Reel Repair by Alan Tani

What is the length of the topshot on your #30, #40, #50, #60 rigs? 

Why did you choose those lengths?

I understand, I think, that the longer the topshot the better the cushion.  Maybe different lengths for different applications?  I'm thinking of Danny Wade preferring 130-150 YDS of #40 mono topshot on his jig stick.  He said he doesn't want to feel the knot pass under his thumb when casting.  Then why not just have 2-3' of mono, all of it hanging below the rod tip so only the braid is passing through the guides when casting?  Poor shock absorption?

At cedros and on the long range I use 10 to 20 feet. Lots use longer and lots use less .. all work.

Cheers

Todd

Good lengths Tod.  And  I only take 50#.

Jim - Good questions, I'm glad you are really thinking about your trip but...don't overthink it.  To answer your question "most" of my long range setups are full Spectra and the flouro topshot/leader is maybe 6' - enough so that the knot connection never has to pass through the guides.  BUT - I also have a couple of reels from years ago that the topshot is pretty long, as in 100+ yards of mono.  The "thinking" (I'm not saying it's right or it's wrong) is that the basic length of your cast would be mono, much more forgiving than Spectra (I have found this to be true) and you also have that extra "shock absorber effect" on bites.  Truthfully, I don't stress it, my JX (long mono topshot) and my TRQ25NLD (short flouro) pretty much overlap in their duties in my usage, and I really am fine both ways.  Sure, there are other considerations, such as in a tangle your long mono is gonna be a victim, but my thought is that if you are in a classic "boat wrap" you have bigger issues and getting sawed off is what it is.  Different lengths for different line classes in my mind is just "fertilizer".  With the long topshots (my JX and my Int 20) I do replace them every year, as I do with the short ones but obviously there is a cost there.  Seriously I would go full spectra and allow for a short topshot/leader. - john

Quote from: Brewcrafter on May 05, 2026, 02:23:46 AMJim - Good questions, I'm glad you are really thinking about your trip but...don't overthink it.  To answer your question "most" of my long range setups are full Spectra and the flouro topshot/leader is maybe 6' - enough so that the knot connection never has to pass through the guides.  BUT - I also have a couple of reels from years ago that the topshot is pretty long, as in 100+ yards of mono.  The "thinking" (I'm not saying it's right or it's wrong) is that the basic length of your cast would be mono, much more forgiving than Spectra (I have found this to be true) and you also have that extra "shock absorber effect" on bites.  Truthfully, I don't stress it, my JX (long mono topshot) and my TRQ25NLD (short flouro) pretty much overlap in their duties in my usage, and I really am fine both ways.  Sure, there are other considerations, such as in a tangle your long mono is gonna be a victim, but my thought is that if you are in a classic "boat wrap" you have bigger issues and getting sawed off is what it is.  Different lengths for different line classes in my mind is just "fertilizer".  With the long topshots (my JX and my Int 20) I do replace them every year, as I do with the short ones but obviously there is a cost there.  Seriously I would go full spectra and allow for a short topshot/leader. - john

With a 6' topshot, your surface jig must be hanging 6' down from the tip when you cast, right?  I'm not there.  I'm only letting the jig hang about 2-2.5' from the tip before casting.  Getting 200' casts so far, pretty straight.  Occasional backlashes, but not too bad.


How is mono more forgiving than spectra when casting?

My bomb and surface iron rigs have a 3' leader. One surface rig got broke off and now has enough mono that I don't cast braid. Both ways work. Heavy bait reels have 25' fluoro, lighter have ~50'.

You are doing much better on casting practice than me.  But when you see the really experience old salts that, iron is practically touching the deck behind them, and the cast itself is almost like a trebuchet.  It is a joy to watch (and I cannot execute it, but I blow at casting).  As far as the mono being more forgiving, on a cast it tends to "fluff up" when you are on the verge of a backlash so that you can slow the spool down in the cast.   Spectra does the same thing (physics are physics) but once it begins to "fluff up" in my experience you are pretty much already screwed...but again, I suck at casting. - john

It's really personal preference, I've fished mono my entire life for casting, I'm just more comfortable using it. Both work just fine

Quote from: Swami805 on May 05, 2026, 02:06:13 PMIt's really personal preference, I've fished mono my entire life for casting, I'm just more comfortable using it. Both work just fine

Yup, and I fished Daccron pre Spectra.  Use what you prefer and what works for you. 

Quote from: Brewcrafter on May 05, 2026, 05:16:52 AMYou are doing much better on casting practice than me.  But when you see the really experience old salts that, iron is practically touching the deck behind them, and the cast itself is almost like a trebuchet.  It is a joy to watch (and I cannot execute it, but I blow at casting).  As far as the mono being more forgiving, on a cast it tends to "fluff up" when you are on the verge of a backlash so that you can slow the spool down in the cast.   Spectra does the same thing (physics are physics) but once it begins to "fluff up" in my experience you are pretty much already screwed...but again, I suck at casting. - john

I wanted to find a Danny Wade video of him casting, but can't find anything.  If anyone can post one here. I'd appreciate it.

Search Jig Chuckers Ball on YouTube!

The advantages of mono:

• abrasion resistance
• easier to cast without backlashes on conventional gear
• easier to untangle from other lines
• stretch/shock absorption

The advantages of braid:

• less water resistance
• greater potential casting distance for the same breaking strength
• more spool capacity for the same breaking strength

The length of mono that  is ideal  will be specific  to your situation and skill set.

Some examples:

If you are live baiting without weight and need a very heavy leader for abrasion resistance, a short mono leader means less resistance for the bait to impede its swimming.

If you are fishing on a crowded long ranger,  longer mono leaders will help with landing fish and clearing lines from  the inevitable tangles.  This is probably why those extra long leaders (AKA topshots) are so prevalent with the long range crowd, but not so much in other fisheries.

Jigging in deeper water with stronger currents creates a lot of drag on the line.  The shortest mono leader possible really helps get the jig to drop straighter with less drift.

Tossing surface irons to boiling tuna or yellowtail when you are inexperienced or experienced  but unable to  control your hear rate   -casting all mono is a big advantage here, as long as your reel has the capacity.

In terms of casting the transition from mono to braid on a conventional reel, the transition can pass through the guides just fine with one of several different knots.  I wouldn't use  loop to lops or bulky knots like the Tony Peña or it's variants popular on this forum.

Casting out a properly knotted transition when it is on the spool is a bit more problematic, but doable without too much drama if you use knots like the FG or similar that don't put any bends in the mono.

I personally prefer to either have enough mono to cover my full casting distance, or  keep the leader short enough that it does not wind onto the spool (inside the guides is fine).

-J

Topshot length does vary with technique.  I have been using a 50' topshot of mono on my heavy jig outfits.   According to some San Diego skippers, the mono acts like a shock absorber.   My medium heavy (80) bait outfits also get a 50' topshot.   I saw an interesting video put out by Phenix and Eric's tackle out of Ventura a few years ago.  It discusses fly lining.  My 20-30lb setups now have a longer mono topshot, about 150 ft.   Braid tends to float, and can cause a bit more drag on the bait.   Bomb setups use a very short topshot, so you don't bring the knot through the guides. Surface iron: I use straight mono, easier to undo tangles and I am used to casting it , also cheaper to respool.   

Quote from: CI_Seawolf on Today at 12:25:18 AMTopshot length does vary with technique.  I have been using a 50' topshot of mono on my heavy jig outfits.  According to some San Diego skippers, the mono acts like a shock absorber.  My medium heavy (80) bait outfits also get a 50' topshot.  I saw an interesting video put out by Phenix and Eric's tackle out of Ventura a few years ago.  It discusses fly lining.  My 20-30lb setups now have a longer mono topshot, about 150 ft.  Braid tends to float, and can cause a bit more drag on the bait.  Bomb setups use a very short topshot, so you don't bring the knot through the guides. Surface iron: I use straight mono, easier to undo tangles and I am used to casting it , also cheaper to respool. 

I am also a big fan of all mono for surface irons if I am not using a levelwind.  I can get too excited on a big surface boil and overdo it a bit.  The last thing that you want when your iron lands in a middle of a boil is a big backlash.  You will get bit, broken off,  and you backlash will get cinched down.  Don't ask me how I know

But I never bought the story that modern braid creates more drag on live baits because it "floats".  Braid  doesn't float to begin with.  UHMWPE has a density of 94 g/mm³, compared to Nylon 6/6 at 114 g/mm³.  Both are relative close, and both have negative buoyancy. Fluorocarbon is around 180 g/mm³- which is actually  significantly greater density.

Braid has much less mass per meter than mono at the same breaking strength, which means less weight for the fish to pull around. Pulling through any kind of bend in the line also means pulling it through the water across the line (instead of along the line)  which creates a tremendous amount of friction- the  smaller cross section from braid is a huge benefit here. So less drag with braid.

I think that what the deckhands are seeing is that the greater mass from a long mono leader will help pull the bait down to work deeper, but if that is your goal, you can accomplish the same with a short leader and and an egg sinker- varying the sinker size to control the descent rate.  Or if you still like using mono for this reason- go for it- but we should strive to  get the science right.

Some benefits to looking at this scientifically: 

If you want to use your leader to make your bait to run deeper - fluorocarbon can be your friend here: it is going to be about 65% heavier per meter than nylon- which is probably why fluoro will sometimes get bit better than nylon (sorry, I am not buying the fluoro "invisibility" story either).  Your bait will get tired faster from pulling that extra mass, but that doesn't matter if you get bit soon enough. And on a long ranger with 30 baits going down, the one that gets down first has the best odds of getting bit. That guy fishing nylon may have the last bait that gets seen. But the guy with a short leader and an egg sinker can beat them all down.

But if getting you bait out farther is more important than getting it deep, a very short unweighted mono leader will make it easier for the bait to swim farther with less effort.

And the times when lighter mono (nylon or fluoro) gets bit better: I really doubt that the target species is put off by seeing the thicker leader and recognizing that it is a trap!  They are working with some really tiny brains.

More likely:  the lesser amount of friction combined with the lesser amount of mass that the bait has to pull around leads to a more lively and "normally" behaving bait that will trigger a feeding response.   Which means that you could accomplish the same result with a shorter, but heavier mono leader, and not get chewed off. 


Better fishing through science!

-J

... except that UHMWPE is 0.94 grams per cubic centimeter.  There are 1000 cubic millimeters per cubic centimeter so that would be 0.00094 grams per cubic millimeter. Water is 1.00 gram per cubic centimeter and saltwater is 1.03 grams per cubic centimeter so UHMWPE is slightly buoyant.  Nylon has a density of 1.14 to 1.15 grams per cubic centimeter so it slowly sinks.  In practice, the differences are not enough to notice because the difference is completely overwhelmed by the weight of any terminal tackle. 

The differences in drag due to line diameter is another matter.