Quote:
Originally Posted by slobslayer
Am i pulling hook because there is no stretch with the braid?
|
Are you running the same drag settings and using a fast taper rod like you would with mono?
If so..... well..... then probably so. Spectra as you say has no stretch...duh!
OK try this.... Take 20 feet of mono and 20 feet of spectra and tie it off to something. Now take a end and each hand tighten it up, hold both hands to together in front of you and give it a little one inch sharp jerk. Chances with identical force and grip your going to be able to hold on to the mono but the spectra will pull right out of your hand. Now multiply that by the depth your fishing. The mono will have three times that stretch at 60ft but the spectra will still have none.
So when a halibut shakes it's head back in forth with spectra your going to have equal force to your drag applied to the hook, with mono you don't have that because with the mono the stretch acts as a shock absorber.
Hooks shake out because the rapid movement of the fishes head puts a lot of quick side to side or really up and down pressure at the hook. Mono stretches one way then keeps the line tight the other way like a spring.
Spectra doesn't stretch the one way, and then goes slack the other, so the changes in pressure tear a hole then the slack on the return allows the hook to essentially just fall out, that's your problem.
So how do you get around that?
Well you want to use a much lighter drag setting and you also want to use a lighter tipped more parabolic rod. The parabolic rod will act like a shock absorber absorbing more of the headshakes motion and the lighter drag will slip before enough force goes into the hook to rip a hole.
I used to use fast taper Calstars for halibut, now that I've switched to spectra I use Kencor magnaglass or original magnaglass zebra 10-30s because they are very light tipped and absorb shock full length.
I also fish very light drags like I'm fishing say 12lbs when I'm fishing say 20lbs.
Since spectra has no stretch I can still set the hook, and I leave the drag light until the fish calms down and I want to put enough pressure to lift them. When the fish shakes it's head I just slowly reel towards me allowing the drag to slip. That keeps the hook from ripping out but also keeps the line from going slack on the return shake.
This is actually a rehash of a tuna trick. Tuna tend to circle when they fight with the side that's hooked up and the line coming out of the corner of their mouth. Every once in a while though when they see the boat they will freak out take off on short surface run then do a barrel roll where they end up with the other side up, so now rather then pulling the hook from the correct side, then line is pulling for the other side and if your bait fishing with small hooks your hook tends to rip out. Sometimes it re-snags on the other side sometimes it doesn't so the result is lost fish. When you get a tuna that acts squirrly or one that rolls you loosen the drag and let them run a bit. Eventually they turn back over so the lines pulling from the hook side and then you can put pressure on them and pump them up to the boat.
Works for me, Jim