Fishing with rocks

[devinrhall006]

11 minutes ago, BuzzHudson19c said:

From the sound of it I would suggest some heavy line too. I like braid (40+) or a braid to flouro leader. If they have that bait, you want a line strong enough that you can drag them to the top fast without getting hung up.

can you recommend me a good braided line around that size? not the most expensive but price isn't a huge issue.

[BuzzHudson19c]

1 hour ago, devinrhall006 said:

can you recommend me a good braided line around that size? not the most expensive but price isn't a huge issue.

 

I use Power pro and have no complaints. Stay away from Fireline.

[RoLo]

 

[devinrhall006]

1 hour ago, BuzzHudson19c said:

 

I use Power pro and have no complaints. Stay away from Fireline.

ill look that up thanks for the suggestion.

[Deeare]

11 hours ago, devinrhall006 said:

ill look that up thanks for the suggestion.

I stay away from braid in rocky areas.  In my experience if it hits a rock it snaps. 

[BuzzHudson19c]

On 7/2/2017 at 11:08 AM, Deeare said:

I stay away from braid in rocky areas.  In my experience if it hits a rock it snaps. 

What lb and brand are you running? I have never had braid cut off by anything but toothy fish and I will run as low as 20lb.

 

If this is a concern, run a flouro leader.

[Looking for the big one]

Just to make sure about the green sunfish/rock bass theory, try going out there with some small crappie jigs or worms and a light rod. Post pics of you at baby, O want to see who's responsible for your troubles. ?

[Pro Logcatcher]

I don't usually have bass hang themselves up unless I act like an idiot and let them get hung up. Get a stiffer rid and you can horse them out before they get stuck.

[WRB]

2 things that should help you; don't use fluorocarbon line and use lighter weigh lures.

FC line tends to sink and will get under rocks if you make long casts up stream and let the lure bounce along the bottom rocks. Use premium mono or braid with a mono leader.

Whatever wieght you now are using change it to 50% lighter, if you use 1/4 oz change to 1/8 oz for example and watch you line for strikes instead of feeling the rocks that don't move.

Tom

[Turkey sandwich]

There's some good gear advice here and some other gear advice I'd steer away from.  What are you fishing?  Grubs? Tubes? Jigs?  Drop Shot? Texas Rigs? Umbrella Rigs?  The gear for fishing these are all really different.  

 

If I can make a few general suggestions, 15-20lb high viz braid main line  (I like Power Pro Super Slick) with a mono or copolymer (Yozuri Hybrid is my first choice) in 8lb test.  I like the abrasion resistance of the Hybrid, and will be my first choice for fishing clam beds, boulders, ledges, etc.  For casting gear, 30-40lb braid (I like 832 a lot on my casting reels) and usually run 12lb Hybrid as a leader for anything likely to be dragging on the bottom.  

 

The thing is, gear only goes so far.  There's a time to downsize your weight.  There's a time to fish heavy with a faster, more erratic retrieve.  There's a time to drag the bottom.  The tricky part is figuring out when to do which.  

 

 

[Turkey sandwich]

Also, now days later, I'm still disappointed that this thread is not about fishing with actual rocks.  

[devinrhall006]

15 hours ago, Turkey sandwich said:

Also, now days later, I'm still disappointed that this thread is not about fishing with actual rocks.  

lol...i actually have been using flouro...most of my success has been with tubes...jigs don't seem to me in favor of the smallmouth here...not at this time anyways...even with flouro i've actually corrected my problem vastly by popping my lures instead of reeling after i cast and having more patience to feel what my lure is hitting.  i haven't caught more fish that way but i have saved a lot more lures.

[Bassun]

Oh, the mighty New.  Absolutely KNOWN for eating tubes for breakfast!  Course so do those smallies!  Personally I have just been running a mono-backer -- high vis braid and either a top notch flouro or more mono / hybrid leader.  (Ande mono, KastKing Braid (which I really like which is nice since it's cheaper) and then either Tatsu Flouro, KastKing Hybrid (I think KK) or Ande mono.  Tons more feel than strait lining mono and it will not grab the water nearly as bad giving false feedback.

If the current isn't too bad, you may consider running my absolute favorite -- the Broken Back Rapala!  You will avoid losing tubes, lol.  I toss J9's usually in Silver and Black and they just destroy them (speckled trout works well generally too).  If the bite is really hot, I will usually upsize to a J11 and avoid more of the redeyes.  If you want to get a different look out there, a smaller black and blue spinnerbait with an oversized colorado blade is also nasty effective (in slower water) and will avoid many of the pitfalls of tubes.  Behind a good current or big swirl I still swap out for a twin tail grub.  Flashy solid minnow baits work well in rapids, sure --- but those grubs man... I'm excited just thinking about it.

But, as for tubes -- I've decided 2 things if I'm bouncing tubes:  1 - I accept that they may well be lost.  The bottom of the New is unfriendly, and as such eats many.  2 - Like Tom said, go as light as you can.  That made a HUGE difference for me in sheer numbers of tubes lost.  

Now this is to anyone wading, especially wading the New River - yes, the fishing is all that (no hyperbole).  It is a smallmouth haven.  But it is deadly dangerous.  It's debated that the New is actually one of the 5 (some say 2nd) oldest rivers in the world and that it may have been flowing before the Appalachians (some VERY old mountains) even rose - potentially the cause of its unique northward flowing attribute. (Ironically, there are a few other rivers which flow north in WV, so take that with a grain of salt...)  Interestingly, there are some who consider the Appalachians the oldest in the world - although I personally do not subscribe to that.  Regardless of how OLD things really are, the point is that the river is very old and has had transformed the landscape brutally and there are ton's of hidden hazards in it.  Legend has it, the natives actually called it the "River of Death" or more likely the "River of Evil Spirits".  With good cause.  She has taken many lives with unseen ledges, "devil holes" or caverns, swift currents, weirs and undercurrents just to name a few.  I used to boldly wade the New, until I watched a friend drown with nothing I could do to save him.  Now I implore anyone on the New to add a level of safety with a life jacket, not just numbers.  You may look funny wading with a vest on, but I guarantee if you need it you wont care how you look...

[Further North]

On 6/30/2017 at 10:43 AM, Doelman said:

If you still think it's bass dragging you into the rocks, get a stiffer rod, turn the drag up, make sure you pull it full force out when you set the hook, and don't give it an inch of slack.

Great advice.

 

On 7/1/2017 at 8:03 PM, BuzzHudson19c said:

From the sound of it I would suggest some heavy line too. I like braid (40+) or a braid to flouro leader. If they have that bait, you want a line strong enough that you can drag them to the top fast without getting hung up.

More great advice.

 

You need strength and durability - get the strength from the braid and the resistance to abrasion from the rocks from the fluoro leader.  I recommend real leader material over regular fluoro line as it is designed for a abrasion resistance, not castability when wrapped on a spool.

 

One step further, where I live: I often use tieable wire leaders because I don't want to lose baits to pike and musky hits (and I like catching them).

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 7/4/2017 at 1:01 AM, Turkey sandwich said:

Also, now days later, I'm still disappointed that this thread is not about fishing with actual rocks.  

Me too!  I was all excited about learning a new technique!

[perd]

I find I can pull slider jigs through rocks pretty easy, I also agree with the earlier poster who suggested upping to a heavier braid and throw a mono leader on it or just fish a heavier mono. 

 

Also in rocks I drag bottom baits like a jig and reel up slack, if they get stuck I can usually wiggle them loose like a jig and that's usually enticing to the fish too.

 

If you want to try and new bait that usually works when tubes are working I suggest a hula grub or similar spider grub on a slider jig, owner makes one that's great so is the og slider jig.