poledancer

[ssy]

How long of a leader should be used with it? The issue I'm having is that the nose dips in the water and seems to dive when I pickup the line to recast for a double haul. I'm using a sage lm bass rod with a twisted leader and a 4ft. lenght of 20lb. mono, overall leader lenght is almost 8ft. Any input from you topwater gurus would be great.

Steve

[Darian]

What type line are you using?? If I recall correctly, the Pole Dancer is weighted near the bend of the hook to make it float tail downward (not flat). If the nose of your Dancer is diving, it suggests that you're using a sinking or sink-tip line. That might pull the nose under when stripping in line in preparing to cast. if that's it, maybe switching to a floater would work for you.

If you're already using a floater, maybe your timing when picking the bug off the water is off or or the distance away from the boat is causing the problem. Difficult to tell what's happening without watching you in action....

[ssy]

sage bass line 330gr

[Larry S]

Steve,
Did you also post this on the Blanton forum? Charlie B - Pole Dancer creator, I believe - might respond.
Best,
Larry S

[Darian]

Hmmm,.... Seems like the line wouldn't be part of the problem. Maybe the length of the rod(??). Most of the guys I know are using 9' rods but they're casting the large size Pole Dancer on them. I cast the medium model on a 9' Sage RPLxi without any problems. The longer rod would seem to lift more line off the water (assuming the distance you pick the up the line to recast would be the same with each rod) in prep for the backcast.

The strip used to make the Pole Dancer "walk the dog" is sharp/strong. It causes the bug to rock forward and dart right, then forward and left. Maybe that's what you're seeing. I'd say you should try to bring the bug in closer to the boat before lifting to prep for the backcast.

I'd say your leader set-up doesn't contribute to the problem or scare off Stripers.

If that doesn't work, I'm out of suggestions....

[ssy]

Thanks for the replies. I have a xi2 8wt I will try. The med pdancers nose does sit below the waterline while sitting in the water. Maybe a shorter twisted leader? I'll just have to get a obs floater or will the sage bass line cast well with the 8wt xi2?

[Darian]

I cast a Sage Bass line on my older 8 weight SAGE without problems but I don't throw a Pole Dancer on it. It's limited to divers, poppers and clousers and I'm not trying to cast to 100'. I'm not sure the average caster can throw a Pole Dancer (medium or large) in breezy conditions on an 8 weight rod. Well, Charlie Bisharat probably can. When I have casted a PD, I do so on the SAGE 9 weight. I've haven't experienced what you are with my rig....

Unless I'm missing something, I just don't think your leader has much to do with what's happening. Maybe your Pole Dancer could use a small bit of wire wrapped around the shank, near the bend to make it sit with it's nose slightly upward??? I still think you should just bring the fly in closer to the gunwale before trying to lift it from the water for a back cast.

Not sure you can find a description of the pattern for a Pole Dancer on-line but there used to be a few out there. If you're able to locate one, take a look at the construction under the feathers, etc. It might give you a clue about whether the fly needs some weight and how much (if any).


Actually, if you're close to Kiene's shop (Sacramento), I'd recommend going there and talking to Andy Guibord or one of the other guys in the shop about this in person. Andy runs Striper trips on the American.

[Ed Wahl]

Steve, the Sage bass line is more of a short range precision line. The OBS floater will give you much better range and save your casting arm a lot of wear and tear. You will have to slow down your casting stroke to make it work though. Strip the Pole Dancer with hard but very short pulls. I use the same leader and tippet as you. Ed

[KD]

I will disagree with the comments about using a Sage Bass rod/line as possibly being the problem. I had clients using those rods quite often for topwater stripers. They are designed to cast big air resistant bugs and that fits a pole dancer too. For many it was an easier rod to get the bug in the zone for those with less than refined abilities. The rod or the line is not the problem.

You should be stripping that fly or any topwater Striper bug up to the boat. They often follow that fly all the way in. I've had fish actually run into the side of the boat tracking down a fly many times. This will help with pick up for sure. Not necessary though. Prior to pick up try throwing a loop at the fly and release that surface tension so you can lift all the line easily. This should be a fluid motion which blends into the inital pick up and flows into the backcast. Slip some line into the backcast and let it launch on the forward cast.
I have some preferences NOT to use twisted leaders for TW. A few observations...they can (depending on diameter and makeup) impact the action of ANY topwater bug by means of higher water resistance and surface drag. They(once again-depending on dia &construction) will also spray water over your casting zone. This may or may not be a problem depending on the situation, but i opt not to have to worry about it at anytime. I might suggest a 30lb Hard mono Butt section with a 20lb tippet. Put a bimini in there if you think you need shock absorbtion. Use a stiff mono on the butt end and a good mono that is not limp(but not stiff) on the tippet. Maxima or RIo Saltwater comes to mind. If you cannot turn that leader over it's not the rod or leaders fault.

An OBS will take you to unkown territory if you know how to get the most out of shooting heads. A full line like a Bass line will allow one to pick up a lot of line far from your casting position. The OBS will not. The ONLY problem with using a BASS line is they are a bit short for a super long toss. An experienced caster can send the whole line on it's way and what is left is a bunch of limp backing at the reel. Difficult to manage and hold on to..

Strip in close(don't miss opportunity), start with a roll on your pick up if the bug is diggng in, fluidly move in to your backcast, slip some line(extend) your backcast, come forward and launch that sucker. Stay in the water, not in the air.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks for all the good feedback KD......