last two days

[Champ188]

You let that dang walleye go right now, old man. That's a spawner. 😁 😆

[Mitch f]

18 hours ago, Gavin said:

Fish are stupid....Yellow braid is good because you can see it. Fish do not care.

 

Apparently not, something I’ve always tried to balance. Divers say you can see 6 pound fluoro no problem. At what point does braid become rejected by fish?

[Champ188]

Just now, Mitch f said:

Apparently not, something I’ve always tried to balance. Divers say you can see 6 pound fluoro no problem. At what point does braid become rejected by fish?

One of the greatest things about this forum is our ability to "agree to disagree" ... and most of the time with no flaming arrows launched. 

I was fishing buddies with one of the BASS originals, Ricky Green, during the 80s and he showed me one day just how many bites I was leaving behind on bluff walls during the summertime. I was fishing Trilene XT 8-pound mono (no fluoro back then) and he was also using XT but in 2-pound test. Same lures (1/8 shaky head worm), same everything ... but he caught a dozen fish behind me in an hour while I caught one. Blame it on the difference in abilities or whatever you want, but I'm forever convinced it was primarily the line. 

[m&m]

I understand the visibility of line diameter under water but can someone explain to me how the wire on an A-rig is invisible?

Mike

[Mitch f]

1 minute ago, m&m said:

I understand the visibility of line diameter under water but can someone explain to me how the wire on an A-rig is invisible?

Mike

My 2 cents...A-Rigs are more of  a moving reaction bite. Jigs give the fish more time to study and decide. 

[Jerry Rapp]

Mitch, I am pretty sure you knew Don Carrow(crock o gator founder)  He always used the yellow stren no matter where he fished.  He said it didn't matter.  He won plenty during his career. I still try to use as light as line as possible though.  Mental games.

[merc1997 Bo]

5 hours ago, Champ188 said:

One of the greatest things about this forum is our ability to "agree to disagree" ... and most of the time with no flaming arrows launched. 

I was fishing buddies with one of the BASS originals, Ricky Green, during the 80s and he showed me one day just how many bites I was leaving behind on bluff walls during the summertime. I was fishing Trilene XT 8-pound mono (no fluoro back then) and he was also using XT but in 2-pound test. Same lures (1/8 shaky head worm), same everything ... but he caught a dozen fish behind me in an hour while I caught one. Blame it on the difference in abilities or whatever you want, but I'm forever convinced it was primarily the line. 

one thing you did not factor in though champ, and that is the fact you never changed your weight to match his fall rate on the thinner line.  i believe he caught more because he sped up his sink rate with the thinner line.

here is a case in point.  we were fishing a tree way out in the lake during the day.  i was putting a whacking on them from the back of the boat.  i was using 14 lb. mono and a 5/16 sinker and a 8 " worm.  my buddy was using same setup but was using 20 lb. mono.  he asked me what sinker i was using, which i confirmed, but did not mention that i was using 14#.  about the 3rd 6 lber. he lipped for me, he discovered my line size.  he moved up to a 3/8 sinker to match my sink rate, and immediately went to whacking them with me.  so, it had nothing to do with line visibility, but everything to do with line drag.  

think it over for a bit, and it will begin to make sense.  ricky's setup was sinking way faster than your setup.  the right speed is always crucial in making a bass strike, or any game fish for that matter.

bo

[merc1997 Bo]

5 hours ago, Mitch f said:

My 2 cents...A-Rigs are more of  a moving reaction bite. Jigs give the fish more time to study and decide. 

mitch, there are many videos out with a camera attached to the a-rig, and they put to rest the whole reaction bite theory.  bass are filmed following an a-rig for quite some time before they finally commit to biting one of the baits.  bass follow crankbaits a long time also.  it is all about fishing the correct depth at the correct speed to trigger a bite.  as time goes along, those with the new live scope technology will learn, it is way more that just putting a lure in front of a fish.  if the fish are truly active, correct speed is not as much of a factor.  when they are neutral, which is most of the time while we are fishing, speed is much more critical to make a fish strike at out offering.

i keep reels in the boat with different line sizes for a reason.  fishing a jig on a really windy day will cause me in many instances to use a much smaller line to eliminate the wind drag on the line and to maintain the sink rate that is needed to trigger a bite.  many figure out that speed of retrieve is critical on a crankbait.  they speed up or slow down or stop and start until the right speed is found.  problem is, most do not use that same info for fishing things like a jig or worm or other soft plastics.  spoons can be included to.

line size is critical in speed variances.

 

bo

[Mitch f]

1 hour ago, merc1997 Bo said:

mitch, there are many videos out with a camera attached to the a-rig, and they put to rest the whole reaction bite theory.  bass are filmed following an a-rig for quite some time before they finally commit to biting one of the baits.  bass follow crankbaits a long time also.  it is all about fishing the correct depth at the correct speed to trigger a bite.  as time goes along, those with the new live scope technology will learn, it is way more that just putting a lure in front of a fish.  if the fish are truly active, correct speed is not as much of a factor.  when they are neutral, which is most of the time while we are fishing, speed is much more critical to make a fish strike at out offering.

i keep reels in the boat with different line sizes for a reason.  fishing a jig on a really windy day will cause me in many instances to use a much smaller line to eliminate the wind drag on the line and to maintain the sink rate that is needed to trigger a bite.  many figure out that speed of retrieve is critical on a crankbait.  they speed up or slow down or stop and start until the right speed is found.  problem is, most do not use that same info for fishing things like a jig or worm or other soft plastics.  spoons can be included to.

line size is critical in speed variances.

 

bo

How much does depth factor into the fishes ability to see braid… If you were in shallow and clear water, will those same fish bite the noodle rig with braided line?

[merc1997 Bo]

1 hour ago, Mitch f said:

How much does depth factor into the fishes ability to see braid… If you were in shallow and clear water, will those same fish bite the noodle rig with braided line?

i have caught a bunch of them.  even small mouth in the creek.  most creeks are pretty darn clear.  i've caught plenty of bass off the bed using braid.  here is another case in point.  i guided a feller from tx that was here to fish a b.a.s.s. tournament.  there was a nice 3 1/2 lb. k sitting on a bed.  he had on 4 lb. floro and messed with that bass for 20 minutes with various baits and never even go it to commit at all.  i had on 50# hi-vis yellow braid tied straight to a 1/4 oz. NuJig with a 4 in. tube.  i asked him to let me show him that the bass could be caught.  i put that tube in there and caught that bass right off.  so, there went the whole aspect that line shys a fish away.  it had everything to do with using the right lure and putting it in the right spot in the bed.  we fished jerk baits most of the day.  he used 8# floro, and i used hi-vis 15# braid tied straight to the lure.  i caught 5 or 6 to his everyone.  i just have never seen that a visual line was a detriment to catching or not catching a fish.  i have seen that a visual line is an aid to me in fishing and catching fish though.

 

bo