Dropshotting with braid

[Micro]

I find myself with several new spools of Stren Superbraid 10# (3# diameter) that I want to tryit for dropshotting.   I'm going to spool up my drop shot spinning rig with the stuff and see how it goes.

With braid this thin, do you even bother with a leader?  Or just tie directly to the line?  

[BenoBreath]

In clear water, I'd go with a flourocarbon leader.

[Crowcommander]

X2 on this.look up the slim beauty knot to connect these two lines and learn it till you can tie it in the dark.

[Branuss04]

In clear water, I'd go with a flourocarbon leader.

+1.  I use 20# braid to 6-8# floro.

[David P]

I use 10lb Suffix Braid / 7lb fluoro leader.

Not just visibility, but if you're drop shotting around rocks you can cut the line quite easy.

[MikeMc]

Personally, I would go with a flouro leader. But just to throw this out there - I have a buddy that dropshots with 10lb braid and no leader. He always catches em and is always winning tournaments. we fish in alot of ultra clear water too. I dont have the confidence to do it, but he does and has the sucess to back it.

[Micro]

I went out tonight and pier fished for 2 hours.  Bass were holding right under the pier.  Caught a few, nothing big.  But did have a chance to give drop shotting a whirl with braid.

I used Stren Super Braid, 10# test, 3# diameter.  I did not use a leader.  It seemed to me that the dark green Stren blended well with the water.  Fish certained weren't shy.  It's a light drop shot rig.  

I like the sensitivity.  My 6'6" Fenwick HMX M/F rod has Pac Bay SS304 guides.  Sensitivity is very good.  Better than with Yo-Zuri.  Not greatly so, but noticable.  Now, that's the only thing I liked about it.  

I lost 4 rigs in under 2 hours.  It seems braid finds every little nook and cranny on the pilings and cross members and digs right in.   There was no getting it loose.  

The line is too limp for me.  Several times I reeled up my bait to find that the line had looped around the plastic minnow.

It's harder to get the hook to stick straight out with braid.  I find the hook positions better with Yo-Zuri.  

After reeling in a few fish, the line does dig into itself on the spool making subsequent casts harder.  Your can feel it popping off the spool.  This does hinder accurancy.  

All in all, its going about like my experiences with braid for other applications.  Sensitivity is the only thing I liked.  Everything else I could do without.  

And to top it all off, there was an old guy on the pier tonight.  He had 9 saltwater rods with him and a big aluminum cart with a cooler.  He had a rod in just about every holder on the pier with line going out all over.  And he talked my ear off.  He just yammered and yammered.  Nice fellow, but d**n.