its a long way off..... pt. 2

the only thing that connects you to that fish is the line LOL. Thats where i usually invest.

IMO i would say to spool the LX with japanese colored braid, this will accomplish two things.

1. you will get deep quick with PE5 or 6 but get maximm breaking strength
2. You will eliminate the need to get a line counter. The line changes color every 33 feet and it is easy to read and is available at Anglers Pro shop.

 

An easy knot for joining spectra to mono is the stren knot. An improved clinch knot on the spectra side and a uniknot on the mono side. Just google stren knot and you'll find sites explaining it.

 

Here is my standard set up. Starting with my braided line I tie a spider hitch knot. I cant tie knots but I can make this with ease. It basically makes a loop like the bimini but its simple to tie and second only to the bimini in strength. Then I use a wind on leader that is simple to connect via a loop to loop connection.

It is simple and strong

 

Oso: Not trying to hijack your thread, but if you don't mind, I will throw in a question to gman:

Is your experience with the Ultra Jigman line? I am considering mortgaging my house. My thoughts are to get 300 yards of it and put 150 each on two reels, backed by 100 pound JB solid, joined with Biminis. Your thoughts? Or do you spool up the whole reel with it?

Does the stuff really have appreciably better breaking strength than American braid of the same diameter, in your judgment?

Thanks,

Russ

 

Uncle Russ,

Don't be cheap on your line purchase. It's the only thing between your rod tip and the fish. Don't settle for junky line. Just fill it up with good stuff. Don't make joints in the middle of the spool if possible. Ultra Jigman is good stuff. It's not that expensive compared to Blackwater. Have you priced Blackwater. You might have to get a second mortgage to fill all your reels with that stuff.

I think I read where you are a lawyer. You can afford it. At 300 bucks an hour, just pad the hours like all other lawyers. A couple of months ago, I traded my lawyer an Accurate Twinspin for his time. He thought it was a good deal until he spent 11 hours on my work. It feels good to stiff a lawyer.

 

Like i said earlier and what Mr Bill agreed on is the line is the important thing. The reel is only as good as the line that connects you. I have several friends who put tuffline and then connect it to colored line and my thoughts on that are smple...

anytime there is a connection there is a chance it will fail. I would rater spend the $180 dollars on a full spool and not worrying if my knot is good. I always use a loop to loop connection to a wind on or a palomar to a swivel

The YKG line is very thin and soft, much softer than anything I have ever felt therefore you can pack on the line. The PE6 breaks at 86lbs which is great. hope this helps. the last thing i want after investing 600 in a reel being connected to a trophy fish is the knot or line breaking

hope this helps

 

Gentlemen: I know what you mean. Hell's Bells. I've put a bunch of money into Accurates and Stellas and Calstars and Smith's--even bought a couple a them $50 poppers from Randy. So why whine about a little Jigman, especially given a few experiences with how Tuffline dug in on my 665 (although that was probably the fault of the machine loading, it sure looked ugley) and some really disappointing break tests I've had on 80 pound power pro.

Age old question: How many turns do you guys use on your Biminis with the PE line?

At this point I have JB 130 hollow on my 50W, 50 pound JB solid on both spools of the Stella 8K, and really only need to figure out what to put on the 665 2-speed, (if Accurate ever sends me a new one to replace the one I broke somehow), and on the Stella 20K and the Twinspin. I won't be able to cough up enough for Jigman on all of them, but I think I'll go with a couple--say PE6 and PE8 on the two Twinspin spools--I'll use them on the Calstar 700XH spinner and rip the lips off 300 pound yellowfin.

MrBill: You are part right--I used to be a lawyer. But I hated it and went back to working with databases for your friendly Federal government--left the millions behind, but never looked back and don't whine about being broke. (Well not too much.) There are some fine folks out there in the practice--but it kind of reminds me of the doctor, the lawyer, and the government employee who were bragging about which of their dogs was smartest. The doctor called his dog: "Stethascope!" The dog ran into the room with a bag of Kibbles and Bits and poured a big pile out on the floor. The lawyer laughed out loud and called out: "Hey, Justice Ginsberg! Come here, Girl!" The dog came running into the room, put her nose down, and divided the food into 3 exactly equal piles--one for each dog. Finally, the government employee whistled: "Come here Coffee Break. Do your thing." The dog walked very slowly into the room, scratched itself all over for about 10 minutes, then, quick as a wink, ate all three piles of dog food, screwed the other two dogs, and took the rest of the day off.

Russ

 

I got 525 yards of jigman PE6 on my 665 2 speed and I dont use a bimini at all, i cant tie the friggin knot if I tried. Thsi is what I use it tests at over 85% of the line strength

 

Russ,

That was a very funny joke. If you can't tie the Bimini and don't have confidence in it, then do something you feel comfortable tying. If you can tie a uniknot, then practice the uni to uni and master it. It is fast and probably a 85% knot done correctly. That knot gman shows above looks very simple. Give it a try.

As far as turns to use in a Bimini, everybody has their own opinion. Some swear it takes 30 to 40 turns. I used to do 30 turns until I read that article about the 12 turn Bimini.

A month ago, I cut some 65 pound power pro into 8 foot lengths. I tied a 12 turn on both ends . I then hung one end on a lag bolt that had been run into a mesquite tree. I then hung a 50 pound dumbbell on the other end and gave it a push. I made 25 of these and not one broke. I could be the way I finish the Bimini, but I'm confident and see no reason to do more turns. I did apply glue to each knot after tying. I let it dry for a few minutes before testing.

Since you gave me a little humor in the above post. Here's one for you.

 

Damn.....don't show that pic to her girlfriend.....she might like it!

 

gman: We humans sure are funny critters. I can tie a Bimini with my eyes closed, but couldn't tie that damned thing if eternity were staring me in the face.
MrBill: That pays me back big time. That may qualify as the funniest photoshopping I've ever seen. As I told gman, I have loads of confidence in my Bimini--just keep hearing horror stories about every possible number of turns. I have tested 50 pound JB and it was fine. Have not tested the 65, although I will get around to it, but 80 kept breaking at under half strength--but get this: it always broke either at the top of the knot (where the main line enters the twist,) as you would expect--OR above that, on the line. So I may have some defective line--but it was never fished.

Anyway, I just ordered 300 meters each of Jigman PE4, PE5, PE6, and PE8. I'm going to line my reels as follows:

ATD 50W/Calstar 7465H: JB 130 Hollow
665 2 Speed/Calstar 760H: 130 Hollow (I know this is overkill--the reel may not hold over 250 yards-- and something really big may spool me, but if he does, he deserves to go free.)
Twinspin 30/Calstar 700H: Spool 1: PE8/Spool 2: 80 pound Tuffline (because I own it and am now broke!)
Stella 20K/Calstar 700H: Spool 1: PE6/Spool 2: 65 pound Power Pro
Stella 8K/Smith Ltd 80P/35: Spool 1: PE5/Spool 1: 50 pound JB solid
Stella 5K/Smith Ltd 70MH: Spool 1: PE4/Spool 2: 40 pound Stren Super Braid

Now I need poppers and jigs from OTI, and after that, if I can't catch 'em now, I don't deserve to go out. The good part is that after a year of buying tackle, I will finally get to go out--Venice in July and the Big E in September.

In the meantime, on the subject of expenditures, I have been listening a lot to Hillary Clinton, Borak Obama, and John Edwards, and I do not any longer believe in personal responsibility. So when they come to take my furniture, I'm going to blame gman and MrBill. Cheers.

Uncle Russ

 

Dont blame me, Im in my own tackle debt. How do you like the adt50w

 

The embarrassing truth is that I have had it for six months and have never used it. But I knew that going in. I will be retiring in a couple of years and my wife and I will be building a house in Rockport. I decided to do all my tackle research now, and buy the good stuff so I don't have to when I retire on social security and sit out on State Highway 35 with a sign saying "Will work for terminal tackle." I bought it from one of the folks on the board here, through T.J. and it is pristine. Puts out 61 pounds drag at max setting, which is a little low for a 50W, but doesn't bother me one bit, since I am a tottering, frail, little old man. I have no doubt I am going to love the reel. I only wish I had ponied up for the ATD 12 when it was available, but I had grown kind of fond of eating that month. Priorities are a b1tch, aren't they? I have been a bay fisherman all my life and have wandered offshore just enough to be dangerous. However, I have been learning so much from you folks on this board that I will never be able to repay the debt. Now to put the theory into practice.

Speaking of lawyers (and payback being another b1tch) what do you guys think about that trial lawyer (Personal Injury specialty, I understand, although that could be wrong,) who flew all over the known western world with drug-resistant tuberculosis. I can hear the cross-examination even as I type:

"Now is it or is it not true, Mr. XXXXX, that when you boarded the plane in Rome, you knew or had reason to know that you were infected with a rare and difficult to treat form of tuberculosis, and that, in fact, Sir, you had a duty to the passengers on that plane, and that you violated that duty by exposing them to the disease you carried?" (Now all you lawyers will point out that the existence vel non, of the duty, is a question of law and not of fact, but what the hell, you get the picture.) I just love Karma.

Russ

Russ

 

I upgraded my gear this year as well and bought mostly accurate reels, 2-665 2 speed's for myself and my son on jigging masters. A shimano stella20k which I love paired with a Smith amj52ex

But I just bought an accurate atd 50w that i couldnt resist at the price somone offered it to me at. I WILL be using it alot with shark and tuna season upon us in the NE.

I have seen the light. I purchased a new harness set the smitty spider harness and plate and man is it sweet. I would rate it better than both the alutecnos and the braid systems. Its so damn light

 

Is the smitty a harness you can wear all day and attach the plate when you hook up, and is it a under butt strap with a belt?

do you know how it compares to the aftco maxforce?

 

Is the smitty a harness you can wear all day and attach the plate when you hook up, and is it a under butt strap with a belt?
do you know how it compares to the aftco maxforce?

Yes.
I haven't used a magforce, but have worn a Smitty all night.