[day0ne]

it's just 2 half-hitches in a doubled line. they don't have to be on top of eachother, but you need to pull them into eachother when cinching. I cinch up from the loop
running the bottom knot into the top one. trim & burn the tag end
I was using this for drag testing. got to 40# without a knot pulling, & realized I should use it for fishing. Add a wind on, & the joint is almost unnoticeable

Bryan,
Your description doesn't sound like a surgeon's knot that I'm familiar with. I'd like a little more info or a picture, if possible. It almost sounds like two overhand knots. Really interested. Thanks.

 

[day0ne]

One thing I'm curious about that no one seemed to mention.. how long is the ride out to the fishing grounds? I saw capt matt say earlier that sometimes they only have 60-90 mins of bottom fishing, so does that mean a 9-10hr boat ride out? Just curious ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not usually. Depends on the floater fished. Perdido is a long ride as it is down by Mexico. The New Bucc travels 20-22 knots.

 

[day0ne]

Does anyone ever use electric reels? If so which ones and all that good stuff

Yes, I use a Tanacom 1000 and/or a Fish Winch

 

[day0ne]

What I remember about the Ranger 5 was the heated handrails (they pumped hot water through them), the seat belts and the no air conditioning. It obviously originally came from the Northeast before it came to Galveston. I only went on one trip on it and really don't remember if we even caught anything.

 

[day0ne]

I wouldn't go whit the tanacom 1000 the banax 1000 is much better reel and better support for it , daiwa just released a new version of the tanacom now is 1200 but is pretty much a copy between the banax 1000 and the 1500 , i own a daiwa tanacom 1000 and two banax a 1000 and a 1500 and the daiwa is just for backup, daiwa knew they under gun the tanacom 1000 and they try to get it in pair whit the banax 1000 but their new 1200 model looks to cheap made, from the plastic to the lever which is just a crappy piece of stamped metal it make the reel look cheap, plus tanacom are notorious to have problems whit their cables they just crap and if you don't have a replacement cable well that #2 weight will feel like #10 😂

I have a Tanacom 1200 and it is not a copy of any Banax and is made mostly of aluminum with some plastic in places it doesn't matter. Yes the stamped steel lever looks a little weird but it does the job. Just an FYI, the Tanacom 1000 and the Banax 1000 use basically the same cables. I've never had a cable problem but I always carry a spare anyway. Just common sense. I also have a Tanacom 1000 and and the only complaint I've had is with the drags. I replaced them with Carbontex and all is well. The Banax 1000 has a following and seems to be a good reel. The Banax 1500 is positioned as a swordfish reel is over twice the price of the Banax/Tanacom 1000. The Tanacom 1200 is just over half the 1500 price.

As for rods, I'm partial to bent butts and Pinnacle Marine Outfitters rods (I have three). I just received one of their Deep Drop 1000 rods and like it a lot. You can view them on The Hull Truth and they are made in San Antonio.

Pinnacle Marine Outfitters - Catalog - The Hull Truth - Boating and Fishing Forum

 

[day0ne]

I use these for bait cutting, etc:
Dexter Russell 3 1/4 Sani-Safe Net/Twine Knife - TackleDirect

For General use, I like:
Amazon.com : Morakniv Companion Fixed Blade Outdoor Knife with Sandvik Stainless Steel Blade, 4.1-Inch, Anthracite (Gray) : Sports & Outdoors
or
MORAKNIV COMPANION HEAVY DUTY KNIFE WITH STAINLESS STEEL FIXED 4.1" BLADE - Northwoods Wholesale Outlet (northwoodsoutlet.com)