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Off Season Questions and Ideas

fjs5252

fjs5252
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fjs5252

fjs5252

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Off Season Questions and Ideas

With the holidays behind us and football winding down, it's time to get started on all the off-season tasks I promised myself I would do this winter. For most items on my to-do list I find myself wondering what other guys do or how they do it. The purpose of this topic is to pose those questions and kick around answers and ideas. 

 

The first thing I'm wondering is this. Do I need to replace the line on my primary trolling reels? The line is 15 lbs test Fluorocarbon put on last winter. They were in the water about 18 to 20 days last year, some days longer than others. The lines look fine to me but I know some of the reels have less line on them than others due to snags, tangles, etc. None are really low. I am leaning towards replacing if only so I can make sure the line counters are consistently calibrated. What say the group? 

Jerryriggin 2

Jerryriggin 2

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I replace line on rigger reels every winter but I'm using mono. For my walleye board rods I run 12lb main line with only a 100 foot top shot of fluorocarbon and replace as needed throughout the season. This way I can keep the spools as full as possible to keep counters as close as possible.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Richard

Richard

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I change my line every other year, but I only fish the big lake 10 days a year. This year is my change year so that is on the list for next month. I have also ordered new coated cable for my downrigger with the speed and temp unit..

There is a list of things to be done with the boat but that will have to be taked care of in March when the boat is uncovered.

Missdemeanor

Missdemeanor

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If you respool your reels, use a main line of 17 or 20lb. I then splice in a 10ft piece of flouro ( 12lb for spring, 15# for spoons in the summer). If you decide to run flasher and flies/meat, just cut off the flour leader. It cuts down on the number of rods you need, and tying a new leader is no big deal.
Another thing to remember about fishing line is UV rays can weaken the line. If you leave them out in the sun for days on end the UV rays compromise the integrity of the line....
Good luck....

Sent from my VS985 4G using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Missdemeanor

Missdemeanor

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Mono for the mainline.... I have a lot of set ups ready to go, so I use economical but quality mono....personally I like Big game ( you will get 10 different opinions on brands). It's relatively cheap and is pretty strong.
Your flouro leader should be a quality line.... I like Seaguar.
This will save you money, room in your rig( not having 20 rods aboard)....

Sent from my VS985 4G using Lake Ontario United mobile app

moonfish

moonfish

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5 hours ago, Missdemeanor said:

If you respool your reels, use a main line of 17 or 20lb. I then splice in a 10ft piece of flouro ( 12lb for spring, 15# for spoons in the summer). If you decide to run flasher and flies/meat, just cut off the flour leader. It cuts down on the number of rods you need, and tying a new leader is no big deal.
Another thing to remember about fishing line is UV rays can weaken the line. If you leave them out in the sun for days on end the UV rays compromise the integrity of the line....
Good luck....

Sent from my VS985 4G using Lake Ontario United mobile app
 

fjs5252, Misdemeanor makes a great point about UV rays. Was just getting a shopping list together and was looking at fluoro myself. Suffix castable invisiline apparently is impervious to UV rays. It also is not stiff going on the real which may allow for great action from your stick baits spoons etc. I'm picking it up as a leader. $14 for 150 yds of 14#. I know suufix is very reputable and I'm going to give it a try. 

fjs5252

fjs5252

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The more I think about it the more I like the idea of mono for the main line with flouro at the end. That approach allows for a lot of flexabilty. Ive always used seaguar because a close friend who has fished lake michigan his whole life swears by it. Thanks guys !

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

justtracytrolling

justtracytrolling

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I'd avoid using line for leader moonfish. I realize it's cheaper but line is designed to be supple and castable, and leader is harder and stiffer making it much more durable. I tried several mainline flourocarbons as leader when I started and had issues with breakoffs. I switched to seaguar on the advice of many on this site and haven't looked back. I now use Seaguar for all my line needs. They have a great thin diameter mono, Senshi, that is excellent for use off boards where gaining some diving depth is helpful. You lose a lot of depth on deep divers if you use line diameters over 10lb(.0134")

Justin Okrepki
NYSDEC licensed guide #7324
http://www.otiscolakeguideservice.com/
(607)-349-1750

moonfish

moonfish

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, justtracytrolling said:

I'd avoid using line for leader moonfish. I realize it's cheaper but line is designed to be supple and castable, and leader is harder and stiffer making it much more durable. I tried several mainline flourocarbons as leader when I started and had issues with breakoffs. I switched to seaguar on the advice of many on this site and haven't looked back. I now use Seaguar for all my line needs. They have a great thin diameter mono, Senshi, that is excellent for use off boards where gaining some diving depth is helpful. You lose a lot of depth on deep divers if you use line diameters over 10lb(.0134")

Justin Okrepki
NYSDEC licensed guide #7324
http://www.otiscolakeguideservice.com/
(607)-349-1750
 

Yeah I already have10# seaguar for trolling. I'm getting 14# suffix castable for bass fishing crank,spinners, and 1 oz swimbaits. I mentioned it because they were discussing UV rays and I just happened to see it on a tackle site

moonfish

moonfish

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, justtracytrolling said:

My misunderstanding...That 14 will be ideal for that!

Justin Okrepki
NYSDEC licensed guide #7324
http://www.otiscolakeguideservice.com/
(607)-349-1750
 

Hey, I'm still learning. Didn't realize castable was bad for trolling leader. Then again, some recommend #15 fluoro in other trolling applications. Aaahhh, I catch on one day....lol. Maybe I just sit tight keep my mouth shut 

NPike

NPike

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Posted

I use braid and fluorocarbon, neither is effected by UV - sunlight. I only change it the line becomes frayed or develops memory.  Even though Sufix and Power Pro braid have a very low tendency to develop memory, if left on the spool long enough they will  not be memory free. With that said I've had Sufix 832 on reels for > 2 years and was able to eliminate line twist simply by running the line behind the boat at 4 or 5 mph for 5 minutes.

rdebadts

rdebadts

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Posted

I re spool every year. It is a cheap insurance policy. The uv rays weaken the mono line. I use 17 for my rigger rods and 12 for my top water linea


The Fishin' Physician Assistant
Fishsodusbay.com

fjs5252

fjs5252

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Hi guys,

All this is really helpful. The discussion on line vs leader got me thinking. I've been tying a few crawler harnesses and im using 15 lbs floro line, not leader material. I know a lot of guys use 17 or 20 lbs when tying harnesses.  Im going lighter line to help the action early in the year when trolling really slow. Ive not had any problems in the past but ive only been tying my own for the past two years. Should I be using leader material and is 15 to light? 

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