Braid

[roadtramp]

read this on the WSF and it seems to me this guy talks a lot of sence.
so I thought I will post on here and see what you guys think?

the initial question was what was the best B/S to use.
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I started using lighter line as my experience gained.
The main reason is that even with ultra thin braid, downsizing slightly can reduce lead size and allow lighter rods, more of a scrap etc...

The abrasion side of the arguement is a good one, however, only a good arguement if you tend to allow line to run loosely along a rocky bottom or regularly run a plug or lure directly over a reef (not on a flying collar where it is kept (more or less) up and down.

Modern wrecking, rarely involves anchoring so that your baits drop right into the metal work. Typically we anchor as much as 40m uptide and bounce baits to within 10 or 15 m of the wreck. The fish come out very quickly and you never loose one into the wreck and very rarely snag the wreck unless it is very broken up.
Correctly "bouncing" a bait back in the tide, will also keep a tight line and not allow a huge flappy bow in the line.

The methods of fishing I do mean that the baid hardly ever gets worn and if it gets properly snagged (usually it is the hook that has caught a bit of netting etc) then it will break regardless of the line. I also use a short shock leader of mono. This leader allows a very small amount of stretch in the line and also handles the smaller amount of abrasion I suffer. If snagged, 99 times out of 100 it will break at the knot. With this in mind, my braid lasts years with just a little attention.

Then the light line question. Isn't 20lb too light to haul a big Conger?
Using even the very heaviest tackle (130lb class) the average man can only exert about 27lb of pressure on the equipment. My Marlin and Big Game fishing was typically with 50lb class "Stand-Up" gear. I beat many very VERY large fish on this gear with more ease than my colleagues on the boat using traditional heavy tackle. The main reason was I allowed the rod and reel to do the work and I could enjoy the fight, rather than beat myself senseless tryng to put a bend in heavy gear. On this gear my drag was set on a spring balance to take line at about 15lb of pressure (remember 50lb class Big Game tackle).

Downsizing the above to my mainstay UK fishing and I have the following drag settings.

My (heavy) 30lb class gear has a drag setting of about 8lb
My standard Conger and Tope gear has a drag setting of about 6lb
My day to day 6lb / 12lb class rod and 12lb braid has a drag setting of less than 4lb and regularly beats fish of well over 20lb EASILY.

The fish do and will take line, but this is how you beat the fish. These drag settings along with considering how and were the main line is in relation to the rocks or wreck (eg: UP and Down - not rubbing against it) allows much lighter tackle than people realise to beat much bigger fish with no more effort.

Big Game fishing has a rough equation to work out what size fish you can catch on your gear. The key difference beng that you are invariably freelining in open water, so some consideration is required to take into account the odd rock or bit of wreck you may encounter.
The equation being, times the lb class of your gear by 10.
eg: 12lb class for fish to 120lb
20b class for fish to 200lb
and so on.
Believe me, you can actually way exceed this equation. I have by approaching double on 50lb class.

It is your rod and drag on the reel doing the work, not you beating yourself up by trying to haul a very fish against a tight drag and heavy line. All you do by fishing heavy and a tight drag is exhaust yourself and loose more fish to hook pulls etc.

There is one key exception to the rule here. in the UK.
I would suggest 30lb class as a minimum (usually 30 to 50) for big Common Skate fishing. The reason here is that a lighter rod will simply fold up and not get the fish off the bottom in the first place.

I know that an inexperienced angler will struggle with some of the above, but the experienced angler should give it a go. You may be surprised how you enjoy the fight more and actually beat fish more easily (less tiring) going a little lighter.
I have fished with many "experienced" anglers who don't fully understand the principals of bouncing your gear back nd simply raise their rod whilst letting out line. This will simply allow a big bow in the line to form whilst your lead stays put where it first landed... It may actually be dragged slightly in the tide straight into one of those snags that the guy next door seems to be avoiding. This method of trying to bounce the lead will also have problems with abrasion as the bow of line will rub on anything in the way.

Hold your rod and feel what is happening at the bottom, put the reel in free spool and your thumb on the spool. Smoothly and swiftly lift your rod to 12 o'clock and at the top take your thumb off the spool. Feel for the lead to touch bottom, take up the slack straight away. Feel again what the lead is doing (with braid you can feel everything) and then bounce back again until your gut instinct tells you that you are in the strike zone. Then hold the rod, waiting for the bite.
Bouncing this way will keep your line tight and avoid all that abrasion from slack or bowed line. Loosening your drag a little and lightening your gear will allow you to catch many more fish with a bigger smile on your face.

Sorry for the epic, but as I was writing I kept thinking of other bits to say!

[biggun]

Not a problem with the epic "H". Thats the kind of info I log on for!

[Fred]

Just got back from a long week-end to read your posting. Nice one H. Very informative.

Fred

[tinnyboy]

very interesting reading, will certainly give it a try
Tinny

[John Marshall]

Totally agree with you, only found out by accident we were pollocking using uptiders and 20lb braid, at slack we anchored the wreck and tried for the congers on the same gear (bigger hooks and 150 traces) 40 to 50lb came in to all four anglers, what a fight.

We now use 12lb rods 10lb braid, for almost all types of fishing.