IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
IceShanty Main => General Ice Fishing Chit Chat => Topic started by: Preacher_man on Dec 05, 2003, 10:34 AM
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I read in the new IF ice fishing guide about tightlining and was wondering how many of you guys are in into this? ::)
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Fill me in on what exactly is tightlining? Thanks
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Its more of an older tactic. Not that it doesnt work. Just it was a lot more common before todays quality tackle specifically downsized to use jigs and line appropriate for ice fishing. Its really just watching the line and using line easily visible like Golden Stren, which I dont think is made anymore. Thats what my Dad used when he watched line back in the early 80s. Todays tackle is so much more advanced that linewatching loses its advantage. Now you can get rods where you feel fish sniff the bait. When tightlining became popular, ice fishing rods where made of wood.
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Gander Mountain sells Golden Stren in 2 and 4 pound test. Some of these "tightliners" lie on their sides on the ice to watch the line....too cold for me!
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Has anyone heard of chuggers?
One nice thing about chuggers is they used to make 3 or 4 of them rods, from broomsticks.
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Greetings; I use a spring bobber rigged between the eyes on my rod (doesn't stick out the end that way) and still I watch my line while it's droping and while I jig. When I get rigged and know how deep the hole is I stretch my line to get out the curls, then when my jig is dropping I can tell by the straightened line if I'm down to the bottom. If the line stops dropping set the hook, I catch as many fish on the drop as I do jigging. The trout, I fish for, will pick up a bait and not pull on the line a spring botter will show this if you see it raise up,then set hook. I have seen guys on the ice getting bites and complaining the fish keep stealing their bait and they never see the bite.
Stay warm Afishingfool
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I am a firm believer of tightlining and yes Golden Stren is still being sold in the 100 yard, 330 yard, and over 1000 yard spools.
I love it when the bobber fisherman are having trouble catchin fish and little ole asphalt_kid is rippin some lips.It all depends on the fish too.
BUt there are times when I just want to relax and kick back and tie a float on.
Different strokes for different folks.
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I agree with asphalt_kid. I have out fished nearly everyone I have ever fished with that couldn't or wouldn't consider "tightlining" when the conditions call for it. I have a spring bobber on all my jig rods but sometimes the bite is so lite alot of guys miss strikes waiting for that spring bobber to move. I have been know to watch the dimple in the water around my line. It sounds hard but once you get the hang of it its worth it. I believe in trying anything that puts more fish on the ice as long as its legal!!!
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Hey Bussman what about the old saying................ ..
90% of the fisherman catch 10% of the fish and the other 10% of the fisherman catch 90% of the fish?
I think there might just be a little truth to it.
Those who haven't tried tightlinin or those who have and not been successful, give it a whirl and ask if you are not sure. There will be someone on the ice willing to help.
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I honestly hadnt seen Golden stren in 15 years, but I hadnt looked for it either. Im glad it is still out there for you guys who like it. I also appreciate the idea that sometimes watching your line is necessary to see the bites but sometimes it is not. I get the feeling that it is more of a popular lake/wary fish thing. I rarely see fish that cautious on lakes that arent crowded.
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So that's what I've been doing all these years...Tightlining!
My partner, "The Old Man", uses a rig he calls "The Champlain Rig". Small bell sinker on the bottom and 2 jigs up the line on dropper loops. He "feels" the bottom with the sinker and relaxes the line to see the bites. We often use yellow Stren or Fluorescent green Berkley in low light conditions.
RG
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The Stren Hi vis gold for ice fishing is hard to find. I finally found some at a Galyans sport store in Ill. Even Bass pro shops up by me didnt have it.
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Where do you guys see the Stren Hi vis line at? I live in SE Wisconsin and would like to stock up if I can! That Galyans store only had 3 spools left, and I took them! ;D
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Check your Cabela's online or the master catalog. There is a baitshop on one of the lakes if fish that sell the 330 yard spools and the 100 yard spools. Just bought one yesterday when I placed a order for some cards of jigs.
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I've always used the stren gold line. It's the best "tightlineing" line you can find. You can see when your line tightens up just a tiny bit, you can tell when your line slackens up just a tiny bit. All this happens long before a sping bobber or a float has even a hint of a twitch. I started out using a float, then went to a sping bobber, now i just tightline. It's an art and it requires a LOT of concentration. I 've seen some guy's who can do it with clear line, but I don't think I ever could. I've watched these guy's they'd say did you see that? (I didn't). LOL I still use a float on occation (you can't tightline in the wind) or when the fish just want the bait perfectly still. I think if you work at this you can do it and you will catch more fish. Oh I just bought some stren gold at cabelas.
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Let me ask you this...
What species do people usually tightline for? And How exactly do you tightline? I mean i know you look at the line, but is this while your jigging or just a still rod on the ice? Also are you talking about stren's Hi-Vis Gold line? Because if so bass pro has some.
-Evan
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wallice.. They do have it but not in 2lb test. :-\ I have been know to be a little blind in the past, are you sure you saw 2lb. I thought I only saw down to 4lb
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Shwung,
I never said 2 lb. test, but i get what your saying. If your going for panfish get the 2. Got it.
-Evan
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Hey Preacher Man I got you covered the next time we fish together I'll show you how to do it. I've been doing it as long as I ice fished. I just never used the yellow line. :o
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i never realized what i was doing till i read the article....lol. only thing i can get to wok on a really light bite!
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Hey Jiger,
I knew you were good but I didn't know you were that good. I'm now getting more and more anxious to go fishing right now. I almost got enough saved for my vexilar. Counting my pennies. ;D
Preacher man
P.s. we have to talk some more about this tightlining. I mastered flyfishing,I guess I'll be able to master tighlining.
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Shwung, I am pretty sure I saw the gold in 2 pound test at Gander Mountain. I am going there tomorrow and I will check to be sure. If they have it do you want me to pick some up for you?
FTDwallice.. They do have it but not in 2lb test. :-\ I have been know to be a little blind in the past, are you sure you saw 2lb. I thought I only saw down to 4lb
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Here's a suggestion for you guys looking for that gold Stren in 2lb test. If you can't find it, get the 4lb test. Then pick your self up a pony spool of the P-Line Flouroice clear in 3lb ( same diameter as 2lb mono) and bloodknot a Flouroice leader to your Stren. My buddy does this with the Trilene Solar colored line. Flouroice is a flourocarbon coated copolymer line that has the low vis of flourocarbon, but stays limp in cold weather like a copolymer. 100* flourocarbon gets brittle and hard to tie knots with in cold weather. GOOD LUCK & TIGHT LINES >>>>>>>>>>> panfishhead ........... // mark ;)
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I was able to pick up the last two spools of Original Stren Hi-Vis Gold in 2 pound test from Gander Mountain. They are 330 yard spools with the price tag still attached. I paid $4.99 each plus .30 tax, it'll cost $1.50 to ship each one. If anyone from the "Team" wants one or both just let me know. I'm not out to make any money, just thought I'd grab them 'cause they are really hard to find.
FTD
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boy do I feel stupid! I thought that tight lining was icefishing! I guess I need to get out from the rock in which I live! my buddies will be suprised to hear about this. I have been fishing like this for 15 years except we don't use gold line we use berkly trilene one to two pound test.
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bussman you've got it--i've fished for perch with a bite so soft that my superlite rod tip never moved but noticed a slight movement of the line in the hole indicating fish on--caught one after the other while everyone else looks at you like you're some kind of showoff. you can end up cross-eyed after a full day doing this but its sure worth it :P
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I get those looks alot and sometimes I have had guys come ask me what I was doing. I am always willing to show them and sometimes I might even give them a new jig or 2. Its always amazing to me that there are so many guys out there fishing with baited boat anchor. ;D
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I watched my father-in-law kick my butt many times the past few years tight-lining while I was looking at a bobber. This went on while went as light as clear 1Lb while he used his yellow 2Lb. So last year I went to the yellow 2Lb, started tight lining, and started catching more fish. We both use 5' rods and hit a lot of holes. We live in sw mich and most shops carry the yellow stren. He even went to 4Lb last year so he doesn't break his line on the ice as often but he still catchs his share.
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Hey Gang!
I dont tight line I max out tho alot. Way more than I do in the summer. Tight lining is cool tho. I guess its all in the read. I use summer long thin Bobbers with a Jig so only the bobbers orange tip shows. As soon as it ticks I set the hook. I also perch rig alot. then keep my pole bent 30 degrees if anythig even sniffs I set the hook. I have pulled many doubles perching that way I also use high vis blue stren 2lb test. Sometimes on lake michigan 4 lb test for salmon on the winter ice. I have never sight fished tho. never thought i could see down that far even in the shallows. Usually the lakes I fish are really green in anything less than 15 feet of water .
Da-Roc
I guess well see at tri county! "A"