Trolling for MACs

[addicted2fishin]

OK, got to get in on this one.  First thing, I feel lost without my boat.  I loaned it to my son in Washington State three years ago for the summer and have not seen it again.  LOL  Seems his mother, my wife, gave it to him and wants me to get a bigger boat.  I don't have room for a BIGGER BOAT.  The cost of storing one in a commercial facility that allows me to pick it up on my schedule, at my times, is more than a boat payment in this state. Ugggg.  I won't be able to take anyone out and show them.  I sure do wish I could.

But, on MY SON'S BOAT, I have it rigged with a Cannon electric.  It self raises at the touch of a switch and with a revolving spool reel it is not that hard to let out line.  Still, the Shuttle Hawk is great.  Just order some replacement stops from Macks Lures (I don't know of another source) because they will break or get lost eventually.

Now, for the line comparrisons.  There is NO PERFECT LINE!  But, the Chevy, Ford, Dodge comparrison is only partly true.  Preferences factor in, but so do technique. 

1) Mono is inexpensive, but get the best you can find.  Still, all nylon monofillament has between 18% and 22% stretch.  One way of reducing effective stretch is upsizing the line rating (strength).  This does not change actual stretch, but it does reduce the working stretch.  Unfortunately it also increases stiffness, reduce managability, etc.  Lots of fish are lost due to poor hook sets while deep trolling but hard hook sets will help.

2) Florocarbon is less visible.  The visibility issue is not to clarilty, but to refraction.  When light passes through something it either reflects, giving us what we see as color, or it refracts, usually revealing itself as a shadow.  I don't believe that it is necessary myself, but the advantages are not limited to visibility.  Florocarbon only has 8% to 12% stretch.  It is stiffer, less managable then Mono, but with less stretch you don't need to upsize your line rating, so you have better managability compared to oversized mono.  Because we are trolling, not casting, Floro is a good option.  It is much more expensive then Mono but less expensive then braid.

3) Braid is visible.  At 60 feet I am not sure a moss green braid is that visible, but green does penetrate depths so it can be an issue.  It is super thin for the line rating so it cuts through the water better.  It only has between 3% to 5% thickness, so sensitivity and hook sets are super good, but it lacks that spring safety factor.  Probably the biggest issue it the knots that need to be used and the knot to leader connection.  First, you don't need 10 feet of leader, so keeping a managable leader length will help.  Second, knots that will hold well with the slick braid are available and I suggest looking at the Uni and the Palamar knots.  For the braid to leader connection, the FG knot is hard to learn, but is super thin and super strong once mastered.

Last, that extra lure suggested?  Try this one.
https://www.sportsmans.com/fishing-gear-.../p/1491630

It is one of my better lures for that.

Thanks for the info and especially the insights on line types. That is helpful!

I have used braid quite a bit and may end up sticking with that. I do need to learn the knots a lot better, but that takes practice. I have found not all braids are the same. I tried some Cabela's braid and hate it. Spider Wire has always been good to me. Unfortunately I ended up with a few spools of Cabela's braid.

Here's hoping times will get better and I can get the boat out soon (assuming we don't go into forced lockdown like some states.

[dubob]

There are some fishing situations were braided line is a better choice than monofilament line.  Trolling off downriggers isn't one of them in my opinion.  Here's why.  Braided line is slicker than mono and downrigger release clips do not hold braided line as tight as they do mono.  The consequences of this is that I can't set as sharp a bend in my downrigger rods as I like.  The more bend in the rod, the better the hook set on release.

I like to set my rod holders pointing about 45 degrees up and have my rod tips pointing as close to straight down as I can mange based on rod action and and clip strength.  Braided line will not let me do that without using releases like Chamberlain where the line is twisted.  I used Chamberlain releases for 2 years and found that when I used them with mono, the line twisting caused flattening of the line with repeated line twists at the same spot (set backs at say 75 ft).  This flattening of the line induced weakening at those flat spots and eventually line breaks would occur when fighting fish causing not only the loss of the fish, but the lure tackle as well.  With dodgers and squid/spoon/swim bait gone, that can be well over $10 a pop.  Here is a short video that shows you how the Chamberlain releases work.



If you like the non-stretching braided line and don't mind the extra steps required to use releases like the Chamberlains, then go for it.  I like to use Off Shore releases with mono line and set my rods with maximum bend for better hook sets.  I do like braided line on my casting rods that I use for bass, catfish, and shore fishing for trout.  But all my trolling rods are filled with mono line tipped with a short section of fluorocarbon leader.  I use the uni-knot to attach leader to my reel line - both braided and mono.

Again, I'm not bad mouthing the use of braided line for trolling if that is what you like to use.  I tried it for two years and didn't care for the little bit of extra hassle it required.  And when I used mono line with them, I eventually lost tackle and fish from mono line breaks at clip attachment points.  Please, use what you like and are comfortable with.  Just realize that there are some trade offs with each line choice.

[addicted2fishin]

There are some fishing situations were braided line is a better choice than monofilament line.  Trolling off downriggers isn't one of them in my opinion.  Here's why.  Braided line is slicker than mono and downrigger release clips do not hold braided line as tight as they do mono.  The consequences of this is that I can't set as sharp a bend in my downrigger rods as I like.  The more bend in the rod, the better the hook set on release.

I like to set my rod holders pointing about 45 degrees up and have my rod tips pointing as close to straight down as I can mange based on rod action and and clip strength.  Braided line will not let me do that without using releases like Chamberlain where the line is twisted.  I used Chamberlain releases for 2 years and found that when I used them with mono, the line twisting caused flattening of the line with repeated line twists at the same spot (set backs at say 75 ft).  This flattening of the line induced weakening at those flat spots and eventually line breaks would occur when fighting fish causing not only the loss of the fish, but the lure tackle as well.  With dodgers and squid/spoon/swim bait gone, that can be well over $10 a pop.  Here is a short video that shows you how the Chamberlain releases work.



If you like the non-stretching braided line and don't mind the extra steps required to use releases like the Chamberlains, then go for it.  I like to use Off Shore releases with mono line and set my rods with maximum bend for better hook sets.  I do like braided line on my casting rods that I use for bass, catfish, and shore fishing for trout.  But all my trolling rods are filled with mono line tipped with a short section of fluorocarbon leader.  I use the uni-knot to attach leader to my reel line - both braided and mono.

Again, I'm not bad mouthing the use of braided line for trolling if that is what you like to use.  I tried it for two years and didn't care for the little bit of extra hassle it required.  And when I used mono line with them, I eventually lost tackle and fish from mono line breaks at clip attachment points.  Please, use what you like and are comfortable with.  Just realize that there are some trade offs with each line choice.

Thanks again. I have two different brands of clips for my downrigger and found one works better than the other. I think it is the Scotty that works better and I believe the other is Cannon. The Scotty allows you squeeze it tighter and it locks it tighter on the line. The other just says to put it deeper into the pads to get a tighter grip, and didn't hold the braid as well.

Again, I really appreciate the input and preferences on line types. While I have a lot of rods/reels, most of those are kid / loaner quality and only have a couple good ones so I prefer to have a good all around setup for trolling, jigging, casting, shore fishing, etc. as I can't change the line every trip. I know it won't be ideal for most situations, but a good all-around.........

[liketrolling]

First I don't like releases like the Chamberlains, have bot some that looked better than the chamberlainbut found out to late that I did not like them. I think bob tells you why.
I like the big Scotty release the best, next would be the Off Shore. I use the Off Shore red when I'm fishing for big like trout pulling big 7 to 9 in. lures going over 2 mph.I like a longer release line than what comes with the off shore release and that is not to hard to change.Trolling for Kokanee I think I catch more than most and I do OK trolling for big lakers and jigging I'm way down at the bottom, hope I can get better this year.Fishing for kokanee you need good rods and reals I bot a rod from Walmart for $20. on sale and it is a good one, but I don't use it a lot, I like the ones I make better, but they cost.I use a Level wind Line Counter Reels with a good drag use 10 lb mono line and 15 lb fluorocarbon leaderTrolling for big over 20 lbs. Lake trout
use Level wind Line Counter Reels with good a drag, use 15 are 20 lb fluorocarbon linefor jigging are casting I have reals setup with braided line and fluorocarbon.Using a line counter and knowing what my set back is. Is a big dill with me.