"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
.. .
"Olebiker" wrote in message
ps.com...
Bob,

Speaking of flipping...

I am going to fish at Lake Iamonia (I'm not making that up) here in
North Florida this weekend. It is shallow, and much of it is covered
in pads. I figured that I would fish a Horny Toad but might also do
some flipping.

Do you ever use braided line for flipping?

Yes. I have several flipping sticks spooled with braid. I've got three
or four spooled with 50lb Stren Super Braid, and one spooled with 65. I
do have one flipping stick spooled with 20lb flourocarbon for flipping
ultra clear water, but I mostly just stays in the bottom of my rod locker
out of the way with a rod cover on it.

I loaded some 40# Power
Pro on the outfit I am going to be fishing the Toad with.

There is a kid here locally that is a wizard with a frog. He catches big
frog fish way back in the trash most of the year. He uses 40# braid. A
couple other guys I know also use 40# braid for frogs. I've use 30 myself
in the past and was not thrilled. If I am tossing it way back between all
the garbage I tend to throw it on 40. If I am dragging it over grass mats
and stuff like that where the vegetation has really made the water ultra
clear I'll use 17#mono instead on the same rod I use for buzzbaits. A
Med/Hvy moderate fast heavy crankbait rod.

It's the
first braided line I have used and it looks like it ought to be good
for flipping. Whatcha think?

Nothing wrong with Power Pro. Its strong stuff and very reliable. I used
to use it until I discovered Stren Super Braid. I've still got a spool of
50# PP on my quick spool rack.

There are a few tips for you.

1. You don't need a lot of braid on a flipping stick. If saving money
is an issue for you spool the reel about half full of mono first and then
attach the braid to it with back to back uniknots.

2. Braid will slip on the spool if tied directly to the spool with asn
arbor knot. I prefer to spool a little mono back on and then connect the
braid to it, but you can also wrap a singler layer of duct tape around the
spool and let the braid dig into it. Either method works just fine.

3. If you aren't used to casting such heavy line be careful. You can
break it easily under some circumstances. Don't cinch the drag down to a
dead stop and figure the line will handle anything. If you do that and
set the hook on a stump you will probably break the line. Also you will
tear the hook completely out of the fish while fighting it if you get a
skin hook. Set the drag to slip on the hookset on abotu a 2lb fish. That
seems to work for me.

4. If flipping with braid use Daiichi X-Point HD hooks. You want the
heavier hooks becuase you will striaghten out lighter hooks on snags and
stuff. Once you bend a hook of any brand you should throw it away and tie
on a new one because bending it loses most of its temper. You sure don't
want it straightening out on the fish of a lifetime.

5. Tie your hook to the braid with a super improved clinch knot.
Trilene Knot or a braid knot. A palomar works ok and won't slip, but it
is not as strong a knot in my opinion. If using the Trilene knot cinch it
down by pulling the tag end down smoothly and firmly after wetting the
entire knot with saliva. Then leave 1/4 to 3/8 of tag hanging off the
knot. Sometimes it will cinch down a little tighter the first time you
set the hook. The knot can slip a tiny bit when that happens.

6. Even though your are fishing braid check your line regularly and
retie periodically. You don't need to do it as often as fishing mono, but
you still need to do it. All things in use experience wear. Since I
usually fish braid in pretty adverse conditions I cut 10-20 feet off when
I retie.

Forgot one.

7. Include a "stump puller" in your gear. I use a piece of 1" oak dowel
wrapped in the middle with a couple wraps of duct tape. Its for when that
irressistable force meets that immovable object. Basically when you bury a
hook in a snag that won't move and your only choice is to break the line.
You can wrap the line around the strump puller sev eral times and then you
have a good solid safe handle to pull on it until it breaks or tears loose.
NEVER wrap brad around your hand or arm. It will cut you bad. If you don't
have a stump puller you can loop the braid around a boat cleat and back off
the boat, but my experience is that it breaks at the cleat instead of at the
hook or bait most of the time. This wastes line and leaves a hazard in the
water for outboard and trolling motor shaft seals.



--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contests
http://www.YumaBassMan.com



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