Doesn’t braided line spook the fish?
Surprisingly, the braided line does not typically spook the fish. Salmon and steelhead become very territorial when they enter the river systems to spawn. When we cast plugs to these fish, they become very agitated, and strike out of pure aggression because they perceive the lure as invading their space. These strikes are absolutely ferocious. Only occasionally will a fluorocarbon leader be necessary when casting plugs. It is the lure that draws the attention and aggravates the fish into striking, not the line. For steelhead and many egg presentations, we often downsize the line and employ fluorocarbon leaders. This allows a much more stealthy presentation.
