It is surprising how many fish one can catch without any bite-offs using straight mono. I have sometimes gone a year or more without getting bit off.

However there are lures with notable exceptions. Jigs get nipped and erratic lures such as spoons often get nipped and consequently I will not use a spoon without a leader.

I lost what I can't help but believe was a pike of a lifetime on Burntside this past summer. Nailed a rather long multi jointed crank. Did she bite me off, rub up against a rock or just break the line with a massive kick of her tail I just don't know. The leader would of been nice and I might of just had quite a pic if I was using the skinny flexible wire KF advocates.

I am of a mixed mindset concerning the wire having always been of a "stealth" mindset when trying to put the very largest walleyes in the boat. I am not about numbers at all and small fish hold little interest for me. Will the wire turn off the big marble eyes? That is the question.

Jax I am not excited about your intention of having a 3 or 4 foot leader using a snap that you will be unable to reel through your eyelets. That is 3 or 4 ft of line out there at boat side while you try to handle the fish. Potentially awkward.........been there, done that. On the other hand I did not have lots of success tying Floro to 832 although I know of folk who do it. Maybe I didn't try hard enough but my usual system (power pro to floro) didn't seem to hold that well and thus my displeasure with 832.