Lever vs Star - mechanics wise

[johndtuttle]

Hi John,

If the drag is below the setting that is below the maximum axial load for the bearings, that is you are using the rod to play the fish, or thumbing the spool I can't see a problem. All lever drag reels regardless of brand have this inherent design flaw, I'm not wading into the star versus lever debate (every system has their pros & cons). Just suggesting how you can improve performance & bearing life on a lever drag reel.

Rgds

Mark     

Thanks for that Mark and I understand you clearly.

The problem is for us West Coast guys that fish the southern waters of California or Baja is certain bottom dwelling rascals like Yellowtail. Their first run will make or break the fight as they are remarkably knowledgeable in the use of structure to break you off.  You either snub them short with all the drag your reel can make or it's game over. Thumbing the spool is not recommended as in the immortal words of Gene Kira "ZING there's a nice blister!".

On top of this when fishing artificials for them they prefer a very fast retrieve simulating a panicked bait fish that has left a crevice and decided to run for it, so you are often hit just a few turns off the bottom. All of the above puts a premium on small light reels (to save effort and keep you fishing on slow days) and drags hammered down to stop 'em short.

Needless to say they are notorious tackle busters, great eating and provide memorable wide open fishing if you get 'em at the right time. They range from "rats" in the 5lb range found in swarms under kelp patties offshore to the occasional 75lb brutes seen at Alijos rocks in the spring. When you send a Tady 4/0 to the bottom off Baja you never know and reels fished at the heaviest drag settings are often the rule.





The good news is an LD reel can have it's drag increased rapidly by shoving that lever to full potentially saving that trophy fish and if it was srs biz for big 'un Yellows that's what I would arm myself with. But over time they are gonna need more parts than a Penn Baja Special 113HN. They fish better (lighter), nicer (smaller), and make more drag for their size (a dual drag Accurate comes to mind) but are not as ultimately reliable.

best regards

[MFB]

Hi John,

We call them kingfish (or more commonly kingies) over here, & yeah they fight like 10,000 demons. Here is a picture of one my Mrs caught 17kg & 1200mm long caught in 100m of water ( we were targeting grouper). On my 900H loaded with 45kg braid on 24kg rod.
I hope to catch one on a popper this summer.

Rgds 

Mark

[johndtuttle]

Terrific fish and congrats to her! 

Sorry as I probably appeared to be lecturing you above. As you are well aware Yellowtail/Kingfish are found in only certain waters worldwide and you guys in New Zealand probably still have the biggest home guards (I've seen the internet posts of fish over 40kg landed) left in any waters.

So, nothing new in my post from your perspective.   

And the search for the perfect strong and reliable small reel for big fish goes on. I blame Yellowtail!

best regards

ps. I've caught them on surface stick baits and that is the proper way to do it. Far less grunting, groaning and sore backs the next day when you get them far from the bottom.

[MFB]

Have never tried popping  or stick baiting before, going to use my 7500ss on a Kilwell 7' 10-15kg jellytip, & my 8500ss on a 15-24kg Kilwell jellytip also 7'. Have one stick bait in my tackle box all the rest are poppers Williamson's & River 2 Sea picked most of them up second hand although they were still in their boxes. Looks like you guys had a lot of fun on that trip though.



Rgds

Mark 

[Bunnlevel Sharker]

All my senators are 2 speed.....crank slow for low gear, fast for high 

[Ron Jones]

Nice...