Fishing line has come a long, long way in the last few years and today I want to challenge you to add fluorocarbon line to your arsenal this year. It's important to understand when and why to use fluorocarbon and the characteristics that set it apart from traditional monofilament.
Fluorocarbon is essentially invisible once it hits the water and because of that it's a great choice to use when fish are a little finicky. Fluorocarbon also sinks unlike monofilament so when you're looking to get your crankbait a little deeper, it's a great choice. With fluorocarbon you can go up in line strength because the line is invisible so if you're cranking through rocks or fishing heavy cover in clear water, consider using fluorocarbon.
Now it's important to note that there are times when fluorocarbon is not the best choice. Top water fishing for example is not what you want to use fluorocarbon for since the line does sink it negatively effects your top water bait's action. Also, I prefer not to throw it when spinnerbaiting because it's got less stretch than mono and I personally like a little stretch when setting the hook on spinnerbait bites so I get a good hook set but don't rip the hook out.
I'm a big proponent of Cajun branded lines - they are made in America and are very affordable. I used to fish more expensive lines and I can tell you the fishability and durability is just as good (if not better) than the more expensive lines. So - take a chance and try fluorocarbon this year - you might just find it puts more fish in the boat.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Rogue Leader
For those of you willing to brave these cooler days the fishing is turning on! Fish are cold blooded creatures which means their body temperature and metabolism are directly affected by the water temp. This time of year in Kansas the water is slowing warming up - around my area it's only in the mid 40's so fish are still pretty sluggish and slow but they're still looking to feed and presenting a tantilizing and irresible bait is a great way to catch some quality fish while others are sitting at home watching fishing on TV still.
Enter the smithwick rogue series baits. In particular this time of year I like using the suspending version. This long and narrow jerkbait is perfect for enticing Bass of all sizes to strike in cold water conditions because it memics a dying bait fish. By using the suspending version, it keeps the bait in the strike zone so when you pause the bait the bass sees it as an opportunity for an easy meal. This bait is also easy to learn how to use and sure beats the slow and methodic presentation required for presenting jigs and small plastic baits this time of year.
Working a jerkbait is pretty simple. You'll cast it out, give the reel a few turns to drop the lure down to suspending depth (this is typically between 2ft-4ft) and then pause. Next give the rod a couple twitches, pause, and the reel in your line slack and repeat the process. Experiment with the cadence of your twitches and pauses and pay attention to what type and cadence of retrieve elicits strikes and repeat this process.
This is a great way to put quality fish in the boat in early spring - I boated 3 fish over 4lbs yesterday using this method. All of the fish hit it on the pause and I never felt the strike, just felt the resistence when I went to reel in the slack.
Get yourself some suspending rogues, get out on the water, and try this fun and fish producing technique soon! Until next time - tight lines!
Enter the smithwick rogue series baits. In particular this time of year I like using the suspending version. This long and narrow jerkbait is perfect for enticing Bass of all sizes to strike in cold water conditions because it memics a dying bait fish. By using the suspending version, it keeps the bait in the strike zone so when you pause the bait the bass sees it as an opportunity for an easy meal. This bait is also easy to learn how to use and sure beats the slow and methodic presentation required for presenting jigs and small plastic baits this time of year.
Working a jerkbait is pretty simple. You'll cast it out, give the reel a few turns to drop the lure down to suspending depth (this is typically between 2ft-4ft) and then pause. Next give the rod a couple twitches, pause, and the reel in your line slack and repeat the process. Experiment with the cadence of your twitches and pauses and pay attention to what type and cadence of retrieve elicits strikes and repeat this process.
This is a great way to put quality fish in the boat in early spring - I boated 3 fish over 4lbs yesterday using this method. All of the fish hit it on the pause and I never felt the strike, just felt the resistence when I went to reel in the slack.
Get yourself some suspending rogues, get out on the water, and try this fun and fish producing technique soon! Until next time - tight lines!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
First Fish of the Year
Hard to believe less than a week ago there was still ice on all the lakes but after a few days of super weather the lakes were thawed and I had to go fishing so I headed over to Butler County State Fishing lake on Saturday afternoon with my Coleman Crawdad. Was a slow start, snagged a couple shad with a jerk bait as well as a couple small crappie - decided it was still too cold for even the jerk bait so I went to a Strike King bitsy tube and worked it really slow along the creek channel. Bites were pretty decent actually, missed the first couple strikes because they took me by surprise! Finally got a couple in the boat before it got dark and man did it feel good to get the first fish in the boat for the year!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)