thoughts on topshots

[alantani]

On Sunday, January 20, 2019, 7:55:12 AM PST, Garth wrote:

Very kind of you Alan!  Our gear is supplementing what others will have so we are good on outfits.  It will be fun to compare our trip notes in November. 

One last question about the mono top shot.  I'm getting advice that varies as to the length.  Some suggest 50-100 yards and others as short as 20-50 feet.  What do you use?

Thanks,
Garth

for my personal reels, i use 25 yards for fluoro (the entire coil).  for the reels that i loan out, it's 25 to 50 yards of mono, or whatever it takes to top off the spool.

it really depends on casting.  for the supershort topshots, like 3 feet, you let out the leader past the knot, then you cast only braid.  in theory, you have to change out your topshots on every fish, but the cast will presumably be farther and the bait will swim much easier with braid versus mono.  you also can't just slam the reel into gear because the zero stretch of the braid will yank the hook right out of his mouth.  took me a long time to really appreciate that.  so star drag reels are out, and you really need finesse even with a lever drag reel to ease that hook (j or circle) into the corner of his mouth.

for long topshots, you just need only enough to cast, so 25 yards is fine.  you have more stretch so you don't have to worry as much about missing a hookset, but the bait has to drag that heavy mono when swimming.  after 100 yards, most sardines are pooped and will not get bit.  for those that are trying to save money and only use a third, say 25 feet out of a 25 yard coil of fluoro, you're always hitting the knot when you cast.  i don't care what kind of connection you use, it will mess up your cast.  my casting is bad enough.  i don't need a knot to mess it up.

for the connection, after all these years, i've finally settled on a knot.  it's a cross between a slim beauty and a tony pena knot.  i use a four turn uni on the mono or fluoro side, then 8 up and 10 down on the braid side.  i do not double up the braid.  been really happy with it.  used it for years.  hope this helps.  alan