parapapam

Alloy,

I went the other direction.... My boys are 8 and 9 (my daughter is 11, but she doesn't fish as much as the boys) After years of trying lead core for them, next to wire for me, I switched to all wire.... and taught them how to handle it.

I found wire much, much, much more effective in any depth greater than 20 feet.... and this is after several years of side by side comparisions. I did troll bucktails a lot, but the kids have trouble snapping them for very long. Last year I decided after watching an early season worm hatch, to go with T&W all year long.

While I don't think T&W is as effective as bucktails in the spring, my thinking is that T&W fished correctly is better than bucktails fished incorrectly (due to small muscled kids getting tired)... This year I had fairly consistent luck with T&W even in the spring.

Wire line, while it can be a PITA, is the most effective at consistent depth control. It can be taught to small kids with some patience. One of last summer's biggest thrills for me was the day I told the kids, "Dad drives the boat. You guys do all the fishing..." They put the worms on the tubes. They let out the wire (asking what depth we were at so that they knew how many shots to let out) They battled and caught a half dozen or so keepers. They released them to catch another day. (I did unhook one crazy bluefish to save some small finger injuries).

The rods I have always used are the Cape Cod Rod Company (Red Top) wireline rods. They have a parabolic bend in them and they are great for snapping bucktails. The down side for me was the butt section length. It was so long that the kids arms were too extended and the reel was "face level". Not exactly the best fighting position.

This winter I had some custom wireline sticks made for the kids at a reasonable price (for wireline rods). They have an 8 inch butt and a faster tip (the kids fight more effectively with softer rods). They are also five and a half feet.... I can't wait to watch them try these out next spring. They should make fight good size fish a much more comfortable experience for the little guys....

There are a billion ways to catch these fish and everyone has "their way." Almost all these ways work. The key is finding what works for you, and not what works for the next guy. Trial and error is half the fun....

Mike

AlloyToy

Great post Mike!!!! Lots of good points.

When I say troll to my boys, they ask if I brought the poppers.......LOL........the thrill of seeing a 15 lb bass smash the surface has intrigued them.........

I've let the wire all the way out to the dacron backing, stuck the rod in a holder, then had them tug on the backing with lead heads. It works but something about the poppers attracts them.

I have my wire on 113's so a little heavy for them yet...........but yes I've had great luck in deep water with wire

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"First The Bite Then The Fight"

74Formula233

I can't agree more with this statement

Very true. I have found myself moving towards lighter gear with some of my setups, especially with reels. You have to be willing to adapt and learn, to keep things interesting and successful

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parapapam

Alloy,

The old "hand jig on the dacron" does work.... but my guys get bored with it. I found us going over the hot spots and when I look back they are watching the birds instead of jigging... I'll go back to bucktails in a few years. But I'll stick to T&W for the next couple.

Our other weapon of choice is eels... but that is another whole thread...

I want to get more into vertical jigging this year after my 9 year old got a 30 pounder last summer with a diamond jig. The first thing they do when they touch a spinning rod is to back off the drag. They have almost gone waterskiing more than once.... Now they know...start light and crank it down slowly during the fight.

We use poppers but usually end up with bluefish on them... I guess I'm a wire dragging, knuckle dragger....

How old are your kids? The custom rigs I have set up have 113's but the rods are light and soft... with a belt plate, the kids are fairly comfortable with the weight.

Eric, amen brother. You can never run out of things to try. If I did, I would just get into dragging a net... boring but effective... and not really "fishing."

Merry Christmas Guys!!!!

Mike

JimA

Hi Pat,
What is Model of the rod and what brand reel you are using ? I would like to get Chuck to try this style of fishin' this spring.
i read in the fisherman when Pat posted you were fishing this way.

thanks in advance
jimmy

gman

great post

AlloyToy

Has anyone trolled bunker spoons on lead core?

__________________

"First The Bite Then The Fight"

Fisherman's Paradise

Jima,

Pat is using two different rods for his leadcore now, the daiwa he mentioned if memory serves me correctly is a SL-WB 661HR. He also has a lamiglas BL 7050 LB. He runs a Shimano TLD 20 on the daiwa rod and an AVET LX 6.0 on the lamiglas. Hope this helps......

JimA

Thanks alot that is what I am looking for!
jimmy

AlloyToy

Guys, wife got me a 113H with a 6' rod for Xmas. I'm gonna throw leadcore (45#) on it. Do you guys use any backing before spooling up with leadcore?

We'll give it a shot.....first time for leadcore

__________________

"First The Bite Then The Fight"