Need advice on Line for Penn 130ST's (sharks) and Rod Choice

[pc3]

Hi Folks,

my friend and I each bought a Penn 130 ST reel, we have no choice but to use these with stand up rods at the moment so which Rod that is stand up style will fit our reels (I know there a bit over board but we liked them so thats what we no have !! [] ) we don't need top of the range just something that will do the job.

Also what is the best combination of line for us to use for sharks in the first instance,

down the track we would like to try for tuna and possibly Marlin.
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[theangler]

The 130st is an awesome real and should do the job for everything your fishing for. You have a number of rod chioces but rods built to handle this reel are a bit pricey. Elite bent rods for rod belts work good but are expensive, the best rods at the best prices for this reel could probably best be found at [url "http://www.calstarrods.com/"]http://www.calstarrods.com/[/url]. They are pretty top of the line without breaking the bank.

As far as shark line goes, I am not real sure but know there are some shark fishers here that can help.

Good luck and let us know how you do!
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[pc3]

Thankyou for the help will check that link out now !!

Talked with Melton International and they seem very helpful and say the will buil both my friend and I a standup rod to suit the 130ST's, they will be 5-8 or 5-6 and have a short bent butt and be of 130lb class.

They guy there said we where not the first to use a 130ST in a stand up configuration but the guuys that do usually have to get the rod made up as most stand up rods only accomdate 80 class reels.
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[theangler]

Tracey Melton runs a great Tackle Store and knows his offshore! Sounds like your ready to rock! Please drop back by and p[ost a report when you have a chance to hit the water!

Tight Lines!
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[Tarpon4me]

Shimano makes a good stand up rod, have a look at this one:

CRSU6056-UB2SC Curved butt
CRSU6060-UB2S Strait butt

Both those rods are rated for 100lb class and would be a great addition to that reel. Penn also makes plenty of good International series stand up rods in the 100 to 120 pound class rods that are reasonable in price. The shimanos run right around 400 bucks, which is cheap compared to some, without lacking in quality.

As far as line, it's hard to say. You're probably talking over 1000 yards of 120 pound test line, that's alot of line. And line that heavy is seriously over kill, even for shark fishing. Unless you're targeting Great Whites. The world record Tiger Shark was caught off Cherrygrove Pier in South Carolina using 80 pound test line. The shark weighed 1790 pounds. I use Penn Mariner Standup rods with Penn 114HLW's spooled with 40lb test line. As you can see, I down sized my rigs for more of a sporty approach. The only problem with you using 80 lb line or smaller is you'll play hell finding a spool big enough to fill it up. So, with that said, you're probably stuck buying a 1500 yard spool of 120 pound test mono. And make sure you bring you check book, a spool of line that size won't be cheap. You might want to make sure you're rested as well, you'll be sweating and tired by the time you get that line reeled on. [cool]

As far as terminal tackle for sharks, I don't use huge equipment on that end either, as I don't need to with the 40 pound line. I use 230lb swivels, 90 lb 7 strand steel leader, and 10/0 mustad 3407 hooks on the norm. I like ball bearing swivels, but they are pricey. So I just got the larger barrell swivel to make up the difference. I do use heavy 250lb ball bearing snap swivels on the rod end though. There is no substitute there. Unfortunately, you're bound by your reel selection to up size your tackle. But since you're pondering targeting large tuna and marlin in the future, that won't be an issue. I also recommend you posting a question in general about shark fishing if you've never done it before, especially considering the size tackle you'll be using. If something goes wrong, you're line isn't going to break, you're going to go over board. LOL, sound funny? I watched a guy at the local reef get dragged over the side of his boat by an 8 foot black tip shark. It was actually comical. He had his drag locked down too tight, and was trying to navigate throught the stern on foot in mildly rough seas. A slip of the foot and a brisk jerk from the shark, and the battle became a man over board rescue.

I hope this helps.
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[pc3]

Tarpon,

those rods would be good but Melton reckon the stadard standup rods will not open up far enough for the 130 class reels there made for 80's. The guys that have used standups with 130's have had to get the figting chair rod fittings and have them fitted to a standup rod.

In regards to going over board while shark fishing maybe we would be better filling the spool with 80lb line ............or tying off a saftey rope to our selves.

I am new to this and I wonder if many anglers have a good set of pliers attached to them so they can cut the line if they need to ??
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[Tarpon4me]

I always keep a good pair of pliers close by. More so, I keep a very sharp knife attached to my hip at all times, or I have someone with in touching distance with one. I've had atleast a dozen instances that required a swift cut of the line. Not only fishing, but castneting as well. The more you target big game species, the more you'll find those pliers and a good knife come in handy. I also recommend having an AFCO fish bat or the equilivent on board as well. You never know when you need to give an ill tempered fish a chill pill. [cool]
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[Tarpon4me]

I like those funky colored X Tools. They are a light wieght, super tough tool; oh, and they float. How cool is that? The price is right as well. Check it out:
















They are only 17 bucks at basspro.com[cool]
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