well, guys, I went fishing this pass weekend and we got some nice Yellows and some big cabrillas sardinera (leopard groupers) and a friend caught a nice Baya 60-70# (gulf grouper)
I was using my fathom 40LD2 using 80# line no mono leader (this was recommended my our captain I normally use 60# mono leader), I set the drag at 1/3 line so, estimated 25# at full (using dumbell method), I had no problem with YT and some 20# cabrilla sardineras but there were times that a gulf groupers took the lure and ran like mad train, I couldnt stop them even with the lever at max, they ended up gettin into their rocky caves and break the line.
I have the next reels to try to stop bigger fish or at least something on that size, what do you think have better chance against a 80# grouper
113h wide tiburon frame, keta octagon insert with drag set high almost locked up
fathom 40LD2 with drad set on 30-33#
Baja Special with Tom antireverse assembly with drag 25-27# almost locked up
my friend caugh his 80# grouper trolling with his stock 113h reel and 100# braid (cool, right?) but the drag was all locked up, thats the good old Baja style, some guys said this was a lucky catch and that he got the fish unguard, I think the guy knew what to do fast, locked his drag and fight the fish without thinking on breaking his rod or damaging his reel, at the end the fish ended up on the boat
I was thinking to use the Baja with 100# braid and use the drag pretty high as many local guys use the 113h and 114h, but the fathom 40LD2 suposedly have more drag from factory and its 2 speed, I was actually glad to use a 2-speed with some nice yellows, its like night and day you you have a stubborn fish.
so, any recommendation for this kind of fishing where smooth drags and tons of line is not important but brute force for stopping a Mad fish when you dont want to give an inch.
for the moment I dont want to buy another reel, maybe in a future I get a bigger and stronger reel but for now I think Im covered for 90% fishing zone.. except this this big mama groupers that you kind find from time to time.
the nex pic is the fish my friend caught on thr 113h, not a monster but really a nice fish and gave a good fight to the poor 4/0 reel.
congratulations Alex. Those Cabrilla are some good eating fish. Dominick
Put 75-100 yards of 130# solid spectra on top of the 80# and set your drag on the FTH40NLD2 at 35# or 40#.
Quote from: Keta on March 24, 2017, 07:57:42 PM
Put 75-100 yards of 130# solid spectra on top of the 80# and set your drag on the FTH40NLD2 at 35# or 40#.
I could do that..
Thanks Alex, nice fishing, gives us some idea what presure the foot on the 113, can handle. cheers don.
What sort of depth are you fishing in?
If your reel can make the kinda drag it needs to, and your rod can handle it, just add more drag. 80# line (and being braid it's probably breaking at more like 100#) and a need to stop fish in a big hurry, I would aim for 50# of drag at Full at the depth in the spool you expect to get bites at. If the fish gets to his rock you're gonna break off whether you're on 20# of drag or 40# of drag, better to risk the line breaking and try to stop him getting there.
Drag will decrease as you retrieve line but once you have that sucker off the bottom it's not an issue.
I'm inclined to say Okuma Makaira, little tanks - heaps of drag, 2-speed if you need to drop down to Low and crank on the fish.
Nice fish Alex...good job! Now go back and get that one that stole your bait ;)
@ boon,
We fish on 30ft deep and above, depending were the fish are, high test braid is mostly for abrasion purposes, so I might get 130lb hollow Will try it directly and try it with mono leader
@Sal, Thanks compadre, I dont know when but I Will prepare my combos to be ready for the next fight
I'd set my drag at 20 lbs at strike. That way you know where the around 33% is set on your reel by moving the lever past strike. Now if you need/want you are able to move the lever past strike for more drag. Also if you don't want/need all that drag you don't have to move the lever all the way to strike.
But, doesn't the Fathom 40 ld2 have the sunset feature? Even at 25 lbs at full you can move the lever past this setting a little or all the way to sunset and lock up the drags.
Well to tell the true I didnt knew sunset is it equal to locking the drags, Thanks for that info its good to know, the fathom it does have sunset but that could Work on a big yellowtail or tuna or even marlin Where you have time seeing how they are taking line and you decide to loco the drag If you are running out of line but never run for rock caves..
Big cabrillas and groupers Just need 3 seconds to break your line with the rocks
But its better to have some working range on the drag before locking it
Braid for abrasion resistance is not going to get you far, short of using maybe 300lb or something... we had a big Yellowtail go under the boat recently on 100lb braid, the braid barely touched the boat under a heap of load and went bang. Loaded braid cuts like dental floss. We use hard fluorocarbon leaders for wreckfish around these parts, usually 200lb+, gives you the best chance if they get into some rough stuff.
Thats why Im going to get 130 hollow and learn to add topshots with floro or mono
Quote from: steelfish on March 27, 2017, 04:42:39 AM
Thats why Im going to get 130 hollow and learn to add topshots with floro or mono
I can't see the point in spooling a FTH40 with 130 braid; according to the specs the reel will do 40# of drag and that's probably slightly ambitious. Working on the assumption that it will give you around 35# comfortably I would spool with either 50 or 80 braid and enjoy having more capacity and much less cross-section causing drag in the water.
Quote from: boon on March 27, 2017, 10:23:42 PM
I can't see the point in spooling a FTH40 with 130 braid;
you know amigo, for me this is one of those situation where I would like to be less techical and follow the phrase " When in Rome.... " and copy-cat almost all things my friends did that day, I was kicked is the arrrss by big fishes while my friends that where both using stock 113h reels and using straight 100#braid where getting nice fishes, I was using 1/3 drag set by scale on my fathom 40ld2 and using 80# and 30ft 80# mono on a nice FG knot, I have some nice fishes too those days but got more break offs and got almost spooled with the drag too low, when I opted to put the drag a bit high it was too late, no more big fishes for me.
anyway, thanks for your input is really solid, I will follow your tips on one of my reels, although I think is the way it is currently (both my Baja and fathom are using 80# braid, Baja with 80yds 60# mono and fathom short topshots bepending the fish we are after), but also want to have a reel that I can just trust on it on a brute fight, maybe on a future I will build a 114h narrow with some SS goodies inside to this task
Ted just offered the reel your looking for in another thread for a great price.
IMO steelfish's reel will do exactly what he want's. I did not look at the other reel for sale but a two speed is the way to go.
Remember SF I fish a bit further south than you but we run into the same fish as you for the most part. Set your reel at say 25 at full and then if you need push the lever past that into sunset. It takes some getting use to, I will give you that, but once you have it down the movement of the lever to very hard drag will only take a second or two....if that. The hammering down of the drag can and will pay off when you run into some big pargo. When close to the rocks for the most part you will not run into marlin, sails and such. It can happen but you know the areas where you will target, cabrilla, pargo and other inshore fish but as you know grouper and other bottom lovers can and will be on deeper reefs, so this will take a bit of learning on how to fish those area.
I caught this 42 lb plus rooster in about 30-40 ft of water. I don't remember the exact depth but you could see the rocks easily in the water. No I did not use a Fathom 40 ld2 for this fish but I wish I had.
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag355/SoCalAngler1/IMG_0649%202_zpsmj1dhsjs.jpg)
Biggest fish of the tournament last year. Team Pacifico with largest fish.
(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag355/SoCalAngler1/DSCN3590_zpsmh1gbrcg.jpg)
Alex, I do believe SoCal is right. The Fathom 40 is, should be a very capable reel for what your describing. Get out in your back yard or where ever & learn that reel.
Alex, as much as I like the Baja/US113 & while it's great for what I use it for. I just dont think it's the best reel for what your describing.
You would need an aporppriate rod & do the pump & reel down on them thingy. I don't think this is the best tactic for this situation.
Hey, can we get ALEX SOME DRAG SCALES ? I'll chip in.
Any man doing what Alex is doing "NEEDS" a good set of drag scales. Alex has been a good memeber here. Send me a PM if you feel the same.... Alex I need your address.... Jeff
somehow I missed that last post from Mark (SoCal), thanks for your input amigo, I now set my mind to prepare the fathom 40LD2 with a higher braid test and higher drag on strike to come back for a revenge.
as you and riverrat said, I need to use and learn how to know everything about this particular reel FTH 40LD2 to get the most of it, I actually went fishing some weeks ago for sierras and eventho I really didnt a big reel for those fish I keep using the fathom to get the feel and learn the tricks on the battle, its actually fun, like driving a stick car ;D, you are able to move the lever all the way to get more drag and at the same time with just a click you switch gears to get more torque and less acceleration, told ya, just like when I used to drive my mustang 5.0, by the way, it was a pay off on using the fathom
compa Riverrat, thanks for comment, your right on a big fish pumping and reeling its not that recommended, now the score is Fathom 4, Baja Special 0, so, fathom won the battle to be set and prepare for the come back.
If you have time eventually, I'd build a narrow 114h, w. Adams insert drag kit, double dog, w sst gearsleeve.
Light, great free spool, powerful, lots of drag, easy on the pocket book, find used parts possible?
Just saying. I'll do your dog end plate for free. just trying to help.🙋♂️
Quote from: gstours on March 09, 2018, 05:14:06 PM
If you have time eventually, I'd build a narrow 114h, w. Adams insert drag kit, double dog, w sst gearsleeve.
Light, great free spool, powerful, lots of drag, easy on the pocket book, find used parts possible?
Just saying. I'll do your dog end plate for free. just trying to help.🙋♂️
Gary, really appreciate your offer amigo.
this thread came from one year ago, now the fathom 40LD2 is sold and a new Makaira 15 SEa takes its place, for some reason I feel the mak15 more solid and robust than the fathom ($500 vs $300 reel, that could be), Mk15 also feels smoother to turn the handle at 23# strike, with the fathom I could feel some resistance that annoyed me a bit, some say its the nature of the beast but the mak is also a beast of a reel and effortless to turn the handle on the same drag numbers, anyway, now that is my goto reel for the local fishing and its monsters ready, Im still waiting for it but no rush at all, mean time Im trainning catching nice size leopard groupers and Yellowtails on it to be prepare.
PS: I would take one of those extra narrow 114h frame from randy to build something like you said, it was already on my plans but thanks for confirm it, specially coming from the buttman itself
Here in the Florida panhandle the guys that target Grouper have to use 250lb braid with a 300lb mono leader or a 300lb wind on. That's the only way to get them up and away from the rocks. That heavy of line is needed for abrasion protection.
Keith
Quote from: steelfish on March 09, 2018, 06:50:50 PM
.... for some reason I feel the mak15 more solid and robust than the fathom...
That's simply because it is. Two different reels.
The closest Penn reel to compare the to the Mak 15 would be the 12VSX or VISX. The Penn 12 being heavier & capable of higher drag settings
no argue on that amigo Jeff, I love peen reels but that one was just not the reel for my type of fishing (you know what is to search for the perfect reel for the type of fishing) , maybe the 25LD2 would be better choise for local use (just as SocalAngler suggested on another thread), good thing I could sold it almost for the same amount of money I bought it, in the other hand, Mak15 SEa is a beast of a reel on small package, just loooove the low gear for sturdy groupers and high speed gear for normal fishing.
the main reason to go with Okuma is that I like to try different brands, and Makairas have really good opinions so far and still cheaper than a comparable 12VISX and comparable talica16
Quote from: gstours on March 09, 2018, 05:14:06 PMIf you have time eventually, I'd build a narrow 114h, w. Adams insert drag kit, double dog, w sst gearsleeve.
Light, great free spool, powerful, lots of drag, easy on the pocket book, find used parts possible?
Just saying. I'll do your dog end plate for free. just trying to help.🙋�♂️
what coincidence, looks like I will be building the exact reel Gary recommended me with the same upgrades and also from used parts ^-^