Support Iceshanty...Get some great gear and forum goodies...Join The Iceshanty Militia
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.
If yer setting up a jigging rod for toothy critters, to fish without worry, you need at least a medium power jigging rod. Atleast 8lb mono ice or flouro ice, but most importantly a light wire leader, like Toothy Critter, or any light wire leaders you can find in 6" pr 12"....they don't care about seeing the line or leader. Good luck