Fishing with split shot can cause a person to experience frustration when the split shot isnt functioning correct. Despite the care that you take in preparing your fishing line and the split shot that you use on your fishing line, it is possible that your fishing line will become tangled. Additionally, your bait may drift away from the fish that you are trying to catch, or the hook on your bait may continually snag on the bottom of the water every time you cast your line.
While these issues may seem small when they occur, they can become significant problems in that they cause anglers to lose many of the fish that they are targeting with their fishing efforts. Each of these issues typically has a cause that is common among anglers, but which those anglers who is aware of the causes of these problems can easily fix. By understanding the causes of each of these problems, anglers can save themselves time, fishing line, and fishing tackle, and they can avoid losing any of their caught bait to unnatural presentations of those baits to the fish.
The following list of problems with split shot includes explanations of the causes of each of these problems, the cost that anglers can experience as a result of each problem, and the methods that anglers can use to avoid each of these problems. Some of the problems with split shot occur after anglers initially prepare their lines and add the split shot weights, while other problems may only emerge after angler have spent many hours fishing. By spotting each of these problems early in the fishing trip, anglers can avoid casting their lines in manner that create these problems, and can avoid losing fish as a result.
Common Split Shot Problems Anglers Face
1. Split Shot Sliding on the Fishing Line
One of the first problems that anglers may experience with their split shot is that the split shot slides up and down on the fishing line. Anglers often experience this problem when they apply the split shot to their line with their teeth, or when they use pliers that have jagged edges that can damage the fishing line. Additionally, the split shot may not have been compressed with even force and effort onto the fishing line, or the fishing line may be too smooth for the split shot to adequately grip the line.
These issues with the split shot can cause the bait to not present itself in a natural fashion to the fish that are viewing the bait from the water, and may cause the bait to not land in the depths in which the fish are locate. The solution to this problem is to purchase a split shot weight that includes lead that is of medium softness. These weights will adhere to lighter fishing lines, such as monofilament lines, without damaging the line.
Harder split shots will adhere to braided lines, but they will not damage the braided line. Additionally, anglers can avoid using their teeth or jagged pliers to apply the split shot to the fishing line. Instead, anglers should use pliers with smooth side, or even a dedicated split shot tool.
Additionally, anglers should crimp the split shot onto the fishing line with even pressure on three different sides of the split shot, rather than by smashing the split shot with even force onto the fishing line. Finally, anglers can thread a small piece of plastic tubing onto the fishing line prior to applying the split shot. This tubing will allow the split shot to adequately grip the line without damaging the lines filament.
By following these steps, anglers can ensure that their split shot weights do not move along the line, as this is their primary reason for using split shot on their fishing line.
2. Adding Excessive Weight to the Line
A second problem with split shot is that anglers often add too much weight to their lines. Anglers often understand that heavy split shots will allow their bait to sink quickly to the bottom of the water, but the added weight of those split shots can actualy work against the baits ability to move naturally through the water.
This extra weight can prevent the bait from drifting towards the target areas in which the fish live or reside. The solution to this problem is for anglers to start with the lightest weight possible. Anglers should then add split shots, one at a time, until they feel the bait land on the bottom of the water from the fishing trip.
For rivers with a moderate flow, one split shot of size BB, or two size 4 split shots is often the best weights for fishing success. Anglers can determine when their split shot has reached the bottom of the water by listening for the tick sound that the split shot makes when it lands on gravel on the bottoms of rivers or lakes. If the line does not make this tick sound, the angler should add another split shot of the same size to the line rather than changing the size of the split shot.
This will ensure that the fishing bait moves at the same rate as the other objects in the water.
3. Line Twist from Repeated Application
A third problem that anglers may experience that is less obvious is the problem of line twist. Many anglers may believe that the issue of line twist is one that occurs rarely in the fishing process, but line twist can ruin many fishing trips.
Each time that an angler applies the split shot to the fishing line, the line is slightly deformed. If the angler applies the split shot to the same spot on the line repeatedly, the line can develop a memory of where the split shot was placed. When the line is cast into the water, these lines can become coils that catch in the wind, create short distances that the line can be cast, and create tangles in the line that wastes the anglers time fishing.
The solution to this problem is for anglers to space the split shots at least one foot apart along the fishing line. Additionally, anglers can rotate the weight that is being added to the fishing line while they are crimping the split shot onto the fishing line. Some anglers use removable split shot so that the split shot does not permanently deform the fishing line.
Other anglers who are planning on using a large amount of split shot will switch to a twist-resistant fluorocarbon fishing line. In either case, the fishing line should remain as straight as possible between each cast. A straight fishing line allows anglers to properly sense when a fish bites on the bait, and it helps them to avoid tangles in the fishing guides.
4. Poor Placement Near the Hook
The poor placement of split shot on the fishing line can quickly turn a perfectly rigged fishing line into a tangle of fishing line. Many anglers place the split shot closest to the hook when they first rig their fishing line. The split shot will ride up the fishing line when the angler casts the line.
The split shot will catch on the bend in the fishing hook, creating a tangle that makes it difficult for the angler to retrieve the bait. The best way to place split shot on a fishing line is to ensure that the lowest split shot is at least eighteen inches above the fishing hook. This will allow the bait to swing freely when drift fishing with a short dropper rig or a Carolina rig.
If the fishing line will be used in still water, the split shot can be moved closer to the hook. However, the split shot should never be placed within ten inches of the fishing hook unless the angler wants to create a jigging action with the bait. Additionally, the extra distance between the split shot and the hook will provide the angler with better sensitivity in detecting when fish bite on the bait.
5. Using the Wrong Size Split Shot
One of the most common mistakes made by both new and experienced anglers is using the wrong size of split shot for the type of fishing that is to be performed. Many anglers, regardless of experience, tend to use whatever size of split shot they find at the top of the split shot box in their tackle box. Using a size 8 split shot will not allow the bait to reach the bottom of the water in six feet of fast moving water.
However, using a size 1 split shot will cause the bait to move too fast in a flat area with shallow water. Before anglers cast fishing line into the water, they should take a moment to read the water in which they are fishing. Areas with fast and deep waters will require larger sizes of split shot, while areas with clear and shallow waters only require the smallest sizes of split shot.
Anglers should have at least four sizes of split shot in their tackle box. Additionally, they should force themselves to change the size of split shot that is used when the depth of the water or the speed of the current changes. Taking a few minutes to re-rig the fishing line will provide anglers with a better drift of the bait and more bites from the fish in the water.
6. Damaging the Fishing Line
Split shot that tends to damage fishing lines is an invisible problem for anglers until a large fish breaks the line. The poorly made split shot can nick the monofilament line. Additionally, the poorly made split shot can cut the braided fishing line after extended periods of use.
Anglers will not be able to see the cuts in their fishing line until the line eventually breaks at an unfortunat time. Before using split shot in the fishing line, anglers should inspect the split shot. Any split shot with sharp burrs or with edges that are not even with the others should be discarded.
Split shot should be stored in a small container so that the individual pieces do not hit each other. Slide the split shot off the fishing line when removing it from the water to avoid yanking the split shot free from the fishing line. These steps will extend the life of the fishing line and prevent anglers from losing large fish that could of become the biggest fish of the day.
7. Overconfidence in Split Shot Selection
Finally, the problem of too much confidence in the split shot selection that is used to catch fish after catching a few with this particular selection. The best fish find a combination of split shot that works in one river. However, the same split shot may not work in other waters with different currents and fish behaviors.
When anglers rig fishing line with the same split shot that worked in one river, the fish may completely ignore the bait. The best anglers adjust their split shot constantly while fishing. These anglers have many sizes of split shot to accommodate the different waters in which they fish.
These anglers test various placements of split shot when they rig their lines. Additionally, these anglers are willing to change the way that they rig their lines when the fish begin to stop biting. Fishing line split shot problems may not make an angler an expert right away.
However, if an angler can master these split shot problems, they will remove many of the frustrations that make fishing line such a challenging fishing activity. When an angler feels their fishing line moving the way they want it to when they are fishing, they should remember the importance of these details that other anglers easily ignore. These details will put more fish in the angler’s net, and they will have more successful fishing days.