Getting into Mono to Braid to Flouro Leaders

What I tied On

Yesterday, I wanted to practice tying up some mono to braid, and then also braid to flouro leaders.  Below is what I did on one of my spinning combos:

The picture does not depict the actual order...but this is what I ended up with on my reel:

Trilene Big Game Mono 10 lbs => Power Pro Braid 10 lbs => Berkley Vanish Flouro 8 lbs => Lure (Spinnerbait)

Thoughts On Leader Knots

If you are anything like me, I am still an old school dude that is running Berkley Trilene Big Game Mono on the majority of his reels.  The way I have always looked at fishing line is that I have a limited amount of time to fish, and the last thing I want to worry about is learning about new fishing line tactics.  I've used monofilament for many years and have used it in almost every application with success.  Remember, at one point it was the only way!  But, I am not against trying to learn new tricks of the trade though if it helps me catch fish or even save money in the long run.

I know that braid is super strong and sensitive.  It floats...It definitely has it's places in the arsenal.  You will tell me that flourocarbon is also strong, sinks, and is invisible to the fish in the water.  Again, it has its place in the arsenal...And then there are many places and anglers out there today who are touting the combinations of mono, braid, and flouro.  Braid can last much longer before you need to replace it on your reels.  You can gain a lot of strength and power in your reel and rods as well for thick grass and lilly pad punching.  I can go on and on...

There are many knots out there today that anglers use for connectors between mono, braid, and flouro.  There are millions of pages on the internet and videos on Youtube showing you how to tie these different knots.  I think the ones that are the most popular are the "double uni knot" or the "FG knot".  I will also tell you that anglers get outright religious about their knots as well.  You don't want to get into an online comment battle about your knots, LOL.

The one I am using now (Albright knot)

I wish I had a great story behind how I learned this knot.  Like my Hawaiian ancestors were using this knot to fish for Ulua and Sharks in the 1600s. 😀 But that's not the case.  I just searched "mono to braid" into The Googles.  Then I clicked on a Youtube Video, which showed me a guy tying one of these leader knots...the video was terrible because he never zoomed in so you could actually see the knot being created.  He was also stalling so his video would be long enough to get monetized.  So then I clicked on another one...Here it is:

For me, this video was super easy to follow.  I literally had my braid and mono with me and followed along.  I found this knot to be super easy to do, and it created a very low profile knot that will slip through my guides easily.  I also think I can use this knot in "real world" applications while I am actually fishing.  I don't want to spend a lot of time tying knots while I am trying to fish.  I didn't even know what this knot was called and had to look up the knot.

Fishing-NC.com/fishing-knot

Thoughts

I hope this all gives you some ideas for your own knot tying exercises, especially if you are thinking about using some of these new techniques with combining different types of fishing line in your rod and reel rigs.  Stay Committed, Stay Driven.

December 10th 2021 Fishing Excursion

 

I hit one of my regular fishing holes yesterday after work.  The weather was really strange all day.  Here were the characteristics of the weather:

• Cloudy, Overcast
• Slight wind at times that created current on pond, but then would go away
• Wind was warm, water temp colder than outside air temp
• Air temp was around 60 degrees, and humidity in the air
• some rain throught the day

1st hour

I threw around mainly a jerkbait to no availe.  I changed over to a lipless crankbait, nothing.  I changed over to a jig, no dice.  I changed over to a black and blue colorado spinnerbait with no luck. I even put a wacky worm, because hell, why not! Definitely no bites, and I was really questioning if the fish were even located in the normal spot that I have been catching them this year.

2nd hour

This specific fishing hole that I go to has two different ponds. So in the second hour, after not getting a bite, my thought was to move over the second pond and see what happens.  I tried a jerkbait and a lipless crankbait at that pond with no luck. So as an angler everybody goes through this thought process during the session...am I gonna get SKUNKED?

I had two choices, keep fishing pond 2, and see if I can get some bites before I leave...Or, go back to pond 1 and finish out in another spot I know the fish could be at before I leave.  I chose option 2!  I hustled back to the other pond and actually tied on a different color jerkbait from H20 Express.  This one was the Ultimate Jerk Shad in the Sexy Shad color that you see below.

Bam! For whatever reason, I found them!  I caught 5 fish in about 25 minutes. A couple of takeaways from this fishing session were maybe later in the day they started to feed.  Also, their location definitely was on points in which the current was moving into these points.  I was basically on the opposite end of the pond that I've been catching fish this fall.  Pretty fun when you locate the fish!

We are definitely in jerkbait winter season! The fish are still feeding on shad and small baitfish. The fish in this pond are nice and healthy, and I had a lot of fun with this challenge yesterday. Sometimes the quick choices you make out there work out really well! I could have chosen option 1 to continue fishing pond 2, but I am glad I didn't on this day.  I hope you have luck finding the fish!  Stay Committed, Stay Driven!

We are in the early winter fishing transition 2021

 

ShakaOG here! I wanted to write a little blogpost about the late fall into winter transition right now in the Heartland USA. In our area we've got four seasons.  Right now we are right in the middle of the late fall into early winter transition. I am learning that the water temperature truly effects the fish behaviors. I have one neighborhood pond near us that produces the most bass through the spring, summer, and fall.  But, right now that pond is "lifeless".  The Lil' Shaka and I are trying everything to catch some winter bass in that pond and we cannot even manage a bite. I will say, that pond has little to no cover or structure for fish.  It is a standard oval pond with a fountain in the middle, and it also serves as a storm drain retention pond. So, I keep wondering if the fish are in a very dormant state and out deep in the middle of the pond.

In one of our other favorite ponds to fish, we are getting bit during this fall into winter transition! Here are some of the lures we doing really well on:

Jigs

    Black and Blue Craw

    Pumkin and Watermelon Craw

Jerkbait

    5-6 inch 

    White Shad, Chartreuse Belly, Orange Mouth

Lipless Crankbait

    White Color, Yellow stripe, Red Eyes

    Gold Shiner Color, Red Eyes

We are going to continue to fish and have fun during this winter. Take a look at the video below for some of the action. The last year and half has been great fishing with my son. We will continue to learn this game because it is fun to be outside spending it together.  Stay committed, Stay Driven!

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A look back at our Everglades Fishing Trip November 2021

 

Just a little inside joke in that picture between Lil' Shaka and me. We had a couple days in South Florida to fish while we were on vacation. We fished the Everglades, and specifically "Alligator Alley" off of highway 75. We also hit up the Holey Land wildlife management area to fish on one of the days.  Here is a quick snippet of the google map where we were fishing.

I will say the fishing is definitely not the same in November compared to when we were fishing in April.  Way different, even for Florida were the temperature and seasonal changes are more subtle than back home in the Heartland USA.  Here is a quick breakdown of our sessions.

1st day fishing Alligator Alley on foot

When we visited and fished in April of 2021 we were met with thousands of fish that you could literally see swimming around in the canals.  This time, the water was way up in the canals and the fish were not so easily visible.  On the first day we got SKUNKED.  What?!? ☺ Yah we tried everything in our aresenal to get bit.  But it did not happen.  That is fishing...and you have to learn from your outings which I think we did.  Definitely NOT the same conditions as in April of 2021.  Water was a bit colder, the water was up in the canals, and I was told by local anglers that the bass were located up in the flats, which you would need a boat to get to.

2nd day fishing Alligator Alley by boat

Out of the three days that we fished, I'd say the most successful day was when we were on the boat with a local pro named Captain Brett Isackson.  He put us on fish by 9am in the morning! Capt Brett is a great guy, great fisherman, and my son and I highly recommend him as a guide.  We will be back fishing with him on future fishing excursions down in South Florida.

There's nothing like doing 80mph in a bass boat in the Florida Canals rockin' out to Five Finger Death Punch. LOL 😂 El Capitan Brett put us in some great spots to have success.  I think we caught 20 total Peacock bass that day.  It was a lot of fun to pick his brain and learn more about fishing in the Everglades.  It is a very different bass fishing experience.  The rules of home don't apply down there.  You have multiple bass spawns per year, and many different species of fish that are competing. What a memorable time with my son that I will never forget!

3rd day fishing Holey Land Wildlife Management Area

This day was from the bank. Lil' Shaka and I did more exploring on this day.  Not a ton of luck on this day.  I caught a couple of dinks on a jig, but other than that I did not get bites. Lil' Shaka had about a 4 LBS Bowfin take his Chatterbait, but the Bowfin jumped in the air and spit his hook.  Damn!!!!  I was going to get the net when that happened.  So no picture.  I also noticed some of the canals in this area were super flooded and the water was flowing as hard as a stream or river.  I never knew the current got that fast in these canals. 

All in all, what a fun couple of days getting a chance to fish in South Florida.  We will be back soon!  Take a look at the video of Day 2 below.  Stay committed, Stay driven.

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November 14 2021 Fishing Chronicle

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It was a cold Sunday that we returned from South Florida last weekend. The weather in South Florida was warm.  The temperature was around 75-80 degrees on most days that we were there.  So, to come back to the heartland USA and feel the 35-40 degree weather with the wind chills was definitely a big change.  But, of course it did not stop us from fishing.

The Lil' Shaka was able to catch a few bass on this day on a jig! I did not catch anything but didn't care. He caught them for both of us.  I was happy to see him catch some bass on a new lure that he has not used before.  Everytime we catch fish on a new lure, it is confidence gained, which opens up new possibilities to put bass on the bank or in the boat.  This is a documented memory now or progress!  Stay Commited and Stay Driven my Ohana.