Click here to order with free shipping.Team Iceshanty Patches! Most iceshanty boards are represented
If you're after toothy fish you could have a spare rod set with heavier leader to drop down for them to chomp on. On my tip-ups I use 20 pound Spider Wire EZBraid because it has 6 pound diameter for a leader and have yet to have a pickerel bite through it and that's what I'd use for leader on the spare rod.
I was sight-fishing through my shanty at a lake in NEPA this past weekend. I had caught one big perch and a couple small slime rockets when the biggest pickerel I have ever seen came under my shack. I dropped down a live shiner and he crunched it. He made a solid run then bit me off leaving me heart broken. About an hour later I hooked another giant pickerel, but he also bit me off. I was using 4lb mono (my panfish rod) to a circle hook. How do you guys prevent biteoffs? I was thinking about using thin wire or heavy mono the next time I go out, but I'm worried the fish will see the line and turn away. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks and tight lines.
braid is the worse thing to use for toothy fish. plus its visible. If you dont care about the visibility than go with wire, if visibility is a concern go with heavier flouro leader.
XTM, Okay, now I'm not so sure... I'm planning first pike/pickerel trip. For the tip-ups how does this sound? 25# mason braid with a 2' long 15# florocarbon leader.