Shot placement

[sidekick10121]

Being a newb an still learning this is the one thing that's killing me! How at should the closest shot to the hook be? And how can I tell if I have enough weight? Will it start to snag? And is a 4-5 foot leader the typical? Thanks all

 

[creek chub in your pocket]

Being a newb an still learning this is the one thing that's killing me! How at should the closest shot to the hook be? And how can I tell if I have enough weight? Will it start to snag? And is a 4-5 foot leader the typical? Thanks all

if you are using splitshots id try to keep them elbow to finger tip away - you can use more than 1 split shot too. if i have a bobber or a float i like to put a bit bigger of a split shut just under the float so that it swims nice in the water keeping it straight up and down.

if you start to get snagged you can either remove 1 of the split shots if you have more than 1, or you can go to a smaller split shot.

sometimes you may need to do a few adjustments if you are not familiar with the body of water, whether it be a creek, river or whatever...

good luck

 

[BowSlayer]

I used to put shots on my leader and make a long leader now I switched to a shot line and leader. My shot line is about 4 feet long and has my shots from biggest to smallest from top to bottom, biggest being right under the connection from the main line to the shot line. My leader is usually 6 lb for trout and 8 lb for salmon if salmon I use a 10 lb shot line on the leader all I have is my hook and bait, if the current is really strong I put a small shot in the middle of the leader.

 

[miles]

I never put any shot on my leader. When setting up the shot line I put some weight directly below the float, use a chunk if pencil lead to make up about 75-80% of the rest of the weight then a few small shots closer to the bottom swivel. It's simpler with a light float.

 

[creek chub in your pocket]

I never put any shot on my leader. When setting up the shot line I put some weight directly below the float, use a chunk if pencil lead to make up about 75-80% of the rest of the weight then a few small shots closer to the bottom swivel. It's simpler with a light float.

this is how i do it too. props!

 

[sidekick10121]

I never put any shot on my leader. When setting up the shot line I put some weight directly below the float, use a chunk if pencil lead to make up about 75-80% of the rest of the weight then a few small shots closer to the bottom swivel. It's simpler with a light float.

Do you happen to have any pics?

 

[Shmogley]

keep shots off your actual flouro leader. use the line below the float for shots, with the swivel as your last "weight"
some guys use a swivel right under the float to have a shot line but thats a personal preference thing.
i personally leave a length of my mainline below the float and slide the float up/down depending on what depth i need before i set out from the car.
12inch-2foot flouro leader depending on water clarity after that

a shotline is handy though if you go to several different bodies of water, you can have several depths/current patterns ready to go. i just dont find it usefull personally. i carry very little when i go and the less rolls of ready mades i have to carry the better.

as for knowing if you have enough weight bud. as long as the float stays upright and you dont hit bottom too often youre good. if you never hit bottom at all you might consider increasing the length a bit. typically you should ding the odd rock on the bottom but not be dragging. if you are dragging youll notice your float tilting downstream a lot or moving slower then the current. just try to observe that your leader floats ahead of the float.
if not you might need to put more weight near the float and less near the leader.
for length of your whole setup, going by water speeds, usually 2x the depth from float to bait is a good place to start. faster water=longer. slower=shorter

check out this link http://www.anglersinternational.com/Shotting%20Patterns.pdf for pretty much everything you need to know about setting up your shots

 

[goodentight]

Everyone does it different. Everyone also have set ups that work. It is hard to say one way is better than another if you are banking fish.
Don't feel like you need to mimic someone's post to the centimeter for it to be a "proper" shot placement.

Personally, I go one or two buck shots below my float followed by how ever many average sized shots I need. Thinking off the river here, I think for a 8g float I would go 1-22 buck shots below float, and then 5-6 medium shots evenly spaced out. For a 6g float 1-2 bucks and 3-5 medium shots. Thats an average that you know you are going to get to the bottom.

As for Main line - shot line - leader line, if you are new, I would suggest not wasting your time with a "shot specific line". Just run 3 feet or so of a leader off your mainline attached with a micro swivel. Place your shots all evenly across the line. Once you get a hang of it, I would suggest this would be the time to start messing around with a shot line inbetween. I have been a few years now and have never had any reason to rig up a "shot line". Just seems like unnecessary wasted time rigging it up and more to worry about and deal with.

Read the .pdf posted above. It nails it. Most people will tell you not to put shot on your leader line. Personally, I have always shot my leader line and have never had a problem with it. I don't really get it. Doesn't seem to bother me or the fish.