Pike wire

[scandicangler]

Hi everyone,

I've tried all sorts of wire and mono leaders over the years, but through this season I've used titanium single strand leaders only - works perfect. This is what pikers has been looking for for years.

It is possible to tie the titanium in 20 or 30 lbs. and attached to a small swivel in one end and to a fas-snap (actually what its called...) in the fly end, you're ready to go.

This leader is bulletproof - no pike bites through - it has very little weight - no kinks or curls - easy to change fly - very little visibility.

It may look a bit fragile on the picture, but I've had a 0% failure rate on more 100 pikes this season - four of them big ladies over 105 cm. No flies has left the fas-snap by mistake.

I admit that they are a bit expensive to make - but they'll outlast any other pikeleader I've come across.

Peter

[hopper]

I completely agree with @scandicangler/Peter about single strand titanium - it's absolutely the best material with really no faults (strong, reliable, light, thin, flexible, kink-free) and I have tried everything else as well!

Not sure about those fas-nap's though. I have had failures using the Mustad version so now I avoid them. The only reliable snaps I have found are the fastach & smart lock snaps, both in size 2 or the stay-lok snap in size 1 (but this doesn't alway take the flys eye easily). These are the smallest sizes that will work reliably but also minimise weight.

I am still working on the best way to attach snaps and oval rings to the Ti (my traces have a light oval ring at one end and a fastach at the other). Some Ti takes a perfection loop well, otherwise a tucked clinch knot. You can use crimps, but ones that are light enough are not a really good grip on the very slippery surface of the Ti and I have had one fail. I am also experimenting with whipping a loop at each end with mono and then covering with UV gel and this is both light and (so far) reliable.