All Around Angler

I get pretty excited when commentors come into the site and lay down a list of questions for me to tackle. It gives me a chance to talk directly with a reader about my passion of river angling while providing the rest of you with a peak into one angler’s questions surrounding many topics. Mostly I’ll just answer the questions within the post itself they are submitted to. But in the case of reader/viewer “Scott”….he has made several inquiries over the past month I feel are worth sharing with the rest of you. Although I try to cater this site to you 10%ers out there…it’s true that a large portion of my reader base is beginning to intermediate anglers as well. I figure there are no better anglers for these newer fishermen to learn from than us old salty dogs that eat, breathe and sleep this stuff. In this post I will feature Scott’s questions, oldest to newest….and some answers I hope everyone agrees with.

Questions from reader/viewer Scott with answers from AAA Founder, Christopher H3llcat Heller: I encourage my more experienced angling readers/viewers to share their own opinions to Scott’s questions in the comments section of this post.

Here we go:

Question:

I’ve been using a 4 ft piece of 12 lb fluoro for my sliding bobber. I think I should of stuck with maxima. (I’ve noticed) Fluoro breaks real easy…..running the 12 lb…..with an albright knot to my Fireline and the fluoro to my swivel. Then I tie of a piece about 2 feet long of 10 lb fluoro to the jig. I will use the fluoro till its gone then I’m going back to maxima ultragreen. (I) found a 9 ft 6 6 to 12 okuma sst for float fishing as this all they had in stock at (the local sporting goods store). Like the rod. I put the high vis 20 lb fireline on it. Will this work or should I stick with 14 lb?

Answer:

Scott, you’ve got a lot going on in this question. Let me address each item one by one.

1) Let me start by saying that each fishing line has it’s own personality. Most lines that make it to the main commercial market have at least some redeeming features for one application or another. It’ important to know when to use a particular line and in what fashion you intend to use it. I love flourocarbon lines. But there are things you have to understand about the properites of specific lines and what that means for certain use applications. I agree with you>>flouro is no good as a bumper line. When tied to braid as a bumper the braid will almost always cut the flouro right at your knot…no matter Albright or Double Uni. IF you must run a bumper (which after much experimenting…years actually….I know don’t feel is necessary even in the lowest and clearest of conditions) then stick to your Maxima, like you said. If you want to discuss WHY I don’t like running bumpers we can do that as wel.

2) The Okuma rod you’re running is great. In this day and age of accessible rod technologies the difference between high end and low end rods has shrunk significantly. We could wax modulus-talk all day long but in the end a sub one hundred dollar rod will work just fine. I have two of them in my three rod rotation at all times. Try to add the 10’6″ to your arsenal and you’ll be set. I love to drift split shot with the 9’6″ or to use it for float fishing on really small rivers.

3) After running Fireline in both 14 and 20lb from here to Alaska…I would say both work fine. I certainly prefer the 14lb for castability but I was glad I had on the 20lb for my Twenty-Plus this season. Visibility-wise…it makes no difference.

Question:

I have a question on jig fishing….I’ve been useing a 1/4 oz beau mac sliding float with a No. 3 split shot above my knot. Would it be easier to use a 3/8 oz sliding bobber with a 1/4 oz in line weight with my 1/8 oz jig? I’m new to jig fishing and just trying to see what works best. I know a guy that uses this setup and he has punched 16 hatchery fish on this setup. this river is small and the water is fairly clear. Been useing Aero jigs…….are there any other jigs I should try? Trying to stick with pink, white and cerise. I think maybe I should use darker colors when the water is clear like black, reds and maybe purple? Still learning so don’t know (best colors to use). Thanks for answering my questions. saw a guy on the ****** river yesterday with one of your stickers on his truck.

Answers: I would prefer your latter explanation of the heavier float and weight. Even in low water the quicker you get down the better. AeroJigs are great. I’ve caught a ton of fish on them. It’s recommended to have a variety of sizes, colors and brands…..this way you’ll eventually get your preferred rotation. You can find references to Aero and many other jigs on this site. I also have a sponsor page that features some great products and services. Re: Your color reference….I find those darker patterns are very productive in low water. I like nightmare color patterns a lot (reds and blacks w/ different colored heads). And thanks for the heads up on the sticker you saw. We’re starting to see more of those around! Love it.

Question:

Cool video on the stream you fished last weekend. That stream is about 15 minutes from my house. On the 10 ft 6 8 to 17 okuma sst……what size reel are you using for silvers, bigger steelhead and nooks? I picked up a trio 30 s from okuma for my 9 ft 6 6 to 12 sst bobber rod. Nice reels for the money. What size bobber do you use when you are floating eggs or other bait and are you useing a in line weight like you would with a jig or are you adding split shot? When using spinners are you using braid or mono? Thanks Scott

Answers:

Again, we’ll break down this last series of questions as such:

1) I use a Trio 40S (high speed 6.2-1) with 20# Fireline for the bigger stuff. 30 sized Trios and Epixors for the smallers. And NO I don’t have any affiliation with Okuma….I just feel they are the best deal for the money. The drag systems on the Trio series is the very first to have washers on both sides of the spool…(Dual Force Drag or DFD) which allow for very smooth drags on very affordable reels. My one complaint about Trios is they are long to warm up to a smooth retrieve in cold temps. Honest observation. One I can live with though.

2) Bobber size is always a 1 ounce or less…with the exception of fall chinook when I’ll go to a 2 or 3 ounce depending on the water. For most steelhead bait applications I will run the Beau Mac 1/2oz….with either an in line sinker or a sliding egg sinker above the barrel swivel. Usually this weight is 3/8’s or heavier. Again, get down quick. Keep your bait straight down. Perhaps adding a Bait Weight instead of a split shot may also help you achieve a straight up and down float in some conditions. This is also a Beau Mac product.

3) When running spinners or spoons I tie directly to the hardware. You will find I am in the minority with this answer but it’s my answer none the less.

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE 10%ers? EMAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO CHRIS@ALLAROUNDANGLER.COM or simply reply to this post in the comment thread.

Keep ’em wet,

Christopher H3llcat Heller