Bubble leader...

What do y'all use for leader material for your bubble rigs? Once we broke off/chafed off the packaged leader, I was re-tying with 25# fluoro. We lost a lot of rigs in general, but more so with the 25# leader. The bluefish and occasional Spanish were tough on our tackle supply, that's for sure. Hunter had a fella give him some 80# mono "here, use this and stop playing around with that light line..." I had no idea as to how to even attempt to tie it. Does one need fluoro for bubbles or would like 40# mono be just as good (and a lot less expensive).

I did notice the boys were getting a lot more strikes than most others on the pier during our sessions. I would like to say it was because they are good anglers, but I am more inclined to believe the fact that they were using 10# braid (4# diameter) combined with the 25# fluoro probably played a bigger part. I was using 10/30 braid with the same leader and I didn't have nearly the number of strikes as did the boys. I do know that Hunter realized that a "sketchy knot" will undoubtedly get broken. The 10 year old (Chase) out-fished us all...and a lot of others. LOL Having said that, it was noticeable that some of the "regulars" were not fishing nearly as hard as we were, as I am sure they were waiting for opportune times to cast at "good" fish rather than just being excited about a bluefish or hard tail blowing up a bubble.

We never pursued trying to find live shrimp, but in the future I will do so as my youngest is really, really good at sight fishing and he was begging me for a chance to toss a bait in front of the trout and sheepshead in the shallows. We could have also bottom fished with our new surf rigs (9'6 Ugly Stik w/ Pflueger 4000) but we had so much fun throwing bubbles it was hard to switch to something that would have inevitably been slower paced. I did have 8# Seaguar red label that I had planned to use for leader material for floating LY's or shrimp (if we could get them) but I never made it that far.

Miss being there already. 94 and hot and humid here in Ohio today, but no saltwater fish to smash our lures.

I'm not sure how to attach the link to a previous thread, but if you search for "Leaders for toothy fish" dated 8-1-2015, you will find some good info. There is a picture of my bubble rig in that thread that works great.

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Here it is....thank you!

http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...hy-fish-10928/

I mainly use 60lb. and make it a little longer than most so when I get a little fray around the hook just cut it off and retie. I did try once using some shoe goo on my straw to try and keep it attached to the hook but the line still got frayed then had to cut the whole thing off and start over.

There is a tradeoff between leader strength and hookup frequency. The lightest leader gets the most action but lands not all of those. Factor in retrying time because you will be doing that more with lighter leaders (nicks matter more in thin line) at the expense of fishing time.

If you aren't getting action at the starting size, downsize bit by bit. The choices are not just 80 or 25, so be nimble. I opt for the action side, but that's just my choice.

As for tying main line to 80 lb leader, there are knots just for small running line to heavy leader like the Alberto knot ot a modified uni knot. I tie a short bubble rig ending with a loop or attachment hardware. Changing pretied leaders to that allows quick changes. Looks like one of those prerigged Carolins setups but with a float instead of sinker, just waiting for the right length and strength of hook trace.

I sort of agree with midwestexile. The lighter the better. Seems to generate better action but at the expense of damaged leaders. I use a good grade of 40# mono (easier in my case to quick tie) tied with sufficient length such that if I get nicked or frayed, I can quickly cut out the damaged area and re tie. Wear a set of line clippers around your neck and practice how quick you can tie a loop knot. With a little practice you’ll be surprised how quick you can do it. Often before the fish move out of range.

50 pound mono for me

When I'm pulling a $10 xrap behind the bubble, I've usually got at least 50# floro. Sometimes I tie on a small section of single strand wire, 20#. Neither are effective when a shark nabs your fish, as they usually keep going until they eat the bubble. Sometimes they give the bubble back, but I think its an accident. Sharks delight in taking all your stuff.

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Originally Posted by Rich1

When I'm pulling a $10 xrap behind the bubble, I've usually got at least 50# floro. Sometimes I tie on a small section of single strand wire, 20#. Neither are effective when a shark nabs your fish, as they usually keep going until they eat the bubble. Sometimes they give the bubble back, but I think its an accident. Sharks delight in taking all your stuff.

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Pulling a lure behind a bubble rig? I need some enlightening on this practice. Can you pull properly rigged live bait behind a bubble, too?

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Originally Posted by Rufus

Pulling a lure behind a bubble rig? I need some enlightening on this practice. Can you pull properly rigged live bait behind a bubble, too?

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The short answer to this is no. A fish's (or a shrimp's) flesh would not stand up to repeated casting, the jerking motion and it would not run true. It's a reflex bite anyway, so you want something that looks like a baitfish in the water to a Spanish mackerel. Some people do attach a shallow running crankbait to achieve that appearance. I'd think that you could use a bubble, partially fill it with water and cast a shrimp way out there and just leave it out there for them to find in really clear water).

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Originally Posted by Rufus

Pulling a lure behind a bubble rig? I need some enlightening on this practice. Can you pull properly rigged live bait behind a bubble, too?

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I pull a spoon (cheap imitation 1/2 oz. castmaster) behind a bubble most of the time (when I use a bubble, which is less and less as I age). Some days I do better than others using regular sunglass holders, somedays not as well. I also use small baits like an H2O, but not often as I don't like giving them to $hark$.

As advantages, you can cast farther and it keeps either from coming out of the water on a faster retrieve. I guess the disadvantage would be that the presentation is less "natural".

Eym_Sirius and Fredric, thanks for the polite insight. I, sometimes, ask stupid questions.

This time of year, decades ago we used to catch good numbers of larger spanish and schoolie kings by using 1/2 a cigar minnow under a popping cork. Only problem with the popping cork was sometimes the following fish would try to eat it thinking it was 'barf' from the hooked fish. A clear bubbly might work better in that situation ;-)

I threw a popping cork w/ a DOA shrimp for awhile one morning and the cork kept getting hit, not the DOA. Canned that idea.... LOL

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Originally Posted by BFG

I threw a popping cork w/ a DOA shrimp for awhile one morning and the cork kept getting hit, not the DOA. Canned that idea.... LOL

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The learning curve includes what to do and what not to do. However, you should know that what works one time may not work the next time and what didn't work last time may work exceptionally well next time. I've seen a DOA shrimp behind a popping cork (used by CarlF back in the day) just absolutely kill the Spanish! I'm glad that you mentioned the DOA experiment because I have a similar experiment of my own I need to try on Spanish with a fake shrimp.

Up around Auburn in the early 80s I learned that white bass fall for a zara spook with a trailer popping bug. Hooks on the spook are useful backup and a long, thin white bass popper is similar in size to a crappie jig (another common Spanish trailer for a bubble). That rig would work on Spanish too.

And around Virginia where I grew up, little Clarke spoons behind a bubble or trolling weight are the ticket for Spanish because you can't reel them away from a Spanish.

A good size feather crappie jig has produced well for me behind a bubble but I have had so many birthdays that the only way I use a bubble now is too move off to the side and float a live LY under the bubble. I will not fish in the main area with a lot of other anglers because I do not want to get in their way.

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Originally Posted by Pier#r

This time of year, decades ago we used to catch good numbers of larger spanish and schoolie kings by using 1/2 a cigar minnow under a popping cork. Only problem with the popping cork was sometimes the following fish would try to eat it thinking it was 'barf' from the hooked fish. A clear bubbly might work better in that situation ;-)

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I've recently used a cigar-shaped weighted float (for casting distance) but I've gotten cut off a couple of times. I know that it was another big spanish hitting that cigar-shaped float zipping through the water. I'm rethinking the whole float thing so that I don't get cut off so often when I get a big Spanish mackerel on.