mono leader for fireline

[K.A]

I purchased 6/2lb high vis green fireline for my jigging rod this year. I am planning on attaching a 6 lb test 3' piece of mono for a shock absorber\non-spook leader. My question is what is the best mono to use for this? Vanish? XT? Any suggestions?

[Capt. Denny Bergeman]

K.A.,

I like to use Vanish for all my leaders. Other years I used the Trilene XT. But in the clear water we now have in Lake Erie I feel the less visible the better. Good Fishing.

[Northern Manitoban]

Denny you took the words right out of my mouth,all i use now is fireline but when i bottom bounce for eye's i use XT or if i'm fishing for Lakers i use the mono leader for the shock absorber for those big hits.FISH ON.

[Chad]

Just my opinion.....
If you are jigging shallow(under 15') I would avoid the fireline. The reason is that it doesnt strech and you feel everything which goes both ways. the fish also feel you. It is more likly that you will miss more fish because of this. With mono you will have the stretch factor. I would avoid compromising you line with an extra knot and go straight mono for jigging under 15'.

Over 15' there may be an advantage.

Trolling there is definately an advantage since you can see when your lure is fouled. Your rod tip will stop pulsing.

I also dont buy into the theory that fish are line sensitive. If they are then why do walleyes swim into gill nets? Think about it. Sometimes we make things up that seem to make sense to us. Scott Fairbairn talks about this in one of his seminars and I have come to believe it.

[Northern Manitoban]

With fireline you will feel more of those soft bites from those Eye's then you would with mono,increasing your chances of hooking a fish.I notice it so does my partners.But be little more gentler with your hook sets.And they can be line shy also, if your jigging and the walleye's are picky I've seen it time and time again one guy with a snap swivel to his jig will catch less fish then the guy that ties his line straight to his jig.I find this happens when they are biting light but when they are aggressive it really doesn't matter.FISH ON.

[Fishnut]

I have to disagree on the line senativity of fish. I have personally experineced several occasions when clear line outfished colored line significantly. Specifically on trout and walleyes, I have been fishing when clear line was outfished by Seaguar Fluorocarbon line by more than two to one.

As far as the reasoning that they would not swim into a gill net. That is purely stupidity. If anything is looking to eat something it will study it more closely than if just passing by it. Haven't you ever stepped in dog$hit? You didn't see it because you weren't looking at it closely in order to decide if it was edible.