Author Topic: Some leader/rig questions  (Read 1400 times)

Offline wiguy85

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 4
Some leader/rig questions
« on: Nov 01, 2016, 12:43 PM »
     Hey guys, new here in southern WI.  Always liked ice fishing but was never too serious about it, not really jigging type, it was always set up tipups with buddies that brought their stuff and drink some beer.  I was always more open water fisher for bass,pike, and musky.   panfish for kids, not so much walleye because I don't have a lot that goes that deep, im a caster.    Now I would like to get more serious about it however no fishfinder, vex, ect. (not spending the $$$) and recently bought quite a few tipups and for winter around these lakes, probably target pike, walleye, and bass (none of which get really big (beaver dam, fox lake, ect).
     I got a bunch of 50# line to rig them all up and have a lot of seagar leader left over.  I have 30#, 25#, 15 or 12#, maybe 10.    I want to start building some leaders and trying to collect tackle to start building some.   I have different type hooks ranging from 12 to 4 (red treble, big colored octos, the hi vis trebles, even got some of the VMC that have the built in glow bead.   
     So here's a few questions for you all if ya don't mind helping.    I figured hooks 4-6 on 30# good for pike and 10-12 hooks on 10# work for walleye.   I cut leader lengths of around 2-3 feet and started tying various hooks to them.    Im looking at keep a few naked but interested in beading and blading the majority.   This is where it gets fun as I may just be thinking into this too much.   GLow, chart, and red always seemed to be the popular, any suggestions on others like yellow or chrome, pearl or such?   Seemed like the 4mm ones be good for walleye rigs because they're small along with #1 blades in various colors.      5 and 6mm seems right size for the pike/bass rigs with larger hooks and line and #1, possibly #2 blades?   3 seems big but maybe that depends on the location.       What seems to be the go to?  hook, 2 beads (1glow,1red) and a blade on top of that or higher on leader?
Also being that ill have quite a few rigs and unsure how often changed out, just wondering what you guys do for quick change?   I tied leader to hooks with whatever knot it was, the palamor knot is a PITA with leader material!!      I thought about maybe once the colored accessories are on, doing a loop knot/rapala knot on the top side(pretty much a snell).    Being that the braid is attached to swivel, installing a well rated snap swivel and then you could just change the leader in a second to a different one with different beeds/blades like casting lures.           

Any advice on beed color/blade color, size, where to locate them on different leaders(above hook or 12" up line,ect),  main line attachment would be great so I can start making and finding all this stuff.     If it helps, primarily fish around dodge county, WI.   will hopefully be traveling north and south counties also like koshkonong, big and little green, puckaway, places like those and if I have time, Minocqua area.

Thanks all

Offline Chris338378

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 6,688
Re: Some leader/rig questions
« Reply #1 on: Nov 01, 2016, 01:03 PM »
I always make my leaders six feet long so I can have a pretty good idea how deep I'm setting them without having to check it with my flasher.  The reason this works is when I pull my arms apart completely my hands are just about six feet apart. 

Offline Papa Sly

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,726
Re: Some leader/rig questions
« Reply #2 on: Nov 01, 2016, 07:46 PM »
A lot of the places I fish for bass are in 5' so a 6' leader wouldn't work for me as the button marker would still be on the reel. I use 3-4' flouro leaders and tie 50-60 at the beginning of the year, all different # flouro depending what I am fishing for.. I hate tying the 30#-40# flouro so I started crimping and it works great.
I use beads and blades all the time and find I get more hits with the extra attractant. Different days or places are different so I bring a box with many types and switch over when I find what is working that day. For some reason Florescent orange beads with a perch colored blades work great.
A bad day of ice fishing is better than any day at work!
http://i.imgur.com/dIEANML.jpg?1

Offline esox_xtm

  • Iceshanty Militia
  • Team IceShantyholic
  • *
  • Posts: 6,055
  • It's Showtime!
Re: Some leader/rig questions
« Reply #3 on: Nov 02, 2016, 05:57 AM »
Hi wiguy85, welcome to IS. You're in a great place if ice is your deal or you want it to be. There's as much or as little as you will ever need right here. We're practically neighbors I'm near Ashippun and fish Fox at least a few times a year.

OK, to your questions: Fluoro is fine for a lot of stuff but (my opinion) not for pike, unless you really up the #test to get enough diameter to keep you from getting cut off. I know everyone's an expert and knows how to handle fish as in not horsing 'em BUT I've had 50# cut like nothing and for me the experiment ended there. My minnows swim better on uncoated 20# wire (which is plenty for most fish) than on fluoro that is more like half cooked spaghetti. Just me, I know there will be differing opinions based on their experience so.... Don't get me wrong, fluoro is a better choice than (so-called) superline or even mono.

As far as hooks go, I try to keep it simple. #10 trebles (4x strong) for just about everything, only the leader material may change. I make some quick strike (Q/S) rigs for bigger live bait with that size and use #6s for swinging dead bait. Obviously most any hook will serve, just consider how your bait will wear it. For me, in most cases, the less that minnow has to swim around with the happier and more active it stays.

Attractors like beads and blades are a virtual candy store of choices and combinations. I often fish a bead or even multiple beads (especially for pike) and believe it rarely hurts and often makes a positive difference. Size 4 is as small as I go, I also carry 5s and 6s in half a dozen colors including glow. Combining color and glow or even pearl white is a good bet. Three beads, two of a color with the glow in the middle has done well by me. I have never hung blades as I believe it get to be a lot of hardware and haven't seen it make a difference when used by others I've fished with. Not saying it's bad or not useful, I just don't (haven't) messed with it.

I stock all my leaders before the season, figuring what configurations and how many I may need. They all get popped into an individual zip bag and then store the whole lot in an even bigger super thick zip. Rig exchange is EZPZ: I tie a suitable snap (no swivel) to my main line, the leaders are made with the business on one end and a suitable swivel on the other. If you want to change rigs it's as easy as unsnap, slide off, slide on and snap. Done. A snap and swivel that test 30 - 50# is plenty. If you're bending them out or breaking them while you still have line to play means you're either overexcited or bought cheap terminal tackle. I love SPRO power swivels, very small for their strength and spin very easily. I'm unconvinced of the need for more expensive ball bearings for this kind of fishing, there just isn't that much twist that needs to be dealt with (IMO). My snaps are all the original Berkeley CrossLoks in 50# I think.

Let's see, what did I miss? Oh, nifty tip for your bead location: Most often mine are right down by the hook but I have an option to make that adjustable. Get a needle threader and an appropriate size rubber band. Thread your leader material through the bead then use the threader to pull that rubber band through. Trim the ends of the band and now where ever you slide that bead it will stay put (unless it gets stuck on something). If you want to experiment with placement it's easy. Leader length for me is usually 14 - 18" for pike, more if I'm targeting bass or walleye because I'm using less visible material.

Crimping is a little more precise than just mashing a sleeve down on your leader/line. A proper crimping tool (cup to cup, not cup to anvil) is best for our purposes. An aluminum sleeve of the correct size is much easier on your leader material reducing fatigue related failure at that point. melting a little mushroom on the tag end and snugging up before you crimp minimizes a tag to catch on weeds and prevents slippage in the event of a less than ideal crimp job. This link will tell you everything you need to know about crimping (and then some): Crimping 101...


Hope that helps. You'll find lots of different viewpoints here. None of them are wrong, some just don't fit into my experiences so I can't work up much enthusiasm for them. Again, welcome to The Shanty, you'll like it here. There's something for everyone and maybe I'll see you on the ice sometime.



To fish or not to fish? That's a stupid question!



“Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.”― Lewis Carroll

Offline wiguy85

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 4
Re: Some leader/rig questions
« Reply #4 on: Nov 02, 2016, 08:35 AM »
Thanks for the replies so far.   
      Same here, a lot of times we set shiners a few feet into the hole for pike so have to keep them shorter.   
  I figured I would add some blades to some of them, have variations.     I like ones from Northland tackle (the holo baitfish ones) that you usually see crawler rigs and such but it seems even on the net, the smallest colored/imaged colorados are size 3,4,5+   few 2s but even the 2 seems a little large for some of the rigs, especially walleyes.     been looking for 00,0, and 1s just to give them some flash, down by the hook above the beads, maybe a little higher on a few.     Problem with them is hard to find and have to buy large bulk, go figure....    or that they have some that are basic paint or silver, or gold.   Im sure some plain silvers and golds would be alright for majority.     so since availability is zilch for others to use in darker lakes for some flash, I thought about using this tape to put on front of some blades:   http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/reflector-tape-eyes/309112.aspx      again, maybe im thinking way into this too much but having some blades with reflective pearl or firetiger sure helps in the open water world.   OR maybe flash like the tape is too much???    lol

Not sure if they make them anymore but Northland makes single wire predator rigs.   some beeds, baitfish blade and treble.   I guess that just always seemed to be the 'standard' when I think of tipups so my ideas just swerved that way with attractants.

     I would like to make some steel leaders, otherwise their always premade and cant add accessories to them.    always here of the single and 7 strand, ect.   ill have to look into that all, I always figured eyes didn't like the crimps but.       I sure hate tying 30# fluoro also!!!       Ok so same idea I was thinking, just a better way I suppose.   Have plenty of nice swivels, figured my idea would save hardware with using one on mainline and rapala knot on all the leaders but im sure yours is probably a better idea.
       Ill probably pick up a few quick strike rigs just to have depending on location.   Juneau/Hustisford actually, these don't hold the biggest ones but with traveling (I say this but something always comes up to take my time...), they are probably bigger and could use the extra hooks, especially up by the place in Minocqua.     Puckaway isn't the greatest anymore but have pulled monsters out of there and also the greens.      I would like to get to Madison to find some larger ones there and with your location, im sure you hit up Oconomowoc, okauchee, Pewaukee areas which, of course, is pike and musky land, plenty of time on the boat by them!       Hows Lac La Belle and Fowler for musk and pike?     Spent boat time on Pine for bass but don't know much else around there like moose and such.          Took GFs kid to ashippun pond quite a bit in johnboat or of pier just to get him some bites, but never been on ice there either.       Thanks

 



Iceshanty | MyFishFinder | MyHuntingForum
Contact | Disclaimer | Privacypolicy | Sponsor
© 1996- Iceshanty.com
All Rights Reserved.