Rig question

[chrisjpainter]

I'm getting my ducks in order for a bit of dead baiting on my other club. The rules state braided mainline's fine, but there must be a metre long 35lb mono leader between the braid and the trace. This is causing me a slight headache with rigging up with a sliding float. I'm guessing my only real option is a mono leader that's significantly longer than a metre, so the whole depth is always on the leader and not worry about the significant increase in stretch and resistance to the flow I'd get with a 35lb leader in the water, unless there a way to create a sliding rig for a float where the float can slide over the braid-leader knot (FG knot, unless anyone's got a better low-profile knot?) but still stop at a stop knot/float bead that will pass through the rod rings okay?

Any other suggestions welcome. The reason why I'm keen on floating rather than a leger set up is the bite indication is immediate, so there's less chance of hooking deep. Whilst I'm well versed in removing lures from pike, deadbait rigs is another story, so I'm trying to make it as straightforward as I can at least for the first few fish.

 

[The Sogster]

I presume the club rules have this as some sort of shock leader. If so I would look to use around twice the rod length plus a turn on the spool.
I wouldn't worry about the stretch in such a relatively short length.

 

[@Clive]

Try the double uni knot to join the braid to your leader. Even then it will rattle through the rings and if it causes the braid to catch on the knot on the spool it could cause problems.

For that reason I would use just enough leader to be legal above the wire trace with a small bullet lead on the mono, a rubber bead above the knot and your sliding float above that on your braid.

 

[chrisjpainter]

I presume the club rules have this as some sort of shock leader. If so I would look to use around twice the rod length plus a turn on the spool.
I wouldn't worry about the stretch in such a relatively short length.

Shock or possibly a rubbing leader, so if the pike wraps itself up, it's not damaged by the thinness of the braid? You're also not allowed homemade traces just in case they fail, because of safety for the fish.

Understandable, but it's odd what they choose to care about, because they also state a minimum landing net and unhooking mat of 24", which is nowhere near big enough in my opinion.

 

[@Clive]

Shock or possibly a rubbing leader, so if the pike wraps itself up, it's not damaged by the thinness of the braid? You're also not allowed homemade traces just in case they fail, because of safety for the fish.

Understandable, but it's odd what they choose to care about, because they also state a minimum landing net and unhooking mat of 24", which is nowhere near big enough in my opinion.

Take a gaff just in case.

 

[chrisjpainter]

Take a gaff just in case.

Banned. As are pike gags, thank goodness.

 

[john step]

Banned. As are pike gags, thank goodness.

I think that was a joke .

 

[@Clive]

It was.

 

[chrisjpainter]

It was.

I thought it probably was...but then the rules for our club are, I think, written for a generation when that would have been acceptable, so I didn't want to assume! Too many in the club think the best way to handle a pike would be with something heavy and unyielding to the head!

 

[@Clive]

I thought it probably was...but then the rules for our club are, I think, written for a generation when that would have been acceptable, so I didn't want to assume! Too many in the club think the best way to handle a pike would be with something heavy and unyielding to the head!

I think that about b***m

 

[chrisjpainter]

I think that about b***m

They fight like they've already had that treatment!. Good pike bait though!

 

[Steve Arnold]

As much as I love using braid mainline I think for sliding floats I would stick to mono, for simplicity anyway!

If I was determined to use braid I would use a mono leader long enough that the stop knot for the float was still on the mono leader.

For joining the mono leader to braid I use the modified Alberto knot, tied this way.....

The last turns of braid through the loop ensure the tag end does not pull out when the leader rattles through the guides.

 

[Philip]

I would just use Mono all the way through & simplify my life.

Its not lure fishing so unless I was fishing at some mega distance or drift float fishing then I doubt braid is going to offer much advantage and just add a whole host of problems.

 

[John Aston]

As much as I love using braid mainline I think for sliding floats I would stick to mono, for simplicity anyway!

If I was determined to use braid I would use a mono leader long enough that the stop knot for the float was still on the mono leader.

For joining the mono leader to braid I use the modified Alberto knot, tied this way.....

The last turns of braid through the loop ensure the tag end does not pull out when the leader rattles through the guides.

I used braid for sliding pike floats for years without any problem . Then braid to trace in normal way - and I never damaged a pike by doing so. I hardly ever bait fish for pike now , but all my lure fishing is with braid - and again , it is never an issue .

 

[Steve Arnold]

I used braid for sliding pike floats for years without any problem . Then braid to trace in normal way - and I never damaged a pike by doing so. I hardly ever bait fish for pike now , but all my lure fishing is with braid - and again , it is never an issue .

Yes, I do also! My recommendation for mono is based on frequently seeing others struggling with braid. Even my fishing buddy, who I have given much gear to and advised on how to use braid, still struggles with it.

If braid is not spooled tightly, if you are a poor caster, if you do not keep control of the line in windy conditions, if etc, etc, etc.

Basically if you are an inexperienced or "sloppy" angler braid will prove a nightmare! Especially when it comes to knots!

My first fish on braid was a near 260 lb porbeagle shark over 25 years ago. That was a painful and incredibly steep learning curve! But I went on to use braid for surfcasting, spinning, dead-baiting .......in fact everything! I have spare spools for most of my reels loaded with mono, cannot remember when I last used them!

If anyone is worried about braid damaging a hooked fish I would suggest a coated braid for those last few feet to the weight and/or hook. I have been using ESP Tungsten loaded braid recently for that, instead of leadcore for barbel and carp fishing. Although it's very tough I have had no damage to fish from that line. I think that bare braid can act like a saw, but a decent coated braid resolves that possible problem.

 

[John Aston]

I am amazed that folks struggle with braid. After being put on on to it by an old fishing friend maybe 15 years ago, I use it for all pike fishing, and most perch and barbel fishing. I am a notoriously clumsy and ham fisted angler , but rarely get a wind knot or other tangle in the literally thousands of casts I make a season , using braid from 12 lb bs for perch up to 40 for pike . There is loads of stuff about having to use special knots - I use a tucked half blood , or grinner , but if I snag up it is invariably the trace which parts first. As for joining mono to braid I could waste more time studying knots on Youtube but , bugger it , I just use a swivel. The only trick thing to do is not to spool braid on to a bare spool as it will slip . A few yards of nylon stops this

 

[chrisjpainter]

I am amazed that folks struggle with braid. After being put on on to it by an old fishing friend maybe 15 years ago, I use it for all pike fishing, and most perch and barbel fishing. I am a notoriously clumsy and ham fisted angler , but rarely get a wind or other tangle in the literally thousands of casts I make a season , using braid from 12 lb bs for perch up to 40 for pike . There is loads of stuff about having to use special knots - I use a tucked half blood , or grinner , but if I snag up it is invariably the trace which parts first. As for joining mono to braid I could waste more time studying knots on Youtube but , bugger it , I just use a swivel. The only trick thing to do is not to spool braid on to a bae spool as it will slip . A few yards of nylon stops this

I think most of the problems that people have with braid tend to come from inexperience or improper tackle - or both. If the braid's not backed up with mono or on a braid-safe spool (all mine are of this type) then it slips. And if it's used on a reel that has poor line lay (usually cheap jobs) or if it's not retrieved under enough tension then it spools off and you get your wind knots or it beds through hideously if you then get a big fish.

They're all solvable problems, but they're the kind of issues either new anglers or anglers inexperienced with braid have, so it makes them frustrated in the early stages and it's easier to just switch back to mono. But I'd never go back to mono for lure fishing or boat fishing; the rewards for braid are just too big.