[idpearl]

I normally fish really snaggy ground using 65lb braid, 60lb 30 foot shock leader, 60lb pulley rig with a 20lb snood. I used to fish with grip leads and a rotten bottom, but lately, I've been getting away with a plain pear-shaped lead and no rotten bottom. It may be due to the rock formation I'm casting into, but so far I seem to be losing less gear. If it is REALLY snaggy ground with big rocks, I will still use the rotten bottom, but wondered if it is better to use a grip lead with the wires bent out at 90 degrees or just a plain lead.

 

[swelleyman]

Now this sounds familiar! NEVER EVER used a grip lead until I 'came' back to fishing after a long time away. Fishing the Straits you were mostly in the kelp. Occasionally you had mud with knotweed! So it was always plain leads mostly home made or spark plugs. Rotten bottoms was par for the course. Still lost stuff but had nothing to compare it with! Started fishing East coast beaches so had to use grippers. Different style altogether having the 'anchor' down so to speak. And you'd hardly ever get stuck! By accident fished back home with only grippers in the bag. Obviously going to lose every cast. But no, because the lead was 'fixed' almost straight away you had a 50/50 chance at least that the first big pull, strike or start of retreive, would clear any obstruction. The only big losses were straightened hooks. So now I always use the grippers but with a long rotten bottom so that bottom hook has less chance of snagging. I don't cast that vigourously using 35lb braid right through. My theory for the long casting (where I use the now traditional 50lb shock leader) is that where I fish the further out you are the cleaner the ground because of huge current. After the first two hours of the flood I go somewhere less turbulent or fish closer.

I think that in a lively tide the plain lead rolls about very easily (we use light ones for that very reason in some places don't we?) There are a couple of places I fish where there seems to be a 'strange' snag because hooks stick solid and the snood breaks. I lose 2/3 leads a session but get perhaps 5/6 casts per lead. Hooks however seem to go EVERY cast! I'm convinced that the snag is old crab-pot gear (ropes) because the snagging area is so wide. Short and long casting is fine but the best place traditionally is this mid distance (That's where the crabs are, therefore the fish!)

Before I bought the expensive beachcaster I used to fish the near kelp using a spinning rod, fixed spool with a hook tied direct. Crab or King rag was enough weight to cast 20-30yds to the Bass swimming in with the tide. The only loss was a hook. I'm still doing that now but with a Coarse fishing heavy feeder rod. So far only relatively small stuff but can't wait for the first decent Bass or Wrasse! Probably snag me up then!