Live lining Mackerel... drag on or off?

[porkpiehat]

 Hi everybody

 I was fishing off race point on a charter this past weekend. While live lining Macks or even dead macks and drifting he insisted that we keep our drags tight and  only pick up the rod once a bent over and stayed bent.  Typically I would do this with my bait runner feature on so that the striper could run with the Mac without any resistance until I want to set the hook.

We got a couple of hits but they never stayed on. After getting skunked for hours I decided to try my method while he wasn't  looking ( he  was a real salty, real old dog and would yell at us for nearly any question we asked or anything we did for that matter LOL).  I landed the only fish by giving it some room to run.

Now this guy Bragged he got 30 fish during the morning using this method which I'm sure he's been doing for a while.  I wanted to know everybody's thoughts on this method. TIA..

[Baitbucket]

They make baitrunners and they are wildly popular for a reason. Its not because they dont work lol.

I have found, in fishing especially, people are set in their ways. They way they were taught is the way its done, and thats that.

You should have seen how much crap i was getting 5 years ago when i was talking about my Electric drill auger for ice fishing and how it was the future. You would have thought i had insulted some people mothers by suggesting that.  5 years later and they are more popular than gas augers almost everywhere i go.

The fisherman who are more accepting of change and willing to try new things are typically more successful. As they learn an arsenal of techniques to try if one isnt working.

[stripernut]

X2

[Eastciderida]

Let them run. First year fishing for stripers I would set the hook to early fish would only have half the bait in its mouth. Now I let them run for a good amount of time usually a run stop and run again then I’ll set the hook.   Side note I was hating on the electric augers when they first came out but now that I do a ton of jigging I want a kdrill auger those things cut through the ice fast and take up no room in the sled

[SHaRPS]

The fisherman who are more accepting of change and willing to try new things are typically more successful. As they learn an arsenal of techniques to try if one isnt working.

I find this to be true with life in general.

[fish wayniac]

Fishing from shore I live line bait under a baloon. My drag is set light so the fish can take it. When I used a big bobber I got lots of missed fish. When they felt the weight they dropped it. With the baloon bobber I let the fish run with it a ways, the baloon slides up the line and increased my hook ups.

To bad you didn’t try your method sooner!

[porkpiehat]

can I ask how you set up your balloon rig? X4 on the drill auger! my Jiffy is gathering dust now that I have my clam plate

[SalmonAndStriper Stalker]

i have done both with both success. depends on the size of the fish too. if they are low teen sized fish you need to let them run. bigger fish usually suck them down immediately.

[lowaccord66]

Well...so much for just answering the question.     I liveline more bunker than eels and the best answer posted so far is it depends on size.  Big bass you dont have to worry about most of the time.  They just eat it.  Personally I dont let any fish run to much.  Gut hooking fish, which is something that youll do more of letting them run, is not something im after. 

[Knot there yet]

 Hook matters too. With my love of treble hooks I’d lock it up. With circle hooks I’d lock it up to let the rod set hook. Bait runners I use with chunk or when not using a balloon.
 Kayak fishing I’ve had to learn lighter drag(thanks Will). I like locked up though. Miss my trebles.
 Guides are like golf instructors sometimes what they tell you take time to sink in. Had one eat my lunch drink all my beer once that sucked. But 10 lbs large mouth made me forget all about lunch.( Okeechobee)
 Yes with big fish locked and loaded

[Roccus]

Live lining mackerel ( or any live bait) is a lot of fun and is exciting. I'd do it more but I don't ( rarely) fish weekends. I dislike crowds and I hate the sun...so I'm a  night owl..

to answer the question... your drag should be set ( with a scale) to 1/4 ( some people use 1/3 but that leaves little margin for error) the breaking strength of your line before each trip( and backed off after each trip to save from compressing the drag washers)once set IT SHOULD NOT BE TOUCHED...more big fish are lost every year because people have an infatuation with screwing with their drags.. you don't drive your car without properly adjusted brakes... don't use your reel with an improperly adjusted drag!..... your rod should be in your hand with your finger holding the line with bail open...if you MUST  set the rod down close the bail and put the rod in a holder that 1/4 drag setting will be ample to let the fish run with the bait if it has to.. but your rod SHOULD be in your hand...weather to let the fish run with the bait depends on the size of the bait, size of the fish and the mood of the fish.. some days they want to play with their food ..others they just want to chew and screw!. Bait runner type reels are excellent for this.. as you get the best of both worlds ( loose drag and quick hook set)... I prefer ( and use ) lever drag reels for live lining... by doing this I can set the lever(  drag/resistance) where I want it to be for the strike.. and put it to full drag when the fight begins.. and my drag setting will always be true. If you must use a 'REGULAR"  spinning reel keep the rod in your hand and be ready for a strike.

when I fished commercially, I used a 2 hook treble set up, I caught a lot of fish..i killed a lot of fish, I do not sell my bass any more... I also do not use trebles any more....  I want my grand children and great grand children to catch bass... trebles kill fish.. they also can do a number on humans ( I have a missing finger tip and 9 stitches in the palm of my right hand because of someone else's treble)..trebles also have a nasty habit of pinching the line between the crotch of the hook and  cause a "crotch" break.. they also on occasion get pulled out "backwards" because of the design when the line gets behind the bend of the hook.
What I use now is 6/0 Gamagatsu in line circle hooks ( I will go up or down a size according to the size of the bait I am using)... these hooks are superior to offset  circle hooks and rarely ( 1 or 2 per 100 fish) gut hook a fish.. I hook a single hook behind the head in line with the gill flaps.. the skin is very tough here and yet the hook is still far enough forward to allow control of the bait...even when trolling on lead core...my hook up ratio is almost 100 percent... every bit as good as it was with trebles...
to live line, I deploy 2 different methods depending on the water depth.. in deep water... I use a 3' leader below a small swivel.. I slide  a small ( 1/4 to 1/2 oz.) slip sinker to the main line then slip on a nylon slide ( from a fish finder rig) at my desired depth I cinch a thin rubber band to the line to control the depth...much like I would if I were tuna fishing.. a balloon is attached to the slide via a rubber band..
For shallow water the rig is simpler... 5' leader...and 2 swivels 12" apart.. the reason for the 2 swivels is if the balloon is attached to a single swivel above the bait.. line twist will render your rig useless in a very short time.. by have a second swivel above the balloon  line twist is eliminated...the rubber band is looped through the swivel closest to the bait and then the ballon is attached..
With out writing a book or doing a live demonstration this is about the best explanation I can do... I've caught hundreds of large bass using these techniques
try some of these tips next time you live line... they will put more fish on the deck of the boat..
  tight lines
   Roc

[deerhunter]

there ya go. joe knows

[SHaRPS]

X2 - Joe has it right.

[lowaccord66]

Just do what Joe says.     (what a great post)

[SHaRPS]

Just do what Joe says.     (what a great post)

I thought about printing it and saving it for my kid when he is older.