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Leaders? - just not "seaing" it

6K views 30 replies 11 participants last post by  MasterBaiter 
#1 ·
Getting back into my surf casting roots from my childhood (30+ years ago). This site has been invaluable in picking up pieces of info, from the new ideas and techniques, to relearning how to tie basic knots - remember it's been a while for me.

One thing I just don't get is using a leader for Stripers (shock leader or other). With so much talk regarding the Stripers stealthiness and ability to see the fishing line, isn't laying out a 60# piece of line basically advertising your presence? Even the 40#+ line on a typical rig seems like it would be visible.

I'm assuming that the response will be that, for what ever reason, a 60# piece of mono will not bee seen. If that is the case, how about going with a 45# black wire leader? Is a "thinner" black leader still more visible?

And finally - does anyone pre-tie there own leaders? Get a bunch of 60# leaders tied with a snap on one end, and a swivel on the other. Easy switching between mono and wire leaders during the day?

Actually one last question, assuming that there may be Blues in the area, if you were to start the day casting with a few lures, would you start with a wire leader, or go with the mono and wait to see if the Blues really are hitting (wait to loose your favorite popper)?

Really appreciate all that everyone has done to contribute to this site.
Thanks

HK
 
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#28 ·
Striper Jim - "respect nature and the environment and impart good habits" - Well said!

I've been taking my 5 year old to a few small ponds over the summer for trout/bass fishing. Real small stuff, but it teaches him the basics and he loves it.
He had some trouble understanding the concept of catch and release (quickly) at first. Now it is one of his favorite parts. He enjoys seeing how quickly they bolt away and how "alive" they are. I love hearing 'that was great, lets try to catch a bigger one now'.

I think the importance of respecting and caring for nature hit home for him a few months back when we had a not so good experience at a pond on a small ski resort that we occasionally visit. *I promise this will be a quick story.
This pond, very small, is on a small ski resort that has some summer time activities for families. At the start of the summer we had a great time catching small trout and bass (it's what got my son hooked). When we arived a few months back I immediately noticed dead fish floating around.
I checked out a few of the fish and didn't notice anything that looked "off".
The difference between this visit and two months before was dramatic. Last time we could see plenty of fish swiming around, this time there was nothing to be seen. Last time we had plenty of bites, this time only 1.
I explained to my son that because people were probably not using the right equipment and not releasing and reviving the fish quickly, there was now nothing left in the pond to fish. The pond was pretty much dead.
I could actually see how sad it made him (yes, maybe a little harsh on my part, but it did the job). Now if I take an extra few seconds to try and take a picture of him and a fish he's yelling for me to get it back in the water.

I can already see this carrying over to a respect for all living things. I'm very proud of him and hope that others pass this kind of attitude along as well.

Thanks again all.

H

And Jim, I have some waders stashed away in the attic from my days long ago when I did a little duck hunting. I slosh around in the water so much that a full wetsuit may be a better option for me.m ;)
 
#29 ·
A danny for instance was riding under the surface, nose was pointing down at rest as if the leader was too heavy for it. Was the length too long?
Masterbaiter. Im not certain i can answer that question with complete confidence as my experience plugging is no where near what other more experienced guys have. But I will speculate. Monofilament absorbs more water and that leads to line strength diminishing after a few hours. Maybe imparting some downward action as well. Three feet shouldnt give you problems. Do you have hardware on the terminal end?
The flourocarbon here is the better choice. If you get wrapped on a piling or dragged through rocks the flouro stands up to the abraison and wont absorb any water.
 
#30 ·
It just dawned on me after reading this post again. Try tuning the plug by bending the metal lip upwards slightly.
Is it a gibbs danny or another kind?

Edit added more
From Russell Basdozer Surfplugology
Tuning a Danny Surface Swimmer was more trial-and-error and more time-consuming than most other plugs. You had to evaluate bending both eye and lip up and down over a wide range of angles with Danny's Surface Swimmers, seeking the exact eye and lip angle that most made the plug look alive. Each plug came down to a judgment call. The angles you were satisfied bending one could vary noticeably from another. Bending the eye down and the lip down created a shallower, wider wallowing roll, skating across the surface. Bending the eye up and the lip up created a quicker side-to-side bustling wake, head down bulging barely under the surface, pushing water in a tight vee wake. Best action would be when the plug looked the most natural and alive as opposed to swimming mechanical and wooden. Often, the plug was pre-tuned in calm, slow water when not fishing, and final tuning was based on water and sweep during actual usage.
Usually a pair of 2/0 #35517 trebles were put on the belly. On plugs that wouldn't tune well, a 3/0 head hook needed to be tried too. Since bass have a habit of missing a surface swimmer, and often crash it from behind, I liked a 2/0 #35517 tail treble enhanced with sparse bucktail as opposed to a single hook at rear.

__________________________________________
"show me an angler that is proficient in tieing knots, and I'll bet that same angler is a VERY good fisherman"

The roccus
 
#31 ·
It is a Gibbs danny Jim. I am using flouro so I dont think it should take on water weight. I do have a small snap swivel at the end connected to the plug. I know alot of you guys will say to tie directly to the plug but for some reason I can't see doing this, especially when it is so dammed easy with the snap. If I were to tie direct, wouldn't I be replacing my leader after a few plug changes because it got too short? I can't see doing this cuz this stuff is expensive. I do change the leader before I go out but it usually lasts the trip, if nothing bites through or it doesn't get knicked. I will try tuning the danny, key word try. I would imagine some calm water would be best for this, a swimming pool maybe? Thanks for the suggestions.thumbsup.gif
 
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