Dropshot with Braid with Flouro Leader?

[MPDSRD]

Wanting to know the best way to spool with braid with flouro leader to dropshot.
How long of a flourocarbon leader do guys tie?
Please give me all the details.Thanks

[mark poulson]

I use two rod lengths of fluoro. That gives me enough fluoro to retie a dozen times if need be. Join the two lines with an Albright Knot.

[acm95301]

I've recently started using a braid mainline with flurocarbon leader with some sucess.

I've been using #10 power pro attached to a 6lb fluro carbon-
Vanish (problematic) or Pline or Yo-zuri(good) leader with a double uni knot. I use a single no.4 or a no.2 gamigatsu hook and a Beserkbaits 1/8-1/4 oz drop shot weight.
And lately I've been using either roboworms 4.5 " MMIII or Beserkbaits Green Punkin.

The line twist is reduced.
The FC always had alot of memory or kinked so I was replacing whole spools of line 2-3 x a year..now braid last a long time.

FYI you may want to have a backing with braid line so that if you get spooled the braid wont slip ...its recommended to have a Mono or FC backing.

[Jim Moulton]

Diawa samari braid 30# test with a swivel 3 to 4 ft of floro leader in 6# to 8# test. No line twist at all. To make it easy when you break off my friend tought me to pre tie my leaders and put them in sandwich bags by them selfs that way you just re tie to your swivel and your ready for the next snag. I will also do the same set up without braid but use 10 or 12# test floro line with the swivel and then the leaders in 6 to 8# test. If you do the latter when you pre tie your leaders then tie a new swivel to the leaders.

[TZ1]

I have mixed feelings with the braid dropshot setup. I have in the past fished with a bunch of rods on the boat with braid but the breakoffs from snags drove me crazy. I like the idea of premade leaders.

[Robert F]

Diawa samari braid 30# test with a swivel 3 to 4 ft of floro leader in 6# to 8# test. No line twist at all. To make it easy when you break off my friend tought me to pre tie my leaders and put them in sandwich bags by them selfs that way you just re tie to your swivel and your ready for the next snag. I will also do the same set up without braid but use 10 or 12# test floro line with the swivel and then the leaders in 6 to 8# test. If you do the latter when you pre tie your leaders then tie a new swivel to the leaders.

+1
I have been using the swivel/braid/flouro combo for two years now. Have not needed to change my mainline yet. No easier knot to tie than a palomar to the swivel. Make the leader long enough for a couple of reties but not too long to cast with the swivel outside the rod tip.

[JT-Madera]

I've been using PowerPro braid in 10# and 3'ft of "new" Vanish 6-8# tied to a swivel for a very long time and premaking my leader.. if you use a leader longer than 2-3ft the swivel will hang in the eye of your rod and whip the eye off..fish don't look farther than 18 inches, so why tie a longer leader..
this is if you are fishing lakes, not the delta.
I use this setup for dropshot or jigs

JT

[Wolfeman]

+2
20 lbs Power Pro, with 10 lbs fluoro.
I put a red bead above the barrel swivel to remind me not to reel the swivel up against the rod tip.
I use the cheap #2 size splitshots. Gets the rig to the bottom quickly. And it doesn't cost .80 when you break off.
Great for Clearlake.
- Wolfeman

[acm95301]

I've been using PowerPro braid in 10# and 3'ft of "new" Vanish 6-8# tied to a swivel for a very long time and premaking my leader.. if you use a leader longer than 2-3ft the swivel will hang in the eye of your rod and whip the eye off..fish don't look farther than 18 inches, so why tie a longer leader..
this is if you are fishing lakes, not the delta.
I use this setup for dropshot or jigs

JT

Why do you think fish don't look beyond 18"?
Studies show they can see 8x longer than we can in water. Now whether capability to see and decening our presentation is food or trap ..who knows.

[JT-Madera]

I guess because I've been fishing for them since I was 10 years old and now I'm 64...............................................
You ever fished bedded bass in any valley lake where you can see down 20 feet...........
I've thrown 20# braid on them in 18" of water and they still hit...
I believe they are only interested in food not what line you are using.. Years ago I was setting on a school of fish in 10-15 feet of clear water.. I started using 10# Gamma and vanish then tried the same school of fish with 5#.. I caught the same number of fish..
I use braid because of the sensitivity it gives me over floro..
When you use a leader longer than 36" you are wasting line.. when you break off a leader and think you have not affected the rest of the leader you are using, you are fooling yourself..that line you are using will someday cost you the fish of a lifetime because you were to cheap to retie.. so keep using two rod lengths of leader..just be honest enough to write a little note on here when it costs you that fish you needed to finish out your limit because it broke..
you only need leader close to the bait, not six feet up..
best of luck to you


JT

[Phil]

I guess because I've been fishing for them since I was 10 years old and now I'm 64...............................................
You ever fished bedded bass in any valley lake where you can see down 20 feet...........
I've thrown 20# braid on them in 18" of water and they still hit...
I believe they are only interested in food not what line you are using.. Years ago I was setting on a school of fish in 10-15 feet of clear water.. I started using 10# Gamma and vanish then tried the same school of fish with 5#.. I caught the same number of fish..
I use braid because of the sensitivity it gives me over floro..
When you use a leader longer than 36" you are wasting line.. when you break off a leader and think you have not affected the rest of the leader you are using, you are fooling yourself..that line you are using will someday cost you the fish of a lifetime because you were to cheap to retie.. so keep using two rod lengths of leader..just be honest enough to write a little note on here when it costs you that fish you needed to finish out your limit because it broke..
you only need leader close to the bait, not six feet up..
best of luck to you


JT

If line does not matter, then why not use straight braid in 10 lb. ?

[mark poulson]

JT,
I started using a leader with braid for my topwaters, because braid used to foul the hooks a lot on a walking bait. The leader I used for that was mono.
I use fluoro with braid for drop shot because of the line twist issue.
I retie often, because I think there's a lot of strain on the hook knot when you fight a fish, especially with light line.
Plus, I fish rocky lakes, and the first two or three feet of line can get frayed really quickly.
I agree that braid, on a taught line, is amazingly sensitive, and I use it straight for blades, chatterbaits, and frogs.
But I use straight fluoro for jigs and worms, and I think it actually transmits a tick on a slack line better than either braid or mono.

[JT-Madera]

If line does not matter, then why not use straight braid in 10 lb. ?

well Phil some times I do use straight braid, you of all people on this forum know NOTHING is written in stone.. you are older than dirt yourself.. I was attempting to help the people on here not cut them down, just offer advice..I guess it is how you take that advice. and whether you like the particular person offering the advice or not... I have little tricks that I don't even share with my wife, you know that.. because everytime we go to CL she beats my butt..from the back of our boat.. if people use long leaders and they are fishing against me in a tournament..GREAT I hope they do, maybe that once in a lifetime fish will be the one they lose in the tournament because they didn't retie..and I win.. I learned from several guys who fish the delta everyday, who I respect, to always throw a rattletrap on braid, I never did that before a few years ago. we all can learn if we open our minds to different ideas,,,even if we don't like the offeree..

JT

[Jim Moulton]

JT
Thank you for your post your tips are appreciated. We all can learn from one another if we open our minds up. I myself have learned invaluable information from folks just like you. Jim

[Mitch]

I've been using this set up for a good many years, QUIETLY. I started doing it long ago for the Delta to fish in the tules and matts, and then on to lakes because of the increased feel. It definatly cuts down on line twist. I use a uni-uni knot and a rod length leader for lakes and a 3-4 foot leader in the delta and ClearLake. It by far has out performed my greatest expectation. JT may be correct in his 18" Bass's view, but I tend to think it to be slightly greater, it does depend on the type of bait being used too. JMHO !!! Whaterver you believe, this setup is what works for me. You may want to try it and form your own opinion. I use a Gloomis 782, Shamano Sustain, 20# Power Pro and 8-10# Yosuri Floro (12# for the Delta and Clearlake.

[2ndsuks]

fish don't look farther than 18 inches,
JT

Please explain JT.

Are you are saying that bass do not look farther than 18" past your bait or 18" in general?

[JT-Madera]

What I'm saying is that in "my experence" I don't believe that "feeding" bass see anything else around what they intend to eat(your bait) they become fixed on the kill..their eyesight range becomes limited to an area of 18" to 36" and not much else.
I have had my boat sitting right on top of "feeding" fish and they completely ignored it. If you are shaking a bait at any depth they become fixed on it, not the braided line above it. It is just something "I" have observed.. YES I have seen them become spooked by shadows, boats, misscasted baits just like eveyone else. But in fishing very clear water with a DS rig at any depth where I can see the fish "Take" the bait, they were not interested in my boat or the braided line..

this is "MY" observation when Dropshotting.....which is what this discussion was about..

JT

[JT-Madera]

Something for you to understand..............I am retired and have a lot of time on my hands to experiment on various things.. I fish lakes like the "Dead Sea" Millerton Lake for spotted bass in the summer when it is not unusual to have twenty feet of clarity.. On several occasions I watched spots hit my bait, I started shortening my leader and it made no difference, they kept eating.. I did this because a old friend of mine had told me he had done the same thing and it worked for him.. He pre made his leaders and they were only 18-20" long and he caught as many fish as I did..and I was using leaders as long as my rod was tall, which was a 7 ft G Loomis. since I didn't cast my DS rig, I just pitched it..now I use 30-36" leaders, pre made and I keep them in ziplock bags..
This is just a suggestion..you can use the info or forget it..it works for me..

JT

[acm95301]

On this post and some others lately we've talked about drop shotting, and some anglers are using either larger than 6lb main line like the last post was using #20 main line or even larger 8,10,12 lb leaders....

What do you guys think about the sucess rates of larger lines...Do you feel the bite better with a larger line? I seem to remember a post refering to an article by cooch esposing the use of larger lines.

[mark poulson]

Personally, I've found that lighter braid casts better on spinning gear, and longer on a baitcaster.
I use 15lb braid on both my topwater rod, with a 17lb mono leader to prevent foul hooking walking baits, and on my drop shot rod with 4-6lb fluoro leaders.
I also use 30lb braid as a main line on my C rigs. It casts well, and has no stretch, which is a big help in hooksets at distance.

[Mitch]

[quote="acm95301"]On this post and some others lately we've talked about drop shotting, and some anglers are using either larger than 6lb main line like the last post was using #20 main line or even larger 8,10,12 lb leaders....



One of the reasons to use florocarbon is the ability to go to a larger weight of line due to the invisability. My team partner would use 6# Maxima without braid and I would use 8# floro with braid. We would catch about the same. Again, it boils down to personal preferance and what you feel comfortable with. Some guys go as small as 4# test..............HA, I can't even get a knot to hold in that light a line..........LOL

[mark poulson]

Mitch said, "Some guys go as small as 4# test..............HA, I can't even get a knot to hold in that light a line..........LOL"

Since braid has no stretch, that's another reason to use a longer leader with light line, since fluoro, especially in lighter weights, does stretch a little. So it acts like a shock absorber, close to the boat. And if I use a leader that's 2 rod lengths long, I have the spice knot already on the reel, most of the time, when I'm landing a fish.
I use braid for drop shot strictly for cutting down on line twist, not for the no stretch.
I don't seem to get as much line twist when I'm split shotting, so I use straight fluoro.