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06-28-2001, 01:53 PM

I encountered my first huge GT on my last deep sea fishing. It tore off all my line from my Penn 6500 spinning reel. I was using Berkley Whiplash 30lbs braided line ( 300yds ) with another 100 yards of mono backing. Though I tried very hard to pump the fish during the initial run to halt its advance, I could not even get it to stop and take a breath. The initial run was also the final run, my reel was smoking and eventually ran out of line. I would appreciate if anyone could help me on this so that my next encounter with this fish will be fruitful. I was using a 8" Medium Heavy rod at that time. Thks.

06-28-2001, 03:59 PM

Ummmm….. Hate IT when That Happens…..!!! `Time for an Upgrade there Pete… `I think ya need a BIGGER reel..! [blush] Or, shortin the mono ta just a leader length. & put a little more braid on… might help a little… You’d Still be Push`N your Luck trying ta Stop them Bad Boys. 400 yards should be plenty if ya had the Stopping Power so the bigger reel might be your best option. Then of course your looking at a heavier reel ta be casting… if your casting plugs… From a boat, dropping deep, ya might look at a baitcasting reel, more capacity, better drags… Or…. This works for me at times for Stopping em…[shocked]… [shocked] [ Smile

] ALOHA [cool] Dan Stand Up!!! <A HREF="http://www.fishingkauai.com" target="_new"> Stand Up Fish`N Charters Kauai Hawai </A> [ Wink

]

Capt_Jeff_Rogers · 06-28-2001, 04:43 PM

A 6500 doesn't have the line capacity or the drag for big game. I use Penn 9500's because of the better drag system. They also hold about 500 yards of 80 lb. braid. <IMG SRC="http://FISHinKONA.com/JEFFTREV.JPG"> (just a small one that I already had a photo of on the web) I use 8500's for casting and take my chances. Those drags have cost me some nice fish. I use 80 lb. braid on those too. If your going to continue to use the 6500, spool it up with 80 lb.(no backing) and hang on tight! Capt. Jeff

06-28-2001, 04:58 PM

NICE WON Jeff !!! just a note… if ya don’t know already… `notice Jeff has a GLOVE on the hand that is Holding the tail..? GooD Reason for it too… Giant Trevelly = ULUA have quite the SHARP spine things on the Tail stump. CAREFULL HANDLING THEM !!! [ Smile

] ALOHA [cool] Dan Stand Up!!! <A HREF="http://www.fishingkauai.com" target="_new"> Stand Up Fish`N Charters Kauai Hawai </A> [ Wink

]

06-29-2001, 02:14 AM

G'day Pete This is not the Pete Saw from New Zealand by any chance is it? As mentioned already by Capt's Dan and Jeff, go heavier in the gear/reel/rod department and choose real solid hooks. And I mean "real" solid for either vertical jigs, live bait rigs or trolling lures. An average size GT will cause enough mayhem let alone ones that start getting up in class like the one of Jeff's below. You have can the best rod, reel and line set up in the world, but it all means nothing if your hooks are not up to the job. Often it will the hook that gives way first! Dan's point about needing a glove is also an important one and tailing a GT without one means major damage. We will be trialing the new Okuma TI20LW's shortly on big GT's (in the Pacific). It will be interesting to see how they hold up because if you cannot hold a GT's head up, then they will tail thump you forever and just "wear you and your gear down" until something gives. Second after hooks giving way is your knots. Burnin Thumbs! Steve B Moderator - Lures/Baits <A HREF="http://www.demonjigs.com" target="_new">http://www.demonjigs.com</A>

Capt_Jeff_Rogers · 06-29-2001, 03:05 AM

Hey, here's another one. Caught last month. Tagged and released. This happy captain was jigging along side of his customer when we got double hook-ups. Mine was bigger...na-na-na-na-na-na. <IMG SRC="http://FISHinKONA.com/ulua.jpg"> Note the Penn 9500 on the short rod (5'5") in the back ground. 80 lb. line. Also note the Kevlar gloves. New item from: <A HREF="http://saltwaterlite.com/accessories.htm" target="_new">http://saltwaterlite.com/accessories.htm</A> These gloves are GREAT!!! Get the thin ones. Well worth the money! Capt. Jeff

06-29-2001, 05:35 PM

Just another reason why I love jigs and jigging. That is a great fish. All I can say is that the drag washers in that 9500 must be shot Jeff or near to it. There would have been a real need to have a fire extinguisher close by the whole time that fish was hooked up because that Penn would have been "smokin". Western Samoa here we come. Burnin Thumbs! Steve B Moderator - Lures/Baits <A HREF="http://www.demonjigs.com" target="_new">http://www.demonjigs.com</A>

Capt_Jeff_Rogers · 06-30-2001, 01:20 AM

That fish didn't stand a chance [ Smile

]. That drag on the 9500 can take even the punishment of a marlin. It sits under the spool and has about the same surface area as a Penn 50. It also requires less maintenance than the spool shaft drags of all the other Penn (and most typical) spinning reels. This reel is not without its' flaws though. Right out of the box, it can't deal with the punisment of jigging. You need to take the rotor off, then take out the "silent dog" screw and put some "lock-tite" (the heavy duty red stuff) on it. Put some on the rotor nut too. Failure to do this will cause the anti reverse dog to strip out. I carry spare Penn spinning reel parts on my boat and do on-site repairs for my Japanese jigging customers who bring their own rods/reels. I get some good tips that way[ Wink

]. Capt. Jeff

06-30-2001, 05:41 PM

HI Dan, Thks for the advise. Will probably change to a bigger reel soon. But on my next trip to the same spot, I will probably use 80lbs braid as per your advise. Reason is my next trip is just next month. I'm from Malaysia......South East Asia...and I fish in a place call Tukun Perak. It's basically a rocky bird island with no shallows.....depth is from 120 ft till more than 500 feet easily. It's one big rock of an island with no sandy beach nor trees. Tis surrounded by corals and frequented by migrating Sailfish, Most species of Trevallys, Doggies, Wahoo and Smaller Yellowfins dependent on the months. Honestly it is one of the rare places in Malaysia where you get game fish. Reason is becos tis far out from the mainland and not all of the fishing trawlers venture so far out. In fact it is close to the Thailand border, lies just south of Phuket Island. Anyway I was jigging with Raider Lure when it hit. Would you care to recommend a good rod for jigging purposes.......20-50lbs and must be very light. Length about 6-7ft. Thks, Pete.

06-30-2001, 05:47 PM

Hi Jeff, Whoa that's one large fish!!! Thks for the advise on using the 9500. How bout recommending a rod to go with it.... Someone mentioned Shimano TSS-4 or was it CSS-4 spinning reel. Reason was becos of the high speed. Care to share some info on this reel and which one would you prefer...the Penn 9500 or the Shimano. "WORK IS FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO FISH" Thks, Pete.

06-30-2001, 06:02 PM

Hi Steve, Thks for the hooky advise. Will bear that in mind. Sorry I'm not from New Zealand but from Malaysia. I'm however a customer of yours. Bought some jigs from you early this year. In fact I tried it out during the trip I encountered the huge GT...in May. I caught and also my friends caught a lot of Red Eye Jacks using your jigs. Thks. Still haven't caught anything from your After Burner Skirts/Jigs but then it wasn't the right month to be trolling. The sailfishs and wahoos weren't there yet. The pelagics that were there at that time was caught by jigs and bait drifting.....doggies, Barras, Spanish Mackerel, Rainbow Runners, GTs and the Jacks.( Average size is about 10-15lbs with the biggest at 25 lbs ) A few big fellows couldn't be landed.Hopefully next trip will bring in some fish from your Jigs again. Will be going again next month. Thks. Rgds, Pete.

06-30-2001, 09:17 PM

No worries Pete. Thought I recognised the name.. Also know a NZ Boat Capt. by the same name as well. Was not sure which one you were. Glad to see you at the boards here. I know the area you are in and have been to Thailand several times. Bird Island also has some great current lines running past it as well if I recall correctly and one of the reasons that Sails run past your door at certain time of the year... Sounds to me like to you need a rod that will cover both vertical jiggiing and/or trolling given the location your in. One of the best options, if you can get hold of one (or two) is the Shimano "Back Bone Series" and they come in several models for jigging and trolling. Light, well made, great (loomis) blank and relatively inexpensive for what you get. 6'6" is about the best all round rod length for jigging up their IMO. For jigging (medium to deep depths) I like a rod with a medium taper and small roller tip on them otherwise (under stress) the braid will cut into your rod eyes in no time at all. As the fella's have mentioned, 50-80 lb braid line, and just as important is the need for single hooks on your jigs. Did your Raiders have trebles on them? if so, then deep water species in your area e.g. GT's, Doggies, Coral Trout etc will straighten them out, or blow them off, in no time. What weight were they? Also watch out for the split rings as well and change those to a HD version or go to other jigs that are more solid in their overall construction .. Either way, use stainless singles or semi circle hooks like those I have mentioned down on the lures/baits board. At 150 - 500 feet, jigs need to have glow heads and a trailing (flexing) 8/0 stinger hook in them on 450 lb - 49 strand - stainless wire (IMO) to reduce short takes. Trolling for Wahoo and Tuna is a different story all together in terms of rods, reels and lures and sounds like you may already have that tackle sorted out... If you want more information on the BackBone Rods then let me know. Burnin Thumbs! Steve B Master Jig Builder Moderator - Lures/Baits <A HREF="http://www.demonjigs.com" target="_new">http://www.demonjigs.com</A>

07-01-2001, 03:11 PM

Hi Steve, Thks for checking in. The fishes in the place I fish are mostly about 10 - 20lbs. But occasionally some poor guy's reel is smoked and run out of lines. This usually happens while jigging, casting or drifting. Never happens during bottom fishing as the lines usually snaps if the fish is really big and refuses to come up. So I can safely say that there are fishes easily more than 20lbs there. I've seen pics of other anglers catching GT up to 80lbs and other really huge fish in that place. Honestly, I'm not really an experienced angler. My equipment was recommended by other anglers who had fished there before. As you know I use a 8ft Daiwa Medium Heavy rod with Penn 6500 for jigging, bait casting and bait drifting. Then I use Shimano TLD 30 reel with 5" Daiwa VIP rod for bottom fishing and trolling. My Penn 6500 is filled with 30lbs braided line and my TLD is filled with Berkley Big Game 40lbs. The lures that I use are usually in its packing order...meaning I never change the treble hooks or split rings. I guess I never really caught any big one yet. The weights of the jigs are 150 - 200 gms. Besides Raider Lures, I also carry some of your Demon Jigs, Daiwa jigs, Rapalas, Yozuris and some locally made trollling skirts. I usually try out everything I can get hold off. This is becos my trip is usually 5 days. But have not really caught any big fish yet as still on the learning curve. Pls advise if I'm using the right tackle and equipment. And would also appreciate if you could recomment the right tackle and equipment. I tried to check out the Shimano " Back Bone Series " at the Shimano website but could not find any model of that name. As you know I'm from Malaysia and it's quite hard to find a huge range of tackle at our tackle shops. That's why I usually buy online or from Singapore. Perhaps you could advise me where to buy it? At BigFishTackle online?? I will be going to that place again in August this year. Will test out your Jigs again. I'm sure that AfterBurner Jig works.....my fishing buddies and even the Capt of the boat complimented on how good it looks and was sure of it performance.....Damn I'm sure it works like the rest of your Jigs. Thks for reading thru my posting.........really appreciate it. Rgds, Pete.

07-01-2001, 07:19 PM

Pete The rod sounds more than ok. As mentioned by others here, it sounds like your reel is too small and not heavy enough in terms of line. 6500 (of any make) is just not big enough given the fish territory your in and something like a Penn 850 would be a minimum because you never know what is going to turn up. Better to be slighty overpowered than under powered IMO. I think you will find them here at BFT so take a look in the online store under reels. Here is the link to those Backbone rods. <A HREF="http://www.shimanofish.com.au/rods/backbone.html" target="_new">http://www.shimanofish.com.au/rods/backbone.html</A> . While your current rod sounds more than adequate, If you want one of these rods down the track then let me know and I will see what can be arranged from here. As for your Demon After Burner Lures, yes they will fire when the pelagics return again, without a doubt. If you have some pics to send down then feel free. In terms of your other gear, it sounds fine. Just watch your split rings and hooks ok. If they don't look heavy enough then change them. The rest will happen with time, feel and practice. For now, focus on the right reel and line weight. Then your in a better position to evaluate your current rod and tackle as you do more fishing ok. Burnin Thumbs! Steve B Moderator - Lures/Baits <A HREF="http://www.demonjigs.com" target="_new">http://www.demonjigs.com</A>

Capt_Jeff_Rogers · 07-02-2001, 12:32 AM

Hey Pete, Your right about the kind of rod that is best. 20-50 lbs. 6-7 foot. Those Shimano backbone spinning rods don't make it. I have a couple of Penn "Slammer" SLS-2721H spinning rods that do ok. Here's a link <A HREF="http://www.pennreels.com/scripts/catalog/rods/slammerrods.html" target="_new">http://www.pennreels.com/scripts/catalog/rods/slammerrods.html</A> These rods just barely cut it though. I got them because they were in a local store. I think the Penn "Powerstick" might be the better way to go. The PSP 6001SSH 6' Spinning Heavy should handle any big thing that bites. Here's a link to a place that has 'em: <A HREF="http://www.campbellsprotackle.com/store/product.asp?ID=27" target="_new">http://www.campbellsprotackle.com/store/product.asp?ID=27</A> You'll find that the shorter rod makes it easier to jig and fight fish too. Don't worrie about the guides getting cut either. The braided line won't cut them. Roller guides are actually worse because the thin braided line can sometimes get between the roller and support. There are a couple of reels out there that are better than the Penn 9500SS. They have a price tag to show it too! The STL10000F <A HREF="http://www.billfishtacklesupply.com/Shimano/stella.htm" target="_new">http://www.billfishtacklesupply.com/Shimano/stella.htm</A> and Diawa makes a big spinning reel about the same price. Couldn't find it on the web. If you fix up the Penn 9500SS like I said earlier, it will do just fine at a much cheaper price. I have some jigs that came from Japan with heavy duty split rings and trebble hooks. I like the hook-up ratio of a trebble better than a single hook. Japan makes better split rings than anything I've seen on U.S. lures and their trebbles are thick! Good luck in August [cool] Capt. Jeff

07-02-2001, 02:52 AM

Jeff Looks like a nice attempt at discounting to me and I think you jumped a little early. I was not talking about the spin sticks I was talking about the 10, 15 & 24 kg rods with roller tips. Better take another look. As for roller tips and line getting caught, never happened on me so far and suspect it never will given the tips on these rods. Tight side guards and no gap at all. Maybe it just a matter of personal preference, because down this way a number of braids "will" cut into standard end tip giudes. Either way, I also like the feel of them on the end of a short rod and with a jig on the end for dropping real deep. Burnin Thumbs! Steve B Moderator - Lures/Baits & Master Jig Builder at <A HREF="http://www.demonjigs.com" target="_new">http://www.demonjigs.com</A>

07-02-2001, 05:32 AM

Hi Steve, Thks for the Back Bone Series info. I will try to look into these rods from over here first. If I can't, I will ask for your help. I will also look into the Penn Rods which Jeff recommended. THKS JEFF. I'm though slightly Confused

. The Penn rods which Jeff recommended is max up to 25lbs line test. And with me using at least 50-80lbs braided line, it will exceed the max line test for the rod. I was once informed that the line you use should not exceed the rod's max line test???? Pls advise Steve and Jeff. I was also advised that to go for those big fishes, the reel must be able to have a drag set up to at least 15lbs, is the Penn 6500 capable of that or should I really look into buying the Penn 9500? I was actually thinking of putting in more lines into the Penn 6500 for my coming trip, maybe 500-600yrds of 30lbs braided line, will this extra line help or should I seriously look into 50-80lbs braided line. At this moment my thoughts are more on buying a new rod instead of a new reel but would like to ask for both your advises, Steve and Jeff. I have also Abu 9000 casting reel which I only use for balloon drifting, will this reel help if I exchange my Penn 6500 for this reel when jigging and casting? Thks for your time and advises. Rgds, Pete.

Capt_Jeff_Rogers · 07-02-2001, 04:48 PM

Hey Steve, no disrespect intended. I only saw 2 rods listed on your link as "spin". What's the model #'s on the ones you like? Is there a site that shows a close-up view? Pete, This really is ALL a mater of personal preferance. Both Steve and I are very experienced jiggers. For your situation, just spool up that 6500 with 50 lb. braid and "HANG ON". The Penn rods will handle the punishment even though they're rated for lighter line. Capt. Jeff <A HREF="http://FISHinKONA.com" target="_new">http://FISHinKONA.com</A>

07-02-2001, 05:20 PM

Hey Capt Jeff On that same link I think they are listed as BB10, BB15, BB24 (halfway down the page).. Not sure if they have a blow up view of them given that the site does not sell direct as mentioned to Pete. If I find an alternative, with better close ups, I will list the link. Burnin Thumbs! Steve B Moderator - Lures/Baits <A HREF="http://www.demonjigs.com" target="_new">http://www.demonjigs.com</A>

07-03-2001, 03:30 AM

IMO… Often times what one reads & what one writes can be read in Many ways. To ME… it kinda looks like a couple guys offering INFO. unless there is a “Discount” that I didn’t see … `Jeff, ya selling rods now..? The OPEN & FUN EXCHANGE of INFO… Pete, ya mentioned most of the feesh go around10 to 20 lbs…not much bottom for Abrasions either it sounds… The 6500 with the “500-600yrds of 30lbs braided line, will this extra line help or should I seriously look into 50-80lbs braided line” That’s a LOT of line, as long as it’s good & ya don’t pull to hard… 30 lb. will hold, the 50 gives insurance, check capacity to see if it’s worth it, a Beeg GT will strip 30 & 50. Stick with the 6500 & have more fun, just make sure your knots are good & back it off a bit if ya get too much line out & the fish is moving fast, once it slows, then ya can pressure it…`but not so hard it breaks. I don’t know about rods. If ya do go bigger, go with the 950, only a bit heavier & mo $$ than the 850 but a LOT more reel. Jeff’s points on upgrading them sound good, I’ll use them myself soon. IMO, Big Jacks, ya gotta get thru their First Run, they tire a bit after…. [ Wink

]

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