*THE HULL TRUTH is the world's largest FREE network for the discussion of Boating & Fishing. Whether you're researching a new boat, or are a seasoned Captain, you'll find The Hull Truth Boating & Fishing Message Forum contains a wealth of information from Boaters and Sportfishermen around the world.
Welcome to the updated THT!
If you are having trouble signing in, please email feedback@thehulltruth.com with your username and we will help you. We thank you for your patience as we help you access the new site!
Random Quote: If the motors knock'n, turn the radio UP!
i just bought two 50 vsw's recently and was wondering how to spool them. we are new to offshore fishing (have caught sharks and some tuna, but not enough to say we know what we are doing).
we are in the process of getting equipped to do more offshore fishing in ri. we would like to eventually troll for bft, yft, and albacore and maybe shark fish a little.
so far we have two 30tw's spooled with 50# mono and two daiwa 900h's spooled with 80# mono.
with the 50's we should have 6 rods. the 30's and the 900h's can also be respooled. that line is gettin kinda old.
so if they were your reels, how would you spool them? we are offshore novices, but not complete fishing novices. we have had spectra on lots of our other setups with success, but i thought maybe things would be easier if we stuck with mono.
From a reputable charter captain and friend: This is the way i am going. Save some cash along the way!
"I think you should load up your 50's with regular dacron and then mono top shot. Cheapest route and very easy to work with. Regualr dacron will give you years of service for a lot less than a super braid. How much line do you really need on a reel? For most of us unless a marlin or giant tuna hits us, 400-500 yds of line will be more than we will ever need. I load most of the the 50's in my shop with regular Cortland 80 lb dacron and a mono topshot. The 30's is where you might want to consider the thinner super braid."
I would spool them with 80lb Momoi Hi Catch or 80lb Jinkai for maximum yardage. Diamond is a larger diameter line which means less yardage unless you drop down to 60, which is still mega strong. I use to fill my reels with dacron and top shot them. However, the dacron absorbs the saltwater that drips down from the mono and eventually after a season or two starts to corrode the spool. That costs alot more then replacing the mono every year.
any reason not to go with the flourescent yellow momoi since there will be a leader anyways?
i use the really bright lines at the beach and it sure helps sometimes. at the beach i often have 15 ft. clear shock leaders, so i dont worry about the fish seeing it.
If you troll a lot, the flouresecnt yellow Momoi Diamond is the way to go. I used to use the 80 lb on my Tiagra 50W LRS reels, but I switched to the 60lb last year. It is more supple being thinner. Part of the issue is whether you are able to use the full drag settings that the 80lb line would permit. I am not that heavy and even with a harness, 25 lbs of drag gives a big tuna a decent chance of yanking me over the gunwales, so the 60lb is really plenty for me. But you do get more protection against chafing with the 80lb.The Diamond is seriously over rated ontest -- that's why it is not an IGFA-legal line for records.You can run it with a long flourocarbon wind-on leader for daytime chunking if you are concerned about stealth, but I have never noticed any difference in hook up rates with the yellow versus clear or blue..
Wax your spool with some heavy car or boat wax; then give a light squirt of Corrosion X before spooling up your reel. This should save your spool from corrosion. I agree if you use dacron or spectra backing it should probably be given a good fresh water wash down after every season.
either of the four or five setups will work fine - they each have their good and bad points.
straight 50 lb mono - Pros - lots of capacity and no connection between backing and mono. Cons - Need to replace a lot of line once your line level gets a little low. 50 lb mono can be a little light if you hook a big fish (not such a problem if fishing 50 lb over test)
straight 80 lb mono - Pros - Stronger line lets you get away with more mistakes, especially under higher drag settings. Lets you use more drag which can be critical in beating a big fish. No connection between backing and spectra (if not done right can be fatal). Cons - Line capacity is diminished. Not an issue with most tuna unless you like to keep driving on to get a full house. Can be a major issue with a blue marlin.
50 lb mono and 50 lb dacron backing - Pros - Saves on line replacement costs and hassles. Plenty of line capacity. Cons - 50 lb line can be light on big fish (although you can fish 50 lb overtest); you must be 100 percent sure of your backing connection to topshot. You CAN make good connections, but you need to be sure they are good.
80 lb mono and 100 to 130 lb spectra backing - Pros - Same as 80 lb straight mono plus you have more capacity. Line replacement is cheap and easy compared to fishing straight mono. Cons - Spectra backing is expensive plus you really need to be sure of your connection between mono and backing.
Line colour - if your outfits are going to be used for both trolling and chunking it's probably better to use a clear or transparent line. If you're using the outfit for trolling only - hi vis is not vitally essential but it sure is a big help.
60lb Diamond on the 50's woudl eb my choice. I went and rigged alot of my reels with Hi-vis line and have since gone back to all clear or nearly clear line (smoke, light blue, ande pink ...) lines after having seen fish shy away from hi-vis while sight fishing (even using long leaders). I have set my spread enough times that I know where the lines shoudl be and how to find them.
PS: if anybody wants to know where you can get a really good deal on them, PM me. it's not a sponsor and the price is what swayed me to pick these vs the tiagra's and avet's.
spooling 50vsw for northeast tuna... 
