Fishing tip of the week: – 04-08-20

Fishing Tip of the Week

Thursday, 02 April 2020 07:48

Non-stretch lines
by Mike Gerry

Often, on any lake, I find that the sensitivity of the line you’re fishing with can make a big difference in how many fish you can actually feel the bite and, hence, get to the boat.
Winter and summer both come to mind as seasonal periods that bass are very lethargic, and many times, you cannot feel them biting on your bait unless you are rigged properly with the correct type of fishing line. It’s also important, in the period where we are currently on Lake Guntersville, that just before the bass move in big waves to spawn, they become very sensitive and feed slowly and tentatively until we hit some post-spawn times. This requires you to be extra slow in presentation and very cognitive of the light bite.

Your choice of line has a big effect on your ability to feel these light bites, during this season, and fluorocarbon, or braided line, in my opinion, is the only option. Both line types are a non-stretch line that will allow you to feel every movement, every rock or piece of grass you drag it over.

When bass are in the pre-spawn funk it is imperative to feel the bottom and to fish slowly in order to put fish in the boat. With lines that stretch, like monofilament or a copolymer, the feedback you receive from the bottom is restricted.

I know that for many anglers, line can be very expensive, especially the two types of non-stretch mentioned. Your decision has to do with what you can afford. That’s a smart decision and as it should be; however, for me, it’s worth the investment.

As a choice, I like Vicious brand as their Pro-Elite fluorocarbon line is the best there is on the market. It’s also good to match line types with your rod strength, tip action and the bait you are fishing as, many times, how you are rigged dictates what line you should use. Many lines have different uses depending on your set-up. Some lines sink down the water column, and others float, requiring you to match your bait presentation.

Often, if you’re fishing certain baits, you need some give in either the rod tip or the line, and rigging has all to do with your choice.