Rod & Line Tips For Ice Fishing Part 2

Another huge factor is how the elements effect your rig. I use braid most of the time with a tiny barrel swivel at the end with a section of 100% fluorocarbon leader material for toothy critters because of its superior abrasion resistance and invisibility. If you are fishing for trout, bass or panfish you can just use standard castable fluorocarbon line to maintain the invisibility factor without the need for the thicker 100% fluorocarbon material. Try to keep the fluorocarbon length equal or less than the length of the rod blank so you are not reeling the barrel swivel into the eyes of your rod every time you reel up and let line out. The barrel swivel helps keep your line from twisting. If you require a longer fluorocarbon lead for extremely clear water and shy fish, you can remove the barrel swivel and tie straight to your main line using a double uni-knot with a longer lead and a snap swivel at the lure to aid in removing line twist for a more stealth approach. The reason I use braid as a main line as much as possible is it is much thinner and sensitive than monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line and has nearly no stretch as a result. If I am setting up a rod to sit outside as a dead stick I spool that rod and reel entirely with fluorocarbon and only add a 100% fluorocarbon leader if I am targeting toothy critters like pike and walleye. This line set up helps prevent the line from freezing up while unattended outside for maximum efficiency.