Slamco Persident Matt Schalk.

[bigberniegb]

I own a Slammer Tip-up. What type and line weight should I use?I have a 5'6'' Shakespeare Ugly-Stick and a Shimano 2000 openface reel. I 'll use a Pike Taimer rig so that the two trebel hooks can be adjusted according to the size of the minnow or I'll buy a Steelhead rig that you have for sale on your site .My question is what line is the best nonabrasive so the line wont get torn on the edge of the ice hole?

[MichiganMike5]

Gary,

I dont fish with a Slammer but Line is Line is Line. And the Best Abrasion resistance I have found for Ice fishing is Berkley Fireline. Expect to pay about 25-30 bucks for a 300 yd spool but in my opinion, It is the best line I have ever used and I have tried just about every premium line available.
If you haven't previously used a braided or "Ultra" line you will also want to get some Culprit "Braid Blades" scissors or somthing similar to cut it with, These lines are nearly impossible to cut with conventional means like nail clippers, etc.

Mike

[ozzgood2001]

def i use spider wire for summer fishing and i live and die by braided now. it takes some serious tools to cut it aint gonna do it with your teeth....:eek: but man its awesome ive tore so many bass outta trees stumps and weeds with and the weight to diameter rating is awesome.. 12 lb test 6 lb diameter or something like that ice should never cut it!!!:D

[bigberniegb]

Thanks Mr. Wizard of Ozz and I don't mean it in a mean way.Your a great fisherman and a knoledgeable person. The'' Pike Taimer'' rig is going to need some extra strong line when we start to tackel huge pike and walleye this next outing!!!!!!!!!>>> A great fisherman once said . It's not the quality of the cetch it's the quality of cetching the firsting thing that God invented>>>Time!!

[Matt Schalk]

Eight pound Stren Magnathin.

I prefer walleye or moss green, but clear works fine too. If this wasn't available - I'd use Clear-blue Stren. I might add a 6# leader if the steelies are shy - but all of my Slammer reels are spooled with 8#. It may tend to coil up some when it's very cold, but straightens relatively easy. Same line I use to yank steelies out of the river on my drift rods.

If you NEED abrasion resistant line (rocks, logs, concrete, etc.) then I'd go with Maxima Chameleon - it's like cable and what I use on the riv' for leader material.

There's problems with using braided or fused "superlines" when ice-fishing - especially for Slammer fishing. Your rod and reel are above the ice so your line must go into the water. If the water freezes (common while ICE-fishing) then your "superline" is frozen into the ice - the many little filaments that the line is made of get wet and freeze solid in your hole. This does NOT happen with monofilament - it must wick water or be slick enough or something to glide right through that ice.

Hole covers help prevent freezing as well as a bit of "Matt's Magic Fish Oil" in the hole. I've been field-testing solar hole covers this year and will be offering one by this fall. Cardboard works fairly well - you just need to replace it often.

Superlines are almost a necessity when fishing in very deep water for lakers, whitefish, etc. You just have to remember to check your holes often.

We've let our holes freeze over a 1/2 inch thick solid and fish were able to easily pull the mono through the ice and release the Slammer. then we had to spud the hole open to land the fish and fight it with our line running through a big chunk of ice.

I have NEVER EVER broken my line while Slammer fishing except when fish have wrapped themselves around structure and I HAD to break them off. I have had the line skipping around the bottom edge of the hole and have also had fish run and burn my line over an inch deep along the edge - stick your rod down the hole to free it up.

For pike fishing I use Slammin' Rigs which are basically around 20" of 12# toothy critter wire with a swivel on one end and a #6 or #4 treble on the business end. I often add a red or pink attractor bead. I've found that the extra sliding treble isn't really needed unless you are using minnows over about 6". Biggest pike I've taken so far on this rig has been 13 pounds.

I prefer 5' - 51/2' light to medium action rods. Most ultra-lites are just that - too light. I have Berkley, Shimano, Fenwick, and some off-brand rods I use. Most of the Ugly-Sticks I've tested and tried have a "funny" bend near the tip. I prefer a rod with a more "C" of a bend. Single-piece rods tend to bend more evenly than two-piece rods.

"If it's not a Slammer Tip-Up from Slamco - then it's not a Slammer"