Trout stream setup

[pdgs]

I'll have to try a swivel. I've thought about it before and i usually get snagged at the weight. I know it's snagging at the weight because when i get it out of the snag it slides the weight down to the hook. I kinda like the led core line idea but that 3 knots vs. 1 and lass chance for knot failure. I do have some led core and swivels already, looks like i'll do a head to head next time out.

Marv, make a few up at home. Just guesstimate the right weight/length unless you have a scale that will weigh it. Use simple knots, a palomar will even work. The braid on the lead core is what's rated at 18lb. The diameter of the lead is larger in 18lb but it has nothing to do with the break strength which is 18lb. I like to put a drop of Gorilla rubber cement on the knot to seal it off and enclose the tag end so it doesn't get snaggy on you. You could carry 50 of these premade your shirt pocket.

Get creative, drop the swivels and think of it as weight that will go through the eyes on your rod. You can put it anywhere in your line.. Did that raise your eyebrows? If anybody gives you a hard time about using lead core just go get a shooting head and use pieces of it instead. LOL... It has almost exactly the same characteristics but is more expensive.

[Marv]

I'll have to try a swivel. I've thought about it before and i usually get snagged at the weight. I know it's snagging at the weight because when i get it out of the snag it slides the weight down to the hook. I kinda like the led core line idea but that 3 knots vs. 1 and lass chance for knot failure. I do have some led core and swivels already, looks like i'll do a head to head next time out.

[pdgs]

I see a lot of you are using the mini drop shop or split shot. Have you ever thought of using a short piece of lead core. I started doing this a couple of years ago with good results. I start with about a 18" piece of 18# lead core then I push the covering down about 6" on either end and clip of the exposed lead. This makes it easy to tie most common knots. I like to put a #14 swivel on the line end and #14 snap only on the leader end. I got the idea from using shooting heads on my fly rigs.

It's not always the best solution and I do use split shot and drops but when I get into stuff that looks like I need a lot of control this sometimes works for me.

I make these up in adavance and change the length to vary the weight. This also works well for top line trolling with Ultra Light gear when you want to be between 2-6'.

Maybe I'll sit down some time and weigh out different lengths.

[hybrid90]

I use a tiny snap/lock swivel and attach a 20" leader to the hook. I then just clip a tiny dropshot weight right on the snap/lock swivel and I'm set.

Main line is 10lb mono and leader line is 6lb mono.

The snap/lock swivel makes changing hooks or lures much faster/easier. Just unclip the leader line and put on a different one and you're set to go.

[Bainter1212]

Yes dirty I use the exact same setup, except I use the bullets instead of the split shot. They make bullet weights at least as small as any split shot. And to address concerns of "spending too much time tying on" when using a swivel......I make 6-8 leaders before I head out fishing, swivels and all, I wrap them around wine corks to store them in my box, that way if (when, really) I break a leader, I have one ready to go that I just snap on. Having the weight on above the main line swivel plus a light leader means I rarely if ever lose a weight. just might lose the hook (and the bait, of course).

"One Fish" Bainter

[dirty530]

I've always wondered what people were using when stream fishing (I've stream fished once or twice and always tossed lures). Thanks for the ideas. I will now have to try this technique. Are you using any particular type of bait?

Thanks

Woolybuggers, salmon eggs, night crawlers, crickets, meal worms, any type of insect.

[dirty530]

5lb P-Line flouroclear as the main line, one small swivel, 5lb P-Line flouroclear (the length of your elbow to tip of middle finger) as a leader, a BARBLESS #6 baitholding hook, and a single split shot crimped down just above the swivel. I'll try to make the improved clinch knot longer above the swivel so I can crimp the split shot on the wrapped line.

If i use egg sinker weights, it's because I'm fishing deep. In that case, I love using the same set up with 10-12lb FLOUROCARBON as the mainline. That way if I do get a snag that I cannot retrieve, I can yank it out and keep my set up most of the time.

I use to use the same method as Panther and Marv, and laughed when my dad would put on a swivel, thinking it wastes too much time; More time tying = less fishing, right? True, but there is a difference in quality. The swivel assists in the cast by preventing line twist and over time - 25+ casts - it does make a difference. I'm all about using the right tool to produce optimum results, and the swivel does make a difference if you're doing multiple casts.

[rc_king1]

I've always wondered what people were using when stream fishing (I've stream fished once or twice and always tossed lures). Thanks for the ideas. I will now have to try this technique. Are you using any particular type of bait?

Thanks

[Marv]

I only like 1 split shot. If i need more weight i put on a bigger split shot. No leader, no swivel = faster reties and less stuff to lose. I also use 2-4lb. Berkley vanish fluorocarbon line as i think it helps a little, and i'll take all the help i can get.

[panther]

I don't use swivels or leaders in streams. I use 4 pound line and tie the hook to the end of the line. Then I clamp on just enough split shot to have the bait move correctly with the flow of the current.

Panther