05-25-2014, 07:16 PM
[#0000FF]It mattereth not what setup or system one uses to allow a bait munching fish to have some line before smacking them. I first learned the basic principle while "fly lining" live anchovies for bonito, barracuda, yellowtail and bass off the boats in southern California. The idea was to let the fish run a few feet and then close the bail and set the hook.
In earlier days in Utah, there was no two pole permit. If I fished bait it was on one rod...held in my hand. And if I was dragging the bait around behind my tube I would simply leave the bail open on my spinning reel and hold the line with my forefinger. When a fish took the bait I felt it instantly and released the line.
When it became legal to use two rods in Utah, I liked to drag a bait on one rod while casting jigs or cranks with another. To allow the fish to take line...while still keeping it from peeling off otherwise...I tried a lot of different things. One effective ploy was putting a wrap or two of the loose line around an empty drink can. It was light enough that a biting fish would pull it straight and take the line easily. That is if the can didn't slip down in my lap and get lodged so that it would not release the line.
That method with the empty can still works for bank tangling or boat floating. It also works for ice fishing if you are soaking a minnow or whole crawler. The added bonus is that the can makes some noise when it tips over...hopefully from a fish and not from the wind.
I have gone through a whole evolutionary process of messing with different kinds of clips too. Some on the rod. Others on the PVC rod holder. The end piece from a plastic utensil seems to work the best with the least amount of complications.
Bottom line is that there is no universal system that will work for everybody under all conditions. But whatever serves to allow you to feed line to the fish and still set the hook on a high percentage is the right thing for you.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
In earlier days in Utah, there was no two pole permit. If I fished bait it was on one rod...held in my hand. And if I was dragging the bait around behind my tube I would simply leave the bail open on my spinning reel and hold the line with my forefinger. When a fish took the bait I felt it instantly and released the line.
When it became legal to use two rods in Utah, I liked to drag a bait on one rod while casting jigs or cranks with another. To allow the fish to take line...while still keeping it from peeling off otherwise...I tried a lot of different things. One effective ploy was putting a wrap or two of the loose line around an empty drink can. It was light enough that a biting fish would pull it straight and take the line easily. That is if the can didn't slip down in my lap and get lodged so that it would not release the line.
That method with the empty can still works for bank tangling or boat floating. It also works for ice fishing if you are soaking a minnow or whole crawler. The added bonus is that the can makes some noise when it tips over...hopefully from a fish and not from the wind.
I have gone through a whole evolutionary process of messing with different kinds of clips too. Some on the rod. Others on the PVC rod holder. The end piece from a plastic utensil seems to work the best with the least amount of complications.
Bottom line is that there is no universal system that will work for everybody under all conditions. But whatever serves to allow you to feed line to the fish and still set the hook on a high percentage is the right thing for you.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]