This is what's kept me from really getting on board with trying out the more expensive swimbaits or even some of the hard baits that I have in some places. 

 

For you all that fish around the ones that will cut through your biggest line like butter, what do you do? Do you just keep the swimbaits in their original packages and hang them on the wall? Do you drop $25+ on a 16" pike? Are there leaders that don't kill the action? Are they too big and noticeable to get any benefit from the idea of trying to be more stealthy for bass?

 

 

I use 20lb Big Game and pray. 

I swear the way you catch big pike or muskie is to throw an expensive lure on regular line. Fished a regular LC Sammy on day that I have 10 of and could afford to lose and nothing. Switched over to my rare JDM no-knock alumilux Sammy and a 20lb muskie slams it! Luckily I didn't lose the lure but the hooks are mangled to hell and the paint has seen better days.

 

Allen

11 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

I use 20lb Big Game and pray. 

I have the spool...but haven't been able to bring myself to take that next step.

2 minutes ago, Munkin said:

I swear the way you catch big pike or muskie is to throw an expensive lure on regular line. Fished a regular LC Sammy on day that I have 10 of and could afford to lose and nothing. Switched over to my rare JDM no-knock alumilux Sammy and a 20lb muskie slams it! Luckily I didn't lose the lure but the hooks are mangled to hell and the paint has seen better days.

 

Allen

Funny...maybe you need to let the guys who specifically go out for musky in on this trick! Ha, ha, fish of 10,000 casts?

7 minutes ago, Fishingintheweeds said:

I have the spool...but haven't been able to bring myself to take that next step.

Funny...maybe you need to let the guys who specifically go out for musky in on this trick! Ha, ha, fish of 10,000 casts?

10k casts my a** in 4 of the last 6 tournaments I have fished on the Upper Potomac either I or my co-angler has caught one. I do like when you hook one in shallow water they jump like a tarpon though. 

 

Allen

If i'm fishing in water where I suspect toothy critters will be, i'll up size my line and hope for the best.  Usually will run 17-20lb FC in those situations.

You forgot to add snapping turtles to the list of swimbait killers.

 

Here is one caught in the act of ripping a Huddgill to pieces.  

You could try a light tieable wire or a heavy fluorocarbon musky leader.  

AFW (American Fishing Wire) has everything needed for toothy fish leaders or leader materials.

Soft swimbaits are not a good idea around toothy fish like Pike or Musky, use hard body swimmers like Spro BB1's, R2Sea S-Wavers,

Shaw MS Slammers.

Tom

1 hour ago, WRB said:

AFW (American Fishing Wire) has everything needed for toothy fish leaders or leader materials.

Soft swimbaits are not a good idea around toothy fish like Pike or Musky, use hard body swimmers like Spro BB1's, R2Sea S-Wavers,

Shaw MS Slammers.

Tom

Yeah, can't wait til the first 20" pike gets a hold of my 8" Magdraft. 

 

Here in WI pretty much every lake that holds bass also has pike in it. 

16 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

Yeah, can't wait til the first 20" pike gets a hold of my 8" Magdraft. 

 

Here in WI pretty much every lake that holds bass also has pike in it. 

MendIt

Tom

4 minutes ago, WRB said:

MendIt

Tom

Yeah, I have a few jars. As long as they don't tear the tail completely off. 

16 hours ago, Fishingintheweeds said:

This is what's kept me from really getting on board with trying out the more expensive swimbaits or even some of the hard baits that I have in some places. 

 

For you all that fish around the ones that will cut through your biggest line like butter, what do you do? Do you just keep the swimbaits in their original packages and hang them on the wall? Do you drop $25+ on a 16" pike? Are there leaders that don't kill the action? Are they too big and noticeable to get any benefit from the idea of trying to be more stealthy for bass?

 

 

Leaders won’t kill the action. Guys have caught tens of thousands of muskies and pike every year using baits that can cost up to 5 times your $25 swimbait using steel and fluoro leaders. 

16 hours ago, Fishingintheweeds said:

This is what's kept me from really getting on board with trying out the more expensive swimbaits or even some of the hard baits that I have in some places. 

 

For you all that fish around the ones that will cut through your biggest line like butter, what do you do? Do you just keep the swimbaits in their original packages and hang them on the wall? Do you drop $25+ on a 16" pike? Are there leaders that don't kill the action? Are they too big and noticeable to get any benefit from the idea of trying to be more stealthy for bass?

 

 

Use a 3-4in long wire leader, it does not ruin the action of the lure.

1 hour ago, Scott F said:

Leaders won’t kill the action. Guys have caught tens of thousands of muskies and pike every year using baits that can cost up to 5 times your $25 swimbait using steel and fluoro leaders. 

Yes, I know. But while I don't MIND catching good pike or musky, I'm not trying to. I was asking because I'm aware of guys pike fishing that swear all they need is big mono (not that I believe it but they also swear that they've never been broken off) and also because I'm not super-aware of people using steel and doing well for bass. I myself have caught them on anything from cheap pieces of plastic up to chatterbaits...with no leaders. Thinking I was fishing for bass. But if course, I've also been broke off on those things too. Because...you're never ONLY fishing for bass. I'm just trying to keep the math on the cost in the acceptable range. I currently do not own any $25 OR $125 dollar swimbaits?

The bottom line. If you fish where pike and musky swim and you don’t want to lose lures, use a leader. If you don’t want to use a leader, don’t get mad if you lose some baits.

100%

Scott’s right. It’s going to be almost inevitable in the north country that the esox species will trim your line pretty regularly. There are 2 solutions. Tolerate losing some lures or use wire to stop the teeth.

Don't shy away from using a leader when fishing for bass. I catch some quality bass while fishing for muskie using 40lb. leaders. Granted, I'm using faster presentations than I'd consider using for a hard body swim bait, but I have used weighted 8in. hollow bodied ones and picked up more than one bass over 4lb. in a northern Wisconsin lake.