520lber caught!

[stan4massey]

Scopex,

 

simple, try it against a spring balance. Bend the rod to optimum curvature, i.e. tip 90 degrees to the butt and have someone read the balance. Any more than 90 degrees and you gain very little if anything, and on some rods you lose power.

[Scopex]

stan4massey:

Scopex,

 

simple, try it against a spring balance. Bend the rod to optimum curvature, i.e. tip 90 degrees to the butt and have someone read the balance. Any more than 90 degrees and you gain very little if anything, and on some rods you lose power.

Interesting point Stan, sorry I can't be that scientific as my spring balance is still on the boat. But have just tried lifting my lead bag with my jerkbait setup and it weighs 9lb 15ozand it did so no probs, rod went round to about 90 degree, had to lock my finger on the spool to stop the clutch from slipping (Abu 6501) but no probs nothing snapped!

[stan4massey]

Scopex,

 

rod would probably lift a good bit more than that but not 80lb. A rod can lift a considerable weight but that`s a totally different excercise from putting pressure on a fish in relation to the line test being used. When you simply lift something the rod is under a variety of stresses, tensile on one side of the blank and compressive on the opposite axis along with elongation and microscopic separation of the resins and fibres. Up to the tensile sheer point it will continue lifting and more importantly elongating beyond its design criteria if you add more weights. Pulling against a fish on the other hand whilst the same tensile and compressive stresses act on the blank (and assuming the tackle is balanced) the blank does not elongate. That is all that is happening when you lift a load.

 

Pulling to optimum curvature against a balance gives you a guide to setting up balanced tackle.

Sure you are familiar with the Test Curve of a rod. A pike, salmon, carp rod etc will in a lot of cases show a test curve, i.e. the optimum pressure that rod will apply when used correctly.

There are a number of ways to ascertain the test curve but the most common method by UK manufacturers is to have the rod at 45 degrees.

Line is threaded through the guides and taken app.18-25ft (depends on rod length) away to ground level. Pressure is applied via a spring balance and when the rod tip is pointing to wards the bal;ance and the line a continuation of the tip the reading on the balance is your test curve. By setting up your reel drag to allow line to be given just below the test curve you are using balanced tackle and few fish will break you if its tackle intended for that species. (I dont suggest a 5 weight fly rod against a 1000lb marlin) Give me your snatch rod, if the tackles balanced you can tie it to your car and do wheelies if you want, you wont break me off, (until the line runs out obviously). Thats basically why fish weighing hundreds of pounds can be landed on comparatively light gear as long as it`s set up and balanced properly and the more the line goes out the more the drag automatically increases by as much as 50%. If as you say you have straightened trebles

on snags with your rod then I assume you had the rod aimed straight through to the snag, not bent, i.e. pulling against the reel or your thumb, not against the rod. If you did`nt on the other hand and bent into the snag to break out then you really need to think how you treat your gear.

[jabee]

We discussed this on this forum once before, I suggested another poster set up his rod and pull against a spring balance with the rod locked up. I said he would be surprised how little pressure he was applying with relatively heavy gear (30lb if I remember correctly), although he never replied.

[jabee]

Bt the way, when testing this out, do so using a comfortable grip and position, as you would do when fishing.

[stan4massey]

Jabee,

 

your right, a lot of people would be surprised how little pressure they exert as it is being transferred through a lever and fulcrum effect. On a chair rod of 30lb you would be pulling around 2/3rds of the line test, i.e. 18-20lb max. On a stand up of 30lb around 1/2 the line test i.e. 12 -15lb. Length of the rod is also a onsideration. On a standard UK type boat rod of 30lb and a length of say 7ft 6inch to 8ft a pull by the angler on the grip of around say 20lb will exert a pressure of about 6lb on the fish. A 5ft 6inch stand up for the same amount of pressure by the angler, i.e. 20lb will exert around 15lb. Long rod = advantage to the fish, short rod = advantage to the angler. Conversly the longer rod will lift a bit more line for a given up-stroke than a short rod but the advantage still stays with the fish on long rods, lengthens the fight and causes more stress and harm to the fish and a lot more exhaustion to the angler. Obviously everyone is different and personal preferences apply and override the simple calculations but take a heavy bottom dweller such as a big grouper, heavy conger etc. Assume 350ft down. Given an angler applying the exact same pressure on a long rod it can take possibly 20-30mins, on the short rod probably no more than 8 or 10 mins if that.

[Ian Burrett]

Quote from Stan4 massey

 

. There is nor never has been a commercial blue shark fishery so anglers wiped them out, that simple.

........................................

 

Wrong again Stan

A Japanese longliner in 2002 working off the southern Ireland sector strayed into Irish waters and was impounded, They found 79 thousand Blue shark fins in the hold. No bodies, just fins. This was one vessell of a fleet of six.

 

How many anglers would it take to catch that lot?

[Ian Burrett]

jabee:

We discussed this on this forum once before, I suggested another poster set up his rod and pull against a spring balance with the rod locked up. I said he would be surprised how little pressure he was applying with relatively heavy gear (30lb if I remember correctly), although he never replied.

Hi Jabee

I was testing line with 50 pound gear full harness etc. The maximum force i could put on was 28 lb

[stan4massey]

Ian,

hands up on that one, know nothing about it but I was actually referring to the decline in the English Channel areas in the 70`s and 80`s. Should have explained myself better. I doubt if that longliner was working the Channel, more likely the Porcupine or close by. However I stand corrected for my error.

[Ian Burrett]

It was probably the same stock of fish as you know they are migratory.

 

You add it up 6 vessells comes to nearly half a million fins. I wonder how many fins they take of each fish eg. anal fins

 

Apparently thay have been operating their for a few years so god knows how many fish thye have taken total.

 

I don't believe angling pressure alone could wipe out such stocks.