Best Yo-Yo setup?

[dsafety]

Santa brought me some Salas and Tady iron for Xmas. I have never tried the yo-yo technique but plan to very soon. My question for the experts in this forum is "what is the rod, real, line setup to use for yo-yoing.

I have a stiff rod with a Torium reel, currently loaded with 40# spectra and a short, (4') top shot. Will this setup work? Should I switch to mono? Is the leader too short?

I also have an old Sealine on a longer, more flexible rod with 15# mono. Would this be suitable? Should I put on heavier line?

What about swivels? Should they be used or should the lure be tied directly to the leader?

I await your expert advice.

Bob

[Mr GreenJeans]

I use a Torium 20 loaded with 65-pound spectra and a 6-8 foot top shot of 40-pound mono, paired with a Calstar 700MH rod.

No need for the swivel.

Good luck and be ready for a workout. But oh that feeling when the rod loads three cranks from the bottom!

[Geoffkoop]

I am In the same boat...I have read that some guys use straight 40# mono for yoyo.

[Siebler]

I use a Avet LX on a Super Seeker SS-CJBF70H and 150 yrds 40-60lb Izor First String over 80lb spectra backing. This is specifically my yoyo set up, Thats all it does and i does it very well.

I wouldnt mind trading out the Avet for a Newell though as sometimes the leverdrag is a bit of a hassel with jigs.

[taggermike]

There are many fine rods and reels you can use. But keep in mind that yo-yo iron is not finesse fishing in any way. The out fit I have used for years is pretty old school, a 7' all class CalStar. I wrapped this rod a long time ago and I don't remember what blank it's on. It's rated for 40 lb and is stiffer than a normal bait taper. My yo-yo reel is a narrowed Penn 4/0 with a Tiburon conversion kit. The gearing is 4:1. It's a great and very functional out fit but it's very heavy. There are newer reels that will work as well and be easier to use. As for rods I'd recomend some thing in the 6-7 foot range. They should be stiff with decent back bone but not too stiff. That's a bit confusing but on a yo-yo retrieve you're winding away nice and fast so you want a little give in the rod when the fish hits the jig. That's why for iron fishing in general I like glass rods over graphites. For reels you want some thing decent sized, think Penn 4/0 or Diawa SeaLine 40, Trini 30 or 40. Taller, narrower reels are perfered over wider reels usually. Retrieve speed is always a factor in the yo-yo. Reels with bigger spools pull more line per crank than smaller spooled reels. That's why I like the taller 4/0 style at 4:1 enstead of a smaller reel at 6:1. That's me. I've never used spectra for yo-yo mostly for the the same reason I like glass rods, you want some give in the out fit. If you're partial to spectra you might want to use a softer rod. For line I like 40 lb mono. Others may repeat this, because I'm repeating it here, but the most critical aspect of yo-yo fishing and when most fish are lost is on the strike. It's not like bait or plastic fishing. When the fish hits, whether it's a crushing shot or it just gets heavy, just keep winding. Don't stop, don't slow down, and DON'T SWING. Just keep grinding the handle like you're trying to crank the jig out the top of the fish's head. Becasue you are. I hope that helps. Mike

[Iceman]

I have tried spectra and prefer 40# mono. 665 Seeker works well, I like my Speedmaster as it does not take much cranking to get that action.

[Matt]

I gotta stress taggermike's point of dont set the hook! Mike taught me a great, great deal about iron fishing and the mantra of "don't set the hook, just crank it" sticks with me to this day. My preferred set up is a calstar grafighter 700h with a shimano trinidad 30, lined with p-line 40lb mono, it is a stiff rod and that is why I only use mono. Worked great the last few fish I caught, it especially is great to crank down the drag and get the fish to the boat really quick when a seal is lurking! The important thing I think is figuring out how fast to reel your iron to get the best action out of it so that it will illicit strikes. Pat Holmes wrote a great article on iron fishing that you should be able to use the search engine to find or just log on to the OEX site and it should be fairly easy to find, the guy is the jedi of iron fishing!
http://www.oeexpress.com/Winter-Iron...l-Article.html

[lamb]

Required material on the subject - should not be missed by the new blood:

Winter time kayak fishing at La Jolla
Fishing With Iron

[Holy Mackerel]

On the cheap, Daiwa Sealine 50, 6:1:1 with #40 Big Game mono. 6.5-7ft $40 squidco rod.

[MarkT]

I like a Salas 6xJr (or Fire/Ufo/Ironman 5) or 6x depending on how deep the water is... 6x for deeper. Blue/White, Scrambled Egg, Dorado colors are what I use. Tie directly to the jig. I use 40# locally or where there isn't much structure, 50# if there's structure or larger fish. Jigs are a reaction bite so lite line isn't needed.

Point the rod tip at the water, let the jig fall either to the bottom or past where you think the fish are holding, put it in gear and crank fast until the jig is above where the fish are holding. Drop again and repeat. When you're bit (you're bit when the jig stops...crank harder!) keep cranking until the fish starts taking drag. Then lift the rod and fight like a bait fish.

If there's structure you have to have tight drags and pull and crank hard when bit. Otherwise the fish will head for the rocks and bust you off.

[forefrazier]

Is an 8' rod too long for Yo-Yo? I was considering an 8' to allow for more room to get around the front of my 16' yak??

[Holy Mackerel]

Originally Posted by forefrazier

Is an 8' rod too long for Yo-Yo? I was considering an 8' to allow for more room to get around the front of my 16' yak??

7ft is no problem reaching around the bow on that kayak. I am able to get a 6 1/2ft rod around the bow pretty easily, I think you may have longer arms too. The smallest rod, I have used, and caught YT with, is a 6ft Glass sabre rod, from my Half Day boat days as a kid. That was a bit of a stretch.

[forefrazier]

Thanks Chris....7ft it is!