Since getting back into fishing and just really starting to surf fish, I am a little lost on which line to use on what reel and for which application. Last time I was fishing on a regular basis Spyder braid was fairly new. Now that I am into vintage Penn for the surf, I Could use some guidance.
I bought a 140 with a plastic spool last night with a custom 9' one piece surf pole. I want to use to mainly fish for stripers. I think I can put a 30 lb braid directly on the spool. Am I wrong?
Here are some pics of the rod/reel
(http://alantani.com/gallery/23/18562_14_03_18_11_47_58_239362230.jpeg)
(http://alantani.com/gallery/23/18562_14_03_18_11_48_08_239381573.jpeg)
(http://alantani.com/gallery/23/18562_14_03_18_11_47_45_239361584.jpeg)
Put a few layers of Dacron on the spool then fill it with Spectra. The Dacron keeps the Spectra from slipping on the spool.
Thank you.
Agreed about the slippage. Some use electrical tape.
I like Squidders. 30 lb braid might get unweildy if you are going to distance cast. It will fit easily between the spool and side plate. Most cast mono on conventional, but if braid, heavy 50-65 lbs is more manageable. Although the strength is overkill, the diameter helps. I would use 30 lb mono personally. Oh, and braid can burn your thumb. Get it wet before making a powerful cast. I try to thumb the side of the spool for more even control.
I like 30 pound mono for casting. I find the smaller diameter lines backlash too much and are harder to get untangled. I sacrifice some distance for ease of use and strength. If I go smaller than 30 or use braid I switch to spinning reels. If I could cast braid effectively I would use it more on conventional reels. It gets expensive when you have to cut it off the reel. I do use a braid backing on all my conventional reels. It is easier and cheaper to change a mono top shot when the line gets old or low on the spool. Joe
Quote from: WestCoast Transplant on March 14, 2018, 07:22:17 PMI bought a 140 with a plastic spool last night with a custom 9' one piece surf pole.
I love my Squidders, too . . . However, my suggestion is to get a 29L-140 or Newell aluminum spool for your 140. I have broken many plastic spools in the past.
Tight Lines !
30 lb braid would be difficult to manage as others have said plus that reel would hold a mile of it. Get use to casting it with mono. Much more user friendly
I had such a problem with tryin to make 20 mono. work ona 180(plastic spool), I tried 30 mono. still a problem. In both cases the line got spool/frame caught no matter how I readjusted the spool alignment, + I didn't like the memory/stiffness thing with mono. Went to big fat," SurfCaster" Co. squidding line--27 lb. test. with a short mono. topper. Not perfect, but best so far. The plastic spool and an aluminium modified handle/knob I added, really keeps the weight down.
Quote from: Gfish on March 15, 2018, 08:50:43 PM
I had such a problem with tryin to make 20 mono. work ona 180(plastic spool), I tried 30 mono. still a problem. In both cases the line got spool/frame caught no matter how I readjusted the spool alignment, + I didn't like the memory/stiffness thing with mono. Went to big fat," SurfCaster" Co. squidding line--27 lb. test. with a short mono. topper. Not perfect, but best so far. The plastic spool and an aluminium modified handle/knob I added, really keeps the weight down.
That's interesting, Gregg. Never heard of the squidding line before. There is a guy who I follow on YouTube who surfcasts Penn conventionals and uses very heavy braid exclusively.
I love my Squidders, too . . . However, my suggestion is to get a 29L-140 or Newell aluminum spool for your 140. I have broken many plastic spools in the past.
Tight Lines !
I'm eying one on eBay right now.
Quote from: WestCoast Transplant on March 14, 2018, 07:22:17 PM
I think I can put a 30 lb braid directly on the spool. Am I wrong?
A 140 filled with either 20 or 30# mono or 27# braided nylon (squidding line) was sort of a standard for surf fishing back in the day. Like you guys say, a lot of plastic squidder spools were broken or warped because mono was put on too tight or because the mono was packed down fighting a fish. You could also break/warp the spool with tight squidding line but it's less likely. The mono and squidding line stretch a lot so they build up a lot of pressure if put on tightly. The built up pressure breaks the plastic spool.
20# mono is 0.45 mm diameter and 30# mono is 0.55 mm. 80# spectra braid is 0.43 mm. Spectra braid does not stretch. If you match spectra and mono line diameters instead of the pound test spectra braid will not get behind the spool and a birds nest will be easy to pick out. To be safe, you might want to use a 30# mono top shot or leader so you can still break it off when it is snagged.
-steve
I need to try casting heavy braid, Steve. 80lb. sounds about right according to those diameters.
I like the plastic spools for their light weight for casting, and put about 25 yds of dacron line on the spool before filling with mono. Other than the monofilament compression, the other vulnerability of the plastic is chipping an edge when it is removed. I gave some of the chrome spools away in exchange for plastic.
Braid will make short work of all metal guides.
Fighting a striper of any size will soon wear grooves in your guides .
I fish alot in the surf and on my old trad rigs I use exclusively mono. That applies to spinners and conventionals.
Adams Khanh just rewrapped a big Harnell spinner for me and I was lucky that he had a full set of all metal guides for us to use. Once again more of a traditional setup, and more true to how I use the gear.
Just my 2 cts...
Best ,
JT
Here is another thread about "braid ready" tackle. http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=23260.0
"Since getting back into fishing and just really starting to surf fish, I am a little lost on which line to use on what reel and for which application. Last time I was fishing on a regular basis Spyder braid was fairly new."
There is nothing wrong with Old School ,the Squidder was a great casting reel in the 60's & 70's, but when you try to combine them with the technology these days is causes many differences.
Today it is all about working smarter not harder.
Today Old School
20/30+lb braid 20 lb mono
500/380 yds 275 yds
20 lbs of drag 12 lbs of drag
Weight 16 oz Weight 18 oz
6.0.1 retrieve rate 3.3.1 retrieve rate
centrifugal and/or mag backlash control Thumb
When you need the extra casting distance you can almost double it with less effort with today's reels.
For under $ 150.00 shipped...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Penn-FATHOM-FTH15-Star-Drag-Full-Medal-Body-Conventional-Fishing-Reel-1238443/132416671842?epid=1111910750&hash=item1ed4a61062:g:4SoAAOSwyP5aHwk8
I've have slowly changed with the times and still have Old School reels that I could fish with, but they are not my first choice when the big ones show up:)
I know today's equipment is much easier to perform with. But in total, the 4 Penn i am reworking are with in the budget. I most likely will modernize one day after the nostalgia wears off. Plus I like a challenge. ::)
Quote from: Hook um on March 16, 2018, 04:17:54 PMThere is nothing wrong with Old School ,the Squidder was a great casting reel in the 60's & 70's, but when you try to combine them with the technology these days is causes many differences.
They still are . . .
Tight Lines !
(http://alantani.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=18181.0;attach=22057;image)
"Hand" is a nautical term for how a line feels. For a mainsheet or halyard that has to be frequently pulled in by hand you would want to use a line with a good hand or feel. For a stay line that is somewhat fixed in place and requires little adjustment you are less concerned with the hand or feel.
Fishing lines have a "hand" too. Small diameter spectra braid has a terrible hand/feel because it is slick, difficult to grab and will cut the stew out of you. Mono of the same breaking strength as the spectra braid has a little better hand/feel because it is larger diameter, but the slick stretchy mono is not particularly good for handling. If the mono was snagged on the bottom and you were trying to break it free by hand you would find it difficult and would still risk cutting yourself. Nylon braid (squidding line) of the same breaking strength as the mono has a better hand/feel because the weave makes it softer to the touch. You would be less likely to cut your hand trying to break it free of that snag. Braided nylon also knots better than mono because the slick mono knots are more likely to pull free. But, the stretch of the braided nylon makes it more difficult to handle than braided Dacron which has no stretch at all. Braided Dacron is an absolute pleasure to fish with and, in my opinion, has the best "hand" of any fishing line. The trouble is, braided Dacron has very little abrasion resistance so it can not be used around structure or where it rubs on the bottom. Dacron knots will not pull free like mono knots, but the lack of abrasion resistance reduces Dacron knot strength because the fibers break as they dig into each other. Hence, the Bimini twist knot.
Mono, braided nylon and braided Dacron of the same breaking strength have roughly the same diameter. When you compare spectra braid of the same diameter you find it has a fairly nice hand/feel. It is not as pleasant to fish with as braided Dacron of the same diameter because spectra has a slick finish. Spectra is almost as slick as mono and more slick than braided nylon or braided Dacron. Spectra braid has good knot strength but the slick finish makes the knots more likely to pull free. Hence the uni knot. I would rank the hand/feel of spectra as about equal to the hand/feel of braided nylon of the same diameter. About equal ranking, but very different. Again, braided nylon is not very slick, but has a lot of stretch. Spectra braid is slick but has little stretch.
Finally, a line with a good hand/feel mat not cast as well as a line that is slicker. Braided Dacron may not cast as well as braided nylon although they are very close. Mono will cast better than braided nylon. Spectra braid will cast better than mono.
-steve
Quote from: oc1 on March 16, 2018, 07:09:07 PMSpectra braid will cast better than mono.
-steve
Steve,
Is that only true when the Braid is the same the Breaking Strength as the Mono ?
What about when the Braid and the Mono are the same diameter ?
http://www.go-saltwater-fishing.com/fishing-line-comparison.html (http://www.go-saltwater-fishing.com/fishing-line-comparison.html)Chart for Power Pro vs. Mono(http://www.outdoorproshop.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/power-pro-line-specs.jpg)
Tight Lines !
Quote from: ez2cdave on March 16, 2018, 06:53:28 PM
Quote from: Hook um on March 16, 2018, 04:17:54 PMThere is nothing wrong with Old School ,the Squidder was a great casting reel in the 60's & 70's, but when you try to combine them with the technology these days is causes many differences.
They still are . . .
Tight Lines !
(http://alantani.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=18181.0;attach=22057;image)
What are you spoiled with?
Quote from: Hook um on March 16, 2018, 04:17:54 PM
"Since getting back into fishing and just really starting to surf fish, I am a little lost on which line to use on what reel and for which application. Last time I was fishing on a regular basis Spyder braid was fairly new."
There is nothing wrong with Old School ,the Squidder was a great casting reel in the 60's & 70's, but when you try to combine them with the technology these days is causes many differences.
Today it is all about working smarter not harder.
Today Old School
20/30+lb braid 20 lb mono
500/380 yds 275 yds
20 lbs of drag 12 lbs of drag
Weight 16 oz Weight 18 oz
6.0.1 retrieve rate 3.3.1 retrieve rate
centrifugal and/or mag backlash control Thumb
When you need the extra casting distance you can almost double it with less effort with today's reels.
For under $ 150.00 shipped...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Penn-FATHOM-FTH15-Star-Drag-Full-Medal-Body-Conventional-Fishing-Reel-1238443/132416671842?epid=1111910750&hash=item1ed4a61062:g:4SoAAOSwyP5aHwk8
I've have slowly changed with the times and still have Old School reels that I could fish with, but they are not my first choice when the big ones show up:)
Today's number are really large compared to the past huh....
Quote from: WestCoast Transplant on March 16, 2018, 11:01:59 PM
What are you spoiled with?
That is 25lb-test ANDE Back Country monofilament , in "Envy Green" . . . The 140's hold about 325yd. of it . . . It's a "Low-Memory" mono and I LOVE IT !
NOTICE that I "bobbed" those annoying little "free-spool levers" ( Not the Anti-Reverse lever ) . . . I find them uncomfortable and also hit them, accidentally, from time to time.
https://andemonofilament.com/collections/back-country/products/back-country-envy-green (https://andemonofilament.com/collections/back-country/products/back-country-envy-green)Tight Lines !
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/mokAAOSwBahVfzr8/s-l1600.jpg)
I like the bobbed lever. I just bought a Newell spool and bars from eBay so I have a few days to figure out what I'm going with.
Quote from: WestCoast Transplant on March 17, 2018, 02:29:35 AM
I like the bobbed lever. I just bought a Newell spool and bars from eBay so I have a few days to figure out what I'm going with.
Excellent . . . You will love the bars and spool !
I don't like the Newell reel foot, because of the size of the "feet" on it, which can slip around in a reel seat . . . Stock Penn reel foot all the way !
Also, you may want to do a handle change . . . I use the Penn 24-66 on mine ( longer "throw" than the stock handle ). AKA the "Jigmaster Handle".
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Penn-Jigmaster-Reel-Part-handle-24-66-For-Penn-500-505-Other-Reels/282849723230 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Penn-Jigmaster-Reel-Part-handle-24-66-For-Penn-500-505-Other-Reels/282849723230)ALSO, the "three-position" Penn 24-55 handle is great, too !
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Penn-3-POSITION-Fishing-Reel-Power-Handle-24-55-Fits-Jigmaster-500-501-505-506/382412609361 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Penn-3-POSITION-Fishing-Reel-Power-Handle-24-55-Fits-Jigmaster-500-501-505-506/382412609361)Tight Lines !
It came with a 24-55 On it. Looks like I'm ahead.
Quote from: WestCoast Transplant on March 17, 2018, 02:57:52 AM
It came with a 24-55 On it. Looks like I'm ahead.
Nice . . . You should be "good to go" !
Tight Lines !