April is designated “Think about open water fishing in May” month. Tinkering with your fishing equipment and restringing fishing rods is far better than shoveling snow.
I took my brother’s boat out on a recent nice day to help him unload it before the ramp docks were in.
High-tech gadgets are common on many boats these days. I have an older GPS and sonar unit that works just fine, but $3,000 to $5,000 is not unheard of for electronics today.
After we got both engines running and everything was in working order, we decided to try to cast some small jigs for crappies that were just starting to show an interest before the big blow moved in.
There is kind of a war of the minds today as to what kind of fishing line is the best. Fishing line is labeled by pound test, the weight at which the line will break.
For example, 6-pound test would be able to lift a dead weight of about 6 pounds before it breaks, and 20-pound test should be able to lift about 20 pounds before it breaks. The higher the pound test, the thicker the line will be.
In the old days all the heavy lines were dacryon and lighter lines were monofilament. Today braided lines are all the rage. Monofilament by its construction has a fair amount of stretch in it.
If you get snagged, you might stretch the line 6 to 10 feet before it finally breaks off. This type of line can be clear and difficult for the fish to see. When fishing in deep water, the stretch in this line type makes feeling a bite harder to detect.
Braided lines, on the other hand, have almost no stretch. They also allow you to have higher breaking strength in a smaller diameter line. Thinner line makes your lures sink faster and with no stretch makes feeling the bite easier.
If you compared monofilament line in a 6-pound strength to a braided line of 25-pound test, they would most likely have about the same diameter.
Braided lines allow you to use stronger line that casts and acts like lighter line, which is why it is so popular.
The one thing I don’t like at all about braided line is that if you do get snagged, you almost have to tie the line off to the anchor hook on the boat gunnel and drive away in order to break the line.
The other thing I don’t like about braided lines is that you cannot cut them with a normal clipper or other tool. They require sharp instruments to trim. Braided line does not allow me to use my teeth like monofilament line does.
Still, most anglers have switched to braided lines. The cost is about four times higher, but you certainly don’t break off as often. The higher visibility of braided lines in my opinion is a negative.
Some anglers will say it does not matter at all if the fish can see the line tied to your hook or bait. I disagree.
When I go crappie fishing, I use a very limp 4-pound test mono line. This allows the jig to move more freely in the water. You can dance the jig a little better with lighter mono line than a braid will allow.
When fishing in the Missouri River in 25 feet of water, a braid would be a better choice as bite detection is better in deep water and braid telegraphs the bite better with no stretch.
Each line type has its special place. Until the weather improves, every fishing rod, regardless of line type, is going to be hiding out in the garage or storage shed. I have tried about six different times to make it out to central South Dakota, but the wind just keeps ruining my plans.
Use this blustery weather to get your equipment ready so when the wind finally blows itself out, you can hit the water.
Fishing opener in Minnesota is May 14. I, like thousands of others, will be hoping for fair skies and light winds. I am looking forward to comparing my old-school fishing tendencies to those of my high-tech brother. He might catch more fish, but I will still be able to afford a burger and a beer when we are done.
Scott Rall, Worthington, is a habitat conservationist, avid hunting and fishing enthusiast and is president of Nobles County Pheasants Forever. He can be reached at scottarall@gmail.com. or on Twitter @habitat champion.