Fluorocarbon Leaders With Braided Lines

William Elliott, Kingman, Indiana: "I'm interested in finding some guidelines for using fluorocarbon leaders with braided lines. I'm new to pike and muskie fishing and unsure what line weights I should be using / combining. (I have been using 14-lb. braid with 10-lb. fluoro for bass.) I have only an entry-level big pike muskie outfit: St Croix 6'10" medium-power muskie rod with an Abu Garcia Record 60 reel. The rod specifies 30-lb. line at the top end. Can I use heavier line or should I stay within the guidelines? And, if I use 30-lb. braid, what weight fluorocarbon should I use?"

The reel you're referencing can certainly handle braided line that tests much higher than the recommended line weight listing on the rod. I'd go with 65-pound test Spiderwire Stealth or something similar. It casts well, will last for several years, and ties up well. Fill your reel about half full of something like 15-pound mono of any type, then fill the rest of the spool with the Stealth. You need to learn to tie back-to-back uni-knots to attach a slipper line like Stealth to monofilament. You'll also use this connection to connect to your fluorocarbon leader, if that's what you want to use.

If you're going with fluorocarbon, you need a minimum of 60-pound test and, better, 80-pound. Muskies can still cut this stuff, though. You might also consider a good wire leader, which in 120-pound test (Sevenstrand) isn't very visible. Oftentimes to get a good connection on the leader end of your line it helps to double the Stealth before doing the back-to-back uni-knots. Animated fishing knots can be viewed at Animated Fishing Knots by Grog.

Eventually, you'll want to purchase a rod at least 7 feet long for your fishing, something with a little give. I can picture the ultra-stiff thing that someone probably sold you and it isn't going to be that pleasant to cast well and hook or to hold onto fish. It's all right for a start, though.

Hope you have fun and catch a couple,

Weed Problems

Gary Diekelmann, Crown Point, Indiana: "I just spent a week fishing Upper Eau Claire Lake in NW Wisconsin. I tried to do some trolling to see if I could find a bass or walleye. Many of the flats in this lake are covered with a short weed -- I call it grass. I was using a slipsinker and floating jighead with a leech, or just a lead head jig and leech. It can be very frustrating because I seem to be pulling weeds instead of finding fish. The slipsinker gets into the weeds and I begin dragging that around. I'm sure that doesn't help the presentation. Should I be trolling over this low grass? If so, am I using the right hardware?"

Those junk weeds can be aggravating to deal with, and they will demand alternative presentations.

First, try fishing just past the deep weedline, either trolling crankbaits and casting jigs toward the weededge and letting them fall vertically onto the break to entice bass, walleyes, or pike.

If the fish don't seem to be deep, it's best to work over the tops of them. Lures that should work well for bass include shallow-running crankbaits, rattlebaits, and spinnerbaits. Crankbaits and rattlebaits will take walleyes, too.

If the grass is close to the bottom, you could also try bottom bouncers, which will keep your livebait above the bottom and the grass.

Good Luck!

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