A thought on drift fishing

[GraphiteZen]

Has anyone thought that maybe the *clack clack clack* of your lead bouncing down river, the sound being very close to and directly in line with your bait, might turn fish off? I was thinking about this the other night. Considering how quiet some people try to be wading, I myself try not to hit the rocks with my oars only to throw my bait out and ping every rock in the run!

I have spooked plenty of fish by splashing the bait, being careless with where my line is, dropping stuff on my boat... I can't imagine the sound would turn them on. I don't know about you guys but I'm going to start placing tubing over my lead to deaden the sound.

Can't hurt.

 

[bigdog]

Well I'm no expert (far from it) but from what I have been told and heard it's not so much the sound but the movment of you bait when it hits that can turn them off. I'm always told that your lead shouldn't hit the bottom more then three times in a single drift, allowing you bait to more or less freefloat down the drift.

 

[luv2fish]

i know what you mean man...and i know some "drifters" who have been fishing for long time and they use an icnh long tube at the bottom of the lead.....i even saw one guy with a setting like a walleye fisherman....he put a 10 inch piece of metal wire ( spinner wire ) throught the hollow core of lead..i see him bonkin fish every now and then...
this guy....i met near wilson river...he dips all his lead in vinyl....it kinda makes a soft coating and reduces the tik tak of lead...you knwo i would like to hear more on this...mebbe we come up with something cuz i also think same about the sound..i.e. does it bothers fish.....

 

[JeannaJigs]

I'm not big on drift fishing because I always lose gear, but sometimes the application works. When I do though, I use lead inside surgical tubing (rubber). My dad did it this way, and it's the only way I've ever done it. Seems to work I guess, though...I've only managed to get one chinook drifting, and never a steelhead. So who knows about how effective it really is.

 

[mikeredding]

What about Slinkies? I have been away from the Salmon Steelhead scene for a while but I used to use them quite a bit.

 

[luv2fish]

your right mike but there are certain times when its just lead..cuz slinky takes time to go down...what i think ...rather than using lead...use split shots and just kinda let it hover a lil bit off the bottom and not let touch it all the way down ...but then again how do you know without feeling the bottom how far your off the bottom....you know what i mean

 

[mikeredding]

I made my own slinkies and would make them as heavy or light as I needed and yes you need to hit bottom to know where you are.

 

[luv2fish]

still man... when you hit the river right aftre rain and the water is kinds high and a lil fast and coloured...its the lead....you can make a heavy slinky but then it will defeat the natural flow...its not that much the effect of weight...its the profile...lead catches less water and so less resistance..slinky ..has more surface area and hence takes a lil longer time to get there...since it has to fight with more water...

 

[mikeredding]

I see your point. I have only fished summers for the past 10 years so I usually don't even need any weight or very minimal.

 

[vw_Brian]

i consistantly catch fish with the old standard surgical tubing/ pencil lead combo. use tubing meant for 1/4" and use 3/16 pencil lead inside. it dampens the sound on the bottom and will allow for easy un-snagging when your weight gets pinched in the rocks...just retrieve and replace with more lead. just my .02c not like its worth much lol

 

[mikeredding]

I have used tubing also but started using hollow core pencil lead and pinching it onto 6# test mono. It will just break if it gets hung. Cheaper than tube.

 

[vw_Brian]

ya for sure... i rarely lose the terminal tackle portion... it just pulls the lead out

 

[mikeredding]

Not sure how you hook yours on but I would shove a snap swivel through the tubing and after a while it would rip out. Held up for quite a while though.

 

[vw_Brian]

ya i either buy the 3-way barrel swivels with about an inch of 1/4" tubing molded onto one of the three rings or just take a lighter and melt it on myself if joes or 2 bros is out of em. hope that help if you can imagine what im talking about

 

[mikeredding]

OK, I have never seen it done this way and had no idea they sold them already made up. Dang, I am behind on the times.:lol:

 

[vw_Brian]

ya they're a pretty slick setup...look at joes next to the slinky making supplies they come in packs of three and are usually like 2.00

 

[mikeredding]

I will do that. Thanks for the info.

 

[JeannaJigs]

ya they're a pretty slick setup...look at joes next to the slinky making supplies they come in packs of three and are usually like 2.00

Last time I was in there at Joes (sans the G.I. they get peeved when you still refer to it as G.I. Joes), they didn't have 'em. This is when I realized the guys at Joes have NO CLUE about anything. I remember they used to be pretty knowledgeable back in the day, but now they will hire anyone I guess...He didn't have a clue what I was talking about and looked at me like I was insane. I think I'm just gonna start making my own, it's real easy, and I'd rather spend my 2 bucks towards gas to get to the fish.

 

[vw_Brian]

ya i know better nowadays than to even talk to anyone there... i just go in, get my stuff and get out. I loved the fishing report board the other day it read "umpqua : should be decent" really should be decent? what the hell kind of a report is that? lol

 

[GraphiteZen]

ya i know better nowadays than to even talk to anyone there... i just go in, get my stuff and get out. I loved the fishing report board the other day it read "umpqua : should be decent" really should be decent? what the hell kind of a report is that? lol

haha!