Willow Beach - 10/22 stupid fish.....

[BillyH]

Hit willow yesterday afternoon for an evening trolling session. Define irony...i had been getting a little nervous running my Ac Plugs on 25 lb test so on the way i stopped and picked up 50 lb braid. String up my lucky 12" AC Minnow and off i go. Not even 10 minutes into it (mile marker 49) i get hit HARD. at first i though i was caught on a rock, no give what so ever....then by by...fish took off and spooled about 100 ft of line. I managed to keep the drag set and fought with him for about 20 minutes. I was a little more aggressive then normal thinking i had a much stronger set up to fight with....then the unthinkable happened...my line snapped!!!!! Doooooh...by by lure....So i have pulled in a couple decent bass down there but never had anything pull like that. my guess is 40+ pounds easily. little discouraged that i lost my lure but more so because i had such a big fish and couldn't get it to the boat.

Luckily i have a couple of plugs...strung up another and continued down river to mile marker 47 then back up. Landed 3 more fish over the next two hours. All came out of monkey hole up near the shoreline. Big fish came in at 10 lbs, second was 8 lbs and smallest was 5 lbs. So great day on the river but DAMN i hate losing a $50 lure. I am going back down next weekend to get my lure back lol.

If anyone pulls in a big fish with a gently used AC minnow in his mouth please send me my lure
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[lvfishingdude]

i thought i snagged something also when i caught my big 34lber in january, but it is a awesome feeling when you feel the first real tug and know i snagged a monster
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[TheWhizzle]

Nice work man.

If you're new to braid (I'm not accusing, just stating), knots slip a lot.

Braid is so slick that any typical fishing knot has a slip-risk.

I have eliminated this problem 2 ways.

1) I tie a DOUBLE PALOMAR. Doesn't ever seem to slip. (some people like to do [url "http://www.powerpro.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/power_pro_v2/info/using_powerpro/knots/palomar_knot_.html"]twice through the eye[/url] and some people like to go [url "http://www.totalfisherman.com/blog/318/tying-the-double-palomar-knot/"]twice through the line.)[/url]
Both will work, I go twice through the eye.

2) Melt your tag end with a lighter so a small ball forms. This usually backs up the knot, but don't rely on it, cause that ball can break off.
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[Troylee]

You gotta stick with the mono man "need that extra stretch".... That's a great story regardless man and sounds like you had a blast.... I gotta get back down there!!!!! your story got me all excited man I'm ready to go right now haha.... Shore fishing just blows with the water level down and weeds galore.... Im gonna sneak in a session any ways this week and see what happens... Good luck on landing that pig next time you hook it... My little 7 pounder did the same thing when it hit I thought I snagged a rock.. I had my wife throw the boat in reverse in hopes of saving my lure and then it took off... From the pros on the other forum they say they dive right into the trees and tangle you up "hence the brick hit lol" that's why it's so tricky to land one I guess.... Like they say they don't get that big from being dumb fish...Oh yeah the other tricky part is when they roll there gill plates are razor blades they will cut your line in a second...
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[gnelson651]

Wish I can catch a 40lbs+ on the yak. I would love a sleigh ride (<[url "http://youtu.be/6E9PSS6Nyvo"]http://youtu.be/6E9PSS6Nyvo[/url]>).

The kayak acts as a drag also but as you can see even the experience kayaker will lose a fish.

All in all, you had a good day and lossing lures (even expensive ones) are part of the game.

(BTW:I may have posted this once before-apologizes if you've rewatching it)
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[BaySport]

Nice report, good pics, enjoyed it very much. Encourages me to give Willow Beach a try. I think the great thing about fishing is that each time you put a hook in the water you can Hit Big or get Skunked or finish somewhere in between, and you never know what it's gonna be.
BaySport
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[iamthesmf]

Where's your BFT sign?

Another problem with braid is you pull the hooks out of the fish too.

Nice catch!
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[BillyH]

I am "captain forget a sign" lol, oh well i am down there every week so next time. Besides i have to start giving some of you seasoned vets a run for your money on big fish. I am do for a fatty...

So i went back and looked at my line and i have to say i think Whizzle probably nailed it. My knot must have slipped OR it was cut but the fish. The line had a clean cut versus a break. I actually had to test it in my garage to ensure that under tension the line would frey a little when i snapped it versus a clean break. While doing this i also did a side by side break test with the 50lb braid versus 50 lb mono....oddly enough the braid snapped under a lot less pressure then the mono, not a lot of effort to break it. I assume its because there is no flex in the braid where i could feel the mono stretching under pressure.

I tied a palomar knot but thinking back i did have it s little tangled for a minute when i was running the knot and now i am second guessing the quality of knot i tied.

You guys all make a good point though, i am going back to mono. Only reason i opted for the braid was to get the strength without having to buy a new reel that can hold all the line you would need to troll the lure far enough back.

Trial and error though, i will be hitting it again on Friday and see how things turn out.
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[Troylee]

What reel are you using??? They say that's the only good piece of equipment you need... One that holds lots of string and has a nice drag that won't snag and pop your line.. I'm using the Abu 6600 c4 lined with 25 pound mono...
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[BillyH]

Not sure off the top of my head, picked it up at bass pro a few weeks back. it looks similar to the 6600 but only cost $69. I will have to check, been doing fine with it though. Have brought in 8-10 strippers with it, largest pushing 16 lbs. One thing i failed to mention i went from normally using a 6 foot medium weight rod to an 8 foot heavy rod to see if i could get some casting distance. I think couple that with a suspect knot and being a little to aggressive i probably did myself in.
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[iamthesmf]

Casting AC Plugs with braid, will over time cut a groove in the eyelets. I did this and then changed back to mono line. It looked like cotton candy at the tip as the line was going thru the first eyelet. Stainless steel guides will not be an issue for both.
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[Troylee]

Rod shouldn't matter... I'm using a 7ft med to heavy action... Kind of sucks for casting but it works lol... I'll be down there early Friday morning in hopes of catching something if the weeds have gave a little... If not it's a long hike around the mountain to a clear spot... Not a huge deal I roll with a net my pole and a couple plugs and water... Throw it all in the net besides my pole and go....
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