9/0 Cortez Conversions rod and set advice?

[steelhead_killer]

New to this game. Finished a Cortez 9/0 that I want to fish. Going to Mexico in May and want to use it. Rod?  Line set-up?  Reel has all the goodies with insert.  Feedback is appreciated?

Thanks!

[Swami805]

First no pictures?? What do you plan to fish for?

[steelhead_killer]

Well I suspect it will be used for trolling in Mexico first.

[Swami805]

That came out very nice,the classic black on black.That's a nice handle too.
Any good tackle shops where you can go pull on some rods? When it comes to heavier gear the way the handle is set up becomes important, the lengths of the grips and that kind of thing. In the perfect world you could go to one of the tackle shows and see what is available. A lot of good rods out there, Hard to say one is "better" than another, a lot depends on personal preference. Cal-star,Seeker, Untied Composites as well as some others  make good rods. Heard good things about Black Hole too but never seen one around here. With lighter gear it's easy to overlook handle dimensions, an hour in on a big fish a few inches here and there matters. Anyone close by maybe with a big quiver to get some ideas?

[Dominick]

Well I suspect it will be used for trolling in Mexico first.

Question, where in Mexico and what will you be targeting in May.  Baja is not the best in May.  See the link to the fishing calendar.  Dominick

https://sites.google.com/site/mexicowiki/industry-spotlight-1/fishing-and-boating/fishing-charters-1/fishing

[steelhead_killer]

Dominick we have a company trip to Cozumel on the other side of Mexico in May.  They did not consult with me on the optimum fishing times before scheduling the trip.   At least it's free!  More money to fish I say. 

[thorhammer]

Great build Andy! That's a beast! A stock 9/0 is an 60-80lb mono reel. A fully built one, IMO is a waste without something like 130lb braid with 100lb topshot. Not sure what drag set you put in but I recall Sal actually made 75 lbs on a 9/0 with some SS goodies-way more than any normal person can hold onto fishing standup in a bouncing boat.

Rods: chair or standup is really your main question here...if it were me I'd find a 6', 50-130 standup rod. Penn makes one in the International series that will look great with the black build. You can put it on a broomstick blank if you choose but I prefer some fast tip flex- works the fish and fun on a smaller fish with enough enough in the tank to go big. Of  course the brands offered above all have proven themselves. That said, last I recall you moved inland a far piece- so if youre not goingt to use the rig that often an $80 Billfisher may work just fine. My friends and I have several amongst the boats and beat on them pretty hard. I know Daron has at least one or more.

[Dominick]

Dominick we have a company trip to Cozumel on the other side of Mexico in May.  They did not consult with me on the optimum fishing times before scheduling the trip.   At least it's free!  More money to fish I say. 

Then you are looking good in May.  Check this calendar for Cozumel.  Dominick https://www.fishingcozumel.net/fishing-calendar.htm

[Jeffro]

Good looking build Andy.  I've got a medium fast 6.5' spiral wrap in the 60-100 lb range custom made locally.  I've used it once but didn't catch anything big enough to really put it to the test.  I'd love to get some feedback on it, you're welcome to try it out since I'm local to you.  I'll PM you with details if interested.

[Keta]

They did not consult with me on the optimum fishing times before scheduling the trip.

What were they thinking.

[mo65]

Awesome reel Andy!

[steelfish]

Rods: chair or standup is really your main question here...if it were me I'd find a 6', 50-130 standup rod. Penn makes one in the International series that will look great with the black build. You can put it on a broomstick blank if you choose but I prefer some fast tip flex- works the fish and fun on a smaller fish with enough enough in the tank to go big. Of  course the brands offered above all have proven themselves. That said, last I recall you moved inland a far piece- so if youre not goingt to use the rig that often an $80 Billfisher may work just fine. My friends and I have several amongst the boats and beat on them pretty hard. I know Daron has at least one or more.

I hate when guys recomended me expensive toys and now Im doing the same 
but that beast with Tom's plates and all the SS goodies inside deserve something similar in quiality and bling, if you have seen my lastest rod built it was a  Seeker composite 6" 60-130 line, so, without getting much technical the sweet spot is fishing it as 80-90lb rod, the blank is composite and the tip have a soft flex of the glass material, which will be enough to detect small fish or have a nice bend on big fish softer on your back, I build it thinking on using it with my two "big drag" reels, if I want to go "light" and use braid line I will be using my makaira 15 which is full of 100# braid mostly for abrasion purposes, the other reel I'll be using on that rod is a daiwa sealine 900H which is pretty similar in size to your penn 9/0, mine is stock only with the drag upgraded with alantani carbontex kit, on that reel (still no spool it) Im thinking on using 300yds of 100# braid as backing and fill it with 100# mono, but now I found a penn 12/0 and once finished will be on that rod too as well 100# braid as backing and the rest 130# mono.
Im not selling it, just giving you my opinion on a composite Seeker 6", a Calstar blank on the same specs 6" 60-130line is a monster of a blank, its lighter than the seeker but the recoil is harder (like extra fast action), I dont know if it will shine as trolling rod but I think it would be a great bait rod.
seeker has my vote as nice trolling rod.

[Dominick]

Good looking build Andy.  I've got a medium fast 6.5' spiral wrap in the 60-100 lb range custom made locally.  I've used it once but didn't catch anything big enough to really put it to the test.  I'd love to get some feedback on it, you're welcome to try it out since I'm local to you.  I'll PM you with details if interested.

Now that is a deal from the Ohana.  Go for it.  If you like it you can always buy one or something else if it is not to your liking.  Dominick

[steelhead_killer]

Thanks for everyone's feedback. 

Andy

[Darin Crofton]

Andy,
Great looking reel you built! Where did you get the handle arm from?
Thanks,
Darin