Bottom fishing tuesday 7/2

[Blackfish Doug]

[QUOTE=bulletbob]I was a regular on the party boats in NJ, in the 70's, 80's and early 90's.. Always got my share, won pools, high hooks etc.. Then as time went on, things changed.. I noticed I always lagged behind in numbers and size.. I though i was "losing my touch"... I think its because the game has changed, and I haven't kept up with technology.. I am using the same tackle and tactics that served me well 30 years ago... I used to think it was just me getting older[59], but after seeing how always do pretty well until the water gets deep, I am changing my thinking... Those guys with braid were at 3 or 4 to 1 over me a foot away.. Their bait looked no better than mine, just a big glob of stinky clams, looking nothing like anything a fish would normally eat.. It simply has to be the inability to detect bites, and the inability to set the hook as well.
In the shallower water, each and every time, my boy and i did well.. The deep water we fell way behind..


I remember when we used Dacron & Mono was first introduced to the market. Does anybody remember Ande line coming on wooden spools? There are some very good Mono's out there with very little stretch. I have used Cajun Red, Hi Seas Quatro & a few of the P lines with very good results. I know of some very good Blackfisherman who use Mono exclusively I prefer Mono for Blackfish as well. The only time I like using Braid is when I'm fishing plus 100' depths only because of the stretch factor. Plus usually when you get stuck with Mono you usually loose more Mono so re spooling is necessary. It seems to me that when you break your line it never breaks closely to the bottom of the rig. I still have my love for Mono as you do but everybody gets accustomed to braid so it's hard to change.

[Chico]

Most of us definately DO NOT cut our braid off! Costs way too much $$. Since most braids will break way above their stated rating, I use the same strength rated mono. A uni to uni knot works great. I like 15 to 20', this way if I break some off, I can just keep going. If you do get into a tough snag, just palm the spool and hold on! Another advantage of the mono leader is that it is more abrasion resistant than the braid, if you get a big fish that goes under the boat, etc. You will be better off if the mono touches a rough surface. Another advantage of a longer mono leader is that in a tangle, the mono leader will be much easier to untangle than the braid. You should have pliers with braid cutters built in, safer than using a knife!

[bulletbob]

vinntastic]Get A Couple Bags Of Gulp And Dont Leave Home Without It[/QUOTE]
I had several bags with me but not the green curly tail stuff.. I had some minnow shaped Gulp in natural and chartreuse/white, and some red wormy looking ones... To be honest, some guys using it weren't doing all that great... There was a guy near me using plain clams that did very well, but he did have braid. My son and i were getting cleaned out a lot without ever feeling a hit or that telltale "weight" on the line.. On this day with the ground swell and non aggressive fish, it was the ability to detect bites or weight that separated average catches[ me] from good catches [Guy next to me].. there are some guys that swear by gulp, and some swear at it.. Two guys at the stern with me used it, and we outfished them.. They had mono on their reels, and lighter tackle as well... I don't think they felt their hits that well either.. They were cleaning up on Pout however.
I use it regularly in my home sweetwater, but am not yet 100% convinced its all that much better than a well presented Mr Twister, Sluggo, Fin S, etc.. I have found that when SMB and Walleye fishing here in NY state, that it might catch me an extra fish at times, but I just have not seen the big difference.. To be fair, when SMB fishing, I have noticed I catch a lot more fat Rock Bass when using gulp on a jig head than I would on any other jig tail, so it has scent appeal I guess.. When fluking last week, I never got a fish on Gulp nor did my brother.. I had one tap on it.. As soon as a spearing baited hook hit the water however, it was grabbed quickly while grub tipped jigs went without a sniff.. I know Gulp works, but I guess I need more convincing that its a miracle fish catcher.. When I have my first really big day with it, I will join the club.. First fish I ever caught on Gulp was Channel Cat... Thought I had found that miracle bait... Now after a lot more use, I am still not on board, but am open to the possibility...

oh yeah, forgot to mention my boy caught a massive Winter Flounder.. There were several caught.. it fought like hell, and boy was he was pissed when I told him it had to go back, especially when one of our neighbors at the stern through one he had caught into his cooler. bob