01-20-2016, 04:06 AM
Well - lots of opinions out there I'm sure. I personally prefer rigging my reel with 15 pound test braided line. It is super strong and doesn't stretch. When I'm jigging for lake trout in 50 - 90 feet of water I can really feel my jig and it helps (me at least) with the hook sets. You need to put some monofilament on your reel first as backing or the braid will spin on the spool when it gets cold (yep, learned that one the hard way). Also - if you go with braid, buy the kind that is fused or coated so it doesn't soak up water and freeze. I've got an older spider wire on one of my poles that is junk - it frays, soaks up water, and then it's hard to deal with when it freezes. I've got Fireline on my other reel and it's been great.
I use a palomar knot to tie my braid to a swivel and then use 12 pound fluorocarbon monofilament as my leader. Other types of knots can slip with the braid. I know that having the swivel gives me one more knot that might break, but without it I get line twist pretty bad with the larger tube jigs I fish. They swim in circles sometimes when you jig them. 12 pound leader might also be overkill and maybe I get fewer bites, but I've noticed since I started using it that I've been breaking off less and I've got a bit more confidence when I've got a fish at the ice trying to get it through the hole.
As far as reels go, you just need something that's got a good drag. Lately I've been fishing a shimano corsair that I got on sale for about $75 or $80 a while back and a $30 special spinning reel. I've caught nice fish with both with no problems.
Hope this helps.
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I use a palomar knot to tie my braid to a swivel and then use 12 pound fluorocarbon monofilament as my leader. Other types of knots can slip with the braid. I know that having the swivel gives me one more knot that might break, but without it I get line twist pretty bad with the larger tube jigs I fish. They swim in circles sometimes when you jig them. 12 pound leader might also be overkill and maybe I get fewer bites, but I've noticed since I started using it that I've been breaking off less and I've got a bit more confidence when I've got a fish at the ice trying to get it through the hole.
As far as reels go, you just need something that's got a good drag. Lately I've been fishing a shimano corsair that I got on sale for about $75 or $80 a while back and a $30 special spinning reel. I've caught nice fish with both with no problems.
Hope this helps.
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