Terminal Tackle

This forum will allow for articles, questions and answers on the best practices for releasing muskellunge.
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Jim tenHaaf
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Terminal Tackle

Post by Jim tenHaaf » Mon Mar 01, 2010 7:30 pm

Well, it's getting close to that time of year again where we will all be hitting the open water. Wanted to take a second to show some mistakes made that could have been very tragic. I wish I could post this anonymously since I'm pretty embarassed about this happening. I can't change the past, but hopefully I can change the way some people's view on a "strong enough leader". This is why you don't use 100lb flouro on a bait that can be inhaled. Luckily, we landed the 45"er without a problem, but you can see how this could've ended a whole lot worse. And yes, that is one leader, split down the middle. :oops:

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Jim tenHaaf
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Post by Jim tenHaaf » Mon Mar 01, 2010 7:31 pm

Good thing we've got Chad coming to our April meeting to show us how to do it right! [smilie=2thumbsup.gif]

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Post by swanezy » Mon Mar 01, 2010 8:42 pm

damn dude

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jasonvkop
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Post by jasonvkop » Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:06 am

what bait were you using? Dawg?
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Post by Kingfisher » Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:29 am

That is why we old dudes still use wire. There is the brittleness proof right there. Split down the middle. Thanks for posting. Mike
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Post by Duke » Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:06 am

Thanks for posting Jim- great lesson learned for all. No leader is foolproof, they all require attentiveness and all will fail due to laziness! I'm just as guilty. My biggest problem is not wanting to take the time to switch out an old/worn leader while on the water, even when I made my leaders so that I can swap it out just as fast as changing a lure w/o retying the line... I still don't think I can spare even that one precious cast. I'm getting better, but had to learn the lesson the hard way- not by leaving a fish pinned, but by watching a lure sink outta sight!... ouch

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Jim tenHaaf
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Post by Jim tenHaaf » Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:24 pm

jasonvkop wrote:what bait were you using? Dawg?
Chatterbait. I use wire for all Dawgs. Think I might just switch to wire for everything...

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Post by Jim tenHaaf » Tue Mar 02, 2010 5:05 pm

Duke wrote:Thanks for posting Jim- great lesson learned for all. No leader is foolproof, they all require attentiveness and all will fail due to laziness! I'm just as guilty. My biggest problem is not wanting to take the time to switch out an old/worn leader while on the water, even when I made my leaders so that I can swap it out just as fast as changing a lure w/o retying the line... I still don't think I can spare even that one precious cast. I'm getting better, but had to learn the lesson the hard way- not by leaving a fish pinned, but by watching a lure sink outta sight!... ouch
I used to use these for all my lures, Dawgs included until Will highly suggested using wire instead. Sometimes, I would get 3 fish on a leader before I'd feel a nick. Other times, just 1 fish. I was always good about switching out a leader if I felt the smallest abrasion.

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Post by Scott Williams » Tue Mar 02, 2010 5:45 pm

This past year I used exclusively wire... except trolling. I also started using split rings about 75% of the time as opposed to snaps. I felt very confident in my connections... though I had my worst season as a musky angler. Didn't seem to have nearly as many follows as years past, but it may have been the lake cycles and fishing pressure that attributed to that more than just using wire.

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Post by jasonvkop » Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:34 pm

Chatterbaits will definitely get engulfed lol. I use wire for most things as well but still use fluoro for bucktails. The one thing I don't like about wire is that I have to replace the leader after every fish where as fluoro I could go multiple fish without changing. I guess I would rather replace a leader due to a fish being caught than replace a leader due to a fish cutting through the fluoro though so It's no big deal.
The Musky Bandit strikes again!

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Will Schultz
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Post by Will Schultz » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:13 am

jasonvkop wrote:The one thing I don't like about wire is that I have to replace the leader after every fish.
Really? I can't imagine having to do that with a single strand wire. Wire can take a decent bend and isn't going to get nicks in it like flouro.
Self interest is for the past, common interest is for the future.

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hemichemi
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Post by hemichemi » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:52 am

Jason,

DuBro wire straightener, $12:

http://www.thornebros.com/muskie/termin ... dubro.html

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Post by Duke » Wed Mar 03, 2010 1:28 pm

I use wire exclusively as well. I was talking about the fatigue after ripping baits too much with one leader. As Will said, a bent wire (after a fish, or fouled on a Jake) is not really a weakened wire at all. It takes several kinks right in the same spot to really weaken the wire. And despite all the talk, I am just not willing to admit/accept that a wire leader will get follows when fluoro will get strikes. I could definitely be wrong I fully admit. I probably don't fish the highest pressured, clear water lakes very much

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jasonvkop
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Post by jasonvkop » Wed Mar 03, 2010 1:48 pm

Will Schultz wrote: Really? I can't imagine having to do that with a single strand wire. Wire can take a decent bend and isn't going to get nicks in it like flouro.
I think most of it is just me being a neat freak and wanting a nice looking, straight leader on my rods. The only time I probably need to switch leaders is after fishing a weagle for a decent amount of time because the front hook seems to catch the wire leader a good amount. I can feel the the leader weakening from constantly being bent and straightened. Anyone have this problem too? I 'T' my hooks on weagles so maybe that is the problem.
The Musky Bandit strikes again!

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Jim tenHaaf
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Post by Jim tenHaaf » Wed Mar 03, 2010 2:06 pm

jasonvkop wrote: I can feel the the leader weakening from constantly being bent and straightened. Anyone have this problem too?
I had that happen just at this last ice-up. I was fishing a Big Game with a steel leader made by *anonymous* [smilie=biggrin.gif] when the line went limp. There were no kinks in the wire to begin with, just a slight bend all the way down. Luckily, there was no fish on the end. It just floated up. I took the leader out of my boat just a couple days ago where it had snapped and tried to straighten it. It snapped again 1" away from where it was broke off. It almost seems like there was just a bad section of the steel, because I started kinking and bending in other places just to try to get it to snap again, and it wouldn't. Even steel will have some weak points in it. It's not always just the fault of the angler.

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