Hey fellas,
Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!
I need some advice on throwing a top water on braid. Are y’all tying straight to the main line or using a fluro/mono leader?? I’ve found that fishing lures tied straight to braid causes the lure to get tangled in the braid much easier than if it is fished on fluro or mono. My question is if using a leader do u use a swivel or a knot that ties braid straight to fluro? Leader lengths… Etc
I plan on going in the morning so any help would be great.
I always use an albright know when tying braid to mono or flouro. Easy to tie and I have not had one fail.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
For top water I personally prefer mono it floats better than braid. And the little bit of stretch will help keep you from jerkin’ the bait out of their mouth. Come to think of I prefer mono for everything. Just me though. Also, if you’re new to top water, you need to keep the slack reeled up so the bait can’t flip back on the line. Specially with “walk the dog” type baits.
Thanks guys! I’m going to Google that knot right now!!
@Dparker the last time I fished top water I used a longggg leader but it had a swivel on it and between that and the wind I wasn’t doing much “walking of the dog” lol. I typically fish mono leaders as well BC I just can’t see spending the money on fluorocarbon to fish here in Charleston… Maybe in the winter when the water clears up a little…?
I use 25 lb braid to a 20 or 25 lb flouro leader. Works good for me.
Redfish Baron Extraordinaire
23sailfish, I just bought some seaguar red label fluoro from walwart. Not near as expensive as the fancy stuff, and u get a whole heck of a lot more line too! Its 20lb and it seems to have the same diameter as my 12lb mono
Use a short piece of stiff, heavy mono for topwater. I like about 6-8" of 40-50 lb hard mono leader material. Like someone else said, fluoro sinks, and that can cause the nose to tip down a bit. Much easier to walk a bait consistently with mono. Sure you can use fluoro, but mono is better for this application. The heavier, stiffer leader stays straight and prevents tangles with the trebles. The short length keeps it out of your rod guides for long casts. If fish are chewing topwater, a little bit of heavy mono will not spook them. Try a uni-to-uni knot with the braid doubled over for connecting your braid to the heavy mono leader.
quote:
Originally posted by youngin123sailfish, I just bought some seaguar red label fluoro from walwart. Not near as expensive as the fancy stuff, and u get a whole heck of a lot more line too! Its 20lb and it seems to have the same diameter as my 12lb mono
This isn’t the best leader material. Yes, it’s fluoro, but it’s line, not leader - much softer and not nearly as abrasion resistant and tough as leader material. The harder leader material holds up much better. The thinner diameter isn’t necessarily a good thing as its probably only about as abrasion resistant as 12 lb. You can use it and you’ll probably beok, but over time, I think you’ll find that fluoro leader works much better for that purpose than fluoro line.
I wouldn’t use flourocarbon as a leader for topwater. I personally don’t use any leader for topwater, just straight braid (and have never had any issues with the bait getting tangled in the braided line). Flourocarbon is more dense than water which causes it to sink. This will adversly affect the action of the topwater bait. If you feel as though you have to use a leader, I’d use mono as it is less dense than water and will sink less. I say “less” because mono is more porous than flouro and will eventually absorb water and begin to sink. Let it set for a half hour or so and it will be good to go.
The stretch of mono has nothing to do with having the necessary slack in your line to “walk the dog.” That all depends on technique. If done correctly, you can walk the dog just as easy with braid as you can mono. The stretch in mono mainly comes into play when fighting a fish, acting like a shock absorber. Also, being able to know when to set the hook on a topwater explosion has more to do with a successful hook up than what type of line you use. Yes, braid has far less stretch than mono or flouro, but you’re not generating enough force while working the bait to stetch your mono to the point it gives the fish more time to get the bait in its mouth. Reaction time is reaction time, regardless of line stretch. The “flex” or action of your rod will have a greater impact on this than which type of line you use. I use a 7’ medium-light action for my topwater baits. The softer tip reacts slowers than a “faster” or stiffer tipped rod, again, increasing my hook ups. Bottom line, wait until you feel the fish before setting the hook and your hook up ratio will sky rocket.
I typically use Power Pro 8/30 braid but I’m trying out some 20lb Sunline SX1 braid. It’s not “coated” like original Power Pro and seems to get less wind knots.
Hope some of this rambling helped.
Earn it everyday…
I really appreciate all the good info guys! Thank you for your input, I knew before buying the red label fluoro that it wasn’t “leader material” but I figured having something was better than not.
@archer it really surprised me to hear you say that your baits don’t get tangled up in the braid… if I tie straight to braid it ends up in the split rings, around the hooks, anything and everything possible…
I only managed one small trout the morning I fished, but have bass fished my whole life so Ive gotten pretty good about not setting the hook to soon… the first bite of the morning always gets me though!! Lol
I’m still waiting for that one morning where everything comes together and I can really get into a hot topwater bite… a boat without a trolling motor limits me somewhat on that, as well as inexperience but I’m not giving up on it just yet!
Check your knot on the line tie. Sometimes the knot slips towards the bottom of the line tie (closer to the “belly” of the bait). When this happens, I simply slide the knot back up to the top of the line tie. If the bait has a split ring for a line tie, try removing it. Experiment with different knots. Granted, I always use a palomar knot (could never quite master the loop knot).
You know what they say…if at first you don’t succeed…keep on suckin’ 'til you do suck seed. Lol!! Keep after it and you’ll find the mix that works for you.
Earn it everyday…