[Rocks and Rye]

Picked up a couple of rods and reels from cabelas with gift certificates from Christmas. I've got several Penn 330s already and these new rods are cabelas depthmaster rods with a depthmaster reel and Penn 209 reel. What line weight should I put on these and what type of line. I fish mono on all my other reels so I'm thinking I should stick with the mono.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[skipperwork]

Where and what do you plan on using them for in your spread.

 

[rocksteady]

Picked up a couple of rods and reels from cabelas with gift certificates from Christmas. I've got several Penn 330s already and these new rods are cabelas depthmaster rods with a depthmaster reel and Penn 209 reel. What line weight should I put on these and what type of line. I fish mono on all my other reels so I'm thinking I should stick with the mono.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Alex , those rods are designed for Great Lakes trolling , not bay fishing . They are only rated for line weights up to about 25 lbs depending on the length . They have very slow actions and limber tips more suitable for down rigger fishing . You really need to beef it up for rockfish trolling in the bay with heavy tandems , umbrellas , etc.

 

[Polkster]

penn 209 are fine for summer time or maybe just for light weight tandem lure 2oz/4oz max. I would say 30 pound test is max for that reel. 40 pound would be better if it will fit.

 

[Rocks and Rye]

I'm planning on using for some of the lighter rigs that would be on the outside of my boards. I thought I'd give the lighter rods a shot. They didn't break the bank so if they bust I'll replace them with higher quality stiffer rods. The Cabelas reel looks to be really nice. We'll see how it holds up.

I'm planning on pulling smaller parachutes with little to no weight on them so they ride high in the water column.

I've got Penn 330s on Senator rods for the heavy action and a downrigger with wire for a cannonball rig for getting deep.

I'll probably put 40 lb test on them and see how that does unless someone says otherwise.

This may be a dumb question but do people troll braid? Is it worth it and are there any advantages?

 

[iFishMD]

I dont use anything but 30lb mono (diamond line). i dont think you need anything heavier for the bay.

 

[spynet000]

I have three of these that I use to catch HOGS in the susky spring time.

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They are a little light for trolling the bay BUT they caught last fall and did fine. I pull single storm baits with these on the boards and they caught fish. I have 65lb braid on these...its a MUST in the susky.

 

[CaptNemo]

I dont use anything but 30lb mono (diamond line). i dont think you need anything heavier for the bay.

I second this, 30lb is more then sufficient for anything in the bay, I am spooling up some Penn International 30's for offshore and I'm putting 30 on them, never had a line break, the only break offs I've had is at terminal tackle failures.

30lb test will catch any rock fish with plenty to spare,

 

[Waynesboro]

I certainly defer to the more experienced anglers on this board, but I do have several Penn 209s in my spread, and have nothing but praise for them.

I troll just 5 rods, (no planars - small boat), and run braid on all 5. Typically have 4 Penn 209s out there. No issue with moderately large fish (up to 40") - haven't had the opportunity to get anything larger, but dying for the chance. I use ~150 yds of 25 lb mono backing, and 150 yarns of 40lb braid.

Braid has less resistance than same test mono, so you'll be trolling deeper with the same amount of line out. I think the biggest negative with the braid is you're in trouble if you get a tangle. I've followed the spread recommendations of the experienced trollers on this board, and have had only a couple minor tangles - nothing major.

My initial purchases for trolling reels included 2 Okuma 452Ls. One lasted for two trips before the drag and level wind failed. The other lasted four trips - again, drag failure. I'm trolling 12" umbrellas - so nothing major, but the Okumas sure didn't hold up. The Penns, meanwhile are going strong. Looking to upgrade as I can, but in the meantime, sticking with the 209s.

 

[skeller001]

I burned up a few of the depthmaster reels in a few trips trolling not so heavy baits, like 18" umbrellas and 12oz parachute rigs.

I have and use the depthmaster rods. They are OK for what I pull, not great. May look in to getting different rods. Any suggestions?

 

[27 sailfish]

I like 50 lb braid on my lighter reels.It has a dia. of about 20lb test mono and very little stretch.This helps a lot in getting good hook sets.It also covers up some goof ups by new fishermen and is good to have in June when the Rays show up :eek2:.

Most guys use mono on the reel and then put 300 feet of braid.Braid is also good for board rods as it cuts the rubberbands easy.

Mono is OK but I really prefer braid.

 

[iFishMD]

My favorite rod for spring and fall trolling is Penn senator 3/0.

 

[spynet000]

Captain Nemo & B-Faithful- I am reversing the lines on my trolling gear right now and saw your posts about using 30lb mono. I have 50lb braid on my smaller reels with single baits and 80lb on my tandem planer rods as well as 80lb on my boat rods pulling heavy weight.

My question to you guys is : would you trust 30lb mono pulling a large umbrella with 28 oz inline with another 9 oz of lures behind that? That is a LOT of drag / weight / MONEY to be pulling on that rod. WHAT IF you got a double hit big boys on that line? This past fall I had 5 deep rods go down with two fish on each of those lines. I'm not sure I would want to put $40 worth of my tackle at risk with 30lb mono I would think the weakest point of that whole rig would be at the 30lb knot which would most likely cause me to lose the entire rig. I'm not being a smart a$$, I want to know what you guys think? I know you both are really good fishermen. I want your input as well as anyone elses.

Thanks

Dave

 

[EDGEWATER]

Alex , those rods are designed for Great Lakes trolling , not bay fishing . They are only rated for line weights up to about 25 lbs depending on the length . They have very slow actions and limber tips more suitable for down rigger fishing . You really need to beef it up for rockfish trolling in the bay with heavy tandems , umbrellas , etc.

Mike's right - I have one of those rods. It's spooled with 30# PowerPro. I use it for Live Line drifting and pulling light lures (i.e. - tandem 6" storms, etc).

I have caught 30" fish on that rod. Much bigger and I think you might be testing Cabela's return policy.

 

[iFishMD]

i have lifted a crab pot off of the bottom with 30# diamond line. 30lb is tougher than you think. Take some and try to break it. heck i have even caught my biggest bluefin tuna of ~100lbs on 30lb mono. I have no problems pulling umbrellas with 20 oz of inline weight (any heavier and I am using a downrigger). I am not sure the drag on a 330 gti is strong enough to break 30lb diamond line. There is stretch to it but it ties easily, it wont cut like braid (good for having young anglers), and it is less expensive.

 

[bone-a-fide]

I don't think you are even putting significant stress on 30# mono for any bay fishing. jmo.

 

[CaptNemo]

Captain Nemo & B-Faithful- I am reversing the lines on my trolling gear right now and saw your posts about using 30lb mono. I have 50lb braid on my smaller reels with single baits and 80lb on my tandem planer rods as well as 80lb on my boat rods pulling heavy weight.

My question to you guys is : would you trust 30lb mono pulling a large umbrella with 28 oz inline with another 9 oz of lures behind that? That is a LOT of drag / weight / MONEY to be pulling on that rod. WHAT IF you got a double hit big boys on that line? This past fall I had 5 deep rods go down with two fish on each of those lines. I'm not sure I would want to put $40 worth of my tackle at risk with 30lb mono I would think the weakest point of that whole rig would be at the 30lb knot which would most likely cause me to lose the entire rig. I'm not being a smart a$$, I want to know what you guys think? I know you both are really good fishermen. I want your input as well as anyone elses.

Thanks

Dave

Its a good question and thanks for being polite about your comments, The weight of what your pulling whether it be fish or gear should have no consideration as to the strength of your line. The fact is the reels we all use in the bay, even up to the 114 senator do not have enough drag capability to break 30 lb mono. The drag maxed out on a 114 senator (which is too big for the bay) I'm just using it as an example is 28lbs. So if you look at your penn 320 & 330's, 209's etc. your not capable of putting enough drag on them with the reel alone to break 30lb mono.

Thats why I say 30 lb is the max you need, its not going to hurt you to go above that, but because I use some reels offshore and the bay I prefer the 30 lb, because offshore I would rather have the yardage available from the smaller line, as the pelagic's always make a ridiculous initial run and you need the distance to keep up.

As b-faithful said as well if you want to spend the money on Diamond line, the 30lb test has an average breaking strain of 57lbs.

Also remember the 30lb denotes line diameter, not strength, so as mono lines continue to excel in technology, they are only getting stronger. There is NO mono brand left on the market that breaks at its line rating except the ANDE IGFA line that is designed specifically to break at its rating to make line class records acceptable.

Also as Skip said the braid has a lot of advantages, just remember it is Illegal in all IGFA events and records, so if you get that one fish of a life time it cannot count. Also if you fish any bay tournaments, technically its illegal.

Here is a link for that, only mono-filament and multi-filament lines are accepted
http://www.igfa.org/BookRule2004.pdf

 

[fishinblues]

I like to use 50lb.mono off the boards in the spring to generate more drag, on the outside lines, and keep the tandems higher in the water column.
I run 65lb braid for the lines closest to the boat, and for the boat rods on the deeper lures to get them down without using a lot of weight.

 

[spynet000]

One heck of a response Captain Nemo:clapping2: Everything you said makes sense, thanks for explaining.

 

[Waynesboro]

Not sure I can agree with braided line being "Illegal" in IGFA events and records.

Braid is a multifilament line. Provided it breaks within the proper line class, I do not believe there are any issues. The Dacron lines are all braids (polyester) - don't compare with today's braids, but a braids none-the-less, and are not excluded from IGFA events.

I scanned the link that was attached - all I see that is prohibited are wire lines, and lines with breaking strength greater than 130 lbs. I did other internet searches, and found multiple links that state braided line is okay for IGFA records.

I don't fish enough in the bay to be able to fish the tournaments, but would hate to see confrontations between anglers regarding the use of braided lines, and their entrys being illegal.

Anyone else have any information regarding braided line and IGFA rules?