Hello everyone I’m kinda new to striper fishing about all I do is down line. I was told whenever I down line I should put out a free line to. Question is does a free line have any weight on it . Also if I’m using blue backs and Gizzards should I put the gizzards on the free line or down line or does it not matter. Thanks
mark29860,
Normally a freeline is weightless. Sometimes a splitshot (or two or three) is added to better control the bait and/or depth.
A particularly frisky or large bait can wrap itself around everything (i.e. other lines, anchor rope, motor foot) especially if in a really slow drift.
I would put the larger bait on the downline but either way would work.
Try fishing with a cork at anchor, and let it trail down current to keep from tangling other lines verie the depths of the bait with small split shot!
At some point the water will become too cold for the gizzard shad to live on your downline at depth but if the gizzard shad is able to stay alive, by all means put him down there… typically deep water downlining is better with herring… a bream can survive down deep pretty well or a white perch if you want to downline a bigger profile bait down deep. Typically you wont find gizzard shad much deeper than 20-25 ft…
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