bait? I will using 20# power pro but I would guess a leader would to be heavy mono or flouro to avoid bite offs. Right? |
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| BAGman |
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Reply with quote | #2 |
Brian,
I don't use leaders, just the superbraid and I retie often. Breakoffs are not much of a problem. If I do lose one, it's not the end of the world; just an early release.
Good Finnin'
Chuck |
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| Brian Shea | |
| HenryV |
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Reply with quote | #4 |
Brian,
I agree with Bagman = leaders are unnecessary with fins. The reason for that is the way their teeth are shaped. Unlike a shark or a pike, whose teeth have jagged edges, Bowfin have conical, pointed teeth. Look at this way: a shark's teeth are serrated one the side, like a hacksaw blade. A Bowfin's teeth are smooth on the sides, like an ice pick. This is the reason Bowfin do not bite through line.
Instead, they bite through lures..
Henry |
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| NCPIERMAN |
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Reply with quote | #5 |
i tend to disagree with the fins being able to bite thru lines,i have had way to many to speak of biteing thru my lines so after rethinking my fishing for them i went up to 65 pound braid power pro leaders and have have very few cut offs after that.bait fishin for them is not the same as lure fishing since the fish get the line more into there mouth than just a lure and if youve ever seen the bait on a missed hit you would realize that a fin chews that bait very fast and destroys it,a lure is harder and when they hit it there is normally 2 treble hooks and the lure doesnt feel normal and in my opinion makes the fin want to get rid of it quicker than real bait.
we all have our opinions on it but i belive that when useing 20 pound power pro i would definetly use at least 40 to 65 pound leader in power pro.
can you catch them without a leader? heck yes but if i have a trophy fin on i dont want to loose it due to a cut off,ive used mono leaders and have seen how they cut the line ..........when ya get part of that leader back its always got curls where there teeth have racked it |
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| VT02 |
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Reply with quote | #6 |
Hi Brian,
While conducting many trials and errors last year using different lines to catch gar a friend and I have discovered that longnose can not cut through 30 pound test,spider wire stealth or higher. 20 pound test or less and they have no problem. The longnose cut through 20 with no problem cos the hook was sheared off but with 30 they could not because so many times we would hook them and they would fight and the hook would finally pop out of there bony mouth,now a longnose's teeth are the same concept as a fin,not serrated like a shark but pointed and you know that a gar has way more teeth than a fin so if longnose can not cut through than it is safe to say that a fin is not going to cut through either,atleast with ease. |
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| HenryV |
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Reply with quote | #7 |
Pierman makes a few god points about how fins inhale bait and spit hard lures. Yes, that does change how you might look at line, especially if you have ever had your hand behind a fin's gill plate and felt how bony and sharp it is. So it's not just the teeth that are a hazard, but the rest of a fin's bony head that can cut line (even more so than it's teeth). I was handling an 8+ lb fin today and reached under its gill to grab the gular plate when I landed it, and I slipped my hand between the gills and the back of its throat. It felt like reaching into a roll of razor ribbon, so Tim does have a point.
But 65 lbs seems awful heavy. I go as high as 30 lb braid, but my standard is 20 lb Fireline. They never break me off.
And Pierman, I got a question: how about knitting me a nice Christmas sweater with that heavy braid? After all, you haven;t been fishing with it!
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| NCPIERMAN |
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Reply with quote | #8 |
henry,
yes 65 is heavy but in power pro it is thin that is the nice part about braid 20 pound is eqivalent to 6 pound in diameter 
ive lost way too many useing light braid and found 65 is the key in my area to landing those brute you used to see so many of me and my stepson catching lol
sweater heck ill have the wife knitt you a hat and gloves too,im still useing braid up north but i got away from the heavy leader for now.
next year when im back my friend ill show ya'll once again how its done and how to stay on top of the board 
why arent you fin fishing? this is the best time of the year for those hyngry fish who are stalking up for winter? |
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| roughfish29 |
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Reply with quote | #9 |
i still haven't caught my first bowfin. But when my dad got one a few years ago, it bent up his leader worse than any northern or muskie i've ever seen.
if i we're you, i'd go with what BAGman said. Also, a 12" steel leader might not be a bad idea |
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