Keep your jugs or let them break free? Let's find out.

[RiskTaker]

Greg1:

I saw on the "Birthday Fishing" post your inquiry whether anglers are keeping their jugs or letting them break away.

Well that is a fairly good question. Let's see if this helps answer the question since I am curious too. I know of several people that use all the variations.

For me, I have basically been using balloons. Most of the time they are retrieved but every so often a few get away. I have not yet mastered the perfect tie off yet, so sometimes one will fall off by itself (well there is the resistance of a 2 lb. wt., etc.) and sometimes the rubber band remains stuck on the line until you work it off.

I am now in the process, to give jugs a try. My plan is to keep them permanently attached to pre-defined positions by using a captive loop of waxline tied around the mainline and attached with a long-line clip.

I am going to try rigging the jugs so that they have a stick attached with a cyalume taped to the top, the same concept as people that prefer to tape a cyalume on the top of a balloon. When a swordfish rises with the relaxing of the weight on the mainline, technically the light should fall over and become visibly different than when mostly upright.

I haven't fished with anyone that does it by this method so I am not sure how it will turn out until I give it a few test runs.

But I like the concept of keeping the jugs and the weights so I will try to work out the optimum arrangement.

The only thing that bugs me though is all the swordfish that Capt. Dean Panos brings back to the dock. I believe his technique is breakaway jugs and weights. It is certainly something that he is doing that is so productive with hooking up on these fish.

[greg1]

Some people may shy away because they don't want to admit what they do.

I'll be the first to admit on my two trips we just let the jugs and balloons float away. Once they broke off we had no way of keeping track of them or even locating them.

That is why I asked my original question. Is there a better way? Or is it just an acceptable amount of garbage. Afterall its legal to dump trash 12 miles out isn't it?

[kai akua]

depending on the surface conditions, you can see your jugs, with the light sticks on them up to a good distance. also if you fill them partialy with water, they will float correctly (that is if you tape the light stick straight up on top of the jug). if you lose them you lose them, litter sucks, but we have all done it, no one feels good about it, but sometimes you just cant get all the gear back on the boat.

an idea that i have never tried is to tie the jugs off with some dacron to the boat. however this could be a tangle nightmare if you have a big spread, however you are guarnted o get your jugs back. i guess it would be like a floating riger.

[RiskTaker]

Kai Akua:

Did you snip any of that Maui Waui flower before that last post?

Don't try that! Let the jugs go free before tying a retrieval string: some islander needs them to bottle up some coconut water anyway. Just stick a $1 bill and a note in it first.

[Mike]

I use a balloon with the glowstick taped to the top using electrical tape...

I am updating the news section of the site.. I have an article written by Capt. Vinnie, on why to use balloons over jugs,, I'll try to get it up over the weekend.

Mike

[Anonymous]

Technically speaking, I believe milk jugs are plastic and as such are illegal way past the 12 mile limit. Balloons on the other half are latex based and considered biodegradable.But let's be realistic! Who is going to take the time to chase down lost jugs with 3 or more lines out and baited for the next swordie!

[hannaman]

Most of the time you can retrieve your jugs, balloons depending on how firm your attachment is. But alot of times you have to crank fast and hard and you can't stop to remove your float, you have to reel it through the guides. On the issue of jugs over balloons by taping the cylume to the top center of the (helium) balloon you can spot your lines 100% better than with a jug. There is more height involved w/ the balloon.

[H2O]

Great topic and great replies. Everyone has very valid reasoning behind ther ideas. I have always used jugs instead of balloons. May be worth a shot to try balloons. Oh, by the way, it is illegal to dump most trash in the ocean, even if your further than 12 miles. I think it has to be macerated to 1/8". Plastic milk jugs are a no no, it doesn't matter were you are. With that being said I am just as guilty as everyone else.

[greg1]

Like I said....guilty here. Seems to me though jugs would almost set the hook already, where as balloons would just dip and sink. Also, jugs will float around forever and eventually end up in a weed line. Balloons will probably get eaten and kill a sea turtle when all the air leaks out. I think I'll stick with jugs.

I wish there was a better way though.

[Mike]

Check out this article by Captain Vinnie:

http://www.swordfishingcentral.com/articles/jugs.php

Mike

[swordfish123]

Vinnie makes a great point

[RiskTaker]

No offense Capt. Vinnie:

But I was amused by your statement of sticking a Cyalume inside of a "balloon". Since there are so many possibilities, I suppose that there can be confusions on how to do it. But so far I have not seen any lights inside of the balloons, to date. Just jugs.

Referencing your news article.

Someone, perhaps Greg1, also metioned that inflated balloons sink easily as far as possibly enabling/disabling a hook set. It seems that balloons are just as volumeous as jugs, at least the way I inflate mine, providing that they do not break being pulled extra hard below the surface.

This weekend I am going to try an experiment with a jug: a stick mounted on jug with a cyalume mounted high up. If this works well, I may consider
doing it this way. If not it is back to the balloon with a light stick taped to the very top.

Well, to answers Greg1 s inquiry. Like Capt. Mitch had mentioned for his spread he uses only 4 tip rods, with some special treatment. (Need for bobbers eliminated.) That certainly eliminates the paraphenalia.

But I personally think that there is some merit to setting-up are big spread. And that would require a bobber or a Kite.

[Vinnie]

Originally Posted by RiskTaker

No offense Capt. Vinnie:

But I was amused by your statement of sticking a Cyalume inside of a "balloon". Since there are so many possibilities, I suppose that there can be confusions on how to do it. But so far I have not seen any lights inside of the balloons, to date. Just jugs.

Referencing your news article.

Someone, perhaps Greg1, also metioned that inflated balloons sink easily as far as possibly enabling/disabling a hook set. It seems that balloons are just as volumeous as jugs, at least the way I inflate mine, providing that they do not break being pulled extra hard below the surface.

This weekend I am going to try an experiment with a jug: a stick mounted on jug with a cyalume mounted high up. If this works well, I may consider
doing it this way. If not is is back to the balloon with a light stick taped to the very top, firmly attached to main line with longline clip.

I work in two tackle shops part time, my bother full time. You would be surprised how many people we sell balloons to that ask us if we carry smaller light sticks because they keep breaking/popping the balloons while inserting the lightstick. A lot of people do it, and I making a point that a lightstick on top of a balloon is brighter then a lightstick inserted inside of either a jog or balloon. Also, if you tape a lightsitck on top of a jug it won’t flip over and ‘black out’ consistently if a fish is on and swimming towards the surface like a balloon will. If you are looking to use jugs to ‘set the hook’ you will probably get worse hook sets. A balloon doesn’t give as much pressure and breaks easier which gives you better hook sets(in my opinion). If you want an example try putting a hook attached to a leader in a bucket. Then yank the hook out of the bucket as fast as you can from the end of the leader, what happened? The hook came flying out the bucket right? Then put the hook back in the bucket and slowly pull in out of the bucket from the end of the leader, what happened? The hook caught the edge/lip of the bucket, Right?

[kai akua]

you are right on with the hook concept vinnie! i remeber my father telling me of some experiments they did in Oz, with some local guys who gun the boat when they get a marlin on. they tried setting a hook in a piece of styrofoam with about 100yds yards of line out (on land). the guys who pulled it fast never got it to stick in the styrofoam, or barley got the point in. however when pulled slowly the hook always made a firm connection. moral of teh story, let the fish set the hook! adding a firmly attched jug will only pull on the hook very hard and probaly yank it out on a fast hitting fish.

i still like jugs that pop off easliy, but ballons are just as good. a well made jug set up will flip over when it breaks free, a 2 liter soda bottle work great with a light stick on top and a long line clip attached to the pouring end of the bottle with about a foot of dacron connecting the too. you can even add a cork to the dacron to make sure that it will flip over when broken loose, however you probaly wont be getting that jug back becuse you cant see it now (the light stick is under water).


its a user prefrence i guess, but a permanatly attcahed jug is mostlikly a bad thing. think of how much drag that jug is putting on the fish when it goes down about 10ft under water, probaly alot more than your reel is putting out.

alohas!

Robbie Brown.

[Break Away]

We have been using a styrfoam ball with a wooden stick pushed thru and glued. On the bottom there is a loop and at the top is the cylume attached with a rubber band. When the device breaks away the top heavy bobber flips over and the light goes down. Different colors for different rods. It's been working well.

[LETSRIDE]

let em go.... buy new ones $0.73 at punblix use them as needed and pour freshwater on boat and reels before you use it...kinda of 2 for 1 deal

[ProfessorO]

I use a styrofoam ball with a plastic sleeve that the cylume fits. I have
this on a swivel that I attach to my line with the freshwater type of
release clips. The light stands up vertical in the ball. cheers, arthur

[RiskTaker]

I have been planning to try a quasi-permanently afixed plastic jug with a stick and cyalume mounted on top. But since I have not yet stocked up on some spare longline clips, I was not yet ready to experiment this weekend. Until I have these, I do not want to use any significant bobbers, plastic jugs, etc.

So I reverted back to my traditional method, a nicely robust ballon with a unique color cyalume mounted straight up and tied with a rubber band to my pre-measured captive loop location. Although you can usually attach a balloon anywhere, I am trying to establish a recipe for success so I am sticking to repeatability for a while.

This day none of the typical clues worked. We caught our first swordfish on the balloon line. Since I missed one of the predetermined captive waxline marks earmarked for the weight (I didn't make it yet and it was the first day I stream tested this rod with the marks). So my weight position was in an exaggerated position with 120 ft. to the bait from the weight. This was not exactly the plan but it still worked with a solid hook-up. ( I did not realize the exact numbers until the next day so my queues were expected as usual.) Anyway, after a little while I see the blue color of the electrolume (which I knew was on the red-lite balloon line) pacing back and forth out by the balloon area. I thought it strange that the balloon did not flop over and no clicks on the reel. But there was obviously a fish dragging that light around so I reeled in to draw tight. Fish on - it was a delicate but secure hook-up. We yanked the balloon off and a piece of rubber band and latex still loaded onto the reel. We could have taken more time to clean it up but I am thinking, to Keep it tight. We got the fish to the boat after unhooking the weight and also unhooking the electrolume. I got the fish close to the boat with the wind-on and he was hooked very well but not a keeper. So Bob grabs the fish by the bill and I reach down and snip the mono at his mouth opening. This hook was not within view from my vantage point. Away he went swimming vigorously away.

So the bottom line of this not so interesting story is: I still like the idea of using the quick release clips for the float, for the weight and for the electrolume. But this takes 3 steps to get the snap swivel back to the boat: it is quick but not pit-stop quick. The positives I see from this is that everything is kept for a repeat performance, and they all disconnect reasonably quick. On the other side, I suppose you could have some advantages by not untying the bobber or the weight (all have potentially or partially broken away). The only thing that remains to disconnect is the electrolume or light unless it is so close to the hook that you are already face to face with the fish. I am staying my course for now. I hope it turns out to work well with some experience but I clearly see the advantages, from a convenience perspective, of the alternative methods. Perhaps there may be hook-up advantages that I am missing but I think that the advantages are in the camp of the semi-permanent placements.