I am planning a rocky point fishing trip the end of February and my concern is my gear . I bought a couple heavy spinning rods that I haven't spooled up yet so what pound test line can I get away with using? To heavy I can't get the yards on my reels to light and you worry about breaking off. Monofilament or braid ? 30# to 100# what do you suggest.
Big Boy Trip!
Started by Scotfish · Jan 11, 2018 · 28 replies
definitely braid. what are you going to be fishing for? if you are fishing for 100 lb grouper you will want to go heavier, 60 lb or more (is your spinning reel good for a 100 lb grouper?). if you are targeting 20 lb yellowtail than you could get away with 30 lb.
I think the guy that caught the 420 lb yellow fin tuna this week in Loreto caught it on 50 lb mono.
I think the guy that caught the 420 lb yellow fin tuna this week in Loreto caught it on 50 lb mono.
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SunDevil said:definitely braid. what are you going to be fishing for? if you are fishing for 100 lb grouper you will want to go heavier, 60 lb or more (is your spinning reel good for a 100 lb grouper?). if you are targeting 20 lb yellowtail than you could get away with 30 lb.
I think the guy that caught the 420 lb yellow fin tuna this week in Loreto caught it on 50 lb mono.
Scotfish, Tom in Lobos would be a good charter for you.My friend Matt went out with him on his new boat ( Ted's old center console one) and they caught a lot of fish Saturday.
I just switched all my salt water rigs to braided this year. I have a 25lb rig and a 40 lb rig (with 25lb mono leader). The braid makes a huge difference over mono. Mono was not as responsive in deeper water. Plus the braid is less in diameter.
I'm with Jerry - Fish Lobos!
I'm with Jerry - Fish Lobos!
Thanks for your responses! The reels I have holds 240 yards of 30# monofilament line so I should be fine with 80# braid and on this trip you can expect to catch grouper from 30 to 100 pounds,black seabass up to 100 pounds and hopefully some white seabass from 20 to 45 pounds. Thanks for the information and will definitely post pictures and info of my trip.
I think the guy that caught the 420 lb yellow fin tuna this week in Loreto caught it on 50 lb mono.[/QUOTE said:
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I have no business telling anyone how to fish saltwater on this forum, considering the expertise here, but I'll say what little I'm sure of. Braid, and only braid, should be used for shorecasting because you'll get significantly more distance. Braid also gives crispier hookups when bottom fishing.
Aside from that, I hear a lot of arguing about braid vs. mono. I troll with braid but learned the hard way to tie on 8-10 feet of mono leader to absorb the shock of a big fish hitting while the boat's moving. I think a lot of people do that.
One guy I know believes braid cuts too easily on rocks. I don't have an opinion about that, but if true it could be a big deal because groupers like to head for the rocks when hooked.
If you get a birds nest in your reel, you'll wish you were fishing mono. It's great having the additional yards braid gives you, but you will probably need that extra line if you have to cut out a birds nest.
Aside from that, I hear a lot of arguing about braid vs. mono. I troll with braid but learned the hard way to tie on 8-10 feet of mono leader to absorb the shock of a big fish hitting while the boat's moving. I think a lot of people do that.
One guy I know believes braid cuts too easily on rocks. I don't have an opinion about that, but if true it could be a big deal because groupers like to head for the rocks when hooked.
If you get a birds nest in your reel, you'll wish you were fishing mono. It's great having the additional yards braid gives you, but you will probably need that extra line if you have to cut out a birds nest.
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I am 70 and weigh 110. How in blazes could I ever catch a fish that big.
+1 for a 6 - 10 foot mono leader. I left that out but is a great practice
I always used braid with a mono leader. I once was on a wreck and the local cuda would always bite the mono baited line then of course it would break. I loaded up a braided with a crab, he wouldnt go near it. It was hilarious.
marybna said:I am 70 and weigh 110. How in blazes could I ever catch a fish that big.
Put the harness on you, you'd be fine. :puff2:
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Scotfish said:Thanks for your responses! The reels I have holds 240 yards of 30# monofilament line so I should be fine with 80# braid and on this trip you can expect to catch grouper from 30 to 100 pounds,black seabass up to 100 pounds and hopefully some white seabass from 20 to 45 pounds. Thanks for the information and will definitely post pictures and info of my trip.
Scotfish
Will you be fishing on a friend's boat or a charter and launching from Cholla or Penasco? I have caught a lot of grouper and whites around March 1st. It is a good time to fish, both with jigs and live bait. You should have no problem landing white or black seabass on spinning gear with 80lb braid, but grouper over 30lbs are another story. I usually use a 150lb mono topshot as my light setup. It is a trade off, because the whites are often "line shy". I have lost countless grouper using 100lb topshot or straight braid. The top shot is needed for abrasion resistance. Good luck, maybe we'll see you out there.
Shawno
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Shawno said:Scotfish
Will you be fishing on a friend's boat or a charter and launching from Cholla or Penasco? I have caught a lot of grouper and whites around March 1st. It is a good time to fish, both with jigs and live bait. You should have no problem landing white or black seabass on spinning gear with 80lb braid, but grouper over 30lbs are another story. I usually use a 150lb mono topshot as my light setup. It is a trade off, because the whites are often "line shy". I have lost countless grouper using 100lb topshot or straight braid. The top shot is needed for abrasion resistance. Good luck, maybe we'll see you out there.
Shawno
150lb mono dam! I wish I could pick and choose what hits my line.Iam gonna do my best with what I have with 80lb braid on one and 100lb on the other and I really would like to get into some white seabass!
White seabass go nuts for live macs or fresh dead sardines. If you can't find good bait, try 8 to 16 oz blue or silver jigs that mimic them.
Shawno
Shawno
Or deep diving spoonbills.
I never use anything heavier than 20 pound mono when trolling. I tie the mono directly to the lure, no swivels, quick clips or any other type of silly over-pitched over-priced terminal tackle. I catch plenty of 5, 10, 15, 20 pound groupers and even 40 to 70 pound White Seabass on 20 pound mono. Aren't we (sport fishing)??? Sure I might loose one or two fish and a few lures but give em a break, make it a challenge, it's you against the fish for gods sake. How about dropping a stick of dynamite down on the hapless shits then harpoon them with braided steel winch cable when they surface with their bladders and eyeballs blown out.
After each catch it is quite simple to run your finger along the mono to the lure, if you feel any rough spots just cut the mono and retie the lure.
Last Saturday I got spooled just off of Cedo in seven feet of water by something grand. By the time I slowed the boat he was long gone with a brand new Rebel Jointed Fast Track deep diving spoonbill and 250 feet of line in his jaw.
JJ
I never use anything heavier than 20 pound mono when trolling. I tie the mono directly to the lure, no swivels, quick clips or any other type of silly over-pitched over-priced terminal tackle. I catch plenty of 5, 10, 15, 20 pound groupers and even 40 to 70 pound White Seabass on 20 pound mono. Aren't we (sport fishing)??? Sure I might loose one or two fish and a few lures but give em a break, make it a challenge, it's you against the fish for gods sake. How about dropping a stick of dynamite down on the hapless shits then harpoon them with braided steel winch cable when they surface with their bladders and eyeballs blown out.
After each catch it is quite simple to run your finger along the mono to the lure, if you feel any rough spots just cut the mono and retie the lure.
Last Saturday I got spooled just off of Cedo in seven feet of water by something grand. By the time I slowed the boat he was long gone with a brand new Rebel Jointed Fast Track deep diving spoonbill and 250 feet of line in his jaw.
JJ
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This has been an eye-opener for me. I've been using 80 lb braid with 10 feet of 80 lb mono leader and a 115 lb Shellure swivel pulling the lure. I'd assumed I was ready for a 100 lb grouper with that rig. Sounds like I need to beef it up in case a big one hits. And if I understand topshotting correctly, the mono is more than just a leader. Sounds like you're basically fishing with mono and using braid only as backing.
Do others here feel that braid is too susceptible to being cut on rocks? Is that the reason for using so much mono?
Do others here feel that braid is too susceptible to being cut on rocks? Is that the reason for using so much mono?
6' to 10' of mono top shot is all you need
I guess if you can survive that first big run and keep them away from the rocks from that point on lighter line will do.The heavier line helps when they rock up then your dealing with the fish and abrasion.
Jungle Jim said:Or deep diving spoonbills.
I never use anything heavier than 20 pound mono when trolling. I tie the mono directly to the lure, no swivels, quick clips or any other type of silly over-pitched over-priced terminal tackle. I catch plenty of 5, 10, 15, 20 pound groupers and even 40 to 70 pound White Seabass on 20 pound mono. Aren't we (sport fishing)??? Sure I might loose one or two fish and a few lures but give em a break, make it a challenge, it's you against the fish for gods sake. How about dropping a stick of dynamite down on the hapless shits then harpoon them with braided steel winch cable when they surface with their bladders and eyeballs blown out.
After each catch it is quite simple to run your finger along the mono to the lure, if you feel any rough spots just cut the mono and retie the lure.
Last Saturday I got spooled just off of Cedo in seven feet of water by something grand. By the time I slowed the boat he was long gone with a brand new Rebel Jointed Fast Track deep diving spoonbill and 250 feet of line in his jaw.
JJ
Much respect to those who can catch big fish on 20lb line.
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I guess it's time to unveil a little secret or two.................
When I mentioned 20 pound mono I was not referring to the over the shelf shit at WalMart.
I always haul ten or fifteen conventional rod and reel setups for two basic trolling scenarios, inshore and offshore, with four spinning setups just in case I find an active bait ball to pitch spoons into.
My inshore trolling gear is light with 20 pound test and offshore gear medium with 40 pound test. For inshore action I use the smallest level wind reels like the Shimano Corsairs and load them up with 20 pound moss green P-Line CXXG co-polymer line. This line has super knot strength and almost no stretch. I've never had a knot break at the lure and the instant a fish takes the trolled lure it's hooked solid. I deliberately drag and bounce my lures over rocks and this line never gets roughed up. As I said above, every time I reel in, I run my fingers down the last six feet to the knot at the lure. If I feel any roughness I cut off six feet and retie the lure. The moss green is invisible in our mostly murky inshore waters. I never use any type of terminal tackle as that junk always interferes with the designed action of the lure. I buy the 3000 yard spools and strip and replace the stuff on every reel at least twice a year.
I spend hours testing my deep diving lures to determine how they run at different speeds and how they track, left or right. I usually pull three at a time while inshore with the outside rigs running with seventy five feet out and the center transom rig short at about fifty feet. I try to run as fast as the lures will stay submerged in order to foil the Trigger Fish and smaller Cabrillas. The smaller Groupers can bolt off the bottom and swallow a lure with incredible speed often time swallowing a small Cabrilla already hooked with the lure in it's mouth.
On Sunday afternoon we were at JJ's Cantina eating delicious fish tacos and slurping down TKS and vodka a los rockas when we spotted a solitary Vaquita Porpoise no more than seventy five feet out in three feet of water slowly working west with two Brown Pelicans following him. Not ONE drunk at JJ's spotted it, although a group of six kids on kayaks tried in vain to keep up with him.
Tight lines and BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODY decks!
JJ
When I mentioned 20 pound mono I was not referring to the over the shelf shit at WalMart.
I always haul ten or fifteen conventional rod and reel setups for two basic trolling scenarios, inshore and offshore, with four spinning setups just in case I find an active bait ball to pitch spoons into.
My inshore trolling gear is light with 20 pound test and offshore gear medium with 40 pound test. For inshore action I use the smallest level wind reels like the Shimano Corsairs and load them up with 20 pound moss green P-Line CXXG co-polymer line. This line has super knot strength and almost no stretch. I've never had a knot break at the lure and the instant a fish takes the trolled lure it's hooked solid. I deliberately drag and bounce my lures over rocks and this line never gets roughed up. As I said above, every time I reel in, I run my fingers down the last six feet to the knot at the lure. If I feel any roughness I cut off six feet and retie the lure. The moss green is invisible in our mostly murky inshore waters. I never use any type of terminal tackle as that junk always interferes with the designed action of the lure. I buy the 3000 yard spools and strip and replace the stuff on every reel at least twice a year.
I spend hours testing my deep diving lures to determine how they run at different speeds and how they track, left or right. I usually pull three at a time while inshore with the outside rigs running with seventy five feet out and the center transom rig short at about fifty feet. I try to run as fast as the lures will stay submerged in order to foil the Trigger Fish and smaller Cabrillas. The smaller Groupers can bolt off the bottom and swallow a lure with incredible speed often time swallowing a small Cabrilla already hooked with the lure in it's mouth.
On Sunday afternoon we were at JJ's Cantina eating delicious fish tacos and slurping down TKS and vodka a los rockas when we spotted a solitary Vaquita Porpoise no more than seventy five feet out in three feet of water slowly working west with two Brown Pelicans following him. Not ONE drunk at JJ's spotted it, although a group of six kids on kayaks tried in vain to keep up with him.
Tight lines and BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODY decks!
JJ
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I have never had an answer to the question of drag on the reel. I use 28 lb drag Spheros reels and 90 lb braid with 130 lb 30 ft long mono on a 50 to 80 lb poll.
It seems to me that a low drag rating would lead to spooling do to lack of control. I also use smaller setups inshore for the smaller stuff. 15 to 30 lb pole 30 lb braid 40 lb mono and another lighter rig
Comments on drag relations to setup
It seems to me that a low drag rating would lead to spooling do to lack of control. I also use smaller setups inshore for the smaller stuff. 15 to 30 lb pole 30 lb braid 40 lb mono and another lighter rig
Comments on drag relations to setup
https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/700-1000-black-marlin-caught-on-the-go-fish.676368/
700 lb black marlin on 30 lb line
700 lb black marlin on 30 lb line
It ain't "caught" till it's on the deck!
I had a several hundred pound Black Marlin pull me and my beach launched sixteen foot skiff around for almost five hours once. I never gained an inch on the fish and it was pulling me out to sea so I cut the 150 lb. line.
Eastern Pacific Ocean, Fort Kobbe Panama 1984.
No drag: the line will spool until it's all out and snaps off at the reel. Too much drag: the line will snap off between the lure and the reel. Correct drag: somewhere in between no and too much.
JJ
I had a several hundred pound Black Marlin pull me and my beach launched sixteen foot skiff around for almost five hours once. I never gained an inch on the fish and it was pulling me out to sea so I cut the 150 lb. line.
Eastern Pacific Ocean, Fort Kobbe Panama 1984.
No drag: the line will spool until it's all out and snaps off at the reel. Too much drag: the line will snap off between the lure and the reel. Correct drag: somewhere in between no and too much.
JJ
Shawno said:Scotfish
Will you be fishing on a friend's boat or a charter and launching from Cholla or Penasco? I have caught a lot of grouper and whites around March 1st. It is a good time to fish, both with jigs and live bait. You should have no problem landing white or black seabass on spinning gear with 80lb braid, but grouper over 30lbs are another story. I usually use a 150lb mono topshot as my light setup. It is a trade off, because the whites are often "line shy". I have lost countless grouper using 100lb topshot or straight braid. The top shot is needed for abrasion resistance. Good luck, maybe we'll see you out there.
Shawno
Hey Shawno I am two weeks out until my rocky point trip now I know the grouper holds pretty close to the bottom but what about the white seabass are they as deep ? If I could I would really like to catch at least one of them! Do you tip your jigs with bait and will they hit whole dead baits like macks or squids
I've caught plenty of white seabass on just squid. Depends on how deep your fishing and where. Only problem is the gold spots will glom it the second it hits the bottom. We've even used big strips of Humboldt squid that we've caught when they're around. The whites love it!
Scotfish said:Hey Shawno I am two weeks out until my rocky point trip now I know the grouper holds pretty close to the bottom but what about the white seabass are they as deep ? If I could I would really like to catch at least one of them! Do you tip your jigs with bait and will they hit whole dead baits like macks or squids
I don't recommend squid. It works, but small fish will rob you. Try to catch live mackerel with sabiki rigs. We found macs last weekend at 10 miles out. If you don't have live macs, live baracuda or whole dead sardines are good too. I usually spend at least an hour searching for good bait.
I make bottom rigs with the 3-way swivel about 3' from the sinker. Whites are usually suspended a few feet above the bottom. I would use 100lb fluoro for the hook leader, but that will be too light for a big grouper.
Tipping jigs with a piece of squid works great. All of the whites we've caught since Thanksgiving have been on live bait. They haven't been interested in jigs yet.
Photos of the 3 big whites we caught last Friday.
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Shawno said:I don't recommend squid. It works, but small fish will rob you. Try to catch live mackerel with sabiki rigs. We found macs last weekend at 10 miles out. If you don't have live macs, live baracuda or whole dead sardines are good too. I usually spend at least an hour searching for good bait.
I make bottom rigs with the 3-way swivel about 3' from the sinker. Whites are usually suspended a few feet above the bottom. I would use 100lb fluoro for the hook leader, but that will be too light for a big grouper.
Tipping jigs with a piece of squid works great. All of the whites we've caught since Thanksgiving have been on live bait. They haven't been interested in jigs yet.
Shawn well knows my old favorite adage -- "We gonna make bait or are we gonna go fish?" Hahahaha! Like Shawn, I'd always spend time trying to get a bunch of good macks in the livewell (or fresh dead sardines in a bucket with ice). I'd always have a couple of boxes of California candy squid as a back up plan because some days, we'd spend too much time dicking around trying to find the bait. It's great when you can get right on the bait and have three guys going with sabikis while one unhooks and fills the tank. All the big fish love the live mackerel, even fresh cut dead usually works.
Have a great trip and good luck!!
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