Fish Chris

The Poll title is just so cut and dry :-? I'm one of those guys that's always saying how little of a difference line visibility usually makes.... Yet I had to vote "yes" because I would not go quite so far as to say, it makes "NO difference" :-X Sure, I think it can make a small difference. But most of the time, that difference is probably about .2% Peace, Fish

Necessary is a very broad term. Can you catch fish on braid without using a leader ? Well sure. I used to. But I switched to using a mono or fluoro leader about 10 years ago, and will never go back to not using one. I read this whole thread, and their is one important thing about using mono / fluoro leaders in conjunction with braid, which has not been mentioned. While mono and (impo) fluorocarbon as well, have a ridiculous amount of stretch (like a big freaking rubber-band) braid has virtually zero stretch ! It's almost too good. Using a 3 or 4ft mono or fluoro leader will give you just a tiny bit of a shock absorber, which could make the difference of snapping off a fish, or not, during a spike in tension on the line. Of course, like most have said, a good, tough mono, or fluorocarbon leader is also more abrasion resistant around rocks..... and also the teeth, of a big bass. As for visibility ? Ehhhh.... not usually very important. I used to use straight braid, then went to mono leaders, for pretty much all of my different types of fishing, fresh and salt. Didn't notice a difference in my number of bites, but maybe went from 2 break-offs a year, to none. Oh, and about the "extra" potentially weak link, with the connection of my leader, to my braided main line.... Well, in theory, sure, less connections, the better. But in reality, I get all of the benefits mentioned above, and I just flat out never break off fish (as I knock on my wood PC desk ) Peace, Fish PS, Oh, and one more thing which I don't believe has been mentioned.... Braided line tends to get tangled / twisted around lures, and live baits, much easier than mono or fluoro. So that's another good reason to use a leader.

Well, I'm not Goose, but for myself, the answer would be, from all the experiences of my earlier years. IMPO, anglers tend to put WAAAAY too much emphasis on the the exact "lure" believing that, if they aren't biting, it must be the size of the lure, the color, the weight, etc, etc..... But in reality, the lure is often of the least importance, with some much more important things being, the presentation of your lure or bait, the location of the fish, and the activity level of the fish. BTW, we had a new Bass Pro Shops open up about 1 1/2 hours from me, a couple years ago. I've been their twice. Cool place to walk through. Great aquariums, fish mounts, etc. But I don't think I spent $20 total there, in both trips. I also went to the Cabelas in Reno once too. 3 hours one way, and I don't think I even opened up my wallet. Again, it's a beautiful place, but they just really don't have anything I need, to catch more fish than I already do. Peace, Fish

I guess at one point waaay back... like 25 or 30 years ago, I used to like to buy a bunch of fancy, flashy lures. You know, the ones that catch fishermen better than they do fish But for the last 20 years at least, I've used fewer and fewer different types of lures. I know what works for me, and what doesn't. Simple as that. That said, if I'm throwing swimbaits, I throw an 8" Hud..... and I have a bunch of them already. If I'm throwing a wake bait, it will be a 9" MS Slammer. I only have two of them, but they are top water baits, made out of wood, so they will last forever, and would be really hard to lose. So I don't need any more of those either. Soft plastics ? For my sight fishing, sure. I use Basstrix Bluegills, and Huddlebugs, both of which I have a bunch of, and really don't need any more of.... for at least a few more years anyway. And hooks ? I have a connection with Owner, so I have a 1 gallon ziplock bag in my dresser, with about a 3 year supply. I've got enough braided line of all the lb tests that I use, to last at least 10 years. My poles are all fine. About the only thing I'd like to get, would be a few reels, and that's just to try something new.... otherwise, I could just send a bunch of my Okumas in, and get them all rebuilt. Basically, if it were up to me, the baitmonkey would probably starve to death. All that matters to me is catching fish. I'm just not taken in by all the flashy tackle. Peace, Fish

Much thanks guys Well yea...... until the rain started coming down at about 2pm. I stayed on the water after that, just long enough to get everything completely soaked. Thank god for insulated gortex Peace, Fish

I think the species of fish is pretty much not important. I can land any size fish, on any size tackle. (Okay, anybody can.... some people just don't know / believe it ) Match your tackle to the bait or lure being thrown. I've been using my heavy spinning rods, with 50 lb braid, for my Striper fishing lately. But that's only because my live baits (Split Tails) are 8" to 12" long + I'm using a 4oz pyramid weight. So, I need the heavier gear to handle all of this. On the other hand, I've caught plenty of good Stripers (10 to 16 lb'ers on my micro-light, when I was using small live baits, with little, to no weight required. Peace, Fish PS, These are the same reasons I use my heavy spinning gear, with 50 lb braid for Largemouths, when throwing swimbaits..... then turn around and fly line a night crawler to them on the micro-light.

No monsters. But I caught 4 Striper's today from 10 to 16.2 lbs. They all fought great. All were released. Oh, and hey, here's a cool one.... Remember, I'm fishing in really shallow water, 2 to 8 ft, depending on the tide. So, it was maybe only 4ft at the time. My Split Tail got whacked. So I'm waiting for it to start peeling line, but instead, I felt the Split Tail start frantically kicking and pulling. I look out behind the boat, in the direction of my line, and the Split Tail pulls enough slack to get all the way up on the surface.... all of the sudden, Whoooosh ! Splash ! Whooosh ! Splash ! I'm assuming it was the same Striper that whacked him the first time, but didn't eat him, gets up on the surface, and just goes ballistic ! Took him a couple passes, but this time he caught and inhaled it I let it peel line for a few seconds, then engaged the reel and the fish pretty much close-lined himself ! Fought great too ! I guess he was pretty fired up That one was about 12 lbs, but that was so cool to see the action on the surface. Anyway. here's the 16.2 lb'er.... Peace, Fish

I second the polarized glasses, and needlenose pliars. But the VERY most important things you have to have in your tacklebag, is a scale, and a camera As far as lures or hooks go, that would all depend on what you fish for, and where you fish. Peace, Fish

Very nice That looks really peaceful, and relaxing. I take it, they don't allow gas motors on that water ? That in itself, would make it great ! That video looks really good too. What type of camera were you using ? Thank you, Fish

Ya' know, people always seem to be concerned that the fish might be shy of their line...... Forget about all that ! I'll tell you what fish are shy of !!!!! Read this twice.... maybe 3 X's if neccessary... What they are shy of is "YOU AND YOUR BOAT" !!!! Either stop a long ways from where you know the fish to be, and make long casts..... or, beach that pretty, shiny boat, and aproach the fish from the shore. Whatever you do, don't "trap" the fish between your boat, and the shore ! Nothing makes a fish more nervous, or lock it's jaws tighter ! Worry about the stuff worth worrying about. Peace, Fish

Ya' know, people always seem to be concerned that the fish might be shy of their line...... Forget about all that ! I'll tell you what fish are shy of !!!!! Read this twice.... maybe 3 X's if neccessary... What they are shy of is "YOU AND YOUR BOAT" !!!! Either stop a long ways from where you know the fish to be, and make long casts..... or, beach that pretty, shiny boat, and aproach the fish from the shore. Whatever you do, don't "trap" the fish between your boat, and the shore ! Nothing makes a fish more nervous, or lock it's jaws tighter ! Worry about the stuff worth worrying about. Peace, Fish

Ya' know, people always seem to be concerned that the fish might be shy of their line...... Forget about all that ! I'll tell you what fish are shy of !!!!! Read this twice.... maybe 3 X's if neccessary... What they are shy of is "YOU AND YOUR BOAT" !!!! Either stop a long ways from where you know the fish to be, and make long casts..... or, beach that pretty, shiny boat, and aproach the fish from the shore. Whatever you do, don't "trap" the fish between your boat, and the shore ! Nothing makes a fish more nervous, or lock it's jaws tighter ! Worry about the stuff worth worrying about. Peace, Fish

For a long time, I used braid, tied straight to my hook or lure. I finally switched to using a fluorocarbon or straight mono leader.... But NOT, because of the visibility factor to the fish. My #1 and 2 reasons for the mono leader, is that mono / fluoro are more abrasion resistant around sharp rocks, and bass teeth, and also, because a few feet of mono gives you just a little bit of a shock absorber, when used in conjunction with virtually zero stretch braid. BTW, nearly all of the waters I fish for bass are very clear, and highly pressured, yet I saw almost no difference in my amount of bites, after going from straight braid, to a mono / fluoro leader. Of course I will still always use a mono leader, but again, not because of visibility issues. Peace, Fish

For a long time, I used braid, tied straight to my hook or lure. I finally switched to using a fluorocarbon or straight mono leader.... But NOT, because of the visibility factor to the fish. My #1 and 2 reasons for the mono leader, is that mono / fluoro are more abrasion resistant around sharp rocks, and bass teeth, and also, because a few feet of mono gives you just a little bit of a shock absorber, when used in conjunction with virtually zero stretch braid. BTW, nearly all of the waters I fish for bass are very clear, and highly pressured, yet I saw almost no difference in my amount of bites, after going from straight braid, to a mono / fluoro leader. Of course I will still always use a mono leader, but again, not because of visibility issues. Peace, Fish

For a long time, I used braid, tied straight to my hook or lure. I finally switched to using a fluorocarbon or straight mono leader.... But NOT, because of the visibility factor to the fish. My #1 and 2 reasons for the mono leader, is that mono / fluoro are more abrasion resistant around sharp rocks, and bass teeth, and also, because a few feet of mono gives you just a little bit of a shock absorber, when used in conjunction with virtually zero stretch braid. BTW, nearly all of the waters I fish for bass are very clear, and highly pressured, yet I saw almost no difference in my amount of bites, after going from straight braid, to a mono / fluoro leader. Of course I will still always use a mono leader, but again, not because of visibility issues. Peace, Fish

Nice fish ! I dunno.... I'd say it's somewhere between 1, and 13 lbs Hey I did have 1 little devious thought though.... I bet if somebody posted a nice (lets just say 5lb'ish) fish, but said, "Sorry, I didn't have a scale... Wanna' take a guess" ? And, with everybody knowing it really is a nice 5lb'ish fish, they all said, "Oh.... maybe 1 or 2 lbs"...... : .........how long do you think it would take, for the OP to get a scale ? : For myself, a scale + a back-up or two, and a camera + a back-up, or two, are as critical, and important, as my fishing rods themselves. Here's my little Pelican case {waterproof, shock proof, dust-proof, heat insulated... I LOVE these things} that goes with me on EVERY fishing trip, without exception. I also carry a couple disposable film cameras in my tackle bag, and two Berkley digital scales. The scale I keep in my Pelican though, is a Salter, which has been certified by the Dept of Weights Measures. Peace, Fish PS, Even more important than everybody else knowing how big your catch was.... Is YOU knowing how big your catch was ! Heck, what if you go out and catch your PB.... and then you can't even count it !!!

I'm glad I posted this, as it has been an interesting thread. I appreciate all your replies. One thing I have to admit though, I have just never been a hard hook setter. In fact, if anything, way back in the day (from 17 years ago, and before) when I used to use mono, I probably didn't set the hook hard enough. So, while some guys who are hard hook setters, run into problems after switching to braided line, I actually saw a great improvement. I really didn't (have to) make much of an adjustment. I just went from a weak hook set, to an appropriate one. Oh, and one more thing; Lately, I've been fishing for my little bait fish, for my Striper fishing (Split Tails... trying for 6" to 10") which have tiny mouths. I'm using a size 16, light wire, dry fly hook. So, it's not really even a matter of breaking my 4 lb mono leader, but rather, straightening, or ripping out that tiny hook ! Consequently, I run the drag on my micro-light about as loose as it can be ran. Only a few ounces of pressure is required to make it slip. Basically, I just pick up the pole and start reeling. I can only imagine (as hard as those darn Split Tails are to catch in the first place) that my hard hook setting buddy couldn't catch one if his life depended on it ! I dunno'. To me, it's all just a matter of physics. And Physics has always come to me quite naturally. Thanks again, Fish

I'm glad I posted this, as it has been an interesting thread. I appreciate all your replies. One thing I have to admit though, I have just never been a hard hook setter. In fact, if anything, way back in the day (from 17 years ago, and before) when I used to use mono, I probably didn't set the hook hard enough. So, while some guys who are hard hook setters, run into problems after switching to braided line, I actually saw a great improvement. I really didn't (have to) make much of an adjustment. I just went from a weak hook set, to an appropriate one. Oh, and one more thing; Lately, I've been fishing for my little bait fish, for my Striper fishing (Split Tails... trying for 6" to 10") which have tiny mouths. I'm using a size 16, light wire, dry fly hook. So, it's not really even a matter of breaking my 4 lb mono leader, but rather, straightening, or ripping out that tiny hook ! Consequently, I run the drag on my micro-light about as loose as it can be ran. Only a few ounces of pressure is required to make it slip. Basically, I just pick up the pole and start reeling. I can only imagine (as hard as those darn Split Tails are to catch in the first place) that my hard hook setting buddy couldn't catch one if his life depended on it ! I dunno'. To me, it's all just a matter of physics. And Physics has always come to me quite naturally. Thanks again, Fish

I'm glad I posted this, as it has been an interesting thread. I appreciate all your replies. One thing I have to admit though, I have just never been a hard hook setter. In fact, if anything, way back in the day (from 17 years ago, and before) when I used to use mono, I probably didn't set the hook hard enough. So, while some guys who are hard hook setters, run into problems after switching to braided line, I actually saw a great improvement. I really didn't (have to) make much of an adjustment. I just went from a weak hook set, to an appropriate one. Oh, and one more thing; Lately, I've been fishing for my little bait fish, for my Striper fishing (Split Tails... trying for 6" to 10") which have tiny mouths. I'm using a size 16, light wire, dry fly hook. So, it's not really even a matter of breaking my 4 lb mono leader, but rather, straightening, or ripping out that tiny hook ! Consequently, I run the drag on my micro-light about as loose as it can be ran. Only a few ounces of pressure is required to make it slip. Basically, I just pick up the pole and start reeling. I can only imagine (as hard as those darn Split Tails are to catch in the first place) that my hard hook setting buddy couldn't catch one if his life depended on it ! I dunno'. To me, it's all just a matter of physics. And Physics has always come to me quite naturally. Thanks again, Fish

Ya' know Sean, I have to respectfully disagree. I believe my buddies problem is a combination of too hard a hook set, and too tight a drag setting. He has used multiple different poles, all top quality with great guides. And several lines, both braid, and mono. And he can't find a line, on a pole, that he doesn't break off regularly. I, on the other hand, use all different weights of gear, for all kinds of fish, in all kinds of conditions, fresh, and salt, and again, I pretty much never break a fish off. Granted, I use nothing but braid. Of course braid has a very high breaking strength, but it is also less forgiving with sudden shocks, because of the non-stretch factor. Sure, fish come unbuttoned from time to time. That's just part of fishing. But breaking them off is, IMPO, almost always operator error. Hmmmm.... Fish

Ya' know Sean, I have to respectfully disagree. I believe my buddies problem is a combination of too hard a hook set, and too tight a drag setting. He has used multiple different poles, all top quality with great guides. And several lines, both braid, and mono. And he can't find a line, on a pole, that he doesn't break off regularly. I, on the other hand, use all different weights of gear, for all kinds of fish, in all kinds of conditions, fresh, and salt, and again, I pretty much never break a fish off. Granted, I use nothing but braid. Of course braid has a very high breaking strength, but it is also less forgiving with sudden shocks, because of the non-stretch factor. Sure, fish come unbuttoned from time to time. That's just part of fishing. But breaking them off is, IMPO, almost always operator error. Hmmmm.... Fish

Ya' know Sean, I have to respectfully disagree. I believe my buddies problem is a combination of too hard a hook set, and too tight a drag setting. He has used multiple different poles, all top quality with great guides. And several lines, both braid, and mono. And he can't find a line, on a pole, that he doesn't break off regularly. I, on the other hand, use all different weights of gear, for all kinds of fish, in all kinds of conditions, fresh, and salt, and again, I pretty much never break a fish off. Granted, I use nothing but braid. Of course braid has a very high breaking strength, but it is also less forgiving with sudden shocks, because of the non-stretch factor. Sure, fish come unbuttoned from time to time. That's just part of fishing. But breaking them off is, IMPO, almost always operator error. Hmmmm.... Fish

I agree with all of you guys. I actually had another old acquaintance, who was also a wiry, twitchy, 150 MPH hook setter. He used to do fine with 25 and 30 lb mono. But when he tried to switch to 50, 65, heck even 80 lb braid, he was snapping it off on the hook-sets also. He blamed it on that "lousy braided line", so he switched back to rubber-band (oh sorry... I meant mono-filament ) and has been fine ever since. I'm not sure why some guys get that super hard hook setting swing, so ingrained in their brains, but its often just not required, even with mono, and it's never required with braid. Anyway, personally speaking, if I were "ever" to break off a fish, directly because of setting the hook too hard (my own personal failure) I'd feel totally stupid about it ! So much so, that I doubt I'd ever admit it to anyone ! Instead, I'd just make good and darn sure that didn't happen again ! Peace, Fish

I agree with all of you guys. I actually had another old acquaintance, who was also a wiry, twitchy, 150 MPH hook setter. He used to do fine with 25 and 30 lb mono. But when he tried to switch to 50, 65, heck even 80 lb braid, he was snapping it off on the hook-sets also. He blamed it on that "lousy braided line", so he switched back to rubber-band (oh sorry... I meant mono-filament ) and has been fine ever since. I'm not sure why some guys get that super hard hook setting swing, so ingrained in their brains, but its often just not required, even with mono, and it's never required with braid. Anyway, personally speaking, if I were "ever" to break off a fish, directly because of setting the hook too hard (my own personal failure) I'd feel totally stupid about it ! So much so, that I doubt I'd ever admit it to anyone ! Instead, I'd just make good and darn sure that didn't happen again ! Peace, Fish

I agree with all of you guys. I actually had another old acquaintance, who was also a wiry, twitchy, 150 MPH hook setter. He used to do fine with 25 and 30 lb mono. But when he tried to switch to 50, 65, heck even 80 lb braid, he was snapping it off on the hook-sets also. He blamed it on that "lousy braided line", so he switched back to rubber-band (oh sorry... I meant mono-filament ) and has been fine ever since. I'm not sure why some guys get that super hard hook setting swing, so ingrained in their brains, but its often just not required, even with mono, and it's never required with braid. Anyway, personally speaking, if I were "ever" to break off a fish, directly because of setting the hook too hard (my own personal failure) I'd feel totally stupid about it ! So much so, that I doubt I'd ever admit it to anyone ! Instead, I'd just make good and darn sure that didn't happen again ! Peace, Fish