Northwest Fishing Reports

I’m looking for some advice. My current setup is bobber stop, float, weight on braided line tied to swivel, then I use 24” to 30” leaded to Jig. I make my adjustment for depth by moving the bobber stop up or down on the braided line. My concern is that I might be spooking the fish seeing the braided line so close to the presentation. Am I missing something or is this the normal setup.

Thanks

The overall consensus tends to be that it probably doesn't bother the steelhead. You could probably even do with shortening your leader. I run about 15-20" leaders on the same setup using fluorocarbon and find that it casts much better than when I was using longer leaders. In ultra clear low water, you might risk spooking some fish, but for most winter situations (present conditions excluded), the water has enough color to hide your braided line/swivel/weight that is much higher in the water column.
You'll get varying opinions on your setup, but overall, that is the recommended rig for a float/jig fishing setup with braided line. Best of luck to you.

Something to consider if you are using expensive floats. Remember I said expensive floats like ClearDrift.


Put your bobber stop, + large glow corky incase you want to fish at night, + 4 mil bead

Then the bobber,

Then another bead

Then another bobber stop.

If you knot fails or your weight from your swivel gets hooked up and lost. You get your bobber back and you do not see your bobber float by.

This is something I do as well as I check last 8 inches of main line incase I need to re-tie it...

I don't like to have my braid seen, I attach 15# test maxima leader to my braid (albright knot from braid to 15#)and then run float and weight on that, down to swivel and then 8# or 10# test maxima leader to jig. I pre tie all jigs with 20 inch leader and attach swivel to other end. I can change jigs every other cast if I want and never tie a knot, and when I have that float set to the proper depth I don't have to try and find that same depth after each re-tie, as that leader gets shorter. Makes finding the jig that the stealhead want that day much easier. Not to mention those cold days when your hands don't want to keep retying jigs to find the one they want. It is amazing how often you catch fish on that first or second cast with a change of the jig. I have watched people fish the same jig all day and wonder why they don't catch fish.

i use braid and short leaders all the time, and i catch fish. if the water is clear ill run it a little longer.

think of it this way, if you got a juicy cheesburger floating towards you are you gonna be looking above it?

goodtimesfishing wrote:I don't like to have my braid seen, I attach 15# test maxima leader to my braid (albright knot from braid to 15#)and then run float and weight on that,

+1, or depending on water conditions and flow, I'll just use a fixed float & jig...that's it. I've caught fish with a cheapo red and white trout bobber and jig.

goodtimesfishing wrote:I don't like to have my braid seen, I attach 15# test maxima leader to my braid (albright knot from braid to 15#)and then run float and weight on that, down to swivel and then 8# or 10# test maxima leader to jig. I pre tie all jigs with 20 inch leader and attach swivel to other end. I can change jigs every other cast if I want and never tie a knot, and when I have that float set to the proper depth I don't have to try and find that same depth after each re-tie, as that leader gets shorter. Makes finding the jig that the stealhead want that day much easier. Not to mention those cold days when your hands don't want to keep retying jigs to find the one they want. It is amazing how often you catch fish on that first or second cast with a change of the jig. I have watched people fish the same jig all day and wonder why they don't catch fish.

i also do this when the water is super clear. using a long secondary line connecting the braid to the leader caught me a lot of fish during the extended low and clear summer season this year.

...

I pretty much always use a fluoro leader for any of the salmonids, it just makes good sense. I usually run some form of hi-vis braid(power pro/suffix 832 etc) and then an albright knot to 0x or 1x Seaguar Grandmax fluoro. I look at it this way, even in low clear water there is grass and sticks and other debris in the water and it doesn't seem to bother the fish much when they are hitting surface insect hatch or flies. i wouldn't bother with more than maybe a 3-4' fluoro leader at the max.

Green braided line will hide the line. That bright yellow line could scare the fish if the water is gin clear. I have seen it. But the yellow sure is nice if your eyes are getting tired like mine. I have gone to green...

Here is another thought on braided line. I use PowerPro 30 lb so I get my junk back. Now my son used that Nanofil or something like that. It sure can out cast my PowerPro line.

I do worry about high vis line in low water. For the most part in most conditions, you can just put some length on your leader, but in those super low conditions putting an albright knot with a length of mono can be prudent. Ten feet should do it, maybe 10 pound fluoro and 8 for your leader. Anything to give you an advatage in these tough conditions. I do also reccomend putting an extra bobber stop and bead below your cleardrift float so when you do lose your swivel, you don't lose your float like the hunt said, it can be a good way to make those floats last longer.

My $.02
Don't over think it. I use 30# High Vis Power Pro for my float setups & caught plenty in low water conditions. It floats, I can see it, and I have never lost a float. Now I DO use a clear float, floro leader and prefer to not to have much, if any of the mainline running below the float. But as far as Hi Vis on top of the water spooking fish - bah..
I've heard good things about Hydrofloat from people I trust. I tried it once, now maybe I had a bad spool, but it was crap. Any little nick and the outer coating would break and the bunch up and I would have to cut off and re tie, heck it would even break from moving the bobber stop

How about using a green-colored, brown-colored, black-colored etc. Sharpie pen on the last 10-15 feet of your Hi-Vis braid?

That's a pretty old trick using a sharpie or a Marks-a-lot permanent marker. It does work, and will usually last the whole day's fishing. You will just have to re-apply it the next time you go out. We used to use it back in the day on the original 'smoke' color fireline when it would start turning white after a while.

Thanks everyone for your responses… I do have a couple more questions and I forgot to add the beads to the first post. I’m using small beads and from time to time they are slipping over the premade bobber stops so what is everyone using or is there a simple fix? The other issue I’m having during casting my weight and swivel tangle up. I bought some inline weight which I will try on my next trip but what are folks using or does everyone having the same problem.
Thanks for the information.

retired11 wrote:Thanks everyone for your responses… I do have a couple more questions and I forgot to add the beads to the first post. I’m using small beads and from time to time they are slipping over the premade bobber stops so what is everyone using or is there a simple fix? The other issue I’m having during casting my weight and swivel tangle up. I bought some inline weight which I will try on my next trip but what are folks using or does everyone having the same problem.
Thanks for the information.

I use the pre tied bobber stops that come with smaller beads (smaller diameter hole), just make sure the hole is large enough to slide easily on the line so it doesn't either hinder the slide of your float or get stuck on the line and jam into/through the rod tip when reeling in. I don't use a hard bead between the swivel and the bottom of the float. I use a larger size soft rubber bead. Put it on and after a couple casts the top of it will actually swallow the top of the swivel protecting the knot.

IMO the inline weight is the way to go and all I use. The two things I try to do is have the fewest moving parts as possible and be as streamlined as possible.

My setup is as follows:
bobber stop (pre tied)
small bead (that comes with the bobber stop)
float (Drennen Piker #3)
soft bead
3/8oz inline weight (Beau Mac makes the thinnest ones I have seen)

This works for floating both 1/8oz and 1/16oz jigs or enough eggs to entice steelhead or coho.

If I am fishing lots of eggs for kings or 1/4 oz jig I will use the same setup with the Drennen #4 (The #4 will work for the smaller jigs as well, just rides higher in the water).

As far as tangles, another thing I tend to do is stop the line going out just a split second before it hits the water. That split second gives the whole rig a chance to straighten out before hitting the water.

retired11 wrote:Thanks everyone for your responses… I do have a couple more questions and I forgot to add the beads to the first post. I’m using small beads and from time to time they are slipping over the premade bobber stops so what is everyone using or is there a simple fix? The other issue I’m having during casting my weight and swivel tangle up. I bought some inline weight which I will try on my next trip but what are folks using or does everyone having the same problem.
Thanks for the information.

Although I think Gringo's setup is more ideal, I'm using something a little different and have not had problems with tangles.
I also make my own bobber stops using silk thread. I've had the bead get stuck/slide over the stop before and so started making my own beads out of the airsoft BBs that I find laying on the ground. I'm sure you could find beads with smaller holes in the store though. With the braided mainline I just don't ever lose that gear, so have been using the same float and beads all season. I'll occasionally break it down and retie the knot at the swivel just to get a fresh knot.
My setup:
PowerPro 30# braid mainline
Pre-tied bobber stop,
bead
3/4 oz float
1/2 oz hollow core lead with braid threaded through (slides)
bead (not soft)
swivel
15"-24" fluorocarbon leader
1/8 oz jig.

I also use a baitcaster setup for my float rod and, similar to Gringo, the required thumb pressure at the end of the cast to prevent backlash seems to help straighten the rig before it hits the water, so rarely have tangles. Like I mentioned earlier, when using a longer leader I tend to have tangles more often.

retired11 wrote:Thanks everyone for your responses… I do have a couple more questions and I forgot to add the beads to the first post. I’m using small beads and from time to time they are slipping over the premade bobber stops so what is everyone using or is there a simple fix? The other issue I’m having during casting my weight and swivel tangle up. I bought some inline weight which I will try on my next trip but what are folks using or does everyone having the same problem.
Thanks for the information.

shorten your leader from swivel to jig, when longer then say 22 inches it seems to tangle. I keep mine right at 20 inches. I pretie all jigs with 20 inches, that way I can change out jigs without messing with float and still be at same depth.

If you are hiking around bank fishing like me. I would hate to use all the restate on my fly fishing vest to pack rolls of jigs and 22 inch lines. I would rather have an assortment of jigs and a roll of leader then have the pretied leader on a jig.

If I was on a boat? Heck I would have tied a loop on the leaders of the jigs and just snap them on and cast. Great idea!!!

On longer leaders a tiny splitshot between the swivel and the jig can be used to prevent tangles as well.