Drop Shot'n With Super Lines

[Hot Rod Johnson]

Try drop shot with super lines. Credit to my fishing partners for showing me that. Either Fireline or Fusion tied directly to 6 foot long 8# fluorocarbon leader using a double uni-knot. I'm very careful tying that knot so as not to get the super line twisted up with the leader. Each line must wrap around the other and use lots of spit. Then I superglue it. No problem going thru the line guides. No problem breaking off fish at the knot either. (You can also use a very small salt water swivel to connect the leader.)

Either super line deals a lot better with line twist, gives me better hook sets because they don't stretch and that's particularly useful when drop shot'n deep, and the sensitivity is unreal. I use a Fenwick Techna AV 6'6", Med power, fast tip with either a Shimano Stradic or Sahara. I also use the Owner Down Shot hook and Texas rig the baits. 90% of the time I drop shot a 4 1/2" & 8" baits (Robo Worms) with a nail point embedded. The nail make it show up better on the graph.

[Jig Man]

I always drop shot with Power Pro and a fluro leader.  

[Alpster]

I always drop shot with Power Pro and a fluro leader.  

X 2

[sal669]

It's been discussed on a couple other posts regarding rod sensitivity/ sensitive lines/ favorit lines to use with different techniques/ high end rods/ etc/ etc  and I posted that for applications that requires great sensitivity I prefer a mid range rod($50-100) paired with braid and fluoro leader instead of going high end rod ($300 & up) with mono/copoly/fluoro. I fished with my friends Loomis & fluoro and I didn't feel it gave me anything above my set-up ( older Daiwa rod & Power Pro). At this moment I don't see justified to spend over $100-150 on a rod. There's plenty of sensitivity by using braided lines.

[Joel W]

I used Power Pro with a Albright knot to a 4ft drop shot leader. I just don't like the feeling of the knot going through the tip guide. Now I've never broken a guide, but I'm just not comfortable with it, so I stopped using braid for any finesse presentations.

[Jig Man]

I used Power Pro with a Albright knot to a 4ft drop shot leader. I just don't like the feeling of the knot going through the tip guide. Now I've never broken a guide, but I'm just not comfortable with it, so I stopped using braid for any finesse presentations.

Check this link provided by avid.  I have switched to this knot.  It is small and needs no glue.  It has not broken at the knot once since I have used it.

http://www.stripersonline.com/Pages/Articles/article_arby_albertos_knot.shtml

[Joel W]

Jim, The Alberto knot is a modified Albright with twice the amount of line used to make the knot. The Albright know I tie is small, and I stopped using glue because it made the knot brittle which gave me even more concerns about it damaging or breaking the insert. I've never had a Albright knot fail. But I can still feel it going through the guide.

Since I fish mostly in shallow water to no more then 20 FOW, line stretch really isn't a major issue. Last year I used 8 lb Sufix Elite on my spinning reels for drop shotting and finesse presentations. I used 30 lb Power Pro on all my baitcasters. This year I'm planning on going with Pline CXXX copoly instead of the Elite. I'm honestly not sure what I'm going with on my baitcasters yet except for my jigging setup which will still be spooled with 30 lb Power Pro.

[Fish Chris]

Welcome aboard :-)

Since your new to this board, let me first just tell you, when it comes to fishing line, you won't ever meet anyone more opinionated than myself.... So please don't mind me too much :-)

That said, neither Fireline, or Fusion, are "braided lines". These are formed by fusing micro-filaments together with heat and polymers. I know a lot of guys use, and like the stuff, but I find these to have consistency of dental floss. Line manufacturing insiders tell me that the only reason this stuff was ever invented, is because its much cheaper to produce, than true "braided lines".

Okay so, I've never drop shotted in my life..... But if I ever were to, I'd use braid with it, just like I do with every other lure, live bait, or fishing technique, for every species from Bluegill, to Sturgeon... and of course, trophy bass :-)

I think I'd use a light action rod though, with micro braid (2 lb diameter, 10 lb test) seeing as drop shot hooks are smaller, and lighter wire. And I'd make sure my drag was a bit looser too.

Anyway yes, a non-stretch line is probably much better for dropshotting, just as it is better for "fishing" period :-)

Great fishing to you,

Fish

PS, But like Jigman and Alpster said > Always with a Fluorocarbon leader.

[Joel W]

Always with a leader. There in lies my problem. The knot going through the guide.  Maybe it's just me. Has anyone broken a insert due to a knot bieng casted through it?

[Alpster]

Always with a leader. There in lies my problem. The knot going through the guide.  Maybe it's just me. Has anyone broken a insert due to a knot bieng casted through it?

My Dropshot rod has 'Recoil' guides. No inserts to break or come loose.

Ronnie

[Guest avid]

Always with a leader. There in lies my problem. The knot going through the guide. Maybe it's just me. Has anyone broken a insert due to a knot bieng casted through it?

My Dropshot rod has 'Recoil' guides. No inserts to break or come loose.

Ronnie

Me too. But to answer the question, no I have never broken guide inserts due to braided line, but I have broken guides.  Two of them to date, that I attribute directly to super braided line.

It is why I switched to the titanium recoil guides for about half of my rods, including my dropshot (bsr852GLX)

I have been using braided line for a couple of years now.  The lack of stretch increases hook setting power and with all my shoulder and elbow troubles it really was a God send for me.  That being said, i tried many, repeat MANY line to leader knots and the ONLY one I have consistant success with is the Alberto.  If tied properly, it will not fail and will go through the guides pretty smoothly.

Use whatever works for you, but don't give up on the use of mono or flouro leader untill you have tried this knot.  

[Joel W]

I've got 3 spinning, and 4 baitcasters setups that I need to come to a decision as to what lines to use. I primarily fish the NYC reservoirs, and each reservoir varies considerably in water clarity from stained to crystal clear, as well as bottom composition ranging from sand to rocks.

Last year I was using 30 lb Power Pro on all my baitcasters with a 2 ft leader on my jigging and cranking setups so I wouldn't keep on getting cut off by the rocks. My Spinnerbait setup was straight braid, while my wt'd plastics setup used a 3 ft leader.  All 3 spinning setups were 8lb Sufix Elite. One was dedicated to Drop Shotting and used a swivel for pre-made rigs.

Early spring fishing is strickly for Smallmouth in crystal clear water, and even with a leader on the spinning setups I'm concerned with the SM being line shy.

[Guest avid]

In crystal clear water, I too would be concerned with line visiblity.

but you are fishing for smallmouth in relatively unobstructed water.

8 lb test power pro is the diameter of 1 lb test line.  that's pretty thin.

I would try that out and let the smallies tell me if it bothers them before doing away with braid altogether.

[islandbass]

Always with a leader. There in lies my problem. The knot going through the guide. Maybe it's just me. Has anyone broken a insert due to a knot bieng casted through it?

It has never happened to me but I don't do the braid/combo for drop shotting. I don't need the extra sensitivity.  ;D

Joking aside, if the knot that joins to two lines is a bit on the big side, it might get dug into the spool a bit on occassion or get caught on a guide and mess up a few casts here and there, but it isn't so bad (casting reels).

I have considered, the ppro/fc combo, but I haven't gotten around to trying it for drop shotting and feel I don't need to go there yet. I normally fish clear waters and pure fc (invizx) is working superbly for me.

[Joel W]

A few years ago I did use 10 lb Power Pro for all my setups. At that time I was fishing just one reservoir that had mostly stained water so line visibility wasn't a issue like it is now. To me the greatest advantage of using PP was that you don't get any line twist with it. And that's something that I've had to contend with since I switched to Sufix Elite.