Heavier line than reel is rated for?

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by BrokeLoser

I think I'd rather take my chances of getting spooled and be able to man-handle bigs out of kelp or reef with heavier line.

Personally I like reels that hold between 300 and four hundred yards of line because I fish offshore and have had fish run that much line off a reel in deep water. That said for kayaking since the fish can pull you around capacity is not as big a deal.

If you want man-handle bigs out of kelp you need to go to spectra, it's the only way to go because mono will not cut kelp like spectra.

Jim

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by Jim Day

Personally I like reels that hold between 300 and four hundred yards of line because I fish offshore and have had fish run that much line off a reel in deep water. That said for kayaking since the fish can pull you around capacity is not as big a deal.

If you want man-handle bigs out of kelp you need to go to spectra, it's the only way to go because mono will not cut kelp like spectra.

Jim

I know I sound like a total cheap ass but when you need to spool 5 reels with spectra it can get expensive...a whole lot more expensive than mono obviously. I've never fished spectra...does it literally hack through kelp? What if you're fishing a 30 - 40 foot top-shot / leader of fluoro in 30 - 45 feet of water?
Sorry for the stupidity..I'm just trying to understand.

[robmandel]

Originally Posted by BrokeLoser

I know I sound like a total cheap ass but when you need to spool 5 reels with spectra it can get expensive...a whole lot more expensive than mono obviously. I've never fished spectra...does it literally hack through kelp? What if you're fishing a 30 - 40 foot top-shot / leader of fluoro in 30 - 45 feet of water?
Sorry for the stupidity..I'm just trying to understand.

one thing about spectra is that you really never have to change it out. it will last a very long time. so, you fill up a reel 3, 4, or 5 times with mono and suddenly it's not such an expensive option.

there's two ways to view spectra: as extra backing and as the main line.

by running mostly spectra with 50yds of mono on top, you are fishing mono, but get alot more line cap, can change out the mono more often (you waste 3/4th the spool otherwise) and vary your line on the reel more, like stripping off the 50yds of 20# and running say 30# if needed. it also allows you (which is the best feature) to fish a heavier line weight in a smaller reel. so you can fish a sealine 20 with 20lb or even 25lb. straight mono I'll get at best 200yds of 20# mono on that reel, but with 40# spectra backing, I'll get 350yds +. it will do an easy 9-10 lbs drag (way over for 20#) and it's super light and casts like a dream. for larger reels, run 65# spectra.

as a main line, there are some places where it's a must. I throw the slugs and the other weedless lures in the kelp. can't do it with mono. need spectra to cut through. yes it does. or the bigger fish that hang in the kelp (like wsb, or so I've heard, as I know nothing about them!!). and for the slugs it's necessary due to the technique. or boiler rock calico. you need the no stretch part to pull them out.

as a main line, it's necessary for the deep water jigging too. also, alot of guys love it because you feel EVERYTHING. alot of the guys targeting halibut love it for that. but you gotta adjust your rod and reel accordingly. softer rods to absorb the shock as spectra doesn't stretch. also, back off on the drag a bit.

go out and drop $200 on spectra to fill up all your reels at once? no, probably a little overkill. but over time, and part of it is the quality of tackle itself, convert to spectra. it's a long run thing. I wouldn't fill up a penn 500 with spectra, kinda like putting racing rims and spoilers on a minivan.

as for drags, what I kinda like to do (and I've upgraded almost all my main reels to greased carbon fiber, which gives more and waaay smoother drag) is go no more than 70% of a reel's drag rating. then that let's me figure where I can reasonably fish a reel. sealine 20's run 15lbs max, so I say 10lb is the max I want to fish. which means I can go up to 30lb line. not an ideal 30lb reel, but about as good a 20# reel as going. 6-8 lbs drag easy without any binding or load issues, light, strong, casts great, and over 400yds of line. not too bad.

it has taken me a while to really migrate to and appreciate spectra. I love izor and sufix. but that's just me.

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by robmandel

one thing about spectra is that you really never have to change it out. it will last a very long time. so, you fill up a reel 3, 4, or 5 times with mono and suddenly it's not such an expensive option.

there's two ways to view spectra: as extra backing and as the main line.

by running mostly spectra with 50yds of mono on top, you are fishing mono, but get alot more line cap, can change out the mono more often (you waste 3/4th the spool otherwise) and vary your line on the reel more, like stripping off the 50yds of 20# and running say 30# if needed. it also allows you (which is the best feature) to fish a heavier line weight in a smaller reel. so you can fish a sealine 20 with 20lb or even 25lb. straight mono I'll get at best 200yds of 20# mono on that reel, but with 40# spectra backing, I'll get 350yds +. it will do an easy 9-10 lbs drag (way over for 20#) and it's super light and casts like a dream. for larger reels, run 65# spectra.

as a main line, there are some places where it's a must. I throw the slugs and the other weedless lures in the kelp. can't do it with mono. need spectra to cut through. yes it does. or the bigger fish that hang in the kelp (like wsb, or so I've heard, as I know nothing about them!!). and for the slugs it's necessary due to the technique. or boiler rock calico. you need the no stretch part to pull them out.

as a main line, it's necessary for the deep water jigging too. also, alot of guys love it because you feel EVERYTHING. alot of the guys targeting halibut love it for that. but you gotta adjust your rod and reel accordingly. softer rods to absorb the shock as spectra doesn't stretch. also, back off on the drag a bit.

go out and drop $200 on spectra to fill up all your reels at once? no, probably a little overkill. but over time, and part of it is the quality of tackle itself, convert to spectra. it's a long run thing. I wouldn't fill up a penn 500 with spectra, kinda like putting racing rims and spoilers on a minivan.

as for drags, what I kinda like to do (and I've upgraded almost all my main reels to greased carbon fiber, which gives more and waaay smoother drag) is go no more than 70% of a reel's drag rating. then that let's me figure where I can reasonably fish a reel. sealine 20's run 15lbs max, so I say 10lb is the max I want to fish. which means I can go up to 30lb line. not an ideal 30lb reel, but about as good a 20# reel as going. 6-8 lbs drag easy without any binding or load issues, light, strong, casts great, and over 400yds of line. not too bad.

it has taken me a while to really migrate to and appreciate spectra. I love izor and sufix. but that's just me.

Killer information...thanks for taking the time. I guess there's a reason you guys all swear by spectra. I'm just a little confused about the fluoro or mono top shot.
I've only fished from my yak a few times so far and I haven't fished in more that 60' of water and mostly in 30-40 at Dana Point kelp. If you're running a 40' top shot and a little calico runs you around the kelp how does the braid get a chance to hack the kelp?
Then, if you break off your top shot how difficult is it to re-tie a 40' leader on your yak..dealing with line spools and all?

[RedSledTeam]

Originally Posted by BrokeLoser

If you're running a 40' top shot and a little calico runs you around the kelp how does the braid get a chance to hack the kelp?

Good question. For a kelp cutter rig you only use 4-5 feet of mono or fluorocarbon so that it will cut the kelp.

[RedSledTeam]

Originally Posted by RedSledTeam

Good question. For a kelp cutter rig you only use 4-5 feet of mono or fluorocarbon so that it will cut the kelp.

So that the Spectra will cut the kelp. You get the picture.

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by RedSledTeam

So that the Spectra will cut the kelp. You get the picture.

Yep, that clears it all up...makes perfect sense.
Bellcon just sent me a pm and enlightened me as well.

Thanks guys!

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by BrokeLoser

If you're running a 40' top shot and a little calico runs you around the kelp how does the braid get a chance to hack the kelp?

I thought we were talking about big fish.

You don't run 40' topshots around kelp. I generaly run anything from four to eight foot topshots around kelp, and yes spectra especially powerpro cuts kelp. The knots to tie spectra to fluoro are no more complicated then the ones you are already using to tie on your hooks.

Jim

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by Jim Day

I thought we were talking about big fish.

You don't run 40' topshots around kelp. I generaly run anything from four to eight foot topshots around kelp, and yes spectra especially powerpro cuts kelp. The knots to tie spectra to fluoro are no more complicated then the ones you are already using to tie on your hooks.

Jim

Haha...see you guys are always speaking in WSB...a language I've yet to learn...haha

[RedSledTeam]

Has anyone had any experience with "Jerry Brown" Spectra?

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by RedSledTeam

Has anyone had any experience with "Jerry Brown" Spectra?

Jerry Brown is excellent spectra, one of the best made in my opinion. Since it has more strands then power pro it's smoother and does not cut through kelp like power pro, and it's also more expensive. So I'd not only say it's overkill for fishing La Jolla but also not as good in a kelp cutting application.

With my offshore reels I like to fill them with Power Pro then loop to loop in a about 50 feet of Jerry brown hollow Blue which I then splice directly to my short top of Seagar fluorcarbon. The blue JB looks better in the water and get's bit better and I can change these out like old style windons with the loop to loop.

Bottom line it's good stuff but I'd say better for big game or long range applications.

Jim

[grey zone]

You dont sound like a cheep ass and you are doing the right thing by asking questions. At first spectra does seem expensive but look at it as an investment to save you money in the long run. The savings start adding up by using much less mono which wears out much faster due to memory and stretch. When the spectra shows enough signs of wear reverse it and put the worn end to the spool. The stuff lasts forever.

Start slowly one reel at a time. Figure out what your going to use a specific reel for and fill it accordingly; 50-65lb spectra is perfect. I divide reels into two catagories bait and jig casting. Bait fishing is a short top shot 3-4 feet and as long as 40-50 feet, short is best around kelp. I fill my bait reels with spectra to a level that is 3/16" from the edge of the spool. At this level I can fish straight spectra a 3-4 foot top shot or put enough 20-40lb mono on the reel so with my longest cast the splice will not hit the guides. For jig casting fill the reel 1/2-2/3 full with spectra depending on the width of the reel. Use enough mono so with your longest cast the splice does not reach the guides.

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by grey zone

You dont sound like a cheep ass and you are doing the right thing by asking questions. At first spectra does seem expensive but look at it as an investment to save you money in the long run. The savings start adding up by using much less mono which wears out much faster due to memory and stretch. When the spectra shows enough signs of wear reverse it and put the worn end to the spool. The stuff lasts forever.

Start slowly one reel at a time. Figure out what your going to use a specific reel for and fill it accordingly; 50-65lb spectra is perfect. I divide reels into two catagories bait and jig casting. Bait fishing is a short top shot 3-4 feet and as long as 40-50 feet, short is best around kelp. I fill my bait reels with spectra to a level that is 3/16" from the edge of the spool. At this level I can fish straight spectra a 3-4 foot top shot or put enough 20-40lb mono on the reel so with my longest cast the splice will not hit the guides. For jig casting fill the reel 1/2-2/3 full with spectra depending on the width of the reel. Use enough mono so with your longest cast the splice does not reach the guides.

I totally get it now. I'm ready to jump on the Spectra band-wagon for sure.
Thanks again guys.....Have I ever said I LOVE THIS SITE!

[Pocoloco]

one other thing to remember about spectra is the fact you can re-use it once it gets old/discolored..... just respool it onto another reel and you've got new line. the bottom of the spool is brand new and does'nt go bad like mono.

[onetriphudson]

Anyone ever try a bimini twist? I worked with a guy at Seaforth that used that for his top shots. Crazy knot man, not something you can tie on a kayak. The dude had his legs and arms busy and took 15 minutes to tie.

[grey zone]

The bimini twist is one of the strongest connections but it makes too large of a knot.

[taggermike]

I started out using spectra as a backing only, with about 1/2 the spool spec and 1/2 the spool mono. I was a bit nervous about casting the spec or having a knot pass through the guides. But a few years ago I started filling my reels all the way up with spec and only using 3-5' of mono or fluoro as top shot. I have no trouble casting the spec and feel it casts better than mono. Using spec for baybass fishing I realized how many bites I've been missing over the years with mono. With 0 stretch you feel ever thing. Same with deep water coding. I also like the option of using different line tests on the same reel for different applications. I have a sort of calico set up with 30lb spec on a curado 200. I run 10-15lb on it in the bay or local kelp. I recently took a trip to baja where I was casting large jerk baits right in to mangrove roots. I switched the top shot to 30lb fluoro for abrasion resistance and it worked very well. Also the 0 stretch let me really set the hook and keep the fish coming toward the boat. Mike