Tips For The Veteran Hunter

Posted on August 25, 2017 by HavalonKnives

By Ron Spomer

You can always tell a veteran deer hunter —
you just can’t tell him much!

A single deer in an open field

“No self-respecting buck will be out in that open field at this time of day!” Oops! Never assume you know it all. (Photo: Ron Spomer)

We old timers who’ve been around the buck a time or two certainly know more than most young whipper snappers, but that superior experience sometimes comes back to bite us. Here are five big mistakes any deer hunter can make — even with many decades of experience under his belt.

1. We know it all. Except we don’t.

There’s always something new to learn about our quarry, our gear, our tactics and ourselves. Don’t make this mistake of thinking only “inside the box.” Keep an open mind. Research. Investigate. Try new things and be willing to learn.

Because some folks did this we now know that bucks are NOT spooked by human urine. That they do not stick to a tight core area throughout the fall rut period. That the oldest bucks do not always turn nocturnal and that the biggest buck in the area does not breed the greatest number of does. Know-it-all veterans (like me) have been shown that the right 75-grain .224 bullet will drift less in the wind than the wrong 150-grain .308 bullet and that a 95-grain 243 Winchester hits with more energy at 100 yards than a 170-grain .30-30.

A deer hunter scouting in a treestand

“This stand always produces!” Well, it used to. Don’t be afraid to move and find new and better hunting areas. (Photo: Ron Spomer)

2. We get stuck in a rut.

Hunting the rut is good. Being stuck in one is bad. The older and more experienced we get, the more likely we’ll fall into doing the same old same old. Just because that hot stand in the corner of the field produced five good bucks five years in a row ten years ago doesn’t mean it will do it again. Habitats change, hunting pressure changes, deer change. We must change.

Wake up and pay attention. Where are the best feeding sites? The safest bedding areas? The most secure travel lanes? Where has hunting pressure increased and where has it decreased? Figure it out and be ready to shift, move and change tactics. The good old days probably were good, but if they no longer are, admit it and set about creating the good NEW days.

3. We get lazy with gun handling.

This is an all too common but deadly mistake. Those of us who have handled, manipulated, cleaned, repaired and used “Old Death Wind” for two decades or more can get a bit sloppy about it. We forget to check the bore for obstructions after the off season. We get to reminiscing on the hike out of the woods and forget to unload the magazine. We grab an old box of ammo and load up without checking the head stamps. We start pushing down fence wires with the butt stock when crossing.

Yikes! The list of unsafe gun handling mistakes is a long and deadly one. Make a vow to stay on your toes when handling firearms. If you have to get stuck in a rut, the safe gun handling rut is the one to be stuck in.

4. We assume too much.

“No respectable buck is going to be out in that open field at this time of day.” So you drive over the rise and there he is — or was — courting a doe within easy rifle shot. If only you’d sneaked over instead! It’s smart to use what we’ve learned about whitetails over the years.

Being sure of what you know saves time and energy and often leads to success. But it can just as often lead to regrets. Instead of saying “always” and “never,” think “usually” and “rarely.” Then be prepared to take advantage of those exceptions.

A veteran hunter with two young hunters in training

“I don’t want competition from kids stumbling through my hunting grounds!” Hey – new recruits are our only chance for perpetuating both hunting and the game we hunt. Welcome them, train them. (Photo: Ron Spomer)

5. We discount new hunters.

Old friends are a comfort, but they could spell the end of hunting. Once they pass, who takes over? Who fights the fight we’ve fought for wildlife and hunting? Our increasingly urbanized, overcrowded world is drifting away from hunting and wildlife interactions. If we old timers go to our graves with our secrets and our passions, our grandkids will lose not only their right to hunt, but the wildlife they want to hunt. Even wildlife watching opportunities will diminish.

Hunters rebuilt wildlife habitat and restored wildlife species across North America following the exploitation era of the 19th century. Our interests, political pressure and dollars have made and funded the incredible 20th century resurgence in whitetails, turkeys, elk, geese, wood ducks, bears, mountain lions, wolves, beavers, otters and more. Without hunters as watchdogs, the forces of urbanization would bulldoze wildlife and wild places off the map while young people seek solace in digital toys.

So leave your comfort zone, break your habits and spread the good news. Bring new hunters of all ages into your orbit. Show kids the joys of the outdoor life. Feed ’em jerky. Pass on your hunting heritage or it will disappear along with the animals that inspired it. That will be the biggest mistake of all.

About Ron Spomer:

Blog Author, Ron Spomer.

Ron Spomer is rifles columnist for Sporting Classics, field editor for American Hunter, travel columnist for Sports Afield and contributor to Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever and numerous other magazines and websites. He’s host of “Winchester World of Whitetail” on Outdoor Channel and dozens of informative videos on his own YouTube channel. Learn more at www.ronspomeroutdoors.com.

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A Guide’s Advice for Life-Long Fishing Success

Posted on July 17, 2017 by HavalonKnives

By William Clunie

7 strategies that guarantee life-long fishing success.

When I first started guiding fly-fishing clients I thought I would be the one doing the teaching. After twelve years of guiding on the Androscoggin River in western Maine, I find that the experience has been one big fly fishing lesson for me, the guide.

bill cope with big smallmouth bass 336x392

Pennsylvania angler Bill Cope with a big smallmouth bass from Maine’s Androscoggin River.
(Photo by WIlliam Clunie)

Some anglers I’ve guided were new to the sport and needed instruction, but most had fished exotic places around the world and brought all that experience with them. The only real instruction I gave these expert anglers was where to catch the fish and, maybe, how to fish a certain piece of water. They taught me these seven critical lessons.

1. Fly Fishing Requires Flexibility
The number-one thing that impresses me about knowledgeable anglers is an ability to be flexible. Like the swirling current, they are able to go with the flow and easily make changes where necessary. Their ability to constantly maintain an open mind to new ideas allows them to key in on fishing techniques that work in a variety of situations.

One well-traveled fellow, Pennsylvania angler Bill Cope, exemplified this flexible attitude to the extreme. After successfully fishing with me for one year Cope assumed the following year would be the same. After a few hours of failed angling using my tried-and-true method for catching huge smallmouth bass on top-water flies, Cope politely acknowledged my guiding abilities, but realized some changes were in order.

fly tying class at llbean 336x448

Taking a fly tying class, like this one at L. L. Bean in Freeport, Maine, gives anglers a certain edge for success. (Photo by WIlliam Clunie)

The veteran angler pulled a trick from his extensive bag of angling deceptions. He started switching flies at a rapid rate. He’d try one fly for a few casts and then snip that one off to tie on another until one streamer started working and he began hooking big fish. The only difference in the one fly that worked was a little bit of copper-colored flash added to the tail. By thinking outside the box, Cope started hauling in one fish after another.

Experienced anglers don’t get to this amazing level of angling by chance – just like a successful pro athlete, they practice with extreme intensity.

2. Push Your Fly Fishing Skills
New fly-rod enthusiasts must constantly push their skill levels. Even experienced anglers understand that when their fishing ability settles in at a level of comfort, there is still room for improvement.

fly casting class at llbean 448x336

Another class at L. L. Bean in Freeport, Maine – this time it’s how to cast a fly rod. (Photo by WIlliam Clunie)

3. Improve Your Cast
Casting lessons improve even the most experienced fly fisher. Each instructor views your technique from a different perspective and can tweak your individual rod-handling traits to enable you to get the most out of your angling experience.

4. Know Aquatic Life
Seminars on aquatic life also enlarge a fly angler’s ability to reach higher performance levels. The more you know about the foods fish consume, the better prepared you are to adapt your offerings to the environment the fish live in.

5. Fine-Tune Your Fly-Tying Ability
Taking classes on tying flies enlarges the knowledge base of anglers at all levels. It may be easier to purchase expertly tied flies, but tying your own pushes an angler up the learning curve. Full attention to every detail of every fly not only satisfies a creative urge, it also gives an angler a better understanding of how fish see and think.

clunie, kreh and montgomery on androscoggin river 448x336

Author William Clunie (center) with noted fly fishing instructor, Lefty Kreh (left) and his friend, King Montgomery (right), floating the Androscoggin River in Maine. (Photo by WIlliam Clunie)

6. Look at Other Anglers as Teachers
Join a local fly-fishing club and have some fun exchanging techniques with like-minded fishing enthusiasts. Veteran anglers understand that fly fishing is an endless learning process. The best fly rodders around embrace the fact that they’ll never learn it all, and that being a willing student is the key to achieving a higher level of success on the water.

7. Relax…
Fishing Should be Fun
Finally, even the most polished fly caster understands that sometimes fish just don’t cooperate. Throwing everything you know at them and coming up short is part of the game. Study hard, practice with intensity, but fish with a relaxed and open mind. After all, fishing should be fun and not some kind of driving, competitive angst. Catching the big one is a worthy goal, but learning that a fishless day can be satisfying assures lifelong angling pleasure.

***

william clunie 336x352About William Clunie

A registered Maine master guide, outdoor writer, and nature photographer, author William Clunie is “living the dream” in the rugged mountains of Western Maine. He can be reached at: william.clunie@gmail.com.

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Lucky Lures for Summer Bass Fishing

Posted on May 23, 2017 by HavalonKnives

By Darl Black

The simple secrets of catching bass
in water 10 feet deep or less!

Fishing lures for summer bass

Seven lucky lures for summer largemouth and smallmouth bass. (Photo: Darl Black)

Summertime and bass fishing is easy — or so we like to imagine!

In part, it may seem that fishing is easy because once the spawn is over and water temps climb into the 70s, bass spread out to various cover and various depths. On any given day, you may find some bass shallow, some deep and some suspended in between.

Bass that are relatively shallow will always be easier to catch than bass which are holding tight to deep structure or suspended in the water column. So if you’re an angler who just wants to have fun, concentrate your efforts in water 10 feet or less.

A summer smallmouth bass

Summer smallmouth bass taken on prop bait. (Photo: Darl Black)

Shallow water is comprised of a cornucopia of different cover elements, including weeds, wood, rocky gravel bars, riprap and docks. So, I’ve carefully selected seven lucky lures for summer bass that will help you navigate the shallow water maze.

These baits aren’t lucky in any mystical sense, but they are:

1. Extremely effective. They work for all summer bass, both largemouth and smallmouth.

2. Almost foolproof. Presentation is straightforward — no complicated rod gyrations or difficult-to-master retrieves.

Anglers using lures for summertime bass fishing

Summertime and the bass fishing is easy! Especially if you are using the correct lure! (Photo: Darl Black)

All seven baits can be fished on spinning tackle by anglers who have not mastered the free-spool casting reel. In order to be successful with all seven, you should have a spinning outfit to match up properly with each lure. You’ll need at least two different ones: first, a medium power, moderately fast tip rod with two line spools — one spool of 10 pound test copolymer (monofilament) and one spool of 8-pound fluorocarbon. The second rod should be medium-heavy power fast tip and 15-pound braid. With that, you’re ready for my “lucky seven summer baits” for shallow water situations.

1. Topwater Prop Bait: Fishermen are enthralled when bass bust surface baits. But topwater baits such as dog-walking baits and chuggers require special rod manipulations to ensure the lure works properly. On the other hand, the prop (short for propeller) bait is simple to work, yet very effective for bass cruising the shallows or chasing baitfish schools near the surface in open water. With a prop bait you can employ a steady retrieve or a sweep-pause. My favorite is the Cordell Crazy Shad. It fishes well on spinning gear with 10-pound test copolymer line (monofilament). Do not use sinking fluorocarbon.

2. Frog: When faced with floating pad-style vegetation or matted surface weeds, call on a hollow belly frog! A slow steady retrieve glides the frog lure across the surface of the thick stuff, creating a slight disturbance ripple — a dinner bell for bass living below the mat. Several lure manufacturers offer frogs; most feature heavy duty hooks which require super-stiff casting tackle. However, Booyah offers the Pad Crasher Jr., which is the perfect size for spinning tackle. But even this junior frog should be fished on braided line on a medium-heavy power spinning rod.

A fishing lure on a lily pad

Hollow Body Frog on a pad. (Photo: Darl Black)

3. Square Bill Crankbait: A square-bill crankbait is a bit like a bulldozer — bumping, banging, grinding and weaving its way through shallow water areas where weed growth is minimal. Whether the predator believes this bait is a bluegill, shad or crayfish, it doesn’t matter. The square bill gets the job done by triggering strikes from active and inactive bass. For spinning gear, use one of the smaller model square bills on 10-pound test copolymer line.

Largemouth bass caught during summer

Largemouth taken on Square Bill Crankbait. (Photo: Darl Black)

4. Hinged Jig: Some anglers may wonder about this term. A “hinged jig” (or pivoting swing head) is a foot-shaped leadhead with an attached free-swinging worm hook. Since the hook is not molded into the head, the soft plastic bait on the worm hook has a wide range of motion. What a square bill crank does free-swimming in skinny water, dragging a hinged jig with soft plastic creature attached will do in slightly deeper water on gravel points and along hard bottom edges outside a deep weedline. Gene Larew’s Biffle Hardhead was the first successful hinged jig. While the Hardhead is great on casting tackle, the extra stout hook does not perform well with spinning tackle. For a hinged-jig with a lighter wire hook, check out the Bombshell “Jiggy” Hook. Use a medium-heavy spinning rod with braided line, add a soft plastic creature of your choice to the hook and then retrieve steadily while maintaining bottom contact.

5. Soft Jerkbait: This is one of the most versatile baits of all times. Nose-hook a soft jerkbait on a #2 drop-shot hook or rig it Tex-posed on a 3/0 wide gap worm hook. You won’t find a wrong way to fish one — dart it with erratic rod snaps followed by a pause, sashay it across the surface or drift it with only an occasional twitch. The Lunker City Slug Go was the original, but today every soft plastic manufacturer has one of these in its line. Works best with braided line on the medium-heavy spinning rod.

6. Wacky Stick Worm: Wacky rigging simply means positioning the hook (small wide gap worm hook, drop shot hook or specialty wacky hook) in the center of a four- or five-inch soft plastic worm so both ends wiggle enticingly as it falls through the water column. I prefer a four- or five-inch Yum Dinger stick worm. For summer fishing, a wacky worm is primarily a drop-bait for targets such as dock posts, boat mooring buoys, submerged stumps, deep edge of weedlines, bridge pillars, etc. Works great when bass are in neutral feeding mood. A small bit of weight (1/32 to 3/32) in the form of split shot, pegged worm sinker, insert weight or specialty jighead should be used to actuate the butterfly action of the bait — especially when fishing in water deeper than three or four feet. Fished best on medium power rod with fluorocarbon line. Simply cast, let drop and wait for a hit.

An angler bass fishing in summer

Summer bassin’ fun! (Photo: Darl Black)

7. Drop-Shot Rig: When bass have lockjaw, it’s time to turn to the drop-shot technique. More so than any other lure presentation, drop-shotting teases reluctant bass into striking by repeatedly dancing the bait in front of the fish. Tie a #2 drop shot hook to the line with a Palomar knot, leaving a 15- to 20-inch tag dangling below the knot. To the tag line, clip on a drop-shot 1/4-ounce weight for up to 10 feet of water. Next, nose-hook a four-inch drop-shot bait such as Jackall Cross-Tail Shad or Lunker City Ribster. Make a relatively short cast, let the sinker find bottom and take up slack line. Make sure the sinker continually makes bottom contact, slowly drag the rig along until the sinker encounters resistance from an object on the bottom. Stop the forward retrieve and start shaking the rod tip lightly. Next lower the rod tip slightly so the soft plastic bait drifts toward the bottom. Then shake the tip again as you take up slack and continue dragging until another bottom obstacle is encountered. Then repeat. It’s a slow, methodical process, but if bass are turned off, drop-shotting may be the best approach to draw a bite.

Go fish!

About Darl Black:

Outdoor writer Darl BlackDarl Black is a lifelong freshwater angler and veteran writer/photographer. Darl tackles a wide variety of fishing related stories for print publications and websites. Of all fishing, angling for smallmouth bass is his favorite pastime. He may be reached for assignment at darlblack@windstream.net.

 

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Hot Spots For May Crappies

Posted on May 2, 2017 by HavalonKnives

By Keith Sutton

Where are all the May crappies? You’ll find
them with our expert’s advice!

Follow spring crappie patterns like looking around isolated stumps

Isolated stumps should rate high on every crappie angler’s list of prime May fishing hotspots. (Photo: Keith Sutton)

Flexibility — it’s the key to many things. Did you know it’s the key to fishing for spring crappies? If you’re willing to try different baits, various depths and an assortment of presentations, you’ll find May crappies. In other words, look for their patterns.

When it comes to spring crappie patterns, you may need to fish several locales with different cover and structure. Crappies are often nomadic this time of year — deep one day and shallow the next. The morning hours may find them in dense cover, and by afternoon, they’re chasing baitfish in open water. Understanding their habits can lead to success, but only for the angler who is willing to move until he finds fish.

Here are eight areas that rank high on the list of May crappie cover.

1. Flooded willows

When fishing big rivers and their backwaters, you’ll often find crappies holding around inundated willow trees. Drift by in your boat and fish the outermost willows first. Then pull your craft into the interior and work other portions of the willow stand. Sometimes, on natural lakes where overflows raise the water level, you’ll find long rows of flooded willows. Don’t miss these high traffic areas.

2. Isolated stumps

You’ll rarely go wrong working a jig or minnow around stumps or other structure isolated from other cover. If you find an area with lots of widely scattered stumps, all the better. Quietly use a paddle or your trolling motor to move from one stump to another, fishing each thoroughly on all sides. On sunny days, target the shady side first.

3. Humps

Crappies like underwater humps, which provide quick routes from deep water to shallow water as conditions change. The best are 5 to 20 feet from the surface and have substantial deep water around them, such as a creek channel running alongside. Humps with timber, brush, rocks or other cover are also productive. Watch your fishfinder for humps as you scout from your boat. When you find one, narrow your fishing area to choice zones — points, pockets, rock beds, timbered or brushy areas, etc. — then mark them with buoys so you can fish with ease. Spinners such as the Blakemore Road Runner work great here.

Sonar units and other electronic tools can help you catch spring crappies

Studying a sonar unit and bottom contour map unit can help you pinpoint places where May crappies are likely to be. (Photo: Keith Sutton)

4. Ledges and channel breaks

Crappie anglers should also watch their sonar for subtle ledges and channel breaks on lake bottoms. Steep drops aren’t as attractive to crappies, but they often congregate along shallow ditches, cuts, ledges and gullies near bankside bluffs or close to coves. These structures are especially productive when near weed beds, timber stands or other crappie cover. If you’re looking for the big ones, pushing crankbaits or minnow-baited bobber rigs in front of your boat is a good way to nab slabs here.

5. Points

Like humps, points also serve as pathways for fish moving between shallow and deep water. By working a point methodically from near-shore to offshore, you can determine the day’s depth pattern and use it to help locate crappies on other points. Work a jig, minnow, crankbait or spinner around all visible cover and structure — stumps, fallen and standing timber, rocks and man-made brushpiles are all places where fish gather. If you catch crappies around features at the point’s upper end, then concentrate on similar shallow features when you move to other areas. If you find crappies are favoring deeper areas, continue fishing deep-water structure until you notice a pattern shift.

6. Thicket structures

In waters where edges of good crappie cover get pounded by scores of anglers, the biggest crappies often move into thickets to avoid the ruckus. For example, if a lake has acres of button willows, fat slabs abandon easily-reached edges. That’s when an angler must pull his boat into a thicket and fish interior structures such as logs, stumps or creek channel edges. A jig or minnow dropped beside one of these will nearly always entice slabs.

7. Man-made fish attractors

Fisheries agencies often construct fish cover by sinking reefs of trees and brush in waters where lack of cover limits crappie production. Buoys often mark the locations of these man-made attractors. Others are marked on maps and can be pinpointed using sonar. All such shelters are likely to harbor crappie concentrations year-round.

8. Threadfin shad schools

Big crappies often follow threadfin shad schools and gorge themselves on these baitfish. Look for schools in shallow water near dawn and dusk. You may see them disturbing the surface as crappies chase them. On a fishfinder, a school of threadfins usually appears as a compact band of pixels one to several feet thick. Crappies will appear as scattered individuals around or beneath the shad, seldom more than half a dozen or so together. When you see signs of schools, drop tandem-rigged jigs beside your boat at the same depth as the fish and work them with a slow lift-drop action.

Spring crappie fishing involves patterning and noticing different habits this time of year

Big crappies following schools of threadfin shad are suckers for properly worked jigs. (Photo: Keith Sutton)

Many fishermen complain that crappies are unpredictable in May, but the one thing you can predict is that you’ll find the cover. And if you methodically search these eight areas, you’ll find spring crappies.

About Keith Sutton:

Keith Sutton headshotKeith Sutton is the author of “The Crappie Fishing Handbook,” a 198-page, full-color book full of crappie-fishing tips for beginners and experts alike. To order an autographed copy, send a check or money order for $29.45 to C&C Outdoor Productions, 15601 Mountain Drive, Alexander, AR 72002. For credit card and PayPal orders, visit www.catfishsutton.com.

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Tips For Choosing The Correct Fishing Line

Posted on March 30, 2017 by HavalonKnives

By Darl Black

Simplify your fishing line decision….
monofilament, fluorocarbon or braid?

spools being mounted on line winding machine 448x299

Empty spools being mounted on a commercial
line-winding machine.

You’ve likely heard the expression “during simpler times,” referring to an earlier period when life was less complicated and we had fewer choices. Well, fishing line choice certainly was simpler in the 1960s and 1970s when nylon monofilament was the only type of line seriously considered by anglers. Today, in addition to nylon monofilament, two entirely new line materials have come into play: fluorocarbon and braided/fused superline.

Dale Black*, president of Black Knight Industries of Oil City, Pennsylvania, is an entrepreneur in today’s fishing line market. Black Knight Industries owns Gamma Fishing Line, offering all three products: copolymer monofilament, fluorocarbon and braid (i.e. superline). Having knowledge about all three types of line, Dale’s expertise will help you figure out today’s line puzzle.

Unlocking the Puzzle

nylon filamament recommended for topwater baits 448x299

For most topwater baits, nylon monofilament line
is recommended.

“These unique line products enable anglers to address lure presentations better than ever before,” says Black. “Although all are fishing line, each product is made from different material with particular properties. Anglers need to understand the pros and cons of each material in order to make an informed decision.”

The original monofilament everyone is familiar with, is an extruded nylon product. Dale is quick to point out that today’s copolymer line is simply a “kissing cousin” to nylon monofilament. Copolymer line is a formulation of multiple resins to create a new and improved nylon line, with a slicker finish, slightly more abrasion resistance, and a little less memory.

fast sinking fluourocarbon preferred for bottom pumping baits 299x448

For bottom bumping baits, fast-sinking fluorocarbon is preferred by most anglers.

While technically a single strand line, fluorocarbon is made from polyvinylidene fluoride rather than nylon resins. Developed during the 1970s in Japan, fluorocarbon did not rise to prominence as a fishing line in the US until the 1990s.

Superlines are made of gel spun Dyneema® or Spectra® fibers, either braided or fused together creating a line that is far different from nylon-copolymer or fluorocarbon.

Black stresses no single type of line is satisfactory for all lure and live bait presentations. Here is his description of the pros and cons of the three types of line:

Superline – “The popularity of superline rests with very low stretch (about 3%), extremely supple for long casts, no memory, durability, sensitivity and an incredibly high break strength for its diameter. A superline testing 20 pounds has a diameter similar to that of 6 or 8 pound monofilament,” details Black. “The drawbacks are: highly visible in clear water, difficulty with wind knots and backlashes, and impossible to slingshot-loose from snags due to lack of elasticity in the line. Until recently, all superlines would float; however some manufacturers are now weaving the braid around a dense material thereby making it sink. The desirability of sinking or floating depends on the intended presentation.”

superline perfect for frog lures 299x448

Superline (braid) is the perfect line for fishing floating frog lures in vegetation.

Fluorocarbon – “Fluorocarbon, on the other hand, is very dense so it sinks quickly and is virtually invisible in water because its refractive index is close to that of water,” continues Black. “Fluorocarbon is more sensitive than nylon resin lines, but less sensitive than superlines. Many first time users of fluorocarbon encounter line management problems because fluorocarbon is stiffer than monofilament – if a spinning reel spool is filled too close to the lip, fluorocarbon will jump off creating line tangles.”

Nylon monofilament and copolymer – “Nylon monofilament and copolymer lines have the greatest amount of stretch and the least amount of sensitivity. But nylon line is regarded as “angler friendly” compared to the handling properties of fluorocarbon and superline. Nylon based lines sink slowly compared to quick-sink fluorocarbon. The elasticity of nylon monofilament and copolymer lines can be viewed as negative or positive depending on the intended use. If you are employing a crankbait, you may desire that delay in a hookset with nylon line, to allow a fish to take the bait better.”

Ya Got to Know When To Use ‘Em

“In certain presentations there is a clear choice as to which fishing line to use. In other situations, it may not be as clear,” says Black. “To compensate for the high visibility of a superline, the trend is to tie a monofilament or fluorocarbon leader of three to six feet on the end of the superline,  and attaching the bait to the leader.”

To make your choice easy, here’s a handy reference chart linking types of presentation with the type of line that will be effective:

Presentation Suggested Line
Most Topwater Baits Monofilament/copolymer, or fine diameter superline with leader.
Weedless Frog Baits Superlines float and slice through vegetation when fish is hooked; vegetation camouflages the highly visible superline. No leader.
Buzzbaits Superlines enable long cast with no-stretch power when setting hooks; no leader used.
Flipping/pitching Flexibility in choice; some anglers like copolymer or fluorocarbon when flipping wood cover, but prefer a superline without leader for fishing strictly vegetation.
Drop-shot, jigs, worms For lure presentations which involve bottom-bumping, slack-line presentations, fluorocarbon is the hands down favorite because the line sinks quickly and is sensitive. But there is a trend to using a sinking superline with fluorocarbon leader in many of these presentations; getting unsnagged is a problem due to lack of stretch in superlines.
Dead-drift soft plastic Superline with monofilament or fluorocarbon leader.
Crankbaits/spinnerbaits Because successful hook-ups with constant tension motion baits require some delay in the hookset, the stretch of monofilament/copolymer is a big advantage.
Suspending jerkbait Copolymer, or superline with leader.
Live bait Personal choice based on the cover or depth you are fishing, keeping in mind that a fluorocarbon leader is invisible under water.

*The author, Darl Black, is not related to Dale Black of Black Knight Industries, and has nothing to gain from mentioning him in this article.

***

Darl Black

About Darl Black

A lifelong freshwater angler and veteran writer and photographer, Darl tackles a wide variety of fishing related stories for print publications and websites. Of all fishing, angling for smallmouth bass is his favorite pastime. He may be reached for assignment at darlblack@windstream.net.

For more great fishing articles by Darl Black,
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