Bass-Addict

The key takeaway is that fluoro has terrible abrasion resistance and damage tolerance, once nicked or stressed/compromised it’s toast.

No it isn’t lol I’ve had fluoro fail way more than mono. Commonly held myth pushed by the aggressive marketing behind the far more expensive fluoro whose only advantages are that it has very little stretch for finesse sensitivity and sinks, and that it might be slightly less visible submerged. https://www.saltstrong.com/fishing-tip/fluorocarbon-leader-abrasion-test-vs-mono/ This is from Sunline‘s website: ”However, as mentioned earlier, fluorocarbon is less abrasion resistant than monofilament which means it can break more easily. One disadvantage of fluorocarbon is the amount of memory that it has, which often causes line twists that can occur in your reel spool and cause the line to kink up and eventually break.” https://sunlineamerica.com/blogs/news/fluorocarbon-braid-or-monofilament

See that’s what’s crazy I was using 20 lb Big Game

You think 40 lb is enough? Why not a steal leader?

How do you avoid getting your glide bit off?

How heavy does the steel leader need to be?

Do you find they produce when the bite is tough? I’ve noticed the Ned rig isn’t producing the quality it used to. I started throwing tubes but I’m wondering if a Carolina rigged fluke or craw or drop shot might be productive for the simple fact that it is something they rarely if ever see or if there are any reasons why these presentations don’t lend themselves to moving water?

Oh ok sorry it seemed like you thought I was targeting pike based on your wording just wanted to clarify. So steel leader virtually unbreakable? What about 50-75 lb mono?

He said: “I personally would not buy a $150 lure. For $150 I can buy a very nice spinning reel or a top of the line rod blank. And pike are really not that selective. Muskies are more selective, but the ones I've caught were on $7 cranks and spinnerbaits.”

You must’ve missed where I stated I was not targeting Pike?

Wouldn’t a steel leader be even stiffer? So there’s no secure end to end? Doesn’t a swivel interfere with casting or damage guides?

What knot do you tie?

I was just thinking fluro because of visibility, would 100 lb be obnoxiously thick in diameter? Currently using the IRod Genesis lll SB Jr

I should start by saying pike are few and far between in my river, but they are in there. This was the first such encounter throwing big baits and as such I was completely unprepared. Kept my line tight but somehow she got her teeth around it. I exclusively fish for smallmouth, would a 100 lb fluoro leader or some other sort of rig have prevented this? Majorly heartbroken, fortunately caught a really big fish shortly after that redeemed it.

I previously thought smaller = better for river smallmouth, but now I’m learning that the tube is more effective as a reaction bait than a finesse presentation and that 3.5+ got more & bigger bites than 2.75”.

Yeah I always thought coffee tubes were the gold standard, maybe not. Isn’t there a special scent? But yes I agree with you on using a jig and plastic designed specifically to work together, I was just wary of ordering a bunch sight unseen without ever fishing them.

Yeah, I guess that is a benefit to buying a set made for each other. Are Secret Lures tubes as good as KVD coffee tubes?

What size stupid jig head would be best for 3.5” coffee pro tubes?

Say no more, unavoidable line twist is reason enough for me to completely avoid the ball head. Sounds like I will be going with the traditional stupid too. Thank you! Is Secret Lures stupid tube good? Curious why they have this weird 3.7” size, I’m assuming so you have to use their stuff, or does their 3/0 hook fit a 3.5” pro coffee tube just fine?

Is the only way to avoid line twists with the spiral action to use a barrel swivel?

Now I’m torn 😭

The poster below you mentions a spiral vs glide, which is preferable?

Sorry but which action are you saying will invite more strikes - 90 degree tie w the spiral or 60 degree tie with the glide?

So for Rocky river fishing exclusively, which of the two jigs pictured would you go with?

I thought the jigs in the top image are the traditional stupid tube heads, while the bottom ones are just ball jigs with a wide gap?