TOPIC:

I think I will give this method a try. Any release issues when running free sliders and getting a bite on the slider?

I've found with most releases some of the time the fish will hit and pull the line from the release, most of the time the rod will bounce in the holder and the angler will need to pop the release. Actually, I prefer the fish to not break the release free. While the slider is sliding, there's no pressure on the fish. If it's bouncing, the fish is still hooked and when I grab the bouncing rod, I can crank fast to get the sliding part of the catch over. Less time for the fish to come loose.

Good point, it would be better to be cranking when the rod is bouncing in the holder rather than having the rod pop and line go slack until the slider hits the main swivel... Now I just have to train the crew to pay attention while I'm doing everything else on the boat haha.

I’ve just been following a long so far. I’m at a happy place with my rigging using mostly mono and using braid or wire on dipsies. I’m wondering what goes on with the braid rigger rods when you run into a patch of fleas? That has to be a disaster.

Correct!

southshore wrote:

I’ve just been following a long so far. I’m at a happy place with my rigging using mostly mono and using braid or wire on dipsies. I’m wondering what goes on with the braid rigger rods when you run into a patch of fleas? That has to be a disaster.

Since switching to Power Pro from mono line for all backing as well as for main line on dipseys the only sea fleas I get are at the swivel. Either they just slide down the line or they aren’t getting on it at all.

With downriggers being a near vertical setup maybe this would not be the case since they can’t really slide down the line as much.

I know the 20lb mono I’m currently running for riggers gets loaded with them pretty good sometimes.

Fish Hook Fleas are the exception to the rule but like Scoffer says, they are a bitch even with 20 pound mono. All braids aren't created equal when it comes to smoothness. I started out with FireLine and when the fleas came out it was a disaster. Spiderwire wasn't so bad. Last summer I used Seaguar and 832 Sufix. It still snagged fleas, but they would slide on the line and not clog the rod tip as bad as the rough-textured braid and much easier to remove from the line.
Luckily, the fleas are only exceedingly bad for a couple weeks in mid-summer. I keep a spool of 30# mono on board and when the fleas get terrible, I add a topshot (about 125 feet of 30#) on top of the braid. Fleas won't stick to the thick line. Last year either the fleas weren't as bad as usual where I fished or I missed them when I went to ICAST in mid-July. I didn't have to add the topshot.
With light to medium flea levels i just make it a practise to pop downrigged lines every half hour or so to de-flea if they have gone that long without a bite. Truthfully, since switching to "slick" braid, I hate the cottomwood fuzz more than the fleas.

BNature wrote:

Fish Hook Fleas are the exception to the rule but like Scoffer says, they are a bitch even with 20 pound mono. All braids aren't created equal when it comes to smoothness. I started out with FireLine and when the fleas came out it was a disaster. Spiderwire wasn't so bad. Last summer I used Seaguar and 832 Sufix. It still snagged fleas, but they would slide on the line and not clog the rod tip as bad as the rough-textured braid and much easier to remove from the line.
Luckily, the fleas are only exceedingly bad for a couple weeks in mid-summer. I keep a spool of 30# mono on board and when the fleas get terrible, I add a topshot (about 125 feet of 30#) on top of the braid. Fleas won't stick to the thick line. Last year either the fleas weren't as bad as usual where I fished or I missed them when I went to ICAST in mid-July. I didn't have to add the topshot.
With light to medium flea levels i just make it a practise to pop downrigged lines every half hour or so to de-flea if they have gone that long without a bite. Truthfully, since switching to "slick" braid, I hate the cottomwood fuzz more than the fleas.

Agree, cottonwood is the worst. Hey Mike have you tried PowerPro SuperSlick? Wondering how that would do on the fleas. I have it on a spinning rod and it seems way smoother than most other braids I have used

+1 for cottonwood being a pain... Not sure there's anything that can defeat that though.

I was wondering about the PowerPro Super 8 Slick as well... Looks like there's a V2 version now, wonder what they fixed from the original version.

I have some 30# Power Pro Super Slick on a diver reel. I'm usually using wire divers at the time of year the fleas are the worst so I can't recall how the PP handles the fleas. I do know the Sufix 832 is smooth like the Power Pro and it's the most "flea friendly" braid I've ever used. I know in the world of braid, most of the major players are producing "slick" versions with 8 or 9 or 16 strands of woven fibers. One is probably as good as the next, I suspect, or not enough difference to matter. Though I've used cheap "store-brands" and never had much complaint with any, other than the flea issue when the fleas are bad. If you are going to downrig with braid during the flea season, the extra expense of the quality stuff is worth it.
Remember, to save money, you could just put 60 or 80 yards of braid as a topshot over your normal mono. All you really need to get the benefit is enough line to go from your rod tip to the downrigger release. One 200 yard spool will fill 3 or 4 reels.