newbie to dropshot

[fishfinder23]

Calling all veterans!

Im new2 dropshotting and need some advice:

1) is fireline better the monofilament?is the price really worth it?

2)125yards of fireline will never fill my reel, can i use monofilament underneath?and what thickness?

3) how do i tie mono and fireline together?

i will be using a daiwa exceller 4000 plus, and will be fishing saltwater, gullies, surf, river mouths etc. What thicknes should i go for?20pound? 15pound?

thanx in advance!

 

[buxj]

hey man, i am no ESA expert but lemme offer my help.

1. braid is better than mono when using the dropshot method because its lighter, thinner, stronger, no memory, no stretch! so you have more control and feel everything.
I am not saying that you can't use mono for dropshot! u can till u get the hang of it and then decide on braid. (8-10 pound mono) Fireline is very thick braid and very expensive because it is very strong, berkley are pioneers! i would go with something like kingfisher first. good value for money.

2. you can use mono backing no problem! same breakage weight as your braid.

3. use a uni-knot

4. nice reel, if you sticking with fireline then i would suggest 14 pound, kingfisher 20 pound. heavy tackle for dropshot but it works because of the dia. of the braid.

All this is what works for me! I wud also love to hear other opinions and experiences!

enjoy!
JB

 

[camo shorts]

I'm using an Exceller 3000, been down the mono/fireline road, costly exercise. Even tried casting fluoro. Found that filling the spool with my excess backing braid worked best, with a 1 metre fluoro leader, loads of capacity.

 

[Jackie]

Braid is worth every cent, for the exact reasons that BJ gave. Double uni knot. 10lb is great for the shore, but 14/15lb is a good all-rounder if you get to fish from a boat once in a while too.
Enjoy!

 

[neilg]

fishfinder23 wrote:

1) is fireline better the monofilament?is the price really worth it?

2)125yards of fireline will never fill my reel, can i use monofilament underneath?and what thickness?

3) how do i tie mono and fireline together?

i will be using a daiwa exceller 4000 plus, and will be fishing saltwater, gullies, surf, river mouths etc. What thicknes should i go for?20pound? 15pound?

It's not really if Fireline is worth it, the question is is braid worth it, the short answer is yes, BUT NOT ALL BRAIDS ARE EQUAL.

1.  I would suggest Fireline or PowerPro as a casting braid, both work great. You want a harder than normal braid, the soft braids will give "wind-knots", and it's a sure way of spoiling your days fishing. You can try Kingfisher casting braid but do so at your own risk !!!

2.  I prefer the 300yard spools, don't like to split it up with backing if I really don't have to, but yes it can be done. It also depends on what you're targetting. If you plan of getting stripped by huge fish with every cast then I won't recommend it, but if you gonna be playing with the smaller fish it's fine.

3.  Spider hitch in both (or bimini twist) and then loop together with Cats Paw, very strong and reliable.

4.  The reel is very good and capable, the question is what do you want to target. I would say 14lb max in Fireline, in PowerPro you can go a bit heavier. Remember most fish you will encounter in rivers, the surf and gullies are easily landed with 14lb line, SO DON'T OVERKILL.

Most people use 10lbs and below. Just use a little heavier leader line (depending on what you're targetting)

I have about 8-10lbs Fireline on my 3000 Exceller and use anything between 8lb to 40lb leader line, depending on what I'm targetting.

 

[fishfinder23]

thanx4 all the help guys!so guess fireline it is!damn,gona hav2 just bite the bullet! wish me luck!

 

[fishfinder23]

Hey neilG, being from PE, where do u go for dropshot?bluwater bay mouth? Flat rocks across from Humewood golf club?swartkops?because ive tryed them all with not much luck? what softs should i use for where?what times?and tides etc?would really appreciate sum help! thanx a mil...

 

[neilg]

Most of my dropshot is from the boat, but from the side the whole Marine drive is good, most of the time using plastic worms from both Berkley and also McCarthy.

The weekend we went fishing (nothing to talk about) and Havoc put his big rod away and went light tackle (using pilchard guts), he caught most of his fish withing 5m from the side, even picked up a steenie (small) about 1.5-2m from the side.

Tide is not the most important, just look for structure and work around the structure.

Be MOBILE, pack light and move around, DON'T FISH ONE SPOT THE WHOLE DAY. If you didn't walk atleast 2km looking for fish YOU WEREN'T LOOKING!

From Something good all the way to Flatrocks is always good aswell.

Flatrocks best on low tide.

Go to Commercial, speak to Steven, tell him Neil sent you, he'll give you some discount on the Fireline.

 

[fishfinder23]

ah thats awsim!!thanks4 the tips neil!will definitley give flat rocks a try during the week...and will speak2 steve as soon as iv got the cash2 get my exceller and fireline!

one last question..iv researched and tied knots till im blue in the face, best knott for dropshot , bimini twist onto yucatan?but then theres a double line segment reeled in on your spool, wont6 this affect anything?i used2 just tie my jerk shad straight on2 my mainline...mybe thats y my dropshot results have been crap thus far!!

 

[Dexter]

Hi Fishfinder

I use 15lb sufix braid on my dropshot rig and have tied the bimini twist onto a yucatan with my leader line. It is a very smooth knot and glide through the guides, even very small ones.

There is a lot of other knots you can use. I like to play around with knots to see which I like and which ones I can tie the quickest when I need to.

I also asked Neil and a helpful quick knot he said works well is the surgeons knot. I use 5 - 6 turns.

Learn as many as you can.

 

[neilg]

Dexter wrote:

I also asked Neil and a helpful quick knot he said works well is the surgeons knot. I use 5 - 6 turns.

3 knots I use the most

for double - Spider Hitch Knot - don't care what the books say, IT'S STRONG

braid to mono/fluorocarbon - Surgeons knot (5-6turns) - SET KNOT PROPERLY

mono/fluorocarbon to jig/lure - Rapala knot

If you can do those 3 you covered

With the Surgeons knot it's VERY IMPORTANT that you set the knot PROPERLY

Make it and then pull (not jerk) it with firm pressure from every possible angle.

Rapala knot on jig is important as it allows the plastic and jig FREE MOVEMENT

 

A trick with artificial angling, set your goals low otherwise you setting yourself up for dissappointment.

I ALWAYS start with worms, catch a few strepies, blacktail and if you lucky a smallish steenbras or cob, if I see something like that then I'll change to the fishy plastics

The most versatile soft plastics (between the rocks) will always be the worms.