Lindy Rigging Questions

Just got back last week from Lake Kabetogama. We did a half day trip with a guide and we lindy rigged. It worked out well so we pretty much used those rigs all week. We did get bit off a few times so we had to retie them. Question that I have is what do people use for the leader. Flouro would be less visible but it sinks. We pretty much settled on 6lb mono a bead that floated and a size 6 hook. Just looking for what others use. The length was about 2-3 feet.

I’ve always tried to use the heaviest mono I could get away with in places where northerns were mixed in. I tie some with 8 and some with 12. 12 seems to have enough cut resistance to get most northerns to the net.

Grouse

The great snake debate

Problem with northerns is they inhale everything, if you aren’t quick on the trigger to catch the lip with your lure of choice, in this case plain hook, don’t really matter what line you use good chances it’s cutting. And with Lindying I’m betting you’re not setting the hook immediately.

Heavier the line better your chances, but then your losing action on your bait, and more chance of scraping bottom. Heaviest I usually go is 6#, metro stuff gets 4# typically. If I was up North with dingier water I’d go to 8#.

There’s enough northerns in lakes nowadays, if a few cut off so be it, don’t have to get my hands all slimy

I use 8lb fluoro unless im running crawlers. Then I use mono. I run a #6 for leeches, #4 for crawlers and #2 for big minnows. I would say a 6 foot leader is about average for me, sometimes shorter or longer depending on the situation or lake.

8lb Suffix Fluoro leader for leeches and minnows and 8lb mono for spinners. With spinners, I like using about 6′ of line. I don’t know why, but I tend to use 3′ or so for leeches and minnows.

Ran some slow death crawler spinners this weekend when tooting around the lake in my dads pontoon and got 2 snakes, luckily didn’t get bitten off on either. Usually they’re gone in the hookset if you aren’t fast enough.

I use 8lbs mono for everything. Double crawler harness I use size 6 and for leeches and minnows I will use size 4. If there are some really big minnows I might use a 2

nhamm wrote:

The great snake debate

Was running store bought spinners with 14# mono yesterday. Multiple bit clean off without warning.

For what I tie myself I use 10-12#. Typically fluoro or Pline co-polymer. However I don’t to a lot of crawlers so I’m intrigued on the suggestion to use mono for that.

Spinners are a different subject altogether, slowdeath is that weird middle ground.

Running into pike is just part of the deal, if you upsize way up on your leader material your bait won’t swim right or float right to be ultra appealing to a walleye. Sufix fluorocarbon leader material is very abrasion resistant against teeth and zebra mussels and I haven’t had any ill effects in MOST scenarios when fishing leeches or minnows. Sometimes when the bottom is really slimey you might have to switch to mono to help keep the leech up off the bottom so it stays clean. If they aren’t very big leeches I will run a #8 hook to help with this as well. Like I said, mono is typically the way to go when running a floating night crawler.