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Random Quote: Fish are friends not food-Bruce the Shark
all ive got to say about this whole thread is that good drags set properly, knowing when to really bear down on bigger fish, and knowing good knots/swaging is waaaay more important than what color, brand, or frame material your reel is. my tuna arsenal would make alot of you gold reelers shake your heads in disgust but i put pigs on the deck and more than a few. lol
__________________ 1988 Wellcraft V 20
Evinrude 225 looper
I'm looking for advice on just how to spend my tackle budget for targetting bluefins on and around Stellwagon for next year.
Presently my tuna arsenal consists of 2 penn 114H reels on fairly new but inexpensive standup rods, 1 Shimano TLD50 (brand new) on another inexpensive standup rod and 1 penn9500ss spinning reel on a 'standup' spinning rod.
I think with my TLD50 and my 114s I have enough setups for livelining pogies next year (assuming I can get the pogies).
I realize this is probably a subjective question but what I am looking for advice on is wether to set myself up for trolling by possibly buying another TLD50/standup-rod setup and outfitting myself with outriggers or instead, outfitting myself with one or two lower-end jigging setups (such as maybe a Diawa saltist40 level drag two-speed and good rod to match).
So maybe I can simplify this question this way:
If you could only do one, troll (squid bars, soft plastics, mauraders etc) or go the increasingly popular jigging route, which would it be?
By the way, whatever I decide i can, of course, go the other route the following year. But for now, I am thinking 2010.
--Mike
You can pick up some used 115's and use aftermarket CNC frames to stiffen them up, put a piece of shrink tube on one of the star's when you set up the drags to mark your setting.
Watch ebay closely, some guys don't like the gold trophy reels when they get scratched up. You can land them for a good price, especially this time of year and if the single speeds work for you. Sometimes you can get internationals for a good enough price to make stiffening up the senators not worth it. It is not the pretty anodizing that makes them good reels to use. Avoid well-used reels with line on them, sometimes the spools are badly pitted from neglect, ask the seller to remove the line and update pictures. Break down used reels and inspect and service them.
Make your rounds to all the local tackle shops and locate the ones that sell gear on consignment. You can land entire sets of custom rods that were put up for sale because the color scheme doesn't match the new boat for pennies on the dollar. Just be prepared to tune them up.
With a little homework and some time, you can wind up with a real nice set of gear, good working gear. Let the guys without the budget limitations take the hit on depreciation.
Right now as we speak there is a tackle shop from NY with an ad up on greatgrady.com with a dozen 50's for sale for very fair money.
You can fish on a budget, no problem, don't let anyone try to tell you different.
Last edited by Local Motion; 12-20-2009 at 03:56 AM.
Reason: typo
all ive got to say about this whole thread is that good drags set properly, knowing when to really bear down on bigger fish, and knowing good knots/swaging is waaaay more important than what color, brand, or frame material your reel is. my tuna arsenal would make alot of you gold reelers shake your heads in disgust but i put pigs on the deck and more than a few. lol
My opinion on the TLD versus the Avets is the graphite frames are suseptable to cracking if you use a harness that straps to the reel. An aluminum frame can take the punishment, so Avet wins there. If you don't strap in and just use a belt, the TLD's are great reels. I personally have TLD 25's that are a little under sized for bluefin, and I bought some Diawa SLD 30's that are similar to a TLD 30, but with an aluminum frame. Still not as beefy as an international, but 1/2 the price.
all ive got to say about this whole thread is that good drags set properly, knowing when to really bear down on bigger fish, and knowing good knots/swaging is waaaay more important than what color, brand, or frame material your reel is.
That would only be true if you don't care how impressed your dockmates are with the quantity and how fancy your gear looks. A Seiko may be as as durable and good at keeping time as a 18k gold Rolex, but nobody will ooh and awe over it.
You really need to take a second mortgage on your house and upgrade to a dozen or so Accurate Platinum TwinDrag's and matching Ian Miller Rods (Melton has them for $1,500 each) - even if it doesn't make you a more sucessful fisherman (and it likely won't), think about the envy having that stuff will create
The TLDs are my favorite because of their light weight. Some have posted that the graphite frame can crack. I have not had any issues and they are very dependable. I
