# # test?



## DanAdelman (Sep 19, 2005)

I have been fishing Wb for muskie and hoping to hook into a monster... I was curious what pound test i should be using leader and line...I have been using 35# Super Stren with a 45lb berkley leader...Planning on putting together an outfit for casting and trolling what would be ideal line and leader strength and way may i purchase such a thing...I was thinking about Spiderwire Stealth 50# for the line... Thanks in advance to anyone with the knowledge and time to help


----------



## ptpt (Dec 10, 2005)

I like Power-Pro and a TYGer leader. A good mag is Esox Angler- you will find a lot of tips etc on muskies,northers and walleyes. Just make sure when you get the fish to the boat your are ready.

Have Fun

PAUL


----------



## FutureClassicChamp (Jan 16, 2006)

no less than 65# braid. i mostly use 80# tuffline xp. my leaders range from 90# seven strand to 180# single wire.


----------



## cummins_man (May 16, 2006)

Well lets add to the confusion. 

I've used 20-30 lb. Spider Wire with 35 lb. wire leaders to land some monster fish. I think any of the below advise will work, although I would stick with the braids for abrasion resistance. Make sure all your snap swivels have the locking tabs and I re-tie my knots after every fish. If you don't horse the fish too much, you'll be good to go.


----------



## FutureClassicChamp (Jan 16, 2006)

beginning musky fisherman will often ask the question, "why use such heavy line and leaders?" and theres always the guys that say, "well, my buddy landed a 35lber while bass fishing" or something to that extent. there are a number of reasons musky veterans will tell you why it is best to go with the heavier stuff.

-proper bait performance- how will a 8oz. gliding jerkbait perform on 20lb line and a flimsy leader? that thing will come back to the boat looking like a moth wrapped up in a spider web. or you wont get much action at all out of it.

-saving money on baits- you see a ball of bait fish on the surface in a panic and a swirl, 50 yards away. you go for that homerun cast to get your bait there. SNAP! next thing you see is your $30 weagle flying into the woods.

and *Most Importantly*
-saving the fish's life- there are 2 parts to this reason.
a.) how is that line going to react when youre trolling 4 mph and a 35lber explodes on your bait going the opposite way? or for whatever other reason, the line is old, youve nicked a few trees, whatever...making that line weaker, and it snaps with the fish of a lifetime on. not only did you lose a trophy, but youve just killed it. that fish wont be able to feed with a bait in its mouth, and youll find it washed up on shore 2 weeks later.

b.) you think fighting a musky is stressful on you? how bout the stress a musky goes through when an angler is pulling it by its mouth for half an hour? this is part of CPR folks. stress is the most common cause of musky fatalities. you want to be able to control that fish, get them in the net as quickly as possible, unhook them, take a quick photo and measurement if you like, and get them back in the water while putting as little stress on the fish as possible.


----------



## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

DanAdelman said:


> I have been fishing Wb for muskie and hoping to hook into a monster... I was curious what pound test i should be using leader and line...I have been using 35# Super Stren with a 45lb berkley leader...Planning on putting together an outfit for casting and trolling what would be ideal line and leader strength and way may i purchase such a thing...I was thinking about Spiderwire Stealth 50# for the line... Thanks in advance to anyone with the knowledge and time to help


You setup seems fine to me. Though, I don't think leaders are necessary. A lot of people have differing beliefs when it comes to those. 

CG


----------



## Weatherby (May 27, 2005)

I use 65lb Powerpro when throwing small bucktails, rattlebaits etc. 

80lb Powerpro when throwing regular bucktails, small cranks.

100lb Powerpro when throwing ANY bait larger than larger than say a 6" Jake.


As far as leaders go I suggest that you always use a leader. As FCC said all it takes is the fish of a lifetime (or any fish for that matter) to bite through your line and the fish is gone and dead.

As far as leader length it is really what you feel comfortable with. Most of the time I use a 9" single strand leader. 


Check out these 2 shops for all your needs.

www.muskyshop.com

www.thornebros.com


----------



## cincinnati (May 24, 2004)

50# Cortland Spectron & 12" leader - usually singlestrand - for everything.

There's a lot of luck involved in this game. Stout line & a wire leader reduce the chances for some of the bad luck.


----------



## lazy (Apr 10, 2004)

80 lb Power Pro or Cortland line with 80 lb fluorocarbon leader for me. Since I catch a lot more logs and stumps than fish I want something that gives me the best chance to get back my $30.00 lure when I bury the hooks in said log or stump. 

Dallas


----------



## muskieseeker (Oct 19, 2005)

Lazy I would invest in a frabill lure retriever The pole extends to 15' best investment I've made in a while. Nothing worse than having to cut your line knowing that lure just cost $20.00.


----------



## lazy (Apr 10, 2004)

Muskieseeker,I have the frabill lure retriever and they are worth every penny you pay for them, they have saved a lot of lures for me. I also have a plug knocker that weighs about as much as the average boat anchor and I still lose and occasional lure.

Dallas


----------



## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

I would recommend nothing less that 65 pound braided. As others have said, less stress on the fish, fewer lost lures.

Under no circumstances would I use any type of mono (except for a very heavy fluorocarbon leader). The fish you are targeting has a very boney mouth and mono with its inherent stretching can easily cost you a fish because the line will stretch a bit and you'll get a lousy hookset...and you will not be happy.


----------



## esoxhunter (Apr 7, 2004)

I use 65lb Power Pro and 65lb Sufix braid (this new Sufix is nice) and lately I'm leaning toward 80lb flourocarbon leaders for trolling.
The guy who taught me the ropes in musky fishing uses nothing but 25-30lb Trilene XL and NO LEADERS. He mainly trolls small AC Shiners and has caught more muskies than I could count. To each his own I guess.


----------



## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

I agree with the points about saving lures, but come one guys we can catch musky on 20 to 30lb mono. We don't live in WI or MN and have a lot of 50#rs in these waters. What did you fish with when Power Pro, braid and alternative lines did not exist?

My uncle was using the old Dacron heavy stuff and he just switched over to 50lb braid.

CG


----------



## awfootball (Aug 10, 2005)

i use 20# berkley triline extra tuff with 2feet of 40# mono leader on my abu garcia 6500c3 reel


----------



## Weatherby (May 27, 2005)

> I agree with the points about saving lures, but come one guys we can catch musky on 20 to 30lb mono. We don't live in WI or MN and have a lot of 50#rs in these waters. What did you fish with when Power Pro, braid and alternative lines did not exist?



It's not that they can't be caught on mono its the fact that it is better for the fish to shorten the fight as much as possible by using the super lines. Also when fishing around cover I trust the superlines alot more than mono.


----------



## fffffish (Apr 6, 2004)

30# Berkley Triline XT and 36" twist weld leader in 35# test for beating the rocks is more then enought.


----------



## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

> We don't live in WI or MN and have a lot of 50#rs in these waters.


By that reasoning, you'd never use anything heavier than 8 lb test for bass.

As Weatherby said, you can use mono, but there is no question that it has serious and distinct disadvantages over braided, including the ability to handle the fish appropriately. As I said, musky and pike, unlike many other species, have a _very_ boney mouth. Line stretch is a without a doubt, a factor in such a situation and using braided line, with its almost zero-stretch characteristics, helps an awful lot in getting a proper hookset.

Also, the torque generated when trolling lures at 4 mph and even higher can load up a lot of poundage when you catch a 20 pound fish at that speed or hit a 400 pound stump or a 4000 pound rock. Such situations are commonplace in musky fishing and 20 or 30 pound test and 35 pound leaders can not only be a disadvantage, they could easily cost you your $10 to $20 lure or a 50 inch fish.

There is even discussion a lot of musky circles about how wooden lures can hinder the hookset (as compared to plastic lures) because the fish can bite down so hard that you cannot move the lure enough to sink the hooks.........now add the stretch of mono to that equation. 

Also muskies, unlike many other species, have a tendency to "roll" on the line. If you're using 25 or 30 lb mono, the gill plates tend to slice it off easier than say 80 lb braided. Mono also tends to nick much much easier than braided, on rocks, wood, and even heavy weeds, thus reducing its effective strength, which is not something you want when you've finally hooked a decent musky. Thirty pound mono with a nick in it can become 8 pound test.



> The guy who taught me the ropes in musky fishing uses nothing but 25-30lb Trilene XL and NO LEADERS. He mainly trolls small AC Shiners and has caught more muskies than I could count. To each his own I guess.


To each his own, I completely agree and we're just talking here. There are _many_ different ways to do any kind of fishing and we're just BS'ing here and discussing opinions and general rules.......

I use the thinnest leader I can get away with, but I personally hesitate to not use any leader at all when using small baits like the AC Shiners because the fish will often inhale the entire bait and cut the line, any line, including braided. I don't like the idea that I may cause it to die with a lure impaled in its throat. I have lost fish that way, and it bothers me to a point where I will no longer use small baits without a leader regardless of the line type.


----------

