2/15/05 Story,what a story

[kai akua]

a tld 25 can bump 30lbs of drag, whats the diffrence?............. thats what you used on a reel that can push 50lbs of drag. would have been the same story i think, just diffrent reels.

[CaptKen]

Originally Posted by kai akua

a tld 25 can bump 30lbs of drag, whats the diffrence?............. thats what you used on a reel that can push 50lbs of drag. would have been the same story i think, just diffrent reels.

I dont agree
1. lets asume most people put 30# test on a 25,now 30lbs of drag 10feet away is one thing,now add into the equasion 500 yards of line out and down in a 3knot current,lets say at least another 15 lbs of drag for the line resistance puts you at 45 lbs at least.= line broke fish gone !
2.lets asume 50# line on a 25 maybe 350 yards ? = fish gone again on the first run 500 yards + not enough capicity.
3.Food for thought: take a concrete block,which If I remember is right is around 60 lbs ,tie it to your line and stick it in a rod holder.tighten down the drag and try and raise it up.now imagine a dead 300lb swordfish at 500 feet down ? I know I'll take the biggest reel I can get my hands on,My fishin for pups days are over.
Ken

[hannaman]

I'm with you Ken, my thoughts exactly. Most guys can only hypothesize a theory but until you have put at least a 100 of theses guys in the boat you really wouldn't know.

[RiskTaker]

Capt. Ken:

Good visualization examples and ideas for food for the table.

I think that 80 lb. line is the way to go, maybe higher. But I sure love to pack it on to the 50 lb.wide reel sizes because that just works so well for me. (Since I have only a few that also serves as my regular trolling tackle too.)80 wide reels seem just a little to big for the typical stand-up and walk around the boat operations. The 50 wide stand-up rod is just such a formidable and practical solution, pumped up with 80 lb. line. [Maybe one 80 wide for the far out line and for deep drops, and bigger fish (Big marlins, tunas and big sharks), 80s are the way to go.] To me they are best utilized in a chair or suitable Battle Wagon. One exception: if you are using the fishing trip as your cardio workout: then go ahead and manhandle those 80 wide stand-ups.

But it is agreed that you need to have sufficent drag in reserve to handle those heavy drag situations. (Even if you have a Ferarri, you can still drive slow, but the power is available when you want it.) AND you need the line capacity that only spectra line can enable when you are packing a smaller reel originally matched for monofilament.

If I strictly used monofilament (lets say 80 lb.) for swordfishing, I think I would be compelled to choose an 80 wide to meet the line capacity part of the equation.

My contribution to this thread, but understand, I am a biased food fisherman irat: and not an avid sportsfisherman. Pick your camp and your choice of tackle will follow suit.

[kai akua]

speculation :shock: ..... if you dont try it how would you know :?: .... 100 sword fish, nope never done that yet. 100 marlin, 200, yep been thier, most on tiagra 30's and tld 20's.

tld25:

about 900yds of 80lb spectra

about 1400yds of 50lb spectra.

can bump 30+lbs of drag.

which part of the equation was broken with your fish and reel combo?

like i said it would have been the same story.

a opeanended Block weighs about 35lbs whlie a standard concrete block weighs abdout 40lbs.

funny thing is i have seen a 300lb dead tail wrapped blue marlin planed up on a tiagra 30W on 30lb test with about 400yds of line out.

but then again, since this is speculation and theroy, i am sure i was just dreaming all this up.

a billfish is a billfish.

no disrespect to anyone, but if you dont try, how will you know? light tackle is a blast, its more rewarding, chalanging, and not anyone can do it our wants to do it. leave the 80W at home for the grandparents.

Robbie

[LETSRIDE]

i fished my first sword trip on my boat with my tld 25's and let me tell you they were fine for the 80lber but later that night we hooked one that i would say went 250+ and he stright spooled us in about 15-20min.. stayed on top for about 40min then sounded and it was over. had brand new spool of 40lb test gone... now i have 4 penn 50vsw with 50lb line.. i have also almost been spooled on a fish we fought for 7 1/2 hours on a 50w with 50lb line on it.. i would say soon as your budget allowes get the bigger reels!!

[Litetackleredneck]

Kai Akua, im 100 % with you. Light tackle and big fish is the way to go. If this is a "sport" fishery, like many claim it to be, why not be "sporty?" Whats the fun in fishing if the fish has no chance. An 80 is way to big, and you cant stand up with it, so why dont we just pull out the electrics and push a button?
There is no skill in catching a small fish on heavy tackle, or even a "semi-big" fish. Especially if the rod is in the rod holder. Scale down your tackle, you'll have more fun, and become a better angler.
If you can "play" the fish properly on light tackle, you will catch him quicker then on and 80 in a rod holder. So give a shot before you say whats to light for swords, or any other fish, before you say it wont work.

[LETSRIDE]

with all do respect lighttackleredneck i beleive i can speak for most here and we dont care for catching small fish.. everytime i go im in search of big fish! not small fish. GO BIG or GO HOME i think being prepared for that monster is worth whippin those little fish into the boat with no problem. i would love to hook you to the fish i fought for 7 1/2hours on a 50w i would let you use that light tackle it wouldnt last half as long as the 50w did.. dont take this the wrong way iam just expressing my feelings towards this issue. but i did use tld25's at one time and now i use 50vsw regularly and 50w alutecnos on occasion

[Litetackleredneck]

Lets ride yea i do want to catch big fish... who doesn't? But its all the more rewarding when you catch the "big" one on light tackle. You know what, your right, my "lighter gear" wouldnt have lasted half as long as you 50's did for 7 hrs, I would have caught the fish quicker, with all do respect. Play the angles, turn him, make him hurt, Use the boat plane him up, these are tricks you cant do with heavy tackle. My 331 on 30 was a 2 hr and 40 minute fight, and you know what, it took too long.

[Darkside]

LTN you always seem to bash everyone for using bigger tackle and say everyone is killing to many fish. You say no disrespect but you would have caught the fish with finese on your light tackle, give me a break. Every fish is different some fight harder and some not so hard. Light tackle isn't always your best choice, but there has been alot of small one caught lately bigger fish will work unmatched tackle. I quess you can plane him up easier on light line better than you can on heavy. :?:

[CaptKen]

[quote=" So give a shot before you say whats to light for swords, or any other fish, before you say it wont work.[/quote]
It will work,no question about it,I have been there and done that,Ive caught them on a 25 w/10lb test,do I like it,No,I would rather crank a pup to the boat and release him in good shape unharmed then go get the big boy,not waste 1/2 the night away on a pup.
BTW,LTRN could you post a pict of your 300lber?

[CaptKen]

[quote="

funny thing is i have seen a 300lb dead tail wrapped blue marlin planed up on a tiagra 30W on 30lb test with about 400yds of line out.



Robbie[/quote]
Key word: tail wrapped,just like an airplane wing,gives the fish lift when pulled.
I witnessed a dead 300lb sword 500 feet straight down w/100 lb test on a 12/0 with the drag hammered,and the fish hooked in the mouth,it had to be hand lined up an inch at a time while one person cranked.

[CaptainEd]

Lighttackleredneck wrote:

Whats the fun in fishing if the fish has no chance.

The fish always has a chance and a pretty good one, no matter what tackle you are using.

An 80 is way to big, and you cant stand up with it,

What? I've got 2 Penn 80's that i use regularly for stand up.

so why dont we just pull out the electrics and push a button?

You're saying fighting a sword on an 80 is as easy as just winching one in on an electric? That's ridiculous.

[SM]

This thread has morphed into many interesting opinions. They always do when it comes to the subject of heavy vs light tackle. I see both sides and I understand and respect the opinions from both sides. Some anglers just love the brute strength mano-a-mano approach of heavy tackle. It does have it's appeal and I myself enjoy doing it. In fact, I do have a Tiagra 80W NIB under the bed with some plans for it in the future.

However, diversity in targeted fish and methods has always kept it interesting for me. Light tackle increases the challenge and brings other skills into play. As some anglers gain considerable experience they move in a direction where they seek increased challenge rather than the same old brute force techniques.

I fish a lot with my wife, and consider myself very lucky to have a wife who is an avid fisherman. I'm sure that not many can claim to have a wife who would willingly do a 12 hour night trolling shift for swords in a 20 foot skiff and roll that right into a 6 hour shift trolling marlin. I learned early on that light tackle is more forgiving to a female angler and it allows them to focus on the skills they are better at. I saw this when my wife had to pass the rod on a 400 lb blue that sounded and died using stand-up 50 lb, yet she was able to work in a 300 lb blue that had done the same on 30 lb gear. Seeing that and working the boat on those efforts cast big game fishing in a whole new light for me. Yes, heavy tackle has it's place, but so does light tackle.

I agree with Robby in that many of the big fish guys have lost here could have been taken on light tackle. You've just got to understand that more skills and techniques are brought into play in a light tackle effort. Light tackle crews know from the outset that they will be running the boat hard on that fish as they are doing everything possible to prevent having tons of line out. In contrast, some heavy tackle guys seem to have the mentality that they want to see what the fish has got vs their heavy tackle. The result is that they find themselves in a predicament where they've got too much line out which results in break offs due to water pressure. The same dynamics are at work with light tackle, but there is just a more proactive effort to prevent this. As a consequence, fishing heavy tackle is like a walk in the park for a successful light tackle angler/crew.

Finally, based on what I know of your water depths you guys fish swords in there (1200' to 1800'), a 50W backed with spectra should be more than adequate. 1800' is 600 yds and you should be able to get 900+ yds on a 50W.

[Litetackleredneck]

Darkside, fishing with light tackle is finese, to a point. So long as you can "wear" him out.
Capt Ed, so your tyring to tell me an 80 lb fish on 80 lb gear has a chance? Not that great of one. Even a 150lb fish on 80 isnt sport. When i say you cant "stand-up" and fight him, im mean you cant "work" him. With an 80 im sure you have the full harness on, which reduces the the angles you can pull him. Try turning the 80 side-ways and get "down-and-dirty" with him, cant do it. Take a 30 lb rod, were your not cliped in and you can turn the rod which ever way you want to. Ask any captin worth his salt about playing the angles, and he'll tall you its 10 times better then trying to pull strait up and down.

[kai akua]

very well said SM, thank you!

sorry thier Ken, i re-read my first post and i apologize for my remarks and tone.

this is regardless of ltackle size:

last comment though, if the fish was straight down, then yes its gona be a slow winch up. tail wrapped or hooked in the mouth both can be planned up, thats the whole point of planeing, its so that you are not pulling straight up. if it was straight down it was not obviolsy planing correctly (i.e. planeing down current, etc.)

booth situations suck, the harder thing about a mouth hooked dead fish is that its mouth is opean, and that creats a nice little sea anchor.


R

[LETSRIDE]

"you do your thing.. i'll do mine"-montgomery gentry
thats about all i got to say and i am not goin back to those tld 25's if i had too. not enough line!