Attaching Ballons for live bait Fishing

[Willo]

Hi All
JUst want to pick your brians for some fresh ideas.
I usually attach my ballon to the main line by tieing a knot in the ballon ,and while holding the knot open pass a loop of my main line through it,then pull knot tight and place small bit of foam in loop and pull tight up aginst ballon.
But over the last couple of seasons have been busted off on initiall run after hook up.The main line is snapping were ballon attached .Dosent happen much but had it happen three times this year.Usually occurs when the balons have been out for log periods,Ithink they must twist up and knot some how, ???
Anyway after same new ideas on ways to attach Ballons. anybody have any thoughts on this?.

[mackmauler]

Who picks up all the rubber once they break away ???

[zaneg]

I use water balloons which tend to deflate when taken under. I then put them in my rubbish bag so as to not pollute, never left one behind yet. ;)

As for attching the balloon I just pass the hook of a snap lock swivel through the tale of the balloon a couple times, seems to be strong enough. This has been good enough for mullet up to 15cm or so. I always try to avoid adding extra loops or knots that aren't nessessary.

Another trick I will try on the next trip is to cut the bottom half of the tail fin off, causing the bait to swim down keeping it at the depth set by the leader. I believe I saw that one written on here somewhere. :)

Zane


edit: mind you I have only done this for fishing the creeks. A bigger balloon will probably tear off under a larger fish.

[DaneCross]

Exact thing happened to me yesterday Willo after you left. JB has a good technique that I'll let him explain to you.
Dane
P.S good to say hello to you out there. We had two hits on the spot you recommended but no hook up :-/

[Willo]

Yeah Dane
Yeah they were a bit lkie that yesterday, I had 4 hits for three hook ups ,but couldn't get one in the boat .
But theres alway next time :) :)

[JB]

Willo, i had to adapt a new teqnique as i was using wind on leaders and needed to attach the ballon 1/4 way up wind on. Mate of mine ben, showed me a good idea. Grab a smallsih rubber band wrap around main line 8 or more times then feed the end of the band back through the loop ath the other end of rubber band and pull up tight, that should give u a rubber band on ur main line with 1 loop stickin out. Then i tie some 8pd mono from rubber band loop to baloon. The fish hits and the light line to ballon either snaps or cuts through rubber band. Seems to work really well.

Jas

[Anne-T-Dote]

Willo,

I've also heard of the technique that JB described and as I understand it's relatively successfull. I think it seems to give that little bit of separation distance between the balloon and the main line so as to reduce the risk of twisting the main line around the balloon.

I've got a Q'n for you though - I lost a good fish (cobia I think) coz of a Haywire twist on Saturday. I like using the mono wire coz it seems to be less visible than the multi-strand, but I've never trusted that haywire twist, and even less now. How do you rig your livies???

[Boxhead]

Willo,

I have used the same method for years without a single problem. I grab a 12in piece of 4lb mono tie one end onto the balloon, grab the other end and wrap it up the mainline approx half dozen times then back down again towards the balloon and do a couple of half hitches on the mainline.

This was shown to me by a bloke fishing marlin at the tubes (JB NSW). Balloon breaks away easily no probs. I used this method yesterday at the "Block and Cheese" and hooked 1 marlin but lost him minutes in.

Good luck.... Nath....

[mackmauler]

I've never trusted that haywire twist, and even less now.


Working with wire is a skill that takes some practice, if there is no substitute for a well tied knot its even moreso true with a haywire twist, lately ive been trying to teach a few guys and its gotta be one of the hardest things to pickup.

[Willo]

Willo,


I've got a Q'n for you though - I lost a good fish (cobia I think) coz of a Haywire twist on Saturday. I like using the mono wire coz it seems to be less visible than the multi-strand, but I've never trusted that haywire twist, and even less now. How do you rig your livies???


Yeah Maccamania
I use a Bimini twist on the mainline then attach a 50lb Flurocarbon leader then small black swivel to 45lb Masons Multistrand wire, then snood a 5/0 or 6/0 Gamaakatsu HD live bait hook then 2/0 Owner Treble .the lenght of wire between hook and treble depends on size of Lie Bait. Hook through the nose and treble through the annal area
A few of the Guys reckon I'm a bit under done with the lighter leader and wire.But at the moment I'm happy with the set up. Some are using Multistrand wire up to 90lb.Just depends on the way you like to fish.With the lighter set up ,ya just have refrain yourself from over powering the fish

[Tony_N]

Working with wire is a skill that takes some practice, if there is no substitute for a well tied knot its even moreso true with a haywire twist, lately ive been trying to teach a few guys and its gotta be one of the hardest things to pickup.


I reckon I've finally got it so that it looks pretty right. But isn't there a metal tool that you can buy/make that sets it up so the twists actually go around each other. Seems to me that the main things that go wrong are that

*its easier to twist one bit of the wire over the other (which allows it to slip) rather than both sides going around each other
*its not as easy as it looks even to get the barrel roll going right - ie 4or 5 transverse parallel turns
* its easy enough to put a bend in the wire with all that twisting and any kinks seem to weaken it a lot
*from (3) above -when making the loop, it is tempting to squeeze it from the sides to make it smaller and this can weaken the top end of the loop.

This last one was pointed out to me by somebody very experienced. It seemed to me later though that when you get a fish on, those loops get pulled lengthwise anyway??