Really struggling to cast light jigheads and lures.

[Offtherockss]

I have a light rod rated 5-20g and I am really struggling to cast light jig heads around 1/6oz, I am using 9lb mono line. 

I think I am only covering like 10-15m of distance with my cast and I feel nothing at the end of my rod. It feels like I am striking thin air when I am giving action to my rod . And my rod also sort of just wobbles and doesn't feel right. 

Using heavier lures I can cast 50m easily and really feel the lure at the end of my rod tip doing the work. Is it my technique that is wrong? or is it my setup? I need some advice.

Thanks to everyone in advance.

[SquibblyDibbly]

5-20g cast weight?

My rod for the light jig heads is 1-3kg, 10ft, graphite, 6lb braid.

Is you spool full of braid? You start to lose cast distance pretty quick of the spools not full.

[DerekD]

Hi Off the rocks.

First thing is I wouldn't consider your rod a light rod. It sounds more like a lightish rod and I'm guessing 3 to 6kg.

Second thing is the mono makes it a little more difficult as it is heavier and bulkier on strength versus strength basis than braid. Brand dependent but 8lb mono has a diameter of about 0.27mm and 8lb braid has a diameter 0.13mm. That is a substantial increase in mass that the 1/6oz jig head has to drag out. The mono often has memory so this creates even more resistance as it comes off the spool.

I fish a 2-4kg (3 to 12 gram) outfit with a 2500 Shimano reel spooled up with 4lb braid which should actually break at around 9lb and I can get a 1/6th oz jig head and soft plastic about 30m. I've never actually measured this but that is my estimate.

A few of the people I was mentoring were using 8lb braid versus the 4lb I like to use and I was getting a noticeable increased casting distance on like for like lures in the range you are discussing. Factor in the fact the mono you use is bulkier than the 8lb braid they were using and it has an impact.

The third thing might be your casting technique and that I would have to see. You'd probably have to get a video up of that. That you are aware of how the rod is or isn't loading up suggests that casting is not your primary issue.

If you have a mate with a reel with say 4lb braid try casting that on your rod and see if that has an impact on casting distance.

Regards,

Derek

Edited October 20, 2021 by DerekD

[Koalaboi]

Without looking too much at your casting technique and rod etc, the advice above to change to braid is the simplest and quickest way to make a difference. Perhaps start with 8lb braid and maybe go a little lighter once you are confident. You'll need to tie a mono leader to your braid and the breaking strain of that will depend on your target species. Mono to braid needs good knots so ensure you learn one for this purpose.

KB

[Subtropic]

8 hours ago, Offtherockss said:

I have a light rod rated 5-20g and I am really struggling to cast light jig heads around 1/6oz, I am using 9lb mono line. 

I think I am only covering like 10-15m of distance with my cast and I feel nothing at the end of my rod. It feels like I am striking thin air when I am giving action to my rod . And my rod also sort of just wobbles and doesn't feel right. 

Using heavier lures I can cast 50m easily and really feel the lure at the end of my rod tip doing the work. Is it my technique that is wrong? or is it my setup? I need some advice.

Thanks to everyone in advance.

Hi Offtherocks

 

1/6oz is approximately 4.5g so your rod maybe a little too heavy.

 

Regards

Grant

[campr]

A lighter rod may help especially if around the 7ft2inch mark but I think that heavy mono is your main drawback.  Try 6lb braid with 1 and half rod lengths of 9lb mono or preferably flurocarbon joined with an FG knot.  Ron 

[Offtherockss]

Thanks to all for the helpful replies. 

I will get myself a ligther rod and some 4-6lb braid as suggested. 

And also should I get an ultra light rod or just a lighto rod? Because some rods are rated around 2-10g  but one is ultra light while the other is just light. 

I am mainly looking to throw soft plastics and small jerk/crankbaits.

[campr]

If it's distance your after a bit longer rod would help as I  said before.   There are some around 7ft2in that should suit.  Ron 

[dirvin21]

2 hours ago, Offtherockss said:

Thanks to all for the helpful replies. 

I will get myself a ligther rod and some 4-6lb braid as suggested. 

And also should I get an ultra light rod or just a lighto rod? Because some rods are rated around 2-10g  but one is ultra light while the other is just light. 

I am mainly looking to throw soft plastics and small jerk/crankbaits.

The rods in the "light" or 2-4kg range are usually a bit more versatile, with light braid will give plenty of cast distance

[DerekD]

What is your budget?

[DerekD]

Hi again,

In the end you will be making the final choices but I've helped several people on their way with this type of fishing and this is a summary of the gear we are using.

Just a note on the rod. To get the weight down some manufacturers have extended the butt then put a small counterweight at the end. Personally I'm not a fan of these as I find with my rod tip down style of fishing means that the butt then hits on the meaty part of my forearm. The rods I am using these days are from the ArrowZ range. To give you a bit of versatility I highly recommend you look at the ArrowZ bream surface AAS-270BS 7 foot 3-8lb and 2 to 12gm lure weight and I have mine set up with a Shimano 1000 reel. If you want something just slightly beefier then look at the AAS-270UL 7 foot 3-10lb and 3 to 14gram lure weight and I have mine set up with a Shimano 2500 reel.

Even if you don't buy them get an idea of the proportions (butt length) and then look at other rods. I also own the super-ultralight in this same range but funnily enough I'm more or less using the same 4lb braid on all three outfits. It really breaks about 9lbs and it casts well enough for my needs but is still strong enough to land pelagics like salmon and kingfish when they have hit my lures on the sandflats.

The following is copied from an email to one of the people I was assisting. We fish sandflats as well as Sydney harbour so we have a good chance on the pelagics in summer and some of my lure selection is based on this.

First rod: 2-4kg, 2 piece graphite, 7 to 7 foot 6 inches, 1 guide per foot of rod length plus 1. Short butt so it doesn’t bump up against your forearm when working plastics.

If budget is a concern look for the Sienna Quickfire Combo 7 foot with 2500 reel for about $100. This is a little on the heavy side for my liking after using the Arrowz range.

If you want to mix and match and the budget is a bit more then: The Arrowz’s are a good starting point. The Shimano Raider bream finesse (762 7 foot 6 inches 2-4kg and 3-12gram lure rating) is a third. Shop around as I have seen the Arrowz on special at about $100 but usually they are around $129.

Reel 2500 is a nice all round size for what we do with light gear. Suggest Shimano Sedona ($90 - $100) as a baseline. I also have a couple of 1000 reels which is use purely for the sandflats.

Line: Match it with some 4lb Power Pro or 4lb Berkley X5 or super thin 6lb Daiwa J braid or 6lb Shimano Kairiki. $26 to $32. I prefer white/crystal (easier to see when working a lure) so I use the X5 in 4lb and 150m.

If you spool it yourself then backing and leader: I like Platypus Super 100 clear and in 8lb. You can use it to partially fill up the spool and then the remainder as leader. $14 to $18 depending on being on special. I've been using Nitlon Fluorocarbon as my leader material for years and don't see a need to change. As a general rule my leaders are 50% to 100% more than my main line. 4lb braid (which breaks at 9lb) gets used with 6lb leader or 8lb leader. I will go to 10lb leader if I know the kings around.

RANT HERE: When I started out the general advice was use a rod length or more of leader. At the time (over 15 years ago) the recommended knot was the uni to uni. After a learning curve I came to the conclusion that this advice was stupid for several reasons. Firstly, I could feel the knot bumping through the guides and was pretty sure it was not good for the knot (BTW, even an FG knot can catch on the way back in on the V of the top guide). Secondly, we are fishing areas where there was structure so you could snag up. When loading up the line it would often break at the leader knot rather than the terminal tackle so you just lost several meters of relatively expensive fluoro. With maybe the exception of the people fishing competitions for bream, what is the advantage of using such a long leader (and these people have the option of fishing fluorocarbon straight through)? The braid is skinnier than the fluoro so is not that easy to see anyway. The chafe resistance of the leader is usually only needed at the working end. You don't need that much shock leader for casting as the rod tip flexes too. I'm of the opinion that most people repeat it as that is what they have heard from others and never questioned it. I discussed this topic with @wazatherfisherman several months ago as his fishing knowledge is encyclopedic and we came to the conclusion that it came across from the International Game Fishing Association where they allow wind on leaders. I use leader to the length that the knot does not enter the guides (say 80cm) and if I'm feeling really lazy have let this get down to 10cm and am still catching fish. If anyone can give me a genuine reason for using one to several rod lengths of leader with a well thought out reason then I would genuinely love to hear it as I couldn't work it out. One other hypothesis was that maybe the braid sounds different to mono underwater (think different guitar strings).

Jig Heads

TT Tournament Series jig heads with the bullet head (not the darter heads). As per attached photo

TT Tournament (bullet head) ¼ oz with 1H hook for 3 inch plastics (yellow/orange packet)

TT Tournament (bullet head) 1/6 oz with 1H hook for 3 inch plastics (yellow/orange packet)

Can also get the same in a 1/8th oz with 1H hook – these are easier to find

Please note that they do these in a fine wire but as there is a chance we hook into a king or salmon I get the heavier H wire for added confidence.

If using 4” plastics I use the 1/4oz and 1/0 hook.

Gamakatsu Round 211 in 1/8 oz and 1 or 2 hook is what I use for grubs. I have to order these in through my local tackle shop (not the chains).

Next is Soft plastics:

Over the years my go to are pearl/blue, pearl watermelon in 3 and 4” minnows (Berkley Power bait) and 2” grubs (Berkley Powergrub). Some plastic brands do not play well together so I keep them in their plastic bag till I need to pull one out. Z-mans with their tougher plastic are popular with some anglers but I have trouble keeping them on the jig head.

Jig head container (Daiso or your local tackle store) – they used to sell small boxes filled with a variety of screws or nails. I bought one of each and gave the contents away. For $2.80 each I was ahead.

Halco twistys in silver 10gm or other companies will do a similar type of slice. I take off the treble hook and put on a Gamakatsu large eye hook in size 1 or 2.

Ecogear ZX40 (ZX30 is too light but ZX35 can be made to work) – I like one shiny and one dark for differing contrasts. They are now doing the Ecogear ZX43.

 Hardbodies - suggested starting point only)

Lure	Budget price
MMD Splash prawn 70mm	$21.95
Sugapen 70mm (HF-119 or  C-394)	$26.95
Sugapen 70mm (CT-287)	$29.95
OSP bent minnow (G-28)	$33.95
Crank bait shallow (Jackall Chubby 38 or Atomic Crank 38)	$20.95
Crank bait deep (Jackall Chubby 38 or Atomic Crank 38)	$20.95
Daiwa INFEET SLIPPERY DOG 80F TG Fishing Lure	$24.99

Terminal tackle (discuss later): Sinkers, hooks, swivels, duolock snaps. The outfit you have will be very versatile and we use it for squidding and baitfishing too.

Regards,

Derek

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by DerekD

[BigHorse]

Definitely listen to what @DerekD has to say the information in that is hard to find anywhere!

I've gotten help from derek before about rods and he helped me  a lot. Good luck

 

[Little_Flatty]

1 hour ago, DerekD said:

I use leader to the length that the knot does not enter the guides (say 80cm) and if I'm feeling really lazy have let this get down to 10cm and am still catching fish. If anyone can give me a genuine reason for using one to several rod lengths of leader with a well thought out reason then I would genuinely love to hear it as I couldn't work it out. One other hypothesis was that maybe the braid sounds different to mono underwater (think different guitar strings).

Interesting point Derek. Over lockdown I read 'Chasing the Ghost of the Estuary' by Sol Bannura.  He mentioned that he does all of his connections using metal - snaps, swivels and combinations of the two. Instead of a uni or FG knot, he'd tie a snap directly to the mainline. Then all of his lures for his trip would be pre-rigged on about 60-80cm of leader material, with a loop knot at the lure end and a swivel on the other. Then swapping lures would be a simple matter of unclipping the leader-swivel connection and then clipping on another leader/lure. This saves one from re-tying loops and also making sure your lures have a nice loop pre-tied where applicable (e.g. hardbodies).

Your average angler might think that the extra hardware might put fish off, but you can't argue with his results. Neither can anyone argue with yours.

To be honest, I tried this and it does my head in, even though I like the idea of swapping out lures easily like this. Out of habit I keep winding the snap into my guides, which I thought wouldn't be good for my rod. Old habits die hard I guess (and funnily enough Sol's book spends quite a few words on angler's habits and assumptions, and the need to keep an open mind!).

[DerekD]

6 minutes ago, maccapacca said:

Stupid question, bought my self a bit heavier rod with a 4-14g cast weight and bought a 2500 sized daiwa aird for it and some 8lb braid.Would I be better off going a bit higher on the jigheads weight, for example using a 1/4 jighead instead of 1/8 just so I can maximise casting distance? But honestly dunno as of now it seems a bit stupid looking back on it grabbing a 2-6kg rod for flatty fishing.

Hi M,

Wouldn't stress it. Outfit is fine. The only thing I'd recommend down the track dropping down to a lighter braid as your confidence grows.

I'll respond in more detail this evening or at lunch time.

D.

[Rebel]

Good luck.@maccapacca

Thanks @DerekD for the Info.

Edited October 22, 2021 by Rebel

[Rebel]

@Little_FlattyI use the clips with the swivels in differnt sizes on my Lures.

Works well no problems.

With my beach rods I am going to try a swivel clip on the mainline and one one the leader.

I use Mono, should be interesting. If it works I won;t have to change hooks all the time. 

I will just set up a couple of rigs with different hooks.

Cheers.

[DerekD]

3 hours ago, maccapacca said:

Weird thing i find about around there is fish jumping up and out the water atleast a good 40cm and bigger.Just confused as to what they are and if there worth targeting.

 

Kind regards, M

Likely mullet. Not a big lure taker from past experience and if I had to I'd be using my fly rod with bread flies and burley up the water with bread. Fun if you hook one and they can get big but not something I chase.

[DerekD]

4 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

To be honest, I tried this and it does my head in, even though I like the idea of swapping out lures easily like this. Out of habit I keep winding the snap into my guides, which I thought wouldn't be good for my rod. Old habits die hard I guess (and funnily enough Sol's book spends quite a few words on angler's habits and assumptions, and the need to keep an open mind!).

From past experience I am really hesitant about using swivels and clip ons on anything but the terminal tackle for some of my outfits. Specifically when using fast retrieves with something like a Halco twisty. If I get distracted the hit of the swivel on the top guide sends shivers down my back. For that reason I prefer a leader knot as this has a good chance of passing through the guides without damaging them.

I do have some exceptions but like most things in life there is a time and a place.

[DerekD]

3 minutes ago, maccapacca said:

Yeah well they’re plentiful around here so who knows, going out to target some flattys with plastics for the first time this afternoon, which I’m really looking forward to and I reckon I’m pretty prepared with all of your guys knowledge.

We will cover this in more detail later but one of the biggest things to watch is to be in contact with the lure as much as possible and avoid slack as much as possible. Three reasons:

1. If you have slack the lure has a tendency to drop straight down rather than swim down like on a pendulum
2. You can see the hits and the fish almost hook themselves.
3. If you don't wind on the spool with tension and you are unlucky then you will likely see some birds nests sooner or later.

Number 3 is more likely the lighter you go in lures. For example ultralight such as 1/20 oz.

[leonardgid]

On 10/20/2021 at 10:31 PM, DerekD said:

Hi Off the rocks.

First thing is I wouldn't consider your rod a light rod. It sounds more like a lightish rod and I'm guessing 3 to 6kg.

Second thing is the mono makes it a little more difficult as it is heavier and bulkier on strength versus strength basis than braid. Brand dependent but 8lb mono has a diameter of about 0.27mm and 8lb braid has a diameter 0.13mm. That is a substantial increase in mass that the 1/6oz jig head has to drag out. The mono often has memory so this creates even more resistance as it comes off the spool.

I fish a 2-4kg (3 to 12 gram) outfit with a 2500 Shimano reel spooled up with 4lb braid which should actually break at around 9lb and I can get a 1/6th oz jig head and soft plastic about 30m. I've never actually measured this but that is my estimate.

A few of the people I was mentoring were using 8lb braid versus the 4lb I like to use and I was getting a noticeable increased casting distance on like for like lures in the range you are discussing. Factor in the fact the mono you use is bulkier than the 8lb braid they were using and it has an impact.

The third thing might be your casting technique and that I would have to see. You'd probably have to get a video up of that. That you are aware of how the rod is or isn't loading up suggests that casting is not your primary issue.

If you have a mate with a reel with say 4lb braid try casting that on your rod and see if that has an impact on casting distance.

Regards,

Derek

great lot of information , thanks for sharing 

 

[Offtherockss]

16 hours ago, DerekD said:

Hi again,

In the end you will be making the final choices but I've helped several people on their way with this type of fishing and this is a summary of the gear we are using.

Just a note on the rod. To get the weight down some manufacturers have extended the butt then put a small counterweight at the end. Personally I'm not a fan of these as I find with my rod tip down style of fishing means that the butt then hits on the meaty part of my forearm. The rods I am using these days are from the ArrowZ range. To give you a bit of versatility I highly recommend you look at the ArrowZ bream surface AAS-270BS 7 foot 3-8lb and 2 to 12gm lure weight and I have mine set up with a Shimano 1000 reel. If you want something just slightly beefier then look at the AAS-270UL 7 foot 3-10lb and 3 to 14gram lure weight and I have mine set up with a Shimano 2500 reel.

Even if you don't buy them get an idea of the proportions (butt length) and then look at other rods. I also own the super-ultralight in this same range but funnily enough I'm more or less using the same 4lb braid on all three outfits. It really breaks about 9lbs and it casts well enough for my needs but is still strong enough to land pelagics like salmon and kingfish when they have hit my lures on the sandflats.

The following is copied from an email to one of the people I was assisting. We fish sandflats as well as Sydney harbour so we have a good chance on the pelagics in summer and some of my lure selection is based on this.

First rod: 2-4kg, 2 piece graphite, 7 to 7 foot 6 inches, 1 guide per foot of rod length plus 1. Short butt so it doesn’t bump up against your forearm when working plastics.

If budget is a concern look for the Sienna Quickfire Combo 7 foot with 2500 reel for about $100. This is a little on the heavy side for my liking after using the Arrowz range.

If you want to mix and match and the budget is a bit more then: The Arrowz’s are a good starting point. The Shimano Raider bream finesse (762 7 foot 6 inches 2-4kg and 3-12gram lure rating) is a third. Shop around as I have seen the Arrowz on special at about $100 but usually they are around $129.

Reel 2500 is a nice all round size for what we do with light gear. Suggest Shimano Sedona ($90 - $100) as a baseline. I also have a couple of 1000 reels which is use purely for the sandflats.

Line: Match it with some 4lb Power Pro or 4lb Berkley X5 or super thin 6lb Daiwa J braid or 6lb Shimano Kairiki. $26 to $32. I prefer white/crystal (easier to see when working a lure) so I use the X5 in 4lb and 150m.

If you spool it yourself then backing and leader: I like Platypus Super 100 clear and in 8lb. You can use it to partially fill up the spool and then the remainder as leader. $14 to $18 depending on being on special. I've been using Nitlon Fluorocarbon as my leader material for years and don't see a need to change. As a general rule my leaders are 50% to 100% more than my main line. 4lb braid (which breaks at 9lb) gets used with 6lb leader or 8lb leader. I will go to 10lb leader if I know the kings around.

RANT HERE: When I started out the general advice was use a rod length or more of leader. At the time (over 15 years ago) the recommended knot was the uni to uni. After a learning curve I came to the conclusion that this advice was stupid for several reasons. Firstly, I could feel the knot bumping through the guides and was pretty sure it was not good for the knot (BTW, even an FG knot can catch on the way back in on the V of the top guide). Secondly, we are fishing areas where there was structure so you could snag up. When loading up the line it would often break at the leader knot rather than the terminal tackle so you just lost several meters of relatively expensive fluoro. With maybe the exception of the people fishing competitions for bream, what is the advantage of using such a long leader (and these people have the option of fishing fluorocarbon straight through)? The braid is skinnier than the fluoro so is not that easy to see anyway. The chafe resistance of the leader is usually only needed at the working end. You don't need that much shock leader for casting as the rod tip flexes too. I'm of the opinion that most people repeat it as that is what they have heard from others and never questioned it. I discussed this topic with @wazatherfisherman several months ago as his fishing knowledge is encyclopedic and we came to the conclusion that it came across from the International Game Fishing Association where they allow wind on leaders. I use leader to the length that the knot does not enter the guides (say 80cm) and if I'm feeling really lazy have let this get down to 10cm and am still catching fish. If anyone can give me a genuine reason for using one to several rod lengths of leader with a well thought out reason then I would genuinely love to hear it as I couldn't work it out. One other hypothesis was that maybe the braid sounds different to mono underwater (think different guitar strings).

Jig Heads

TT Tournament Series jig heads with the bullet head (not the darter heads). As per attached photo

TT Tournament (bullet head) ¼ oz with 1H hook for 3 inch plastics (yellow/orange packet)

TT Tournament (bullet head) 1/6 oz with 1H hook for 3 inch plastics (yellow/orange packet)

Can also get the same in a 1/8th oz with 1H hook – these are easier to find

Please note that they do these in a fine wire but as there is a chance we hook into a king or salmon I get the heavier H wire for added confidence.

If using 4” plastics I use the 1/4oz and 1/0 hook.

Gamakatsu Round 211 in 1/8 oz and 1 or 2 hook is what I use for grubs. I have to order these in through my local tackle shop (not the chains).

Next is Soft plastics:

Over the years my go to are pearl/blue, pearl watermelon in 3 and 4” minnows (Berkley Power bait) and 2” grubs (Berkley Powergrub). Some plastic brands do not play well together so I keep them in their plastic bag till I need to pull one out. Z-mans with their tougher plastic are popular with some anglers but I have trouble keeping them on the jig head.

Jig head container (Daiso or your local tackle store) – they used to sell small boxes filled with a variety of screws or nails. I bought one of each and gave the contents away. For $2.80 each I was ahead.

Halco twistys in silver 10gm or other companies will do a similar type of slice. I take off the treble hook and put on a Gamakatsu large eye hook in size 1 or 2.

Ecogear ZX40 (ZX30 is too light but ZX35 can be made to work) – I like one shiny and one dark for differing contrasts. They are now doing the Ecogear ZX43.

 Hardbodies - suggested starting point only)

Lure	Budget price
MMD Splash prawn 70mm	$21.95
Sugapen 70mm (HF-119 or  C-394)	$26.95
Sugapen 70mm (CT-287)	$29.95
OSP bent minnow (G-28)	$33.95
Crank bait shallow (Jackall Chubby 38 or Atomic Crank 38)	$20.95
Crank bait deep (Jackall Chubby 38 or Atomic Crank 38)	$20.95
Daiwa INFEET SLIPPERY DOG 80F TG Fishing Lure	$24.99

Terminal tackle (discuss later): Sinkers, hooks, swivels, duolock snaps. The outfit you have will be very versatile and we use it for squidding and baitfishing too.

Regards,

Derek

 

Thank you so much for the info I got way more than what I asked for . 

Just a few questions....

Is backing necessary? Because most people have told me that newer reels do not really need backing as they are well suited to braid and so far I don't think I had trouble with having only braid on my reels. 

And any tips on avoiding nasty snags while lure fishing. It's always a sad day when I lose $25 worth of gear on my 1st or 2nd cast  although I understand that snags are a part of fishing from land. 

[JamoDamo]

On 10/21/2021 at 6:22 PM, Offtherockss said:

Thanks to all for the helpful replies. 

I will get myself a ligther rod and some 4-6lb braid as suggested. 

And also should I get an ultra light rod or just a lighto rod? Because some rods are rated around 2-10g  but one is ultra light while the other is just light. 

I am mainly looking to throw soft plastics and small jerk/crankbaits.

Atomic arrowz 2-6lb 7ft

Daiwa exceler 2000D 

6lb braid of your choice. 

With that setup you'd be belting lures a country mile!
 

[DerekD]

7 hours ago, Offtherockss said:

Thank you so much for the info I got way more than what I asked for . 

Just a few questions....

Is backing necessary? Because most people have told me that newer reels do not really need backing as they are well suited to braid and so far I don't think I had trouble with having only braid on my reels. 

And any tips on avoiding nasty snags while lure fishing. It's always a sad day when I lose $25 worth of gear on my 1st or 2nd cast  although I understand that snags are a part of fishing from land. 

Short answer - yes, to get the most casting distance out of it.

Modern spools (alloy versus the old plastic) are suited to braid as they won't crush. The issues is that depending on the reel size and the braid selected the braid won't fill up the spool completely. It might not seem like much but every time the line has to come off the spool and then work its way up and around the lip of the spool it costs energy. The longer that distance the more the energy is lost. Have I checked this empirically - no but it only costs me a little more effort to do it optimally the first time. When it comes time to change out the braid I strip the remaining braid off and then get the same brand and type as before.

On a side note. Braid is slippery and if you tie it directly to the spool the line may not grip. At the very least on my reels that are spooled all the way with braid I use 1m of mono as it grabs the spool better. The people in the shop often use tape to lock it onto the spool.

In the shop they will sort this out for you. Alternatively, you select a braid off one of the big bulk spools in the shop and then run braid all the way. You don't want to overfill either as that increases the risk of birds nests.

Second question: My general go to are plastics as I can get several of these for one good hard body. Less painful to lose. If I do snag up then there is a method of bouncing the lure off the snag by playing the line like a guitar string. It tensions up the line and then releases the tension briefly. The shock load transfers down the line and the stored energy can bounce the lure off the snag.

Spend some time getting to know the areas you fish. In Sydney many of the bays have a sandy bottom. I've also gone to some of the sandflats or mud flats on super low tides to see what snags are in the area. As you get more confident you can fish the hardbody lures more often. If you snag up on a crank bait you can pause and then sometimes it will back off the structure.

One of the people @Mike Sydney I was mentoring last year and am still in contact with did an excellent report on his learnings.

Alternatively, start with topwater as per @Niall

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by DerekD

[Rebel]

The good thing I like about clipons, they come with swivels. You can buy clipons with swivels or without in all sizes. I use the smaller ones. Never had any problems.

Cheers.

[Rebel]

I bought after market some years ago. Since then they have been updated by manufactures because they became popular.

I now buy the ones with swivels, much easy to use and as I said come in different sizes. One thing I have found I don't get snagged as much also, using weedless hooks on plastics helps.

Cheers.