What brand and size of flourocarbon would you best recommend as a leader for fishing the big trout baits, and what knot is best for making the line to line connection?????

Thanks!!!

Heres a link that kind of shows you how to tie a blood knot,i believe that's the most common knot to connect line together.

As far as the leader i'm not sure,i personally have'nt used one but that could be why i have'nt caught many giant bass?

http://www.geocities.com/rdvtavssvjnm/BASS/FISHING_KNOTSx.html

I use floro sometimes, not all the time. I like to use 20lb Sugoi Floro in clear water like at Rancho Seco recently, and I like to use 30lb Sugoi if I'm fishing heavy cover and docks like at Clear Lake. For night fishing or muddy open water like Pablo and Coyote, I fish straight 25lb Triple Fish. The Sugoi is cool because it's super super abrasion resistant and incredibly strong. It gives me a little more confidence in clear water to use 20lb Floro as well.

When I use Floro, I use a blood knot and I cinch it very tight and trim the knot very close. I use leaders from 2 to 6 feet. Shorter leader for the heavy line, longer for the 20.

Mike Shaw showed me this trick, he uses it with great success.

When I use fluoro I use Seaguar. I've had more than one bad experience with blood knots so I use a uni to uni connection. I've tied this not with mono to mono and then wrapped it around my foot and pulled and everytime, the line would break instead of the knot, so I've got confidence in this knot. I also tried the same test with the blood knot, and the knot would always break. It's all about confidence though, I know rob likes the bloodknot and he hasn't had any problems with it so that's cool. I've had problems with it, so I don't use it anymore. Same deal with line, if you never break fish off with Maxima, then why switch to P Line? Try a few knots, pull on em, fish em and see which one you like best.

http://www.saltwaterlite.com/unitouni.htm

-Brian

Thanks guys! I will give your suggestions a try this weekend at San V.

Do any of you guys throw the big baits on Powerpro or other braids? I've had some success on it but was wondering what you guys thought. Thanks.

Me personally, no, but I am really just getting to the whole trout bait thing so I haven't really even considered it, but I guess it could work pretty well. I too would like to hear what some of the trout bait regulars would say about using power pro when fishing the big baits. Any info is appreciated.

Thanks!

Fish chris uses only braid for the castaic trout. My personal opinion is that because of the low stretch you'd miss too many fish. I'd also hate to have it touch a rock while you're trying to grind on a fish, say goodbye to your $30 bait. I'd imagine you'd have trouble keeping a slammer on the surface with braid also, as it doesn't float as well as mono.
-Brian

I haven't used it with the surface baits, just the Ospreys and stuff- I like how it casts and the confidence of throwing 50 or 65 lb. test. I was thinking it might be more visible and discourage bites, but I have had fish eat it in clear water like Dixon and LMV. The rods I throw the big baits on are all extra fast, so I wonder about the lack of stretch, but I think the trailer hooks on the pro-rigged soft baits allow for a pretty good hook-up ratio. I've done well so far, but I need to get bit more to really tell!!! It is nice when the fish is hooked, especially in weeds and stuff, as you own that fish. Wouldn't throw a frog on anything else. Thanks for your input guys, anyone else have any thoughts? I fish a lot of flouro in the salt, but I'd rather skip the braid to flouro knot, so I've been straight tying it. The uni to uni has been great to me overall though. Got some big albies throwing the powerpro with a 4' or so flouro leader.
it was a pisser wrapping the 65 pound PP around my sweatshirt to bust an Osprey off a wire dock cable, it is strong!!

as somebody already said, that's all I use..... but then that's all I use for any kind of fishing ! (Tuff-Line Plus by Western Filament, to be precise... 50 lb green for trout lures) Funny the question should come up about fluorocarbon for leaders, as I also use a fluorocarbon leader for everything "except" the big lures. Now don't get me wrong, this has been a thought I have been contemplating all year. Although tying my 50 braid directly to my trout lures has not seemed to have hurt me, how would I know without trying it ? I think I will give that a shot next year at ultra-clear Rancho Seco.

BTW, as far as the problems mentioned with braid, I have not experienced "any" of these things...... In fact, in nearly 3 years of throwing the big lures (mainly the Castaic trout) I have "never" lost a lure due to a broken line. And keeping the MS Slammer on the surface ? Geez..... maybe we should trade...... mine has to be burned 90 miles an hour just to get an inch of water over the top of it ! Thats why I like my Castaic so much, as I can reel it ultra slow, and still keep it just under the surface, with a nice wobbely action. Awesome !

Peace,
Fish

PS, I read an article a couple of years back by Mike Folkestad in which he stated, "fishing trout lures in ultra clear water without a fluorocarbon leader, you will almost never get bit" ! Hmmmm...... Maybe he is talking about those super high pressured lakes in So Cal.

I am working on getting a bulk spool of 25 sugoi. Yeah $$$, but ... I think it could be the real answer for swimbait fishing. The boss mentioned this on the worldrecordbass.com teleclass that he was experimenting with straight floro. Without even having tried it, I just know this will be the killer setup.

I can picture it ... Rainshadow SW967, Calcutta 300TE, straight 20lb Sugoi for the clear water stuff. Calstar 800L, Calcutta 400TE, and straight 25lb or 30lb sugoi for the big stuff. That would be scandalous }(

Swimbait, I may be wrong, but I'm almost positive they make a bulk spool of 20 lb. sugoi for around sixty-six bills (www.yamamoto.baits.com). You probably already knew that but I thought I might mention it. A 25 lb. setup of straight flouro would be deadly. Although I've not used Sugoi yet, I know that it is one hell of a product because of how well you speak of it. I got to go buy some. Tight lines down at El Salto and post the pics when you return. I wonder how many 10lb.+ bass you're gonna catch.

Tight Lines!!!!