Lite Bites & rigging braided line.

[Reel Delight (Walt)]

The dear wife wanted to go shopping in Plattsburgh yesterday so I made a stop to Gander Mountain to look for deals. I did find a couple deals too good to resist including Slide Divers & Lite Bites for 30% off. I threw the last two Lite Bite Slide Divers into my basket. Then I started looking for braided line but I couldn't make up my mind. I figured I should do it right and rig a couple rods just for the lite bites and now I need some expert advice. Okay near experts can help me too.

I think I will buy two new reels & rods and rig them and I am in no rush as I want to get it right. For those successful Lite Bite fishermen such as Thorny, Crazy Ivan and others I am asking for advice. Do you prefer a stiffer rod designed for just Dipsy Divers? What test braid would you recommend and do you spool 100 or 150 yards of braid onto a reel with mono backing? Then do you run braid to your terminal tackle or do you use a mono or fluorocarbon leader?

I will tell you up front that I have not fished with braided line since I first tried it some 20 years ago and didn't like it at that time. I have been darn successful with mono over the years; but I am ready to go with braided because I don't want to donate any lite bites to the lake bottom.

[Thorny]

Hi Walt

8.5 ft rod or better. Stiff base with a good tip. I have been using Master rods that Ben Sold me at Dockside. I have seen them in other stores as well. They are reasonably priced at 25 to 30 bucks. They are graphite blanks and have held up great so far. For reels I would suggest a Daiwa 27 line counter or comparable. For line Power pro or Fusion 30 to 50. The heavier the safer. First fill the real 3/4 with backing. Most braid spools come with about 330 to 350 yards. I split the pool in half and fill 2 reels with it. 150 yards of braid plus backing is plenty! Quick tip( the last 50 feet of line that the diver slides on needs to be frequently checked and inspected for wear).That's wear the heart breaks happen! As long as you are using braid forget about the spring or sleeve that comes with it. I think it works much better without it. But you must use the rubber surgical tubing in the notch of the trip arm so the line will not slip. I run an in visa swivel at the end of the braid with a bead to protect the knot and a fluorocarbon leader to the lure. If you can, place the rod in a vertical holder when letting out your leader off the back of the boat then engage the diver and position the rod off the side of the boat in a rod holder. Keep the clicker of the reel on an loosen the drag. The diver will slowly take line off the reel until the desired distance is reached and you can tighten the drag. This works much better than thumbing the pool and frees you up to do something else while the line is deploying. When storing at the end of the day, I remove the leader and secure the diver to an eye of the rod with a shower curtain clip. This also works well when the rod is in a holder is storage and you are commuting from spot to spot. I hope this helps. Good luck with the new toys.
Thorny

[raz]

If those SWF's hit Champlain hard...we'll probably have to give up on braided line.

[vtfishin]

Thorny, can you post a pic of the shower curtain clip rig? Thanks!!

[Hairbone]

I run the larger spoons on this set up this time of year in an attempt to not get so many perch. Spring time, i run the smaller salmon spoons.

[Reel Delight (Walt)]

If those SWF's hit Champlain hard...we'll probably have to give up on braided line.

Raz I have not personally seen any of the SWF's in Lk Geo as of date; not that I doubt they are there. My conversations with the folks monitoring the invasives I was told they now think the flea has been there for at least 2 years due to numbers of them and the areas they are in. They say they are nearly everywhere. If that is the case, I must think they have gone over the dam and into Champlain already. I have not seen SWF's in either lake and I am not convinced they will be the death of fishing. They are in most the Great Lakes including the big O and we all want to go fishing there.

I am kind of a believer in the idea that Mother Nature will take care of her own over time. Just look at Lake Erie, the Walleye fishing has become top notch sinc the Zebra Mussel was found there and they ended up cleaning up the lake. The Alewife is another great example as Champlain has them and now we have some fat Salmon too. Did eveyone know that the earthworm is an invasive species to the Adirondacks and most of the northeast. Yes that is true and they are listed in the invasives list & brochures.

Now back to the original thread, What weight braided line do most folks use with the lite bites?

[raz]

I use 30# Walt, although I have one set up with 50.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts...it's appreciated. Almost soothing.

[Reelax]

Walt I use #50 just to be a little heavier than needed incase the line gets some wear on it.... (and 50 was available at the store)

[drachma]

Walt,

I use 30#.

Michael