Ice Fishing Line – What are you using for these tactics?

I understand that every line is specific to different tactics, scenarios, and preferences. I’m currently respooling a dozen or so ice rods and was curious as to what everyone else prefers or uses in different scenarios – specifically those listed below.

Jigging Walleyes from a shack:

I’ve always preferred 5# or 6# suffix mono to a small swivel, to fluoro leader if fishing under 15′. The mono just seems to correlate to fewer misses with my style of hookset, and the swivel to fluoro has really helped eliminate line twist that mono can bring. This also doubles as a nice outside set up with mono rarely icing up. I do keep a pole with 8# braid if we head to LOTW and are on a fairly deep bite where a lot more line is out. Am I missing out on something by not completely switching over to braid for this? I have been known to be stubborn.

Dead sticking walleyes from a shack:

For me this is always 5# or 6# mono to a swivel, to fluoro also. I just prefer that bit of stretch/give when fishing live bait. If I am fishing really shallow, I ditch the swivel and fluoro all together.

Run and Gun style fishing for panfish:

A buddy I fish with swears by going with the lightest braid imaginable with the advent of these new tiny tungsten jigs. His theory is that missing light bites far outweighs the importance of anything else. I’m hesitant to go braid here except maybe on one of my lightest noodle rods. The idea of that light braid icing up or even wind knots outside seems annoying.

What are your preferences?

Jigging in a shack I run 8-10lb braid, either Fireline or 832, to swivel, then 24″ 6lb Seaguar flouro leader. I’ve just come to really like the sensitivity of braid for jigging. Use same setup in summer.

Dead sticking in a shack I’ll typically use only 6-8lb mono.

All my panfish setups have 4lb mono.

For walleye in and out of my portable, I run 6 lb Frost braid to a swivel then 6lb Frost fluoro. Recently switched to this from straight mono and really like the sensitivity and hook sets with the braid.

Deadsticking I run straight 6 lb Frost mono.

I run 4-6lb mono on everything for walleye through the ice inside or out, have started running a flouro leader on a swivel.

Deadstick is straight mono no leader.

Panfish is 3-4lb mono.

I use braid in the summer for my jigging rods but have not used it in the winter.

Joe Jarl wrote:

Jigging in a shack I run 8-10lb braid, either Fireline or 832, to swivel, then 24″ 6lb Seaguar flouro leader. I’ve just come to really like the sensitivity of braid for jigging. Use same setup in summer.

Dead sticking in a shack I’ll typically use only 6-8lb mono.

All my panfish setups have 4lb mono.

Ditto…Don’t see the need for braid on my panfish rods as my rods are plenty sensitive.

i do the exact same as you do bucky. suffix 832 – swivel – mono on all my walleye rods. on panfish rods i run 2-3# mono

Ripjiggen wrote:

Ditto…Don’t see the need for braid on my panfish rods as my rods are plenty sensitive.

I made the switch to braid mainly because after watching on camera, I witnessed panfish reluctant to consume a spinning tungsten and waxie or spike. Which seemed a common issue with mono off a spinning reel. Any added sensitivity with the braid was secondary, not prerequisite.

Bucky, I think you have it dialed in pretty well…each of us has good reasons for our preferences.

I almost always use braid for my walleye setups, I just felt that less stretch with a jigging spoon in 25-30′ stuck the hookset better than some of the stretch you’ll have with mono in that depth of water. Plus even a very light tap will translate up to the rod tip better in that deep water.

Granted, most the time I’m fishing in some sort of heated shack so the line icing is never an issue.

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Ripjiggen wrote:</div>
Ditto…Don’t see the need for braid on my panfish rods as my rods are plenty sensitive.

I made the switch to braid mainly because after watching on camera, I witnessed panfish reluctant to consume a spinning tungsten and waxie or spike. Which seemed a common issue with mono off a spinning reel. Any added sensitivity with the braid was secondary, not prerequisite.

Bucky, I think you have it dialed in pretty well…each of us has good reasons for our preferences.

I almost always use braid for my walleye setups, I just felt that less stretch with a jigging spoon in 25-30′ stuck the hookset better than some of the stretch you’ll have with mono in that depth of water. Plus even a very light tap will translate up to the rod tip better in that deep water.

Granted, most the time I’m fishing in some sort of heated shack so the line icing is never an issue.

I will say I am usually fishing shallower for panfish and stretch my line out to eliminate twist…if I am fishing deeper basins for crappies I have put on a swivel to eliminate the spin of death. I try to avoid swivel if possible as I don’t like the action and feel on small jigs.

Nothing stops the spin except jiggling or using a spoon-jigs create a right angle with your line (any line, any reel) a jig falls it spins (like the leaves you see falling this time of year) I have watched with a camera and I have not seen a swivel make much of a difference.
Spoons do not stick out as much so do not spin so much-ever wonder why so many people do well with spoons in the winter but do not use them any other time of the year?

tim hurley wrote:

Nothing stops the spin except jiggling or using a spoon-jigs create a right angle with your line (any line, any reel) a jig falls it spins (like the leaves you see falling this time of year) I have watched with a camera and I have not seen a swivel make much of a difference.
Spoons do not stick out as much so do not spin so much-ever wonder why so many people do well with spoons in the winter but do not use them any other time of the year?

Well…K

Most anything will spin as it falls, including leaves. Unless it’s a rock. It’s when the falling object ends it’s freefall is if it stops spinning. As the leaf does when it meets the ground, so should a panfish jig/bait when it meets it’s down fall to the end of the line. Coiled mono line off a spinning reel seems to keep spinning back and forth from the line memory.

Braid line has much less memory, such as myself now.

Apprehensive panfish seem to not prefer a spinning snack.

I’ll agree with you swivels do little in preventing line spin although I’ll contest that spoons do not spin less, but more.

A jigging spoon spins about merely by its design. The more up and down jigging motion encourages more spinning. A non spinning spoon elevating and descending in the fishy zone without spinning and flashing and giving off signal to be picked up by their lateral line sensory is an ineffective spoon. Talking about walleye and pike, not cautious panfish.

In fact this is when I’ll incorporate a snap swivel to allow the spoon more freedom to spin.