How many of you change the colour of your lead, hooklink or leader to match the lake bed? do you think it makes a difference?
On commercial style venues that are mostly clay bottoms and little weed etc it seems straightforward but on more natural lakes there is quite a variety of bottom types and colours.
Or am I just looking for excuses for blanking?
On commercial style venues that are mostly clay bottoms and little weed etc it seems straightforward but on more natural lakes there is quite a variety of bottom types and colours.
Or am I just looking for excuses for blanking?
In reply to Post #1
don't worry to much. if I'm on clay and ive got a brown 1 ill put it on but I wont loose eny sleep if I dont
don't worry to much. if I'm on clay and ive got a brown 1 ill put it on but I wont loose eny sleep if I dont
In reply to Post #1
Never bother, quite often my components don't match each other either .
Never bother, quite often my components don't match each other either .
In reply to Post #1
I've done lots of stalking, and watched the carp feed and hook themselves dozens of times, I used to try to match everything to the bottom I was fishing on until one day I ran out of a certain colour, still caught and never bothered since, never seen a carp spook off a lead or leader no matter what the colour.
However what does make a difference is having everything pinned to the deck , the thing I've seen big carp spook of the most is a wafter which is up off the deck and not hard on the bottom. It's quite incredible to watch they swim up to it as if they are going to take it, nudge it then swim off again !
I've done lots of stalking, and watched the carp feed and hook themselves dozens of times, I used to try to match everything to the bottom I was fishing on until one day I ran out of a certain colour, still caught and never bothered since, never seen a carp spook off a lead or leader no matter what the colour.
However what does make a difference is having everything pinned to the deck , the thing I've seen big carp spook of the most is a wafter which is up off the deck and not hard on the bottom. It's quite incredible to watch they swim up to it as if they are going to take it, nudge it then swim off again !
In reply to Post #1
Unless the water is gin clear and your fishing on clean gravel in shallow water I don't think it matters. Especially if it's a night water. There may be certain swims and conditions where concealing the rig make a difference. If so why not use fluorocarbon.
Unless the water is gin clear and your fishing on clean gravel in shallow water I don't think it matters. Especially if it's a night water. There may be certain swims and conditions where concealing the rig make a difference. If so why not use fluorocarbon.
In reply to Post #1
Personally I don't think it makes any difference. Just tackle companies trying to sell you three of everything.
Personally I don't think it makes any difference. Just tackle companies trying to sell you three of everything.
In reply to Post #1
In certain situations I think a fluorocarbon hoolink and leader will get you an extra bite or 2, like someone else said clear water, when the bottoms clean and especially when shallow.
In certain situations I think a fluorocarbon hoolink and leader will get you an extra bite or 2, like someone else said clear water, when the bottoms clean and especially when shallow.
In reply to Post #7
Thanks all, my current water is 4-6ft deep and you can't see bottom once more than 3 ft deep so not a big issue I guess. Blanked a bit recently so lacking in confidence, so tempting to start fiddling with rigs!
Thanks all, my current water is 4-6ft deep and you can't see bottom once more than 3 ft deep so not a big issue I guess. Blanked a bit recently so lacking in confidence, so tempting to start fiddling with rigs!
In reply to Post #6
Is the right answer
Give that man a tub of pop ups
Is the right answer
Give that man a tub of pop ups
If you ever fish from a boat you will see that on clean spots the different types of leader can have a noticeable difference. I think the main issue is having a straight line running through the clean spot, a clear or flouro leader helps with this but I tend to try and fish the near edge of the spot to hide the lead and leader in the dirtier stuff.
On anything but really clean spots there is usually a couple of inches of fine silt that everything drops into, you have trouble seeing it from above no mater what colour.
I guess people who do a lot of edge fishing would have noticed similar.
On anything but really clean spots there is usually a couple of inches of fine silt that everything drops into, you have trouble seeing it from above no mater what colour.
I guess people who do a lot of edge fishing would have noticed similar.
In reply to Post #1
I honestly don't think it matters, although I do tend to match my hooklink material to the bottom type more than colour.
I fish clear and weedy waters and my hooklinks tend to be Kryston Supermantis, Snakebite and Merlin (purchased pre Dave Chilton sell-off).
The Merlin is used in the weedy lakes or on harder bottoms as part of a comb-rig with Amnesia and I have forgotten how many fish I have had on them. I rarely even bother with a leader, mainline straight through to the hooklink. Leads are whichever suitable sized one out of the box, be it coated in sand colour, painted green or coated green. To be honest the coating is usually more to protect the lead than for camouflage.
I honestly don't think it matters, although I do tend to match my hooklink material to the bottom type more than colour.
I fish clear and weedy waters and my hooklinks tend to be Kryston Supermantis, Snakebite and Merlin (purchased pre Dave Chilton sell-off).
The Merlin is used in the weedy lakes or on harder bottoms as part of a comb-rig with Amnesia and I have forgotten how many fish I have had on them. I rarely even bother with a leader, mainline straight through to the hooklink. Leads are whichever suitable sized one out of the box, be it coated in sand colour, painted green or coated green. To be honest the coating is usually more to protect the lead than for camouflage.
In reply to Post #1
I still would rub mud,dirt,silt etc into my braided hooklink to camouflage them,even dyed them in black tea a few times, used to be seen as an 'edge' but your guess is as good as mine as to whether it matters or not.
I still would rub mud,dirt,silt etc into my braided hooklink to camouflage them,even dyed them in black tea a few times, used to be seen as an 'edge' but your guess is as good as mine as to whether it matters or not.
In reply to Post #12
I could never get on with whichever of the old Kryston braids that was black and white stripe. Black and white stripe tends to be a warning in nature.
I could never get on with whichever of the old Kryston braids that was black and white stripe. Black and white stripe tends to be a warning in nature.
In reply to Post #13
To be honest Merlin was, and still is my go to hooklink.More a case of using it so much it becomes 2nd nature ie: a habit.
To be honest Merlin was, and still is my go to hooklink.More a case of using it so much it becomes 2nd nature ie: a habit.