Spinning for Bass

[Yakity - Yak - u.k.]

Captain cojones,

 

Sounds like you may know Exmouth,sniff ,dribble,cough

Look up my email would like to talk about Alicante.

Have you been out there long ??

 

Cheers

[Gareth.]

Originally posted by Gareth.:

loaded with 50lb Power-Pro braid.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

50-lb line? may as well just winch them in ?

Bit over kill isnt it?

quote:

---

---

Absolutely not. I am predominately a Pike lure angler. The 50lb Power-Pro gives me a good safety margin when fishing. It allows me to pull the hooks straight when a lure becomes snagged. I can also bully a fish in, which means that the fish will recover a lot faster making release a whole lot easier.

I used to use mono of 8lb for my Sea bass fishing. Until, when fishing a rock mark, between Tenby and Saundersfoot, an Octopus grabbed a well played out Sea Bas at the point of landing. I ended up loosing the Bass, the Lure and the Octopus.

For my Pike fishing I used 15lb Mono, suffering an average loss of 6 lures at £5 each per year. Since loading £25 worth of braid onto my main spinning reel, I have lost one lure of £8 value, but have recovered close to £350 worth of lures lost by other anglers.

Although my favourite lure to use is a 1/2 ounce spinnerbait, I often fish lures of around the 60 and 70 gram mark. The forces generated during a cast could easily crack off a braid with a breaking strain lower than 50lbs. Remember that braid has virtually no stretch and therefore no shock absorbing qualities. Mono can stretch up to 25 % or more giving you that shock absorbing effect.

The intense feeling of playing and bullying in a hard fighting Sea Bass on braid, which subsequently recovers a lot faster. More than compensates for completely playing out a fish on a mushy feeling, stretchy mono. After the Octopus incident, I am certain that many a good Sea Bass is lost to other predators on release. A totally knackered Sea Bass is going to need more than the couple minutes normally given to them to recover.

The 50lb Power-Pro gives me that edge.

[Yakity - Yak - u.k.]

That Octopus sounds like a right mean son of a gun.I can see now why you use the 50lb braid.

Scarey stuff.

[Dan]

Gareth

No problem with braid, nor the need for a shock leader but 50lb main line? to me the margin of saftey is a pretty big margin, whether fishing for bass or pike. I dont mind saying that I'm a light line fisherman (not that i'd have used 8lb line on a rocky mark!

Yeah I lose a few fish and the occasional lure, but I dont do a cost of benefit analysis before I fish, if I did I'd never go out! and the risk is part of the sport, well it is for me. I also take the barbs off the trebles to make releasing much easier on the fish.

 

Doesnt a hard pull in stand more chance of causing more injury? ripping the fishes mouth?

 

I guess if you release them all then its up to you but I dont and like to give the fish a fighting chance. Still each to his (or her) own!

 

Yakity: Didnt make it out too cold wet and windy yesterday, thought about this evening but too much to do and the weather is getting better or so they say! heres hoping, and hoping youre feeling better soon.

 

Dan

[Leon Roskilly]

Forget breaking strain, it's line diameter that is important.

 

Select the right diameter for the job (distance to cast, ability to take the strain of repeated casting of heavy lures, resistance to/liklihood of abrasion etc)

 

 

What's sporting about risking losing a fish towing metres of line to entangle other wildlife?

 

If I lose a fish because the line has parted, I take it as an effront to my angling skill, and my responsibility to the fish that I've hooked.

 

Tight Lines - leon

[Yakity - Yak - u.k.]

Hi Leon,

 

On a personal note,the heaviest lure I cast is 40grm. I find that 10lb main line copes very well.

However casting heavey lures would need a bigger diameter,I would have a leader about 4 ft on the end of it,to prevent yards of line being lost on a break off.

I use a 8lb leader on the 10lb,touch wood never had a problem yet.

Lure fishing,I feel is about finesse,not thrashing about the place,but thats just my oppinion.depends on the type of fishing you do, I suppose.

Each to thier own and all that.

[Yakity - Yak - u.k.]

Hi Dan,

 

Cold is getting better now,.....only useing one bog roll a nite,....to wipe NOSE

[Dan]

I dont think I disagree with comments about crack offs, diameters etc, but no one will convince me that theres much sport in winching in a fish on 50lb line. As an ex wreck fisherman I know the difference between pulling in a 20lb pollack on 50lb gear and doing the same on 20 or 15lb gear. I know what I prefer!! I make sure I use bronzed barbless hooks so if I lose the lure to the fish (pretty rare) it will lose it within 24hrs, or so Ive been told, If get snagged then I motor over the lure and pull in the opposite direction, dont know why but it comes free 90% of the times, its a trick an older and wiser angler taught me. Last summer I think I lost 2 tobys, one when the line got caught around the end of the rod, my fault I know! and one in the rocks. So there you are, but the beauty of angling is that there are so many ways of approaching the sport, and if thats what you like its not for me to criticise but its not for me. What is impressive is that technology has advanced so that we can fish with 50lb line I dont think you'd have so much sucess with mono!! But think how much further you could cast with 25lb braid! and I'm pretty damn sure you'll never bust it, like I said tie your rod to a spring balance and see what pressure you can put on, I bet you wont get over 10lbs. Incidentially how does braid fare on fixed spool reels? does it kink when it gwets twisted?

 

Dan

[Newt]

Dan - I'm a powerpro user and either 30 or 50lb.

 

I use it on both fixed and multiplier reels and no problems on either.

 

As to playing the fish - I use fairly limber rods so have full fun with a fish on and can't really wench them in, even assuming I wanted to.

 

The time I really love the extra line strength is when a lure is hung though. Point the rod toward the lure, take a few wraps of line around a smooth stick, and pull until something gives way. Usually it's a hook.

 

Recently I've taken to replacing the hook holding rings on my expensive lures with tungsten rings that will open at around 30lbs of pressure (which you can get pulling 50lb line for a break) and then spring back into their original position. I am then just out the cost of a hook.

 

I agree that using a stiff rod with heavy line would remove lots of the fun from catching but but I don't see the issue with strong line and a suitable action rod.

 

As to your casting distance thing, with a light lure I agree that 25-30 lb braid will allow more casting distance than 50lb but with a lure of 3/4 oz and above I don't think there is much difference and with any of an ounce or over, no difference at all for me. Maybe an expert caster who was trying for maximum distance would get more with the lighter line but in day-to-day fishing, I just don't notice any difference. My lure reels are about the size of the Abu 5500s.

[spasor]

Newt.

Our national record is only a tad over 19lbs!

Don`t you think 30-50lb line is a little over the top?

I think 20lb line would be the most we`d need to use over here. If we`re bass fishing there`s unlikely to be another monster predator in the region.

Unless we have to cast out to a rock off the beach, the bass are most probably within spiting distance.

Dave. I use a 9ft 6ins spinning rod with a small f/s reel loaded with 14lb line. I use anything from floating rapalas to lightish tobies.

Depending on the bottom.