No, not mine ... although I did tweak a hammy climbing around.... I'm getting too old for this :-\
A little heatwave going on in the Bay Area right now. So while everybody was either sweltering though work or lounging around in the warm weather, I bolted for the cool crisp coast. Threw my surf rig and pack of sardines in the trunk and down to the shore I went with no big expectations. The surf was up and I had a hard time keeping my presentation on the bottom, and out of the snags, but I was rewarded for my efforts with a decent blue Ling.
(https://i.imgur.com/ou0aLgY.jpg)
-Daiwa Emcast Surf rod
-Avet SXJ reel
-Chunks of sardine
What a cool looking fish are they good eating
Kim
Good work, Tony! At least you tweaked hammy doing something- I caught a cramp in mine the middle of last night and couldn't go back to sleep! lol. Where'd you get the Daiwa? Happy with? Sharp design.
Quote from: Sharkb8 on June 17, 2021, 12:06:51 PM
What a cool looking fish are they good eating
Kim
Oh yes, excellent table fare. Meat is blue and turns white when cooked.
Lingcod are the top predators of our reefs, filling the niche that groupers usually do, and have teeth like a barracuda.
Quote from: thorhammer on June 17, 2021, 12:24:52 PM
Good work, Tony! At least you tweaked hammy doing something- I caught a cramp in mine the middle of last night and couldn't go back to sleep! lol. Where'd you get the Daiwa? Happy with? Sharp design.
Forgot where I got that rod, I've had it for well over a decade, even rewrapped the grip a couple times. There's been 2 newer generations of that line since but I like that series because it's a lot stiffer than most. Makes keeping them from going back into their hole a lot easier. It's not even their top line, mid level product me thinks. Works though.
Quote from: the rockfish ninja on June 17, 2021, 04:18:35 AM
... although I did tweak a hammy climbing around.... I'm getting too old for this :-\
Tony!!!! Great day out-picking thru the rocks!!!! AND yes, it was HOT here yesterday, 94 degrees in San Mateo!!!
I have to say one thing, If you were a Horse, and tweaked your hammy.... we'd have to shoot you, BUTT your NOT. ;D
Keep fishing and call me next time.
Wayne
great fish amigo, one question, is the drag lever at max or its an optical illusion? do those fish fight that hard?
Nice.... Never been able to pull one from the rock down south in LA.
Nice ling off of the shore! Good job.
Cheers:
todd
Quote from: steelfish on June 17, 2021, 04:32:51 PM
great fish amigo, one question, is the drag lever at max or its an optical illusion? do those fish fight that hard?
Yes it is. They are the best fighters of our reefs, not like a pelagic, but any Lingcod past 7 lbs is going to put up a fuss. This one was almost 8lbs and was taking drag at strike so I pushed it to full to keep it out of the snags, deadlifted it up onto the rocks too.
The Daiwa Emcast rods from about 15 years ago are almost bulletproof, although I did snap one highsticking on a big shark once.
Really nice fish. You said surf gear. How does that Accurate cast? I have always shied away from lever drags for casting but accurate claims theirs are up to the task and that SXJ is just my size.
Great Linger. Ain't been able to get one that big offa the rocks. The SJX is an Avet, close to an Accurate, but I like the AR system on the Avet better and the b.bearings in the Accurate reels better.
Sorry. Intended to say Avet. Don't own either one.
Quote from: oc1 on June 17, 2021, 07:27:34 PM
Really nice fish. You said surf gear. How does that Accurate cast? I have always shied away from lever drags for casting but accurate claims theirs are up to the task and that SXJ is just my size.
It's an Avet SXJ-MC, magged for casting against strong winds. IMO the standard SX is a little better for surf, it's only slightly wider, but holds much more line, and line lay is much easier. Something to take into account if you're standing on the rocks fighting a fish, when you don't want another thing to think about like thumb guiding the line. The only reason I'm using the SXJ is because my SX was stolen in a car burglary years ago.
As for casting, as long as the bearings are good, lever drag vs star drag cast the same to me. I just prefer them and my only star drags are low profiles.
I'm glad it all worked out for you,,,,, :D and you got a nice one,,,,,,,,,, ;D
Quote from: the rockfish ninja on June 17, 2021, 10:57:54 PM
As for casting, as long as the bearings are good, lever drag vs star drag cast the same to me. I just prefer them and my only star drags are low profiles.
Thank you. You made me think about it. If a lever drag reel needs magnets to keep it under control then it shouldn't be any worse than a star drag that needs magnets to keep it under control.
Also, why don't they make lever drag reels low profile with levelwind?
Quote from: oc1 on June 18, 2021, 04:54:12 AM
Quote from: the rockfish ninja on June 17, 2021, 10:57:54 PM
As for casting, as long as the bearings are good, lever drag vs star drag cast the same to me. I just prefer them and my only star drags are low profiles.
Thank you. You made me think about it. If a lever drag reel needs magnets to keep it under control then it shouldn't be any worse than a star drag that needs magnets to keep it under control.
Also, why don't they make lever drag reels low profile with levelwind?
I guess because lever drag is usually on more heavy duty reels and low profiles are lighter applications? I did talk with one of the guys from Avet once and asked if they would ever consider getting into the low profile game but they had no intention.
The thought of a machined aluminum tough as nails low profile inshore reel seems like a great idea to me, would fill a niche somewhere in the market.
Quote from: the rockfish ninja on June 17, 2021, 10:57:54 PM
Quote from: oc1 on June 17, 2021, 07:27:34 PM
Really nice fish. You said surf gear. How does that Accurate cast? I have always shied away from lever drags for casting but accurate claims theirs are up to the task and that SXJ is just my size.
It's an Avet SXJ-MC, magged for casting against strong winds. IMO the standard SX is a little better for surf, it's only slightly wider, but holds much more line, and line lay is much easier. Something to take into account if you're standing on the rocks fighting a fish, when you don't want another thing to think about like thumb guiding the line. The only reason I'm using the SXJ is because my SX was stolen in a car burglary years ago.
As for casting, as long as the bearings are good, lever drag vs star drag cast the same to me. I just prefer them and my only star drags are low profiles.
I had the magged SX earlier in the year, it was a very nice real but the mags were always on, even at the lowest setting and I just couldn't get quite the yards I wanted out of it. I sold it and went with the Penn Fathom IICS. Over here on the east coast in Florida, hitting the outer bar can mean the difference of catching or not catching anything if you can't get it out there, depending on your quarry you are after. Looking back, I wish I would have just gotten the unmagged model and put in a Knobby mag. It really is one sweet reel and the drag is ultra smooth. I may get another and try again, you only have one life to live, right? Thats a very nice fish! My daughter now lives in LA so I have to go out there at least once or twice a year and surf fishing the pacific is on the bucket list!
Nice ling!! And off the rocks, surf fishing!! A pleasant surprise, I'm sure. Any fish over 4 pounds off the rocks/surf I'd bet would be a striper (bass, not perch).