We hunt the bulls this week. No? Si. We go north, where the ice is strong. Before I go, I share the secret. No?
No secret. Just good sense. To prepare for the bull, I spool on braided line. No? No. Unless it’s a new reel, that’s a filthy lie. I spooled braid on all my panfish reels years ago and will never have to do it again. I try all the braids but keep coming back to 4- to 8-pound Berkley Micro Ice FireLine because it’s thicker, and unintended knots come out of it easier.
To the braid I tie just enough 2- to 6-pound Toray Bawo Super Finesse 100% fluorocarbon to reach bottom. Then I add a few cranks more. The lines are connected with back-to-back uni knots. The braid will never break down. Neither will the fluorocarbon, but I generally replace the long leader (typically 20 to 26 feet long) with a new one every other time out, modifying it to the clarity of the water. For toros like this one, I want 6 pound whenever possible. Sometimes, when it’s slow and the water’s really clear, I drop to 2 pound.
Good to put a swivel on the line. I use Raven Micro Swivels. Harder for the little buggers to see, though they can see microscopic things that we can’t, like zooplankton, so it’s all futile but it looks really high tech. And Micro Swivels are steelhead-tested tough. Bulls can’t break ‘em. I tie a Micro Swivel in about 2 feet above the jig. Or lure. All on a Thorne Brothers Quiver Stick with a Pflueger Trion size 1934 fly reel, or a new St Croix Legend with a Shimano Sustain FG SA1000 reel.
This will hold the bull. No? Si. Now what to entice him? Grist for another entry. Or twelve. So many new jigs and lures to choose from. Like stars from the sky—too many to count. For now, we put on the braid and tie in the fluoro. Si? Next time, plaza de toros. Corrida. Ole!
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