Straight Fluro or Braid/Fluro leader for D.Shot/Tubes

[StarBoard7]

Hello all,

Just wondering what some of you prefer to use as far as line goes and why when dropshotting or drifting tubes on erie/st.clair?

Thanks

[fiker]

I used to use braid/fluoro on drop shotting.  I used a swivel between them for line twist.  Worked well until I had to retie in the wind and control the boat in the current at the same time. 
Now I just use 8# braid and it works just fine.  About half way through the season I have to respool because of line twist.  I do think that the braid combo is a little more sensitive that just fluoro.  Also, if you use the braid use a smaller diameter one.  Taking a 40# braid into the deep river channels will put a bow in your line.  The Walleye guys on the Detroit River use 5# braid to stay vertical. 

On tubes I use braid with a snap swivel.  I then use a fluoro leader to the tube.  I prerig several tubes with different weights.  I can then easily switch out the tubes by just unsnapping the swivel. 

[Rocknfish]

I started using #15 braid and a #8 flouro leader for my tubes/creature baits last year and really like the results so far.Seems that you can get a much farther cast and the sensitivity is greater than flouro...at least for me.Not to mention the no stretch on those long casts. I use an Albright knot to attach the leader and it does great.Caught my pb muskie(48") on that same setup this spring.Might want to upsize to #10 on Erie for that nasty bottom stuff...For dropshotting i use #8 Power Pro braid tied to an ant swivel then a #6 Berkley 100% flouro leader in most situations.
Good luck
Aaron

[Manxfishing]

Well
I'm not much of a tube guy
So I really can't say much about that. But as of now it's #10 Co-ploymer

DS'ing
I've run all fluro and braid with the fluro leader for 2 years now
With all fluro, even useing a line cond. the life span that i get out of the rig is very low
Sooner or later there's a ball of stuck together fluro and it's a 50/50 if i get a knot in it
Plus it's not cheap to re spool 6-8 times a year

The braid with the fluro leader. I've had a few problems with the knot's (uni to uni)
But making sure the knot is wet before clintching and running a looser drag as helped
Haven't broke off for a while now.
And the option with a swivel is out for the reason that I have micro giudes
With the braid you can cast father, it last a long time, and there's a better feel
On windy days I do think the all fluro has a better feel or it doesn't get blown around as much in the wind. But i can live with that

So, I'd say braid with a fluro leader is the clear winner
All fluro also works, but just plan to re spool allot

[FishermanJohn]

I use braid/fluoro for my dropshot.  I tie the fluoro leader directly to the braid with a double Uni knot.  I've never tried using the swivel, and I don't pre-tie my dropshot leaders (I tried - they always end up inevitably tangled!).  I use 10# Power Pro which has very little water resistance and 6 or 8# fluoro for my leader. 

For tubes/shakey heads/plastics I use straight fluoro for sensitivity and abrasion resistance.  Also, unlike dropshot where a short amount of line is straight below the boat, I find that since the fluoro sinks there is less bow in the line than with braid or braid/fluoro...to me, at least, I think it feels more sensitive.

[VinceR]

I use 10 lb Power Pro (2 lb. diameter, no leader) for both drop shotting and tubes. When rigging to drop shot, I wrap the line through the eye 4 or 5 times. I find that this helps to keep the hook straight. The last time I was on St Clair, I switched to straight 10 lb. XPS Floro. It performed very well, but I didn't feel that it offered any advantage over the Power Pro.

I prefer the braid over everything else when I'm fishing deep, or fishing in situations where I'm making longer casts (fishing with a lot of line out). With virtually no stretch, I get better hooksets with the braid. I also have a little more confidence in landing bigger fish.

It should be noted that in a "published" Braided Line Shootout, Power Pro 10 lb. test consistantly broke at 19 lbs. It's not legal for "Line Class Records", but I like the edge for fighting and landing the big ones. And, with a 2 lb. diameter, I don't find that spooking fish is an issue at all.

Most of my dropshotting is done with a 7'6" Medium Action Bass Pro Extreme spinning rod (occassionally, I use a 7'0" Medium Extreme).

[Dan]

I fish with straight fluoro and do the braid/fluoro as well. Once on St. Clair decided to see what would happen if he just used his braid without any leader for tubes. He did very well and saw little difference so, I wonder, but still think the refractibility issue with fluoro is worth the effort.

[Waterfoul]

Every spinning set up I own has braid with florocarbon leaders.   Poundages are different on every set up though...

[PIGSMALLIE]

Fluoro only....Just a confidence thing but works great for me

[Got Fish??]

 I guess I am old fashion. I like mono. Because, I like the stretch When I set the hook. I have pulled many lures out of the mouths of fish, using brad and floro.

[bigjc]

I am starting to like braid/swivel/flouro, otherwise I just stick with 8 or 10 pound co-poly.

[Waterfoul]

I guess I am old fashion. I like mono. Because, I like the stretch When I set the hook. I have pulled many lures out of the mouths of fish, using brad and floro.

And I've lost a lot of fish at the end of a longer cast because you can't get any hook set power down there to the fishes mouth, especially a big smallie.

I also avoid the swivel because I've wrecked a few tips reeling it thru by accident. 

[6 lb Smallmouth]

I use straight fluorocarbon but mainly because I don't want to tie another knot but I do believe that braid/fluoro is the better setup.  Uni, Albright, Seaguar- what do you guys use? 

Have any of you heard of that P-Line Knot Stop glue? 

http://www.p-line.com/product_detail.php?id=644

or

http://www.p-line.com/product_detail.php?id=637

If it was 100%, I'd try it. 

[Waterfoul]

I run Power Pro braid and P-line floro tied together with a 4 loop uni-uni knot and I've never had a fish break the knot... and I have a pretty solid hookset.  No glue, just a well tied knot that I try to take my time tying... if it's not right when I tie it, I start over till I'm sure it's right. 

You just don't want to use really thin braid (less than 15 lb) with your floro... you want the diameters to match as closely as possible or the thinner, very strong braid will simply cut thru the floro.  Learned that the hard way years ago. 

If you look thru my pictures, I'd say about 90% of the fish in those pictures was caught on the set up above since I use it on nearly every rod that requires some stealthy presention.

[bigjc]

I was reluctant to use a swivel for years, but I got sick of line twilst.  Particularly fishing deep water drop shot and tubes, the line twist becomes a huge problem, and it seems to be worse with flour.  Braid seems to be more forgiving of line twist, but the swivel eliminates it almost completely!

[peters_skeeter]

Last year I used 10# yellow power pro with Seaguar invizx 10# leader. Tied a double uni with a least a 4'-6' leader. This is the only way to go for me. Always wet the line before synching down and always pull the tag end. If you pull the other end, you have more of a chance of burning the line, then you have to start over. When the braid wore down, I would pull it all out and flip the ends. This would double the life of the line. The key is to find that sweet spot on the drag. This year I'll be buying my line in bulk 1500 yards at a time.

[bigjc]

I guess I am old fashion. I like mono. Because, I like the stretch When I set the hook. I have pulled many lures out of the mouths of fish, using brad and floro.

I hope you are changing that mono regularly.  Every time it gets stretched, it gets weaker!  I have almost no use for mono anymore.  It is good for topwaters, but I don't keep a rod for topwater only, so I don't think I have a single rod in my boat with mono.