[613098]

Although I've been fishing the South Shore for 50 years, there's still PLENTY I don't know. I've never used parachutes, but know many folks find them very successful. I'd really appreciate it if some of you could fill me in on how to rig and to fish them for trolling and for drifting and jigging. Thanks in advance.
Paul

 

[seaslug44]

I'm not a big fan of trolling with wire line (I'll explain later). But to use parachutes effectively, you'll be better off trolling them with wire line. The technique is actually very simple;

Tip the hook with pork grind (experiment with different colors) and troll the parachute about a foot or two above the bottom. The rod must be "pumped" to make the hairs of the lure fan open and closed very similiar to the way a squid or a jellyfish fan their tentacles as they propel themselves through the water.

It's a ton of work, and not something you want to do much of during one of these hot sticky humid dog days of summer, but the stripers do find them irresistible. It is also one of the most effective ways to target bass while they are down deep for the summer months.

As far as fishing with wire line, in addition to it not being much fun to have to winch in a fish, using wire line is also not legal under the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) rules. This is especially important to me because in the back of my head I am always dreaming that "today could be the day" that the next world record fish is on the other end of my line. But if the fish is caught on wire line, it is automatically disqualified.

 

[reeltime46]

What about using lead core line instead of wire line ????

Thanks

 

[seaslug44]

Leadcore line allows the same amount of stretch as mono. It doesn't give the parachute the same action. It also does not sink as rapidly as wire.

 

[620427]

whats up DOC ????

where did you come up with the fact the leadcore line will stretch the same as mono ??

leadcore line is a lead filament with a DACRON sheath over it, and we all know that dacron has a very low % of stretch.
thus leadcore does not stretch like mono.

although i am not a big fan of trolling, i have done enough to comment;
doc is right, leadcore will not sink as deep as wire or monel for the same amount of line out, this is due to the textured surface of the dacron, it causes more drag than the smooth wire.
when trolling wire and leadcore side by side i find i need to put 20% more leadcore into the water to achieve the same depth as wire. so if i have 150ft of wire out, i would be using 180ft of leadcore.
personally i have not found any difference in the performance of either line, other than you need more in the water with the leadcore, both catch fish. or actually i should say, both put the lures at the proper depth.
leadcore is a little easier to use if you are just starting out with trolling, it does not kink like wire and it is more forgiving when you are new and making mistakes. it is a great way to start. (use 45lb leadcore)
after you get the hang of it, then convert one of your outfits to monel and see if you like it better.
most guys swear by 40 or 50lb monel.
hope this helps.
below i have posted a little primer on leadcore written by someone else, written for a freshwater article good info there.

"Lead core line is a thin lead filament surrounded by a braided dacron sheath that is dyed to change colors every 10 yards. The line is commonly available in a range of sizes including 12#, 18#, 27#, 45# and 60# sizes. These increases do not correspond with increases in the weight of the lead filament inside the dacron sheath. Instead they refer to the test rating of the outer sheath, with 45# lead line supposedly being twice as strong as 27# line. Many people make the mistake of assuming that these ratings do in fact refer to the weight of the inner filament leading them to incorrectly think that the higher rated lines must allow anglers to run lures at even greater depths than the "lighter" lines. In fact, the opposite is true. As the test ratings increase from the 12# to 60# lines so does the total diameter. Larger diameter lines experience a higher amount of resistance than the thinner lines as they attempt to cut through the water when being trolled"

 

[620427]

pump it or yank it

one tip i would like to pass along when it comes to trolling parachutes.
as doc said, you have to work the rod to make the parachute pulsate. there are several methods or styles of doing this.
i would like to offer a method that is used by the commercial guys who troll.
intead of working the parachute with the rod, they use their arm.
you place the rod in a rod holder near you, then using a leather glove, you grab the line a few feet from the tip, now you yank or pull on the line in the same swift movement as you would do with the rod.
when you get the hit, release the line from your hand, remove rod from holder and fight the fish.
the advantage to this method is:
you will not tire as quickly working the parachute this way, takes considerably less energy to move the lure with your arm in a straight line to the lure, than with a 7-8 foot long lever (rod) at a angle to the lure.
makes all the difference on slow days, allows you to fish longer and thus a greater chance at putting fish in the boat on a slow day.

dont forget the glove, wire hurts.

 

[seaslug44]

Megalodon, GREAT TECHNIQUE!

 

[B.Attitude]

Megalodon,
can I assume a mono leader is necessary as with spoons,I've been fishing spoons forever but never tried a parachute.
paulie

 

[Mad Mahi]

On the Rocks?

Hey guys, great info as usual. I may be wrong, but I have always been under the impression that the 'chutes work best in the rock strewn rips. You know, the ones at Montauk and the Race. Somehow, I thought that it was not so productive along the South Shore sand beaches.

Megalodon- I MUST try the glove routine! SO far that ranks as one of the top ten tips I've picked up on this site and I have learned a lot.

One piece of advice I would like to pass. If you jig with a rod and not a glove, remember to let out or retrieve a few feet of line every so often. Jigging line in the same spot allows the rod tip to weaken it or get thin at the spot where the constant rubbing occurs.

"If the glove works, you must give jerks!" Johnny Cochran are ya listening?!

 

[hookem]

Allways use a mono leader of at least 15' to 20'. I read that wire sliding thru the water gives off a high pitch noise that stripers dont like. The mono leader corrects that.

Tight lines

 

[LkyLindy]

Sweeps Week

The primo technique used in Montauk is appropriately called the Montaik sweep-Turn the rod upside down and with two hands sweep back and forth(one hand on butt the other on foregrip)This will usually do the trick.As Doc said,trolling with wire is hard work and hardly fishing(IMHO)

 

[wader]

Did this back in mid-May out at Montauk on a charter using Ikylindy's method. As Doc says - it's an arm killer. Only difference was the Captain kept the boat moving while we were jigging the "chutes" & the wire. Wiped your arms out real fast - BUT - we boated close to 40 bass in 3 hours. Believe my post is in the Posted Section for NY on or about May 20.

Worked it mostly in the rips off of the lighthouse.

 

[620427]

you guys are

Doc, Mad Mahi and others -
glad you enjoyed the tip, try it, you will like it.
i personally found the strike the best part, i got totally hooked on feeling that strike when i held the wire in my hand, feels totally different than when you hold a rod in your hands and get the strike.
i ended up taking a parachute and cutting off the point all the way to the bend, left enough metal so i could hook a piece of pork rind on, and when the fish hit, it would hook the fish for a few seconds before getting off.
when the fish were thick and we had the fish we needed on board, i would troll with this modified jig and and just enjoy the strikes, a fish would hit and hang on for 10 seconds then come off and the next would be right on, great fun, much better than winching them in and releasing them.
just make sure your elbow is bent when you do this, do not have your arm extended straight, you will get hurt, the strike from large fish have surprising amount of power when you hold the line direct like this, no rod to act a shock absorber. also do not wrap the wire around your hand, just hold it at a angle so it does not slip through your glove.

B.Attitude -
mono leader is used, usually between 10-20 feet, you want a stiffer and shorter rod than spoon rods, you impart the action to the lure, not the rod. i always found the spoon rods a little soft in the tip, they will work ofcourse, but i point this out if you want to get more involved with parachutes.

Luckylindy & Wader-
MONTAUK SWEEP - there are 2 versions, PUSHING OR PULLING STYLE.
i will assume you guys "pulled it" (most fisherman pull it) when you were fishing, the boat was trolling and you were facing the stern, when you work the rod as described you have to PULL the rod foward then drop it back, this is VERY TIRING. plus if you are right handed and fished the starboard side, the pulling would be done with your weaker left arm, tire even faster.

BEING PUSHY IS THE RIGHT WAY.

get the rod, right handed people starboard side please, now FACE THE BOW, turn the rod over, you want the tip just above the water, your right hand on the forefrip, left hand on the butt, now you PUSH with your strong right arm and your left hand pulls back.
you fish facing the bow, when the fish hits, you kind of just turn around , raise the tip and you are in a natural position to fight the fish.

doing it this way, puts the work on your strong arm and also reverses the way you work from pulling to pushing,
it is easier to push than pull.
try it , you will last much longer at the rod.

ON THE ROCKS - PARACHUTES
yes this is a DEADLY DEADLY DEADLY TECHNIQUE to use on rocky structure.

it does work on sand beaches as well, but other lures work better, i suggest LONG single tubes or spoons for sand.

 

[613098]

Parachutes

Guys,
Many, many thanks. I didn't expect to get this much good experience to learn from. I know that some of the best South Shore charter boats do routinely use parachutes near reefs and wrecks and over rocky bottom. Now what I need is for this East wind to die down and let me get outside.
Paul