Winter Time is Line Changing Time

Well for a great many anglers in areas of the country that experience winter cold that can even be accompanied by hard water, also called ice, this is the time to service your tackle so it’s ready for spring. Even if you like ice fishing, the rods and reels you use when the water isn’t frozen are out of service unless you like to stand a ways back from those holes and cast into them. I don’t mean to make light of ice fishing, but the only ice I like is in my drink after a nice day on liquid water.

So with all that winter spare time on our hands, one of the things we should be doing is servicing our tackle. Your reels should be gone over carefully to check for loose screws, worn bearings and line rollers and if you use them a lot, opened up, cleaned out and re-lubricated. If you are not too handy with mechanical stuff, you might want to bring them to a local tackle shop or send them back to the manufacturer for service. Trained technicians go through all the systems on the reel to see if there are worn parts or drag washers might be needed and they stand a much better chance of putting them back together without any parts left over.

I like to service most of my reels myself. I have a work bench in the tackle room in my basement that is the ideal place to do it. I start by stripping old line off of my reels so I can check the spools for possible corrosion. If you fish in saltwater, corrosion can be a problem, but only if you don’t take care of your gear. Then I spread out a clean towel, one that has been retired from people-drying duties, and set the parts out in an organized manner in the order they came out of each reel so I end up with the reel looking like one of those exploded diagrams. It makes putting it back together the way it came apart a lot easier.

Time to clean the old grease out of the gear case, bathe the gears and bearings in reel cleaner and let them dry. I pay particular attention to the areas of the reel that touch the line. In the case of spinning reels it’s the line roller on the bail. Take a piece of line, loop it around the roller and pull it back and forth to check that the roller is turning easily. A corroded line roller bearing that stops it from spinning can cost you a big fish in a heartbeat. I have replaced quite a few line roller bearings over the years, some during the season, but most during winter cleaning. Cheap insurance.

In the case of baitcasting reels, check and see if there are any burrs on the line guide. Start by snatching a pair of old panty hose from your significant other and cut it into some strips. Then pass a strip through the line guide rubbing against the sides and feeling carefully for any snags. If there is anything that can chafe up your line it will snag the stocking material. Most modern baitcasters use extremely hard materials for line guides so this is rarely a problem, but it can still happen. If your reel has a ceramic insert for the line they can crack and eat your line alive! Hang on to the extra stocking strips because you can use them later to check the guides on your rods to see if there are rough spots or cracked inserts. If you find any damaged guides they must be replace or they will cost you a big fish and ruin a bunch of new line in the process.

Once the reel is reassembled, spray it with a light coating of water displacing lubricant spray like WD40 or CRC, wipe it down with a clean dry cloth and it will almost be ready for the new season. Almost, because it’s time to load it up with new line, so you have some decisions to make. Where you pleased with the line you used last season? Did you use monofilament, but are considering switching to a braid this year? Maybe you want to fill one of your reels with fluorocarbon to give you an edge with special jigging and finesse techniques. A lot of tournament bass fishermen have made the switch to fluorocarbon for fishing worms, shaky head jigs, do nothing worms, things that require a slow, but balanced rate of decent without line impeding the drop and subtle action. Well you just happen to be in luck because you can fill all your line needs from one source – HI-SEAS!

Saltwater anglers have been switching to HI-SEAS Grand Slam Braid a lot in recent years because it is a thin, strong, extremely sensitive line that enhances feel when bottom fishing, jigging and plugging. Surf fishermen are using it because it improves casting distance and you can pack more and heavier braid on a reel than you can monofilament of an equivalent pound test. You could try HI-SEAS Wildfire, a fused braid that is rounder and casts more like monofilament on spinning rods while retaining all the great benefits of regular braid.

Are you happy with monofilament on your reels? A lot of anglers still are and HI-SEAS offers a great selection of top performing monofilament lines like Grand Slam Mono and Quattro Plus, two of the toughest, most abrasion resistant lines on the market today. There is no fish too big, no place to nasty for these lines. Grand Slam is available in several colors while Quattro Plus has alternating colors that act like camouflage in the water. Looking for a super thin co-polymer monofilament? You can’t beat HI-SEAS White Lightning and Black Widow, both super thin, extra supple, high performance lines. White Lightning is a clear line that is True Test Rated to be IGFA record compliant and Black Widow is camo colored.

Winter time is gear servicing and line changing time. Out with the old and in with the new. So tune up your tackle and load your reels with the best lines money can buy. The pros know and that’s why our motto is, HI-SEAS – When the Money’s on the Line.

The Evolution of Terminal Tackle

Fishing tackle is constantly evolving as technologies and manufacturing capabilities improve and new materials come on the scene. Sometimes new gear requires manufacturing techniques to catch up to new materials. Such is the case with AFW’s impressive titanium leader wire products.

Titanium is certainly nothing new. You can find it on the Periodic Chart as Ti, with an atomic number of 22, which is the number of protons in its single atom form. That’s probably more information than you need, but now you know in case you’re on a game show and the question comes up. Titanium is also considered a rare earth element as compared with other metals like iron and copper, and until recent the military took a big interest in it the stuff was not really available for civilian purposes. It is extremely light and strong and can be finished to a very shiny, slippery finish and is extremely resistant to chemical and environmental corrosives. It is nearly impervious to saltwater. It is used in high-tech military aircraft and spacecraft, but as it became more readily available it started finding its way into less exotic applications.

Several years ago AFW introduced Titanium Tooth Proof wire leader material, which is a titanium alloy suitable for fishing purposes. It is a single strand wire that has very interesting properties. It is stronger than stainless steel so the leader material is thinner. It is unaffected by saltwater so it will not corrode in the water, your tackle box or when left on board a boat for long periods between fishing trips. It can be crimped or tied using a clinch knot, which will be more loosely cinched than one tied in monofilament line, but just as strong. It also has a degree of stretch to it, which means it can absorb a bone jarring strike and then snap back to its original length, but probably the most revolutionary improvement over stainless steel is it’s resistance to kinking! Stainless wire and cable will kink when bit, which means one or two fish and the leader is shot. Not titanium. The elasticity factor negates the tendency to kink like steel, so the added expense is offset by its life expectancy.

As alloy science and manufacturing techniques evolved so did the way titanium can be extruded and woven providing the ability for AFW to introduce the next generation of leader material, AFW Titanium Surfstrand, another advancement in the use of this amazing metal. Formed from seven hair-like strands of titanium woven into a single, super light micro-cable, Titanium Surfstrand is stronger than the sum of its strands providing a thin protective leader to guard against toothy critters like kingfish, barracuda, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and their ilk when fishing with light to medium tackle. It has excellent elastic properties for absorbing the shock of a strike when trolling or fast jigging and it is even more resistant to kinking than single strand titanium leader. It is available in 30, 50. 75 pound test and can be knotted like Titanium Tooth Proof, but also works extremely well using AFW Leader Sleeves and crimping tools.

Bite proof leaders are not the only thing evolving in terminal tackle. Next time we’ll take a look at the amazing shrinking swivel. Until then, fish hard, you can always rest tomorrow.  

Caputi’s Blog Tip: When crimping Titanium Surfstrand using AFW Leader Sleeves it is important to use a 3-time thru process because of the elasticity of the cable. Then follow the simple instructions below for a fool proof connection. 

JIGS & SHADS FOR FALL STRIPERS

If you’ve read this blog for any period of time you probably picked up on the fact that I like fishing for striped bass. As a Jersey Shore guy, please no comparisons to Snooki and the casts of miscreants on the supposed reality show by the same name, striped bass are the premiere inshore game fish in my backyard, as they are for anglers from North Carolina to Maine. Fall is coming on fast with water temperatures plummeting and massive amounts of baitfish moving out of coastal rivers and bays. That means fishing the beach fronts should be fantastic for beach and boat anglers.

I took my center console out of Manasquan Inlet yesterday to chase false albacore and oceanic bonito and the concentration of bait in the river near the inlet was epic. The same goes for outside the inlet. Peanut bunker, mullet, bay anchovies, sand eels and spearing were everywhere and on the bottom below them were acres of small weakfish and spot picking them off. Bass love all of these forage species, including the weakfish and the spot, and you can match the hatch with a few simple lures and techniques.

The vanguard of bigger bass migrating south are not here yet, only the resident fish that remain in these waters throughout the summer, but they aren’t far away in distance or time. By early October we will be seeing large schools of stripers working their way south, stopping to feed voraciously along the way. The timing will be earlier to our north and later to our south, but you can count on it.

Two of my favorite methods of catching fall stripers are using light spinning tackle with plastic shads or using a medium bait casting outfit to vertical fish metal jigs. The two techniques don’t require a lot of specialized tackle, but I would not be caught dead without braid on both the spinning and bait casting outfits – Hi-Seas Grand Slam Braid or Hi-Seas Wildfire Fused Braid to be more precise. Why? Well the simple answer is they basically guarantee you’ll catch more fish. OK, it’s not a written guarantee, but using braid puts so many factors more squarely in your favor that you’d be crazy not to use the stuff.

Most of my spinning outfits for fall bass are 7’ graphite and rated as light/medium or medium with appropriately sized reels. They are spooled with 10 to 20-pound test Wildfire. Most of my bait casting outfits are 7’ straight-butt trigger sticks with medium or medium/heavy actions and appropriately sized reels loaded with 30 to 50-pound Grand Slam Braid.

The spinning rods are used mostly for throwing plastic shads or bucktails and Wildfire is the perfect line choice. Since it’s a Spectra line it has all the necessary benefits – thin diameter so the lures sink deeper more quickly, almost no stretch so you can feel even the lightest pick up, and its tough stuff. Fusing the outer sheath of the line gives it a rounder, smoother feel so it casts and spools beautifully on spinning reels and no special braid knots are necessary for tying on leaders.

I prefer Grand Slam Braid on the bait casting outfits because it is thinner than even the fused braid and I tend to use heavier line on these rigs. That’s because the metal jigs I fish below the boat are frequently heavier and larger, requiring a stiffer action rod to work them. I frequently fish jigs in deeper water right on the bottom, where stripers spend a good deal of their time, and big jigs can catch some big bass so the heavier tackle provides a better chance at boating a bigger fish. Grand Slam Braid is extremely thin, even in 30 and 50-lb test, and with almost no stretch you can feel the subtle pick up of a striper grabbing the jig while it is sinking to the bottom or when lifting and dropping it. It also gives you an advantage when setting the hook. A quick lift of the rod transmits all the power directly to the hook without losing any to line stretch.

The fall run in coming, the fall run is coming. Is your tackle rigged and ready for these two great fall striper techniques? It isn’t if the reels aren’t loaded with Hi-Seas Grand Slam Braid and Hi-Seas Wildfire lines.

Caputi’s Blog Tip: When fishing either braided line for fall stripers be sure to add a four or five foot leader of Hi-Seas 100% Fluorocarbon in 50 or 60 lb test as shock and chafe protections. Stripers might not have teeth, but they do have sand paper lined jaws. If bluefish are mixed in add a bite leader of AFW Surflon Micro Supreme. You can tie knots with it just like monofilament. 

BASS FISHING’S WEEKEND WARRIORS

Competitive bass fishing is alive and well in the 21^st Century and you don’t have to be a well-heeled, heavily sponsored professional to get in on the fun. In fact for some you don’t have to own a bass boat! Sound interesting? Then check out American Bass Anglers and their American Fishing Tour.

From the time I got wheels I was going bass fishing all over the Northeast. I fished my first tournament before I owned a bass boat in a buddy event where non-boaters were paired with boat owners. When I purchased my first bass boat I started fishing tournaments with the newly formed New Jersey Chapter of the Bass Anglers Sportsman’s Society (BASS) and had a ball doing it. That was over thirty years ago and the competitive spirit among bass fishermen continues to flourish today and the dominant force is the ABA. The association recently took over running the B.A.S.S. Weekend Series in addition to its own extensive state and regional pro and non-pro tournament series, which makes it the largest bass tournament promoting body in the nation.

Currently there are ABA chapters and tournaments in 42 of the lower 48 states, which include almost every state that has a viable population of largemouth bass. The state chapter-based American Fishing Tour features at least half dozen events for members in all 42 states each with a modest $75 entry fee and $145 for the state championship. The tournaments are open to all ABA members, male or female from 14-years old and up. Anglers fish two to a boat and draw for partners.

Are you lucky enough to have a wife or girlfriend who likes to bass fish as much as you do? Well ABA has its Couple Tournament Series to give you a venue for the two of you to strutt your bass fishing talents.

If you find yourself really getting into competitive fishing and doing well in the ABA state chapter events then maybe it’s time to step up to the Bassmasters Weekend Series. This is the proving ground that has produced many of the top competitive anglers fishing the Bassmasters Elite Series like AFW/Hi-Seas pro staff members Cliff Pace, Jeff Connella and Jeff Kriet. These guys are at the top of their game as highly respected professional tournament anglers. To learn more about them click on the links or go to www.hiseas.net and click on Pro Staff.  

If you have the talent and the drive you just might end up in the Superbowl of bass fishing, the Bassmaster Classic! Well at least we can dream, right?

Caputi’s Blog Tip: The most popular fluorocarbon line on the bass tour is Hi-Seas 100% Fluorocarbon. It is ideal for many specialized techniques because it sinks more naturally with finesse baits, has very little stretch so you can feel subtle bites and it is as close to invisible underwater as modern technology can make it! Spool up with Hi-Seas 100% Fluorocarbon and you can be a winner, too. 

DEALING WITH TEETH

It doesn’t matter if you do your fishing in fresh, salt or brackish water because there are species of game fish in all aquatic environments that come equipped with formidable weapons of the dental variety—teeth. Small razors or big, pointy choppers, they all can have the same result when placed in proximity to fishing line and for the angler on the other end none it ain’t good!

Among the most popular game fish swimming around in North America’s abundant freshwater rivers and lakes are the northern pike, the muskellunge and their diminutive cousin, the chain pickerel, all toothy critters. In bays and along our beaches the bluefish is a notoriously aggressive inshore game fish with teeth sharp enough to make quick work of any baitfish.  Then there are those pesky barracudas, king mackerel and wahoo all of which can snip through line like a pair of fine scissors. Sharks are probably the most well known of saltwater’s toothy critters (what fisherman doesn’t look forward to Shark Week on cable each year?) and their reputation for having a sharp personality is well deserved. Do some traveling to Central and South America, Africa or the Far East and the number of species of fish with awe inspiring dentures increases considerably.

AFW/HI-SEAS has been helping anglers deal with tooth critters for three decades by producing the finest wire and cable leader products in the world. All of their wire and cable is manufactured in their facilities in Valley Township, Pennsylvania using modern equipment run by skilled technicians who continually check the material coming off the line for quality, uniformity and durability. It doesn’t matter which toothy critter you have to contend with, AFW/HI-SEAS has the right leader for you. Tournament fishing for king mackerel is one example.

Kingfish have razor sharp teeth—lots of them—and they are as fast as a speeding bullet when they go on an attack run. When they nail a fish that has been unfortunate enough to get in the crosshairs of their sights it looks like Edward Scissorhands was on the job! Wire leaders are essential for catching these fish. The largest saltwater tournament trail in the world is run by the Southern Kingfish Association, which puts on or sanctions upwards of 60 events each year from Texas to North Carolina and in every state in between. Over the years AFW/HI-SEAS has been one of the SKA’s most reliable corporate sponsors and with good reason, these events provide an ideal testing ground for many of our products, especially wire leader material. AFW/HI-SEAS Tooth Proof Single Strand Stainless Steel leader wire has been the wire of choice for SKA competition teams for close to twenty years because it performs up to the expectations these anglers demand. I rest my case.

AFW/HI-SEAS has a wide selection of wire and braided cables for every use you can think of in freshwater and saltwater. Do you fish ultra light tackle for pickerel? They’ve got you covered with Surflon Micro Supreme in diameters so small you can hardly see it and that will work well with even the tiniest lures. Best of all you can tie it direct using the same knots you use in monofilament line. And while you’re checking out all the leader products at www.americanfishingwire.com be sure to check out the new Titanium Single Strand and Titanium 1X7 braided materials, the latest in products developed at the AFW research facility.

Teeth are no problem for anglers who fish with AFW/HI-SEAS wire and cable leaders. Check out their website and see for yourself.

Caputi’s Blog Tip: Fly fishing for bluefish, kingfish, pike and other tooth critters is great fun, but they are murder on unprotected tippets. That’s why I tie six to 12 inches of Surflon Micro Supreme using a Uni-to-Uni jam knot between the tippet and fly. Properly done, it’s IGFA legal for record fishing, too. 

USE THE RIGHT COMPONENTS FOR CAROLINA RIGS

One of the most productive methods of fishing plastic worms is the time proven Carolina Rig. It differs from the more commonly used Texas Rig, which places the sinker right on the nose of the bait, by moving the weight a couple feet away using a barrel swivel, bead and short leader. The components you use to make your Carolina Rig can affect how successful it is in attracting bites from wary largemouth bass, but we’ll get into that in a minute. First, why use a Carolina Rig in the first place? 

Texas rigged worms are great for shallow water use. You can pitch or cast them into heavy cover and they won’t get hung up. Throw them into the nastiest spots, snake them through the branches of fallen trees, flooded bushes, rip rap, just about anything, without having to worry about negative consequences. Used in this manner they have an enticing action as they fall being pulled down by the slip sinker that slides away from the lure on the drop. Most bites occur on the drop so a low stretch line on your reel like Hi-Seas Grand Slam Braid, Wildfire or 100% Fluorocarbon pays big dividends when fishing Texas rigged worms.

Ah, but the Texas Rig has limitations and when you get it out of shallow cover and into deeper, cleaner bottom areas where bass often retreat to during hot summer weather or when the weather begins to turn cold in the late fall it just doesn’t look very enticing. Fact of the matter is that the worm will have about as much action as a pipe cleaner. That’s where the Carolina Rig takes over. It is right at home in water 10, 15, 20 feet deep and even deeper. The only limitations on depth is increasing the sinker size to get the worm down there and keep it on the bottom. The Carolina Rig keeps the worm separated from the sinker by a couple feet of leader so it can’t inhibit the action as you slide it across the bottom. Use a worm that is slightly buoyant, has a swimming tail or go to a lizard style that looks natural crawling across the bottom and they come alive with the slightest movement.

The rig is easy enough to make. It starts with a standard worm hook tied to an 18 to 24 inch length of leader material. I strongly recommend using Hi-Seas 100% Fluorocarbon for the abrasion resistance and near invisibility it provides, in 16 to 25 lb. test. Remember, lighter leader allows the worm to move more freely back there behind the sinker. At the other end of the leader tie on an AFW Mighty Mini #4 Crane Swivel. Even though they are extremely small the #4 has a breaking strength of 78 lbs. Now slide a slip sinker (¼ to 1 ounce depending on the water depth) and then a tiny plastic bead onto your running line before you tie it to the other side of the swivel and the rig is complete.

The sinker rests against the bead preventing it from jamming on the tiny crane swivel and it also puts out a subtle clacking sound as the sinker bounces back against it while you are working the rig across the bottom.

Carolina rigged worms can be fished using spinning or baitcasting tackle, but be sure you use a moderately stiff graphite rod to enhance your feel and give you a solid hook set when the time comes. Fish the Carolina Rig by making long casts and allowing it to sink to the bottom before you move it. Then reel up any slack line and work the worm by making long, slow sweeps of the rod to the side keeping it horizontal to the water. As you pull it along you will feel the sinker scraping along the bottom and tapping any objects it might come in contact with. A strike can be detected in several ways. You might feel the classic bump through the rod; you might see the line start to move off to one side or another; or the line could tighten up. The last two are indications that a bass has picked up the worm and is swimming away with it. Remember, the bass is pulling the line through the slip sinker, which can dampen the feel of more tradition hits. If you feel or see any of the indicators keep the rod low and strike to the side, not up and over your head. Once you get the hang of it you’ll find the Carolina Rig to be a valuable tactic in your quest to catch largemouth bass. Just be sure to rig ‘em right with Hi-Seas lines and leader material and AFW Mighty Mini Crane Swivels. Using these quality products assures you will get the best performance from your rigs and increase your bites!

Caputi’s Blog Tip:

AFW Mighty Mini swivels and snap swivels are marvels of strength in a tiny package. Old style swivels were made out of brass, which is a soft metal that requires bulk for strength. Mighty Mini’s are finely crafted from stainless steel, which means they are capable of providing three to four times the breaking strength of similarly sized brass swivels. 

Offshore Leader Systems

Canyon fishing is really heating up and a lot of newcomers are heading offshore to get in on the action. One of the key components for successfully pursing tuna and billfish is the leader system and keeping it simple is the way to go. The system I recommend starts with two knots that should be in every offshore angler’s bag of trick and works equally well on any pound class tackle.

Start by creating a double line with the terminal end of the running line using a Bimini Twist. The double line acts as a safety feature when you bring a large fish close to the boat, leader it then gaffed or release it. It’s insurance incase a fish chafes the line or even breaks one of the two legs of the double. It’s saved the bacon many times for me.

For most instances I like the double line to be about 10 feet long, but you can make it longer or shorter if you desire. Then tie a high quality ball bearing swivel to the terminal end of the loop using an offshore swivel knot.

Next comes the leader, which will attach to the double line at the swivel and the strength and length will vary with the application. Each lure or rigged bait will have its own leader. I use Hi-Seas 100% Fluorocarbon in 50 to 130 lb test for rigged ballyhoo because the trolling speed with baits is slower than with lures so the fish get a better look at them and any telltale indication of something not looking just right can be a turn off. Heavy mono leaders are stiff and too visible, hence leaders of lighter testing fluorocarbon.

For lures I make leaders using Grand Slam or Quattro Plus monofilament leader material in 150 to 400 lb test depending on the size of the lure, its swimming action and the fish it is most likely to attract. Lures for blue marlin or bigeye tuna are rigged on heavier leaders than the smaller lures I use to target longfin or yellowfin tuna. If you worry about your leader system being approved for IGFA record catches then keep in mind that you can run a combined double line and leader up to 20 feet up to 20-pound class tackle and up to 30 feet in 30-pound class and heavier.

For chunking tuna day or night use fluorocarbon leaders and have hooks rigged and ready on 30, 50, 80 and 100-lb test so you can start heavy and switch down in thickness if the fish are finicky. Chunking leaders are usually no more than six feet long with an AFW Mighty Mini Crane Swivel at the opposite end from the hook.

With these basic leader systems you can be ready to switch from one technique to another at a moments notice using the same rods. Practice your knots so you’re sure to have them right and go fishing.

Caputi’s Blog Tip:

Circle hooks are your best bet for chunking tuna. I use non-offset circle hooks only usually in size 7/0. Just remember when a fish takes your bait DO NOT try and jerk set the hook. Just slide the drag lever forward and let the line come tight. The hook does the rest.