Stuck in the mud for the fifth time, I started to question if this trip was worth it. The promise of catching my first snakehead on a lure was a prospect that sounded good at that time. The vastness of the swamp we were fishing in dwarfed both me and the old man I was with that day. What I found later on was the fish were concentrated more on the edges of the weeds and very few were in the middle where the water was a bit deeper and had no snags. The impulse I had as a kid was to concentrate my casts in the open areas. Much to my dismay, I caught nothing but a bad case of sunburn.
I felt I was armed to the teeth with my arsenal of lures and the gadgets I had on me: a fishing vest loaded with several types of lures, hooks and every doodad I could get hold of. I thought I came prepared and had all the answers to any challenge this day might throw at us. Needless to say, my inexperience got the better of me and it shone bright like the sun that burnt my skin. My companion, sparsely kitted out, caught more fish than I did. His casts were precise, almost surgical. Each flick of the rod sent his lure sailing through the air with a graceful arc and landed just at the opening between snags, a few twitches of the rod tip and the water erupted as a snakehead viciously attacked his lure from underneath. His casting was fluid, graceful and precise, much like a well-trained ballerina executing a perfect pirouette.
Freshwater fishing poses a lot of challenge, while in saltwater you have the space all around you, in most freshwater spots you only have pockets of clearings you need to hit consistently to be able to get a bite. Snags are commonplace and so are overhanging branches, weed beds and a zillion other things to help you lose a fish, snag or tangle your line, not get a bite and the ubiquitous snapping of the rod tip. The fishing is straight forward as this formula: cast as close as humanly possible into the most snag infested spot you see and you catch fish, something almost impossible to do if your tackle isn’t balanced.
Balancing your tackle is simple and helps keep your learning curve shorter. It will, often times, give you better feel (which makes you less fatigued enabling you to fish longer) and greatly increases the performance of your gear on both distance and accuracy, potentially.
The low down Balancing your tackle means you have to stay within the boundaries of the recommended line rating of your rod, reel, fishing line and casting weight.The manufacturers help you decide on what ratings you could use by clearly labeling their rods and reels with a range of line tests (and for rods, a casting weight range). Some rods such as those rated for tournaments or the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) class rods are rated and optimised for a single line class.
Test Lines vs Class Lines and Braids The main difference between the two is important on how you want to go about your fishing. For some, having a line that would break consistently at the breaking strain on the label is beneficial. This is important if you go all technical on your drag settings so you are always spot on. IGFA lines and lines labeled “Tournament Lines” break on or before the rated line strength. This means that if the label states a line strength of 10kg, it will break on or before 10kg and never over it. If it is labeled as a test line or indicates “superior strength”, “extra tough” or the like, the line will most likely over-test and will break after the rated strength. In some instances, the line will break at almost double the line strength. If you are after records, this is an important detail to remember. Braid consistently over-tests; it is however, my choice of fishing line.
Rods This indicates the lightest and heaviest line rating this rod is designed for. I usually use the line test in the middle of the range, the particular rod for me, is used for a 20lbs (10kg) line. On the better rods, manufacturers not only state the line recommended, but also the weight of the lures it’s deigned to cast.
Reels As with the rod, the manufacturer would also state a line rating for the reel as well as the approximate capacity relative to the line used. This measurement is based on the average monofilament diameter. I pair this rod with a reel that indicates a similar range, or should I choose a lighter line, I would know that this reel would also be able to handle the job. Balancing is particularly important when using light line since mistakes are magnified and the chances on losing fish are greater. Now that you have the rod and reel paired, it is just now a matter of picking the line you will be using for the rod and reel, either you go with something in the middle of the range, which is what I do, or you can pick the top or bottom of the range of the rating.
Attach your choice of leader then pick your lure Balancing your tackle is simple and is one of the many things a lot of people take for granted. It takes skill and the proper gear to help you along the way. It will make your experience more pleasant and will help you in casting greater distances, casting accurately and well-balanced tackle doesn’t feel awkward in your hands, it will lessen fatigue and most definitely make your fishing time longer.
Till next tide change,
Kit Belen
