30# line class reel - 300 yards of 50# solid braid, 25 yard topshot of 30# fluoro, drags set to 9 pounds at strike, and hopefully 15 pounds at full
40# line class reel - 400 yards of 65# solid braid, 25 yard topshot of 40# fluoro, drags set to 12 pounds at strike, and hopefully 20 pounds at full
50# line class reel - 400 yards of 65# solid braid, 25 yard topshot of 50# fluoro, drags set to 15 pounds at strike, and hopefully 25 pounds at full
60# line class reel - 500 yards of 80# hollow braid, 25 yard topshot of 60# fluoro, drags set to 20 pounds at strike, and hopefully 30 pounds at full
80# line class reel - 500 yards of 100# hollow braid, 25 yard topshot of 80# fluoro, drags set to 25 pounds at strike, and hopefully 40 pounds at full
100# line class reel - 700 yards of 100# hollow braid, 25 yard topshot of 100# fluoro, drags set to 30 pounds at strike, and hopefully 50 pounds at full
130# line class reel - 700 yards of 130# hollow braid, 25 yard topshot of 130# fluoro, drags set to 40 pounds at strike, and hopefully 65 pounds at full
most reels can't give you the 50% full drag that i like to see. older reels can't even reach the 30% strike drag. get big handle grips for your reels. and yeah, these should all be two speed lever drag reels.
and remember, the reel is only 50% of the equation. you still have to load up the rod to see where it flexes. i recommend holding up the rod at a 45 degree angle, then pull straight down until the tip is halfway between the top of the arc and the bottom of the butt. whatever weight is needed? well, that's your drag setting at strike. but remember, the rod also has to be able to survive full drag at 45 degrees. but don't bother testing the rod at full. i don't want you to break it. i can already tell you that there are rods out there that can't handle that load. you'll just have to figure this one out when you're on the water.
Alan, for local fishing you may want to add 20 lb and 25 lb set ups. The "local" fish are often line shy, especially early season fish.
For me I really don't see a need for 2 speed reels until I reach the 40 lb range and over. 10 lbs and less of drag is fine for me even on a extended fight, but this may not be the case for others. With that said I do have some star drag reels that I use up to the 50 lb line class but I also have 2 speed reels in the 40 and 50 lb range that I use depending how and what I'm using the reels for.
But, all in all a pretty good general guideline.
Yeah, I wouldn't head out on a BFT trip without a good 20# rig! There's plenty out there for which that's appropriate.
I don't always use fluoro but when I do it's mostly a 4' fluoro leader, never a 25 yd topshot. I use 25' of fluoro on my cow rigs.
My 20# and 25# rigs are single speed, all my 30# and above bait rigs are 2-speeds!
YMMV.
Alan, I have often wondered how to flex the rod under load on dry land for the heavier 50+ lines at 25+ lbs using a weights? How much is too much weight to use in order to see the rod bottoming out? Anyone's ideas or methods are welcome.
I hate that I disagree with the boss, but have to go on record to say that you can have a lot of fun on a long range trip with a star drag. I mostly use 2 speeds for a hot bite when my arms are to tired for star drags.
The Man
or spinners...... ;D
Quote from: Rocket Dog on July 28, 2020, 07:44:34 PM
Alan, I have often wondered how to flex the rod under load on dry land for the heavier 50+ lines at 25+ lbs using a weights? How much is too much weight to use in order to see the rod bottoming out? Anyone's ideas or methods are welcome.
hard to know. i've broken a few...... :-\
Quote from: SoCalAngler on July 28, 2020, 05:04:47 PM
Alan, for local fishing you may want to add 20 lb and 25 lb set ups. The "local" fish are often line shy, especially early season fish.
For me I really don't see a need for 2 speed reels until I reach the 40 lb range and over. 10 lbs and less of drag is fine for me even on a extended fight, but this may not be the case for others. With that said I do have some star drag reels that I use up to the 50 lb line class but I also have 2 speed reels in the 40 and 50 lb range that I use depending how and what I'm using the reels for.
But, all in all a pretty good general guideline.
yeah, sorry, should have specified tuna! for my 30 pound outfit, it can be pushed as far as 15 pounds of drag, or 50%. that's the main reason i need a two speed for a 30 pound outfit.
Here's what i'm bringing on my 3 day tuna trip in September....
15/20# bait. Hot rodded Tiburon Jigmaster with 50# braid on a PCH-C-801H
30/40# bait. Shimano Speedmaster 12ii with 65# braid on a PCH-C-801XH
50/60# bait. Shimano Speedmaster 16ii with 80# braid on a UC GP 80 Predator
60# bait/Yo-yo. Penn Fathom 40nld2 with 80# braid on a PCH-C-74 XXH
80# big bait /flat fall. Penn International 16S with 80# braid on a PCH-C-741XXXH
Poppers/stick baits. Shimano Saragosa 10,000 on a Challenger Bank 801H
Quote from: alantani on July 28, 2020, 08:49:47 PM
Quote from: SoCalAngler on July 28, 2020, 05:04:47 PM
Alan, for local fishing you may want to add 20 lb and 25 lb set ups. The "local" fish are often line shy, especially early season fish.
For me I really don't see a need for 2 speed reels until I reach the 40 lb range and over. 10 lbs and less of drag is fine for me even on a extended fight, but this may not be the case for others. With that said I do have some star drag reels that I use up to the 50 lb line class but I also have 2 speed reels in the 40 and 50 lb range that I use depending how and what I'm using the reels for.
But, all in all a pretty good general guideline.
yeah, sorry, should have specified tuna! for my 30 pound outfit, it can be pushed as far as 15 pounds of drag, or 50%. that's the main reason i need a two speed for a 30 pound outfit.
Yeah, tuna is what I meant also, especially BFT can be line shy. Also when I was talking about "local" I meant trips under the 5 day range.
Quote from: pjstevko on July 28, 2020, 09:23:48 PM
Here's what i'm bringing on my 3 day tuna trip in September....
15/20# bait. Hot rodded Tiburon Jigmaster with 50# braid on a PCH-C-801H
30/40# bait. Shimano Speedmaster 12ii with 65# braid on a PCH-C-801XH
50/60# bait. Shimano Speedmaster 16ii with 80# braid on a UC GP 80 Predator
60# bait/Yo-yo. Penn Fathom 40nld2 with 80# braid on a PCH-C-74 XXH
80# big bait /flat fall. Penn International 16S with 80# braid on a PCH-C-741XXXH
Poppers/stick baits. Shimano Saragosa 10,000 on a Challenger Bank 801H
I love your Fathom 40N. If I was a one reel kind of guy for the SOA trip, I could do it with that reel and an 8ft rod stiff enough to throw iron.
Thank God that isn't the case.
Ronald Jones
The Fathom is a nice reel and well priced.
I have worked on a couple.
The only thing I don't like are the plate screws with fine threads going in a cast aluminum frame.
A few had stripped threads.
I re tapped my personal reel for coarser screws.
With that said, I haven't heard of anyone else having stripped screws on these, so I might be the only lucky one.
Sal
the last time i landed a fish on my 30 pound outfit, i had the lever pushed to full, 15 pounds of drag. it was functionally performing like a 50 pound line class reel. so, yeah, two speeds are good for me, even down to 30 pounds!
@alantani Do you change the 25yrd fluoro after every trip?
yes, or i should, but sometimes i slack off a little. my general recommendation is to put 4 hours of fighting time. so that would be one fish for a 4 hour fight, four fish at 1 hour each, or 16 fish at 15 minutes each.
i know that these lines will survive 11 hours of fight time, so figure 4 hours is a safe bet. alan chui (black pearl) has his pro challenger fluoro that is used by the osuna brothers in puerto vallarta. they hooked into a big billfish and fought it for 11 hours, then released it alive. so, yeah, a year should be fine.