Another Question about Lakers thru the ice.

[Wade Joseph]

Not sure if I should leave the power pro line on or go to mono?

I was planning on using 2-4 ft of florocarbon as a leader if I leave the power pro on.

Can you tell I am getting ready for the Burntside Bash?

[Xplorer]

Wade,

Your gonna get a few varied responses to this question. Here's mine....alot of it depends on how you will be fishing. If you are planning on being in a heated shack, then the PP and flouro is great especially if your in deeper water (you need to really be careful setting the drag lighter tho due to no stretch). But if you plan on sitting outside then I would go mono since the PP does retain water and freezes up. I have reels setup both ways...but since i usually setup in a house my main laker rigs right now are 20/6 PP with a swivel, and @ 3' flouro leader.

[Surface Tension]

Ditto, I prefer using mono and I really go over 50' of water, any deeper and PP gets used inside the shack.

[Northlander]

PP with a flouro leader of about 3-6' or so. When fishing bigger baits with bigger thicker hooks you want as much hook penetration as you can get. Mono doesnt give you that due to stretch in deeper water. Like the guys above said anything over 50' would be a good bet to get rid of the mono and go PP/mono leader. Even then theres a lot of stretch in 50' of mono.

Plus I just plain old like the fact I feel so much more with PP than any mono.

[Wade Joseph]

Sounds like I will be keeping the PP on my baitcaster then and set up a spinning reel for Mono.

Thanks guys! I am REALLY getting anxious to try this out!

[Steve Foss]

OK, here goes Mr. Contrary.

I fish typically between 50 and 70 feet down. I always spool up mono, never braided, and I always fish from a heated shack, unless it's a really warm day.

I find mono a lot less tempramental when it comes to water absorption, and even with 70 feet of line out there's way less stretch than you get from mono on the longer rods when you're casting cranks for 'eyes in summer.

I also use a fluoro leader, about 3 feet long. Lakers are not line shy. It's just a precaution in case they might be a bit more skittish that day. I always tie a swivel between the mono and fluoro, because most laker jigging lures spin in some way, and it removes the twist.

When a laker hits, it's a rare thing for me to miss hooking it, mono and all. Another reason I like the stretch is that even in a heated shack, on a very cold day it gets well below freezing around the hole and ice surface, and water soaked line can freeze or build up ice just like outside. I also believe that, with today's graphite rods, a little line stretch is a good thing to ease off on the beating such a rod can take with no-stretch line, not just on the hookset, but when a muscular laker takes off for Canada with no notice.

Just my $.02 and, considering what everyone else has said, the advice may seem queer as a $2.

[monstermoose78]

I like fishing Lakers in about 30-40 feet. I use 8 or 10 pound mono and my walleye jiggin rods. I have only landed one big laker out of Burntside it was 34 inches long it is on my wall now. That came off of the north arm in 20 feet of water. I got the need for some laker fishing. I will be in ely the end of jan and early feb to fill this need.