Believe it or not a sailfish was caught on Tuesday night at the Cape Cod canal. I know that this isn’t a saltwater fishing page but this is a story that happened pretty close to home for me so I had to post it. Pretty amazing that a sailfish found its way into the canal and was then actually caught by a dude who thought it was a shark. Sad part about this story is that they couldn’t revive the fish in the end. Most of the talk now is about the legality of the catch since it was kept and not released. Here’s the video-
The guy is lucky that some more experienced fisherman was there otherwise he would have definitely lost that fish. If he hadn’t been told to turn up his drag, that sailfish would have spooled him or snapped that mono. If any legal action is taken, he might end up hoping that’s what happened.
Happy Earth Day everyone. I’m going to take this time to remind all the fishermen out there to please always remember to dispose of fishing line properly. We’ve all been to our favorite fishing spots and seen line on the ground, in the water, and wrapped around trees. Nobody wants to get all tangled up in line while they’re fishing so please remember to always take any discarded line with you. It only takes a couple of seconds to tuck it into your pockets or tackle bag. You will be preserving fishing spots for generations to come as well as protecting local wildlife. Here’s a good idea some of you may want to implement in your city or town:
Baby bird caught in fishing line and bailing twin-http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5837271
For those of you who want to maintain the strength of braid but are worried that it may be too visible to fish, adding a leader may be the answer you’re looking for. Here’s a video of a Double Uni Knot which you can use to attach your leader to your braid.
You’re going to want to start out with about 5 or 6 feet of either mono or fluorocarbon. More is better in this situation as you’re probably going to end up losing quite a bit of your leader from switching lures anyway. It’s better to start off with too much than too little, as you can always cut off the excess later.
Just to be clear I personally don’t think anyone should use a leader while using topwater lures. One exception to this rule would be if you’re really having a hard time setting the hook with topwater frogs. The mono or fluorocarbon leader will give you that stretch you need to not rip the lure out of the frogs mouth. Using leaders is for more of a finesse type of fishing in which the fish will actually have a chance to see a line. Any fishing near vegetation will probably be good without a leader. Another knot just means another point of potential failure of the line.
Braid Vs. Mono. No matter how many people you ask, there will never be a unanimous answer. Some people like both, some people dislike braid, and some dislike mono. That’s just how it is and will always be. For those of us who haven’t yet chosen a side in the Braid Vs. Mono debate, choosing which to use for not only topwater fishing, but all fishing, can be a tough decision. Really the only unbiased way to choose is to lay out the Pros & Cons of each to base your decision on. So that’s what we are going to do.
Braid–
Pros:
1.No Memory- Doesn’t hold a coil like mono does after being spooled for awhile.
2.No Stretch- Makes for better hooksets
3.Diameter/Strength- Allows more line/stronger line on a reel than mono. Stronger line also makes for stronger knots.
4. Floats- Can be a pro or con. Makes topwater baits fish better.
Cons:
1. Abrasion- Braided line is more susceptible to abrasion than mono. After a while you will see it start to fray. Some people say it wears out rod guides also, but that’s more of a guide quality issue.
2. Visibility- This can be a pro and con. Allows you to see your line easier, but also allows the fish to see it too.
3. No Stretch- This is often looked at as a pro, but can also be a con. If you get caught up on something unexpected it could stress any weak points and is hard on your rod/drag.
4. Dangerous- Braid can easily cut through your skin if you get it wrapped around your fingers/hand or arm.
Mono–
Pros:
1. Cheaper- Mono is much cheaper than Braid.
2. Invisible- Not totally invisible but less visible to fish than Braid.
3. Abrasion/Shock Resistant- Mono is more resilient than braid, making it last longer.
Cons:
1. Memory- Keeps the shape of the spool and really impacts casting and hooksets.
2.Stress- Mono is more likely to develop stress points from anything that damages the line such as kinks, knots, abrasion, birds nests and even stretch from fighting a fish. The line usually breaks at these points.
3.Thicker/ Less Strength- Mono line diameter is thicker than heavier pound test braid. This makes for lower capacity of lower pound test line.
4. Soggy- Mono absorbs water and can lose 15% of its pound test when saturated.
There’s nothing in fishing as exciting as top water fishing. There’s also nothing as frustrating as setting the hook with a frog while top water fishing. There’s nothing worse than seeing a bass explode on your frog, setting the hook, and seeing your frog flying back at your face. Patience definitely plays a huge part in frog fishing, but your setup plays just as big a part. The first, and most important, part of your setup is your line. As I’ve said before, braid is the line of choice for most setups for obvious reasons. Mainly it allows you to throw your frog places you wouldn’t with other line and gives you a solid hook set. One disadvantage for some people is that braid doesn’t stretch. If your really having trouble setting the hook, and have exhausted all other fixes, maybe experiment with some heavy mono. Running mono line should be forgiving enough on quick hook set. Next things to look at on your setup are you rod and reel. For a true frog rod your going to want a 7′ or longer, Medium-Heavy to Heavy rod. A heavy rod with a faster tip will help you in getting that solid hook set and keeping the fish up. A good reel is also very important for frog fishing. In my experience a faster ratio reel is the way to go. A 6.4:1 to 7:1 ratio reel will get them out of the thick vegetation, and fast. With bigger fish it really isn’t possible, but with smaller fish I like to bring them in fast right across the top of the water.
Last but not least is the hook set itself. For a lot of fisherman this is the hardest part of the whole equation. The easy part is getting all the stuff I’ve already talked about, but when it comes to actually setting the hook that’s a different story. You can look on a thousand websites, and read all the articles you want about setting a frog hook. But the bottom line is when you do get that hit, you are going to be the one actually doing it. I could tell you to wait 2 seconds, or until you feel the weight of the fish, but when that fish takes that frog you aren’t going to have time to stop and think about what you read online. Practice makes perfect. Yes, you may have to miss 50 fish, but sooner or later your going to get it right. Some people just get the hang of it quicker than others. Where people go wrong is that they over complicate it. They read a couple posts and think they are going to catch every fish that hits their frog, but they’re not going to. All I can tell you is that when you do pull back on that rod, if you don’t see the frog fly up, just reel like hell. Keep your rod in the same position and don’t stop reeling until your you see a fish or your frog. That’s all there is too it. Just keep casting.
The TopWater Bite 