Best Yo-Yo setup? - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

taggermike · 01-01-2009, 09:55 AM

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 · 01-01-2009, 01:24 PM

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 · 01-01-2009, 01:32 PM

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 · 01-01-2009, 03:05 PM

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

Winter time kayak fishing at La Jolla
Fishing With Iron

01-01-2009, 01:24 PM	#2
Iceman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 1-2 miles off the point Posts: 6,948	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. __________________

01-01-2009, 01:32 PM	#3
Matt Support your local pangas Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Lj Posts: 976	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 __________________ Thanks Matt F. Last edited by Matt; 01-01-2009 at 03:40 PM.

01-01-2009, 03:05 PM	#4
lamb Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,568	Required material on the subject - should not be missed by the new blood: Winter time kayak fishing at La Jolla Fishing With Iron __________________ [------------------------ <)))< ....b-a-a-a-a

01-01-2009, 09:55 AM	#1
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	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