braid for irons?

[dniss]

You sound pretty damn expert to me, or at least experienced and thoughtful. Thanks for you willingness to share. This kind of dope really helps relative noobs like me in making choices about hardware, rigs, and techniques. It's nice to hear someone favoring a spinning reel approach to fishing larger quarry, 'specially since my 500l casting sucks in general, especially from a sitting position. I'm afraid to cast it now that it's strung with spectra for fear of backlash/line burn issues. Gonna have to budget for one a them pretty Penn spinners...

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by dniss

You sound pretty damn expert to me, or at least experienced and thoughtful. Thanks for you willingness to share......

Your welcome. You know how it is.... people are always uptight about giving up their conventional wisdom on things, but ultimately they come around.

I remember when I saw my first spectra. Izor was the first to put it out local and initially they had nothing below 35lbs test.

I bought a spool of of white 35lbs Izor Spectra, dyed it Blue with spray paint and acetone, and tied on a eight foot topshot of thirty mono, and then took it tuna fishing. People actually thought I was totally insane. They treated me like some village Idiot that didn't know what I was doing fishing that small lever drag with thirty pound. I caught a ton of fish with it over the next few years including this nice 45+ albicore....


(you can see the TLD5 in the picture)

....but at the time I was the only person using a small lever drag with spectra that I knew. I actually had guys on party boats tell me it was unsafe to use and to not fish it.... It was a total trip.

Now to me it was just a obvious way to go. All I needed to fish tuna capacity wise was 300yds of line. With the diameter of the 35 spectra, baits would swim better with it, and I could fish a relatively small reel with a lighter spool weight to maximize bait presentation, but the problem back then was the reels in that size range did not have a enough drag to fish it.

The TLD5 with it's superior drag was the only reel in that size range that could fish thirty pound. So it was the ticket then and I still use them today.

Now in hindsight it's all easy to see. A decade later the market is filled with small lever drags designed for spectra, but back then no-one saw it coming.

Shimano certainly didn't, they had just discontinued the TLD5. They could of put it back into production and had a jump on the competition, but they didn't.. Back then those reels sold for 75 dollars new, Now they fetch 185 dollars on ebay. Shimano screwed themselves big time because they not only lost a potential money maker in the TLD5 but they also completely lost the small lever drag spectra market to Avet as a result of thier inaction.

I mean I just bought a Tyrnos 8 the other day..

...and it's a great reel. It's smaller then the TLD5 with a stronger frame, a faster gear ratio, and enough drag to fish forty pound, but in all fairness that reel is ten years too late for Shimano. They had a great shot and they missed it.

Where small lever drags have advanced largely due to Avet everything else is still lagging behind. Rod manufacturers are still pushing fast taper rods, even though they are less then ideal for spectra. Though there are some great small bass reels for casting spectra like the ABU Revo STX but there are few larger star drag reels with mag brakes for spectra. The Penn 525mag is the only one I have found that works well. I would love to find a similar sized mag replacement for my Daiwa SL20Shs but no-one makes one right now. You may have noticed that in the top Yellowfin photos I'm using a Daiwa Saltist 20H, that one is magged but I had to mag it myself. Penn to their credit is going to market one that size this year. The Penn 515MAG. Penn has already released a prototype of that reel and their new rebuilt 525MAG.


They sent those those particular reels as prototypes for testing in England. http://24-7sac.org.uk/Tackle-Testing.php

The Brit casting nuts give it glowing reviews: "Although the penn 515mag and the 525magare not really designed to tournament casting they performed really well casting our leads over 220yards"

I'll be buying one of those reels as soon as Penn puts them on sale here.

Spinning reels and spectra is going to be the next big thing though. Traditionally spinning reels are only good for up to thirty pound or really twenty pound if you want casting distance because mono is so stiff and the diameter is too big for spinning technology after you get past thirty pound.

Well spectra changes all that, and this time the manufactures are actually ahead of the curve. Shimano is marketing high end spinning reels to the long range crowd but I have no use for a $600+ spinning reel that's designed for fishing 80lbs spectra. I honestly think they are targeting the wrong market with the high end popper crowd, but they love to market to long range because those guys spend cash like nobuddies business.

Penn's marketing the Slammers like the one I mention above for under $150, and I am very impressed with those reels, as they are much better suited to local fishing..

Like I said My Penn 560 will cast 30lbs spectra further then any reel I have ever used. It also will cast the lightest pinhead chovie and flyline it like a dream. It's designed for spectra has enough drag for thirty pound, has a 1/4 inch stainless steel spool shaft and an instant anti reverse just like a conventional reel. I've beat tuna to thirty pounds with it and it's just an amazing reel. I also purchased a penn 760 slammer and spooled it with 450yds of forty power pro. That reel has the drag of a 4/0 senator, It's big maybe too much for La Jolla but I'm planning to use it for pitching baits to Marlin Offshore this year.

Ultimately I think Spectra is going to have a bigger impact on the use of spinning gear then it has had on conventional gear, but it's going to take a while for people to wrap their heads around that and catch on to it's benefits.

If you spool up a spinning reel with spectra and take it down to La Jolla you may find your the only guy out there with that gear on any given day. People may look at you funny, who knows they might even tell you it's unsafe to use, but the bottom line is that you will be able to outcast those guys and if the reel is made to fish spectra you will be able to land the fish you hook on it.

What I'm saying here is that you might be one of the first guys out there with that gear but you won't be the last because more people are eventually going to figure out the benefits of this gear down the line and then more people will end up using it. It just might take another decade before it really catches on.

At any rate good luck.

Jim

[MarkT]

I don't use fluoro with iron. Iron is a reaction bite and the fluoro doesn't add anything save expense. Save the fluoro for a pick bait bite.

I've seen people throwing iron with straight mono but you better bring your A game as there's zero margin for error. I prefer enough mono over the spectra that I'm casting with the mono, not the spectra. I don't want the knot going through the guides on the cast and I don't want to cast with the spectra to avoid spectra backlashes. I save the short topshots for baitfishing or kelp cutter rigs. I use a San Diego knot for tieing on the iron.

While I love my 525 mag and will pick up the Squall 515 when it comes out I prefer a larger spool diameter for casting the iron. I prefer a reel like a Daiwa SLX40, Torium 20, Penn 545 GS or the classsic Newell 332. The line comes off the larger spool smoother and it doesn't have to spin as fast which also helps with backlashes.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by MarkT

While I love my 525 mag and will pick up the Squall 515 when it comes out I prefer a larger spool diameter for casting the iron. I prefer a reel like a Daiwa SLX40, Torium 20, Penn 545 GS or the classsic Newell 332. The line comes off the larger spool smoother and it doesn't have to spin as fast which also helps with backlashes.

For larger heavier Iron bigger then a 6xjr I actually do like the larger diameter spooled reels. The problem is I don't know of any that come magged directly from the manufacturer, so I don't really like them for spectra, and don't really use them that much. The exception being that I do have a Saltist 30T that I magged myself and occasionally use for heavy Iron with 50 Power Pro Spectra with a short forty pound Fluoro topshot. For topshots I always use fluoro because I just don't buy Mono any more.

Mark I kid you not I was just looking at my SL50SH, SLX50, SLX40, Torium20, and Avet JX and thinking man I should just sell those suckers. Your welcome to them.

Last time I used one was the Torium down at PV where I landed a 90 pound YFT on it. If I'm not mistaken it's the only real fish I ever put on the thing.

Jim

[MarkT]

Don't knock 'appopriate' reels. I still have a Torium 20, Penn 545 GS, ProGear 545, Avet JX and a ProGear 540 (larger capacity but same width as the others). I use the Torium and both 545's for iron with 30#. The JX and PG are for 40#... both surface and yoyo. For yoyo I still have an old YTS that gets the job done.

I throw Tady 45's, C's (and similar) on 30# with these for the 3B's. I throw 45's, Salas 7X lites, etc on 40# for YT. I tie 6xJr's, 6x, #5 and #6 onto 40# and drop/toss them over the side... I don't usually tie one on and throw for the horizon but I did when we got into a bite on log cuda on a muli-day trip and all I had for iron were the yoyo jigs.

Locally, I throw iron for the 3B's on 25# on a Torium 16, ProGear 280, Avet MXJ or Penn 535 GS. I'll probably take one of these on a 690J out on Sunday.

[newguy01]

Originally Posted by Jim Day

For larger heavier Iron bigger then a 6xjr I actually do like the larger diameter spooled reels. The problem is I don't know of any that come magged directly from the manufacturer, so I don't really like them for spectra, and don't really use them that much. The exception being that I do have a Saltist 30T that I magged myself and occasionally use for heavy Iron with 50 Power Pro Spectra with a short forty pound Fluoro topshot. For topshots I always use fluoro because I just don't buy Mono any more.

Mark I kid you not I was just looking at my SL50SH, SLX50, SLX40, Torium20, and Avet JX and thinking man I should just sell those suckers. Your welcome to them.

Last time I used one was the Torium down at PV where I landed a 90 pound YFT on it. If I'm not mistaken it's the only real fish I ever put on the thing.

Jim

how did you magged your reels lastist?

thanks

[-scallywag-]

I've read alot about fishing spectra on the iron (mostly for plugs) and have tried it out a couple times on a few jig sticks/reels, and the three biggest draw backs for me are,
A) guiding the line back on the reel with my thumb, and getting picked up on the retreive (ouch!!!)

B) as Jim pointed out, The line is easily damaged by backlash, exc.. and the damage is hard to see, and since i suck and 99% of my backlashes happen with boiling fish around, cutting line and re-tieing kinda takes me out of the game.

C) You just cant put as much pressure on 50lb spectra as you can 40lb mono, and since on the yak you are almost always near lobster bouys, anchor lines, structure, kelp ,exc... it really helps to be able to lock the drag down without worrying too much about straitening hooks or popping the line...although as Jim pointed out, drag settings and rod action make a huge difference when fishing spectra. Once the fish is on, mono is much more forgiving.

In LJ from the Yak I use #65 spectra + 40/30 or 20flouro leader for all my bait poles, my yoyo and jig sticks are 40lb mono.

BUT....Almost all those issues are not a problem if you go to a spinning reel, and as kooky and far fetched as it sounds I think Jim is right on about the spinners and spectra being superior, but I don't see them becoming popular with the avarage "SoCal" fisherman because it's just not "cool".

- Lifted Diesel 4x4's with huge shiney rims/tires that never see dirt or a trailer = COOL

- Out casting/catching the deadheads on the bow using a coffie grinder & spectra = NOT COOL

[MarkT]

Originally Posted by -scallywag-

- Out casting/catching the deadheads on the bow using a coffie grinder & spectra = NOT COOL

I dunno, that sounds way cool to me.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by newguy01

how did you magged your reels

I magged the reel with two D61 Neodymium Rare Earth Disc Magnets.

Basically I stuck I piece of stainless alloy in the side of the reel, glued it in with super glue, then stuck a couple of the rare earth magnets I had sitting around on to it.

I wish I could say this was some profound feat of engineering but in all honesty this is probably the easiest mod I have ever done on a reel, as it only took maybe 15 minutes, and I did not even bother to take the reel off the rod.

I just sheered the stainless with my foot sheer. Cleaned it and the sideplate with some acetone, and then glued stainless tab in place with super glue.

The magnets just stick right on it.

No pics but here's an Avet SX I did the same way.






The magnets are on there good, hard to pry back off once on, and they do not seem to want to shift or move. The only issue I can think of would be corrosion of the magnets themselves, but since I can change them out and have cheap supply of them supply this should not be a big deal. They are chromed and I grease them, but set, but I may end up looking at various ways to seal them in the future.

Here's the video of some testing with my Avet SX after the conversion I did.

In the test the reel is filled with thirty pound Power Pro spectra and I'm casting a 2 ounce tennis ball, as you can see the reel does not backlash even though I am not thumbing the spool during the cast and I'm consistently casting maybe forty to fifty yards. I could of cast it further but there's limitations due to the size of the lot, and the power lines.

Fun stuff... that works!!

Jim