I joined the dark side

[ba229]

Well not the darkest side of all (fly fishing).

I have notice recently alot of guys trying SP's for the first time soooo...

After talking to my local tackle guy i have been sent away with Powerbait 3" bass minnows in prl/wtrmln/shad and Nitro 1/16 oz #2 bullets.

Now all i have to do is catch a fish ;D

Just starting to realise i don't know anything about them.

Do I use a swivel and a trace or tie it straight onto my mainline (currently 6lbs)?

[BigE]

ba229 i'm like you an SP first timer i found you need to go down in line class i have a spinner with two spools (recommended) one with 12lbs spider wire and one with 4lbs spider wire and i would have got double the hook ups on the 4lbs spool useing the same SP's also have been shown a technic where when you get a strike on the light gear don't strike just lift the rod as high as you can above your head and get the fish to come away from the bottem/structure and fight it from there seems to be working ok so far count so far on SP's 4 bream 4 flathead and only used one SP (a burkley p/bait if u must know) go lighter on the jig head an bigger on the plastic.... lot of luck

[Squizy]

Yep! I've the Bug!!
It is easy and most of all it is great fun.
Firstly is your main line mono or braid? It does not matter, however, if it is braid you might consider using a light mono trace. I use 4lb Fireline with a 6lb mono leader and, yes, tie the leader straight to the lead jig head.
SPs are worked differently to hard bodied lures as you let them "rest". By this I mean you cast to obvious structure and allow the Sp to sink to the bottom, the SP will swim to the bottom. You then, after a pause of 3 to 5 seconds lift the Tip of your Rod causing it to swim up a couple of feet, then allow it to swim down to the bottom allowing it to "Rest" once more. Repeat this action winding in any excess slack line as you go, once the SP is at the Boat Repeat. Fish may strike and or pick up the SP whilst it is in the "Rest" position There is no need to strike straightaway. It is often best if you allow the fish to move off with your SP ensuring it is in their mouth before you set the hook.
ENJOY!!

[cHiCo]

No swivel, just tie your leader directly to the mainline.

[ba229]

Thanks for the advice guys. the tip of letting it sit and then lift a few feet is great. this is the technique i need to practice.

Anyway I went for a cast this afternoon and CAUGHT my first fish on an SP WOOOOOOOOOOOOO :o :o :o :o

nice bream at 28cm let go to swim till another day.

The problem with all of this is that i may become addicted and then the missus will complain about that too :-)

Any more advice please feel free to let me know

regards
Alex

[ba229]

Oh by the way I was think that the 6lb (mono by the way) was too heavy when casting and will drop back a bit. I was thinking of going braid 4lbs so i will look into that. Most probably top shot what i have already got.

[joeT]

Its great to hear others getting into SP's. I'm new to them as well, and just caught my first fish on one (and for the record its only my second fish on a lure). Its great fun, but I can see how it can get expensive as I want to try all the colours and types of SP's available (and there's 100's!).

Perhaps we could buy packs and swap one or two amongst ourselves, that way, we could get more variety...

[Rebbasser]

Guess I went the opposite-started bass fishing with a spinning rod and moved on to baitcasters. However, I still use spinners-matter of fact I just bought two more spinning reels. For small grubs you can't beat them, and for fishing things like docks where you want to skip a bait under it they are much easier than a baitcaster-baitcasters then to backlash after the first skip :D. They are also easier to use when throwing something like a Rapala that are real light balsa wood.

[hiflyer]

I have found the best braided line for SP's to be 6lb Fireline (assuming you are fishing light tackle, SP's work on big fish too!). I found the 4lb to be ok, but I just like the diameter of the 6lb, but thats personal preference I guess. I would go for the yellow rather than the grey, as the grey is difficult to see. This becomes important as many hits come as the SP sinks. You need to watch for movement in the slack and strike immediately in this situation.

I also enjoy using 4lb mono for fussy bream. dangerous around snags though! Just make sure it is a good quality mono, as this makes life a lot easier.

I never use swivels in a rig for fishing lures, although many do and catch plenty of fish. When using braided & fused lines, attatch a suitable mono (or flourocarbon) leader with a double uni knot.

Cheers

Adam :)

[hiflyer]

Oh yeah ba229,

flyfishing is not the darkest side............it is just a heap of fun.

I mostly flyfish now, but do occasionally use bait and these dreaded SP things....it's all fishing......it's all fun.

Cheers

Adam ;D

[ba229]

Caught my second fish today using SP's. undersize bream around 24cm

I have topshotted 8lb mono with 6lb fireline in pink and using a 6ld leader tied straight to mainline using an improved albright.

All i need now is practice and patience.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

[hiflyer]

I forgot about the pink fireline. That should be great for visibility when watching the line for strikes.

Adam

[beefaman]

Yup, the flame green and Hi Vis pink are great. 6lb seems not to "balloon" as much when you cast it. ;)

[hiflyer]

I am going to try the new Rapala Squidgy braid on my new reel. Apparrently it is thinner than fireline as it is a true braided line, not fused. It has something in it to stiffen it so it is better on spin reels than most true braids. Hoping to fit 300m of 8lb on my new Daiwa Certate 2500R custom. Apparrently in 4lb it actually breaks at 10lb plus. Am hoping the 8lb will have an actual b/s of around 8kg!

It is not quite as visible as the bright firelines, as it looks to be a pale greyish colour which fades with use. Not similar in colour to grey fireline which is charcoal grey when new, and very hard to see!!

Adam

[ba229]

These SP's are funny things.

In the last couple of days i have caught some good flatties, under sized bream and today 1 occy and 1 stingray. lol

A bit more practice needed :-)