Fishing Fanatics

CHOOSING THE RIGHT LINE IS KEY !

For the occasional angler with 1 or 2 spinning outfits that cover whatever species is available a good monofilament like Berkley Trilene in 8 pound test is the ticket. The more species or structure specific an angler becomes requires that his/her choice of line become more specialized.

Let's review a few types of line and hone in on what type of fishing they are well suited to. As with all things fishing some of this boils down to personal preference so don't hesitate to share your preferences.

MONOFILAMENT is a good all around line that sells for 3 to 4 cents per yard in bulk in most weights. It is very stretchy and it is buoyant. The higher pound test the more water resistance and therefore slower sink. This makes mono a good choice for topwater fishing. I also like mono for fishing shallow crankbaits (less than 8 feet) because treble hooks tend to pull out of the fish easily and the stretch in mono provides some forgiveness. On the down side the stretchy aspect detracts from the sensitivity of the line so if you're looking to detect those subtle bites another line choice would be in order. Also, it is critical to swap out mono every year at a minimum.
 
SUPER LINES such as Power Pro, Fireline etc often referred to generically as "braids". There are two basic types, one is dyneema ex. Fireline and the other is spectra ex. Power Pro.  Fireline sells for approx 17 to 19 cents per yard and Power Pro for 13 to 15 cents per yard. You can easily get 3 years of usage from these lines under normal conditions. The biggest attribute of braids is that they are virtually no stretch and therefore are ultra sensitive to pick up the "light bite". They are also very thin. For example 20 pound test braid is the equivalent thickness of 6 pound test mono.  Braids float but they aren't my personal preference for topwater fishing because again I like the forgiveness of mono so I don't pull the hooks out of the fish. I do however use 50 to 60 pound Fireline for fishing largemouth in heavy cover because it is tremendous at cutting through the weeds. In clear water it is essential that you fish braids with a 4 to 6 foot fluorocarbon leader for two reasons. One is that braid is highly visible and fluorocarbon is virtually invisible under water. Secondly fluorocarbon is extremely abrasion resistant and braid is not. A big factor when dragging your lure over rocks and/or zebra mussels. You can use ordinary fluorocarbon line for your leaders or buy fluorocarbon leader material which is even more abrasion resisitant. Attach your leader to the braid with a small barrel swivel or a line to line knot such as a double uni.  The barrel swivel will help you keep twist out of your line but the downside is that you could be dragging it through the guides on your expensive rod if you don't stop reeling soon enough. In most applications 8 to 14 pound test fluorocarbon leaders do the trick. Another attribute of braid is that it has no memory which avoids the coils of line spooling off your reel as with mono at times. Ever since braid came on the scene I've heard stories about it wearing out rod guides. I've been using it for several years and have seen no evidence of it. Maybe the quality of guides has been improving as the use of braid increases.
 
FLUOROCARBON line is a compromise between braid and monofilament in many respects. The price in bulk is 7 to 9 cents per yard. It normally lasts longer than mono but not as long as braid so two seasons of usage would be reasonable. It stretches less than mono but more than braid. fluorocarbon line sinks so it is not a good choice for topwater fishing. I do like it for running deep water crankbaits. It is also my favorite for drop shotting or any application where you are fishing close to the boat and need a stealthy approach. Remember, fluorocarbon is virtually invisible under water.

 

GENERAL

 

Just a few points that come to mind based on oft asked customers questions about line.

•  It's generally not a good idea to run less than 10 pound test line, mono thickness on a baitcaster. They aren't really designed to run light line.

 

•  It's a lot of fun catching big fish on light line but if you are practicing catch and release remember that an elongated fight can fatigue a big fish to the point where it severely      threatens its chance of survival.

 

•  The biggest enemy of any line especially mono is sunlight. Keep your reels out of the sun when not in use as much as possible.

 

•  If you're not sure whether you should swap out your line and it's mono or fluorocarbon simply tie an overhand knot in it and give it a good tug. If it breaks, replace it. The first sign of aging on braid is extensive fraying.

 

•  The best knor for tying lures to braid in my opinion is the Palomar knot. In fact I use the palomar on any type of line when the eye of the lure is big enough to handle a double thickness of line.

 
 

As always, if you have questions don't hesitate to come into the store and ask. We really enjoy helping our Customers catch more and bigger fish.

Just starting out? Not sure what gear you need? Read my post on Getting started

BASIC LINE AND TACKLE SELECTION

Now that we have a good solid rod and reel it's time to spool up our reel with line and take stock of what's in our tackle box to ensure we have most of the bases covered that we might encounter now that we've decided to move up to the "next level".

There are all kinds of choices available when it comes to selecting line depending on the species you fish, type of structure, water clarity, lure type etc.

Remember, the angler we're targeting now is the one that has decided to move beyond the beginner or novice stage and has picked a spinning rod and reel outfit that will fit a number of different applications such as jigging, casting or trolling for walleyes, bass and trout, live bait fishing for multiple species including panfish and perch.

Even being able to handle mid-sized catfish and pike. To effectively handle a variety of applications such as this I would recommend a high quality, 8 pound test monofilament line.

If you have a spare spool with your reel you might want to load it up with 6 pound test mono for smaller fish and/or very clear water situations.

In a future blog we will address selecting equipment for the angler who has decided to concentrate on one species or a certain type of angling.

That's when we'll get into using specialty lines such as braided and flourocarbon. Now that we're "spooled up" let's take an inventory of what's in our tackle box and fill in the areas that will allow us to put a reasonable selection in front of that varied selection of species.

• Live Bait Rig... 2 or 3 sizes of live bait hooks, split shot and floats (both fixed and slip floats). All of this should cost less than $20. Don't hesitate to ask your tackle shop how to rig this if you're not certain.

• Selection of Jigheads and Curlytail Grubs... 1/8 and 1/4 ounce round heads will handle most applications. Jig them with or without live bait or swim them slowly close to bottom. I also like a darter head with a 3" natural colored grub for bass. Again, less than $20 .

• Crankbaits....start with 4 or 5 crankbaits. Get a couple that run 5-7 feet a couple more that run 8-12 feet and one that runs deeper. Get a bright color, such as firetiger for stained or dirty water and a natural color such as shad for clear water. A Rapala shad rap is a good choice although I would get one of my shallower selections in a style designed for jerking. 5 good quality crankbaits will cost $40 -$50.

• Topwater Lures ... 2 is enough. Get one popper style and one rubber frog. $12 for the pair should do it.

• In-line Spinners.... such as Mepps, Blue Fox etc. Get 2 or 3, 1/4 and 1/8 ounce, plain and dressed with feather. Less than $20. * Terminal Tackle... small to medium sized swivels for use with the in-line spinners and crankbaits (don't use them with jigs, topwater or live bait rig). Leaders, only if you're fishing for "toothy critters". Less than $10.

I know I've probably left out a few of your favorites but I'm trying to arrive at the "must haves" from my perspective.

Come on into the store and let's talk about it !

Have you already got "the itch" ?

Just starting out? Not sure what gear you need? Read my post on Getting started

Getting Started

One of the situations that presents itself frequently at the store is the new or novice angler with questions about how to get started. A typical scenario is the new angler who has a low end rod/reel combo usually bought for less than $50 who now wants to get a little more serious and purchase a rod and reel at the "next" level.

First of all let's review what moving up to the "next" level buys you. In a rod you will generally be moving from a low graphite or high fiberglass content to a rod with a higher level of graphite. The higher graphite level will most often get you a lighter and more sensitive rod.

The more sensitive the rod the easier it is to detect a bite. You should keep in mind however that the higher the graphite content is the more fragile the rod will be so if the new angler is a youngster who tends to be a little tough on his/her equipment you might be better to stick with a rod with more fiberglass content.

Next let's consider whether to go with a one or two piece rod and what length might be appropriate. One piece rods are almost always more sensitive than two piece rods so if you don't have an issue with storage or transporting  the longer rod go with the one piece. 

For most applications I would suggest a 6.5 or 7.0 foot rod. In most situations a shorter rod will afford more casting accuracy while a longer rod will provide longer casting distances and more leverage to aid landing your fish.

You can buy a good, quality graphite rod with a solid warranty from 5yrs to lifetime for $70 to $100.

Now let's move on to a reel. The vast majority of new anglers use spinning reels so that's what we'll concentrate on. The two most important attributes I look for are a light reel with a smooth drag
 system. The drag system controls how smoothly line is pulled from the reel when you're fighting a fish. A poor quality drag system will cause the line to come off in a "jerky" fashion which often results in break offs and lost fish. Some anglers equate a smooth drag system with a high bearing count.

A high bearing count can mean a smooth drag but the positioning and quality of bearings is a huge consideration. There are those that contend that an inexpensive reel with a very high bearing count i.e 7 to 10 is a poor choice because the bearings will be poor quality and will cause reliability problems. There is no pat answer to the "bearing count" issue.

One feature that most spinning reels made in the last 5 years have and is a must in my opinion is instant anti-reverse. This simply means the spool does not move backwards regardless of where you are in the rotation cycle.

This provides instant hooksets. The other signifigant consideration is spool capacity, in other words how much line does the reel hold of the pound test line you normally use ? If you use 8 lb. test line and primarily cast for fish you'll be fine with 80 yards of line but if you also want to troll you might want to get a reel with spool capacity of at least 120 yards.

Many anglers are very concerned about whether the reel comes with a spare spool. A spare spool is way down the priority list for me because I very rarely use them but I definitely can understand that in some situations they would be very useful.

Where does that leave us on the question of reels ?  My personal opinion when moving to the "next level" is that you should be looking for a reel in the $75 to $120 range with instant anti-reverse and at least 7 bearings.

Match up the rod and reel before you buy it and make sure it's comfortable and feels balanced in your hand.

Lastly, a question I get a lot is whether it's more important to get a good quality rod or reel.

From the standpoint of the performance they provide I have a hard time picking one over the other but my answer is the reel because it has more moving parts and potentially represents a larger potential for reliability problems especially since the warranty on rods is generally much longer than on reels.

I hope this information is useful to you. Make sure you drop into the store and we'll spend as much time with you as necessary to make you comfortable with your choice.

All the best to you and your family over the holidays and into the New Year !