Tackle Questions

[cletus9000]

Ok, I've been toying with the idea of getting into the offshore game, probably not this year, but maybe in 2013. Clearly I'd need to upgrade my gear from the Bay rockfish trolling setups I have now, although I do have a couple of TLD 25s and Penn 114s that could be pressed into service if needed. I have two questions. 1) How much max drag do you need typical Mid-Atlantic fishing? I don't plan on targeting blue fin or anything monstrous, although I wouldn't want to be totally outmatched if a huge big eye or blue marlin gets on the line. So for example the Penn VSX 30 has 30lbs max drag. I would think that this is plenty for standup fishing. Does anyone disagree? 2) What are the pros and cons of fishing braid with a mono top shot? I get that braid will cut right through mono lines and can cut you up if you grab it with a fish on the line... But are there other issues? I look at the potential line capacity with a bunch of 80lb braid on a 30 and think that's got to be a pro, but there you have to give something up on the other side.

Thanks for the feedback.

Reed

[grady28]

I have 6 Tiagra 50s, 1 Tiagra 80 and a few TLD 30s ... And a few casting and jogging rods. If you are going to go 30 miles offshore and spend tons of money on gas, you never known what will hit your lines - bluefin, yellowfin, mahi, marlin, sharks etc --- so be ready for anything is my motto. Of course, you never know what line will get the bite. You can catch tuna on TLD 25s but hook anything big and you'll be in for a battle. We fought a 200 lb bluefin on a TLD 30 once and the battle lasted 2 or more hours only to break off on prop right before the gaff shot. Anyhow, we usually use drag 1/3 of line strength (give or take). I load the 50s with 60 lb test so drag is around 20 lbs. I do have braid on one casting/jig rod but mono on everything else. I would thing 30 lbs max drag would be enough for most of the fish you might hook.

[Regulator]

When I started out in the crazy expensive offshore on my own game, it was with 2 TLD50s and 4 Tiagra LRS 30s and that setup caught fish for me, mostly 30 - 40 pound yft. I was mostly chunking at the start, I quickly changed to the trolling game when the chunk bite on the 30 fathom humps disappeared. The following season I added 2 Tiagra LRS 50s and then 2 more LRS 50s and then 2 more and then 2 more. My current offshore trolling spread is 8 Tiagra LRS 50s with 130 hollow core JB with a 200 yrd top shot of 80 Momoi and 4 Tiagra LRS 30s with 50 Momoi. I have hooked one Big Eye on a 30, but it dropped off before we had a chance to get to it, we had 4 on at once and only 3 of us on board. I have a 3000 yd spool of 50 Momoi, once that is gone I will re-spool with 80 hollow core JB and 200 yard top shot of 80 Momoi on my 30 LRS.

I run all my reels @ strike with 33% on the line class on that reel. I fish primarily along the 100 fathom curve and in all the years only been spooled once and that was a drifter bite which of course was on a 30 and in the end we were vertical on the fish in 500 fathoms of water and that was the end of that, no more line and no more chasing the fish unless someone wanted to go for a swim.

Once you get the trolling stuff then there is the jigging stuff, yes more $$$$. Then there is the popping game, I have not bought into ... yet ... those spinning reels are really expensive.

[cletus9000]

Very helpful guys. Thanks for the input. Sounds like 50s may be the way to go.

[CaptNemo]

your tlds and 114s are fine, if your just getting into it, don't worry about bigeyes and bluemarlin - you'll have plenty of time to worry about them later, and their scarcity should not dictate your reel choice, nor should you worry about losing one this early in your career. Start with your 114's probably like 99% of every offshore fishermen, then upgrade over time. I fished offshore for years with 114 senators, caught up to 160lb Bluefin - but your catch will be 90% 10lb dolphin and 50lb yellowfin, so stick with that.

50lb mono is what I ran on my 114's, with 12-15 lbs of drag...all you need for most fish out there.

[High Line]

I agree w/ Nemo on this one entirely. Go with what you've got right now (it's ok for 90% of what you'll see out there). As you add rods to your spread my advice would be a couple 50's and a couple tld 25 or 30's at a time.

Have fun!

[cletus9000]

More great input, thanks.

[Hardbound]

Many people have good idea's i have 4-Shimano 50 lrs 2 speed set up with 80lbs drag washers for the price in my opion there good reels.

[shoot-straight]

i echo the others sentiments on your gear. mine is similar, i have 6 tld 25's and 3 50w's. a major question is how far you plan to go out. i have a small boat, a single outboard, so i rarely go to the canyons, so my chances of getting a bigeye are slim to say the least. could i hook a huge blue marlin at the hambone? sure, there are a few caught every year there, if i get one on a tld 25 and he spools me, i can accept that. heck, theres no garuntee that he wouldnt have spooled a 50 or even an 80. it happens. would it be nice to have a spread of nice gold reels on custom rods, you bet. needed for the average weekend warrior, no, not in the least in my case. if i had a bigger boat, and fished more often, and further out with regularity, i would certainly get different equipment.

[uncle Bob]

Take a look at the Avet reels. They pull a little more drag. You can set them up with braid with a 100 yd mono top shot. I have 30s and 50s. The 30s have never let me down. Check them out online at Charkbait
Uncle Bob