Please share your ideas of how you mark the line for getting the bait back to the same depth every time ...
I'm dis-satisfied with black Sharpie only lasting 1 trip before having to reapply ...
Rickie
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Please share your ideas of how you mark the line for getting the bait back to the same depth every time ...
I'm dis-satisfied with black Sharpie only lasting 1 trip before having to reapply ...
Rickie
Hello Rickie : Have you tried a bobber stop knot ? You can get them in very bright colors. Just make sure you tighten it good when you slide it to where you want it. When I spider rig I just run it above the surface of the water. Easy to get it back to where it was. Good Luck. O - R
Them little rubber bobber stops that come on a round disc with really fine wire run through them. Get at BPS and different places. They come in a couple of different color's. I like the yellow. If you have trouble seeing them just slide on a small bead and just a tiny slip float. They go through the guides just fine.
With a bait casting reel which is what I use to vertical jig with on most occasions I count how many times my line unspools from left to right and right to left. I know how far that is on each reel I own. For example if my line goes from one side of the spool to the other and I know that is 7' on that reel with that line I know that 3 trips across the bar would be 21'. I also know how far 1 turn of the handle retrieves so I just do the math. I have a similar system I use if using a long rod with a spinning reel. My fishing partner uses a bait caster for his long rod fishing because he has no feeling in his hands and has to rely on seeing his bites so I custom made him an extra soft 9' bait casting rod.
my winter system is and 8'rod, baitcaster, and braid. Sharpie marks last almost forever on hi vis braid. I was fishing 30 to 35 feet deep and with the braid, a bobber stop didn't seem feasible to me. Machinist's use dye marker in their work, you might look into that as being more permanent on mono or flouro.
To measure, I use the length of the rod, then thumb the spool and hold the reel in the middle of my chest. Grab the line with the other hand and extend it out as far as you can get it to go. For me, that's real close to 3 feet. Or mark a foot and 2 feet from the front of the reel on your rod. When fishing deep, the marks save a lot of time.
There are a number of Japanese lines that come with marks for depth. Do you want nylon, fluorocarbon or braid? What line strength?
Use a 10 ft rod with spinning reels.I have 1in colored duct tape a 1ft and 2 ft from the end of the spinning reels.
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Rickie, depth pro braid is marked and berkley braid is line marked also. The depth pro has four different colors and Barkley is grn with blk marks is i reminder correctly. For any line with bait casters I measure 12 inches from the face of the reel down the rod and place a white piece of tape. I then use the rod length,drop the line, and start counting out pulls from the reel. Hope this helps.
Hello: On the colored lines how far apart are the color changes ?
Since you asked here is my probable dorky method.
The reason I’ve never liked marking my line was that once you’ve snagged broke off and retied that mark is no longer good. The method I like and use is by grasping the line with my left thumb and index finger at the reel and pulling the line out as far as my left hand will spread from the reel in one hand and the pinched line in the other hand. For me that distance is approximately three feet and I count down with each pull and release by 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, ----- until reaching the depth I’m wanting to fish at. Note on the approximate three foot spread I’m talking about here is I’m not extending my right hand with the reel away from my body where it is normally held while fishing. This method works with bait casters or spinning reels. I can look at my electronics and verify that I’m hanging the baits at my desired depth. On the first pull off I have my baits hanging at the surface and the rod tip at approximately the same height I normally fish with the rod tip above the water.
Once I think I’ve found the depth that the fish are biting at for me I will be hanging my baits at that same depth until they quit biting for me when I will start searching another place or depth to fish at.
I’ve never seen any others using this method and guessing when other fishers see me when I’m fishing at 27 to 30 ft down are probably wondering what that dork is doing while getting his line back into the water. This works with any line reel or rod length combination.
Most others I observe just release line lifting their rods tips up using the length of rod to determine how deep they are fishing and this is a much quicker method but not quite as precise IMHO.
Outdoorsron, the depth hunter line is marked a different color every 25 feet. There are four colors then colors repeat. Then during teach 25 foot section there are five foot marks. The Berkeley marked braid, if I recall correct, is a grn solid line with blacks marks every five feet.
Since im old and forgetful, I took colored sharpies and colored a bar graph on my fish finder cover reminding me the sequence of the colored braid. :dono
Use the old out-stretched arms distance approximately equal to one's height, being close to 6'
(okay, on a really, really good day), I then measure 6' at a time ...
Let not forget about the line clip on your bail type reels. I used it a lot for long lining. It would work good on the vertical fishing.
LittleJohn
I have a small thin piece of yellow tape (cut a 1" piece of yellow tape down the center) that is wrapped around the rod at 6' down from the tip and the other piece down from the tip at 8'. If I need 10', my rod length is 10'. Also, for fine tuning, I know that from where my line comes off my spinning reel to the first line guide above it is approximately 2'. I can easily pull out 2' of line at a time. Seems to work good for me in most situations.
Man these are all great ideas ...and good discussion ...
Braid is out for me on spider riggin rods - tried many brands - just don't like it on spider riggin rods... (I do like Power Pro Super Slick for catfish rods but that's not relevant to this discussion) ...
So here's a little more info to discuss using my own spider riggin setup as an example ... :
I spider rig with 10 rods (sometimes 12) ...
Each rod is set to a different depth until a depth pattern developes (which sometimes doesn't develope at all that day) ...
I see no problem using some of the methods mentioned here on setting the depth before putting the bait into the water ...
In the flurry of activity (or just senile forgetfulness) - it's often forgotten/mistaken which bait on which rod is at what depth ...
Now let's discuss methods of checking/readjusting those bait depths = without lifting the bait out of the water and "re-measuring" ...
After all - every second that bait is not in the water is inefficient fishing time ...
Rickie
Rickie, I carry a little note pad with columns and log the depth of rods from left to right. Using multiple rods on up in the day with several quick bites leave me wondering at times. Been hit in the head too many times.
My Pops still has them Zebco crappie spincast reels with the "depth locator" on em.
I had a couple of those about 40 yrs ago, worked greatQuote:
Originally Posted by whiskerwhipper
Wow... Lots of ideas on measuring depth of bait before putting the bait in the water ...
But very few ideas of how to keep up with the depth the baits are running without lifting the bait out of the water ...
I'll be trying the the knotted bobber stop idea at known intervals to see how that flows thru the eyes ...
If that doesn't suit my OCD - I guess I'll be back to Sharpie ...
Rickie
Rickie, now you got me thinking of a better way too. What about sticking different colored tacks in the handle for different depths. Whether cork or foam it should hold a tack and not leave a large hole. That way just a glance would tell you. :dono
on my trolling rigs 10 lb flourcarbon I measure 62 ft (troll 60ft) mark the line between the reel and first guide black marker about 10inches and watch the mark leave the spool. will stay on for months, does not get wet and wash off.
Now this is interesting ...Quote:
Originally Posted by ozarks ranger
Maybe my Sharpie mark short life is the issue with the Mark being in the water ...
Marking the line at a reference point close to reel may allow the Sharpie mark to stay dry and last much longer ...
I gotta try this ...
Rickie
This would work until the 1st time I adjust bait depths ... Sometimes I adjust 1 rod's bait depth, sometimes I adjust all rod's bait depths ...Quote:
Originally Posted by crp4570
I'm searching for a method of glancing at a "reference" of some sort and 100% knowing the bait depth on each rod without lifting the bait out of the water ... and still know each rod's bait depth after letting out or taking up line in the reel ...
Rickie
Rickie ... sounds to me like you're headed towards line counter reels :Doh: (jus' sayin' :biggrin)Quote:
Originally Posted by rnvinc
Just get you some in expensive line counter reels. Magda has a #15 model that's lightweight for around $30 or so. Check them out.
I use bright colored thread bobber stops as well its cheap and works great
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappiePappy
I have Magda 15 line counters on my trolling rods ...Quote:
Originally Posted by chaunc
I need to try a Magda on my spider riggin rod just to see ...
Rickie
I use 16 ft rods took them straight to a rod builder when I got them ( lucky he lives within 4 mi ) I take him the center section and thread on 2 inches of fluorescent green thread on the top and again on the bottom ( this gives me a 10 ft and a 15 ft mark) and then put glass over that so its there forever and then it's math from there you know 1/2 way of the first mark is 2 1/2 ft and so on. As for line depth I adjust it little at a time and I'm Not concerned if ther is 62 inches out there or what ever because if I'm adjusting that means I must not be catching I'm more concerned of where it is when I catch. So once I catch I look then to my markers and eyes above or below the markers to set the others. Then if I need to come up I know how many inches my reels line comes up with one full turn of the handle.
I use a small magic marker board to keep track of colors and depth of rods. I use this more when trolling so I can remember which crankbait color is on which rod. I got mine from Amazon for 3.00 dollars.
Don
line counter reels if your fishing deeper water.
When tight line single pole jigging, I use yellow runner bands and make like a bobber stop. Slides up and down easily if you want to change depth, and easy for me to see.... Use the same thing above a slip cork... Add a bead above it if you need more to look at....
With 10-12' jigging poles spooled with straight mono I add a rubber bobber stop that stays by the reel, just where my hand holds the rod to mark how much line is out.
Another jigging pole is spooled with high viz fireline with a mono leader. I tie the leader to 4'-6'-8'. etc, and can use the connection as a reference, is it a foot out of the water, under the water, etc.
I also mark my jigging poles with paint between 9"-18" to measure fish, but can peel off line fairly accurately.
How big of a boat do you have? use painters tape on gunnell every 1or2 feet if you break your bait off its easy to lay line across the tape marks. make a slip knot
in line by reel stick a piece of thread thru knot by reel if you break off pull thread out then repeat.
My recommendation would be to mark the rod with the depth. Use some masking tape and sharpie and Place tape on the handle somewhere. Write the depth for that rod. If you want to change it cross it out and write the new depth. If you want the tape to last then use packing tape. If you want to be able to remove then use masking. If you are fishing in the rain packing tape and a grease pencil works well. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a3acbc0624.jpg
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don't remember the brand, but there used to be a mono line that was red for 3 foot and hi-vis yellow for 3 foot for the whole spool
When the snow melts here in the north I will be experimenting with some 14ft rods with yellow tape spaced on the rod every 2 feet. Most of the lakes in my area are only about 10 feet deep on average with 16 feet a real hole. There are a few large and deep lakes but only a few. I figure in the deeper lakes I will need to hand feed the line using the yellow tape for measuring the line. We are limited to 3 rods per person in Pennsylvania. Pop