How undersized is this tackle???

[Garabaldi]

So when did you think the Penn 70 International came out?

Not sure if this is directed at me Bill, but do you really think Penn produced the newer 70VS for the ultra small long range market? Perhaps the bill fish fisherman wanted something other than the an 80 or 130 since Spectra and the newer super braids have given them more line capacity to work with as well, and since Penn was changing the shift mech on their International series (the new VSX series) reels so why not make it a bit smaller. (I'm sure Steve Carson will chime in on this one and we shall find out).

And when did Penn totally re-do their 30's and 50's and offer them in narrow, topless versions for better casting along with improved drag system and drag curve for tuna fishing rather than the old sytem that was designed primarily for trolling applications which the "T" reels were originally designed for? Not too long after Spectra had proven itself as a viable option in the saltwater fishing world I think...

Why a topless 30VSX or topless 16VSX?... certainly not just for the bill fish fisherman of the world... right? I'll bet Penn has sold a few more 16VSX and 30VSX reels on the west coast than they have 70VS reels by a pretty wide margin.

Not sure the point you are trying to make Bill since Penn has made more mods in the past 10 years to their 16's, 30's and 50's to keep up with the Spectra revoution than they have in their real heavy gear. Heck, Penn even produced a 300 Torque reel in a lever drag version for bill fish fisherman using the "drop back" bait method (pretty small reel to be used in conjunction with Spectra or super braid for Marlin and Sailfish - Zane Grey would be rolling in his grave if he saw the size of that reel knowing the application it was designed for. Wonder what Zane would say to the notion of cows being landed on spinners too...

Tight lines!

[Sactotuna]

This morning I've been and still am listening to Let's Talk Hookup. Each and every time they talk tackle for big fish, the suggested outfit is a 50 size reel. Justin from Excel is on right now talking up the merits of the Penn 70S. He's an advocate of a 25' mono topshot with a short piece of fluorocarbon for a leader.

It's surprising how many guys who aren't internet junkies are set up like that, although with a 50 instead of a 70!

I think the key to being successful is to be flexible and prepared to react to the conditions. If we go into a trip with a predetermined game plan to fish nothing but the short fluorocarbon topshots and it gets bumpy, the result can be not so desirable as occasionally the lack of stretch and foregiveness in the terminal tackle can result in pulled hooks and broken line.

ANY inflexible preconceived plan is sure to come to ruin.

Making sure that your reels are in good shape with smooth running drags sure helps as does fishing with the newer style rail rods like the Seeker 2 X 4 and even the 6463XXXH, and the Calstar 770XXH and 770XXXH with more forgiving tip sections are all things we can do to minimize these problems. Being flexible enough to switch to the setup that Justin is suggesting keeps all the options open.

Having a range of tools in the kit gives us the ability to fish a number of styles and methods. I'm not setting up any specific lengths of topshots for my trip. I've just connected spectra to the spools and coils of the various tests of mono and fluoro, using Sato Crimps and the Mega Stik tire glue. Three 30 size reels and three 50 size reels and half a dozen rods to go with them to fish a range of 100 to 150 lb mono and fluorocarbon is the plan.

If we have good conditions, like screaming current on the anchor that makes it easy to get a bait away from the boat, or we're on a drift, it will probably be the 50 size reels with the longer topshots. But when we get into a spot where the drift is pretty slow due to light wind or we get on the anchor and the current isn't the most user friendly, we need to "angle" for those fish. Having the stealthier gear like a 30 size reel with a short fluorocarbon topshot sure helps in those conditions when we're trying to get a bait away from the boat.

I look forward to reading Bill Roecker's website as it looks like Excel and the Spirit come home on Monday and then Big Wednesday, 11/24 will see the return of 6 long Range boats; Independence, Intrepid, The Q 105, Red Rooster III, Royal Star and Royal Polaris. Bill is meticulous about keeping track of the boats returns and jackpot weigh ins. He's very good at getting the details, at least from the winner of first place in the Jackpot, including Hook to Rod details.


So I look forward to reading Bill's reports over the next three days. Let's all take a look and see what outfits were used to catch those big fish they're going to be hanging on the scales.

This LR geek keys in on what baits were working best, thanks Bill for what you do!

Current Conditions - FishingVideos.com

And let me wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. We really have a lot to be thankful for.

AMEN!

[Garabaldi]

One thing to remember: Long Range skippers like numbers when it comes to fish counts cuz that is what brings the $$ in for the most part. So if they had it their way it would be 50's minimum and 70's and even 80's on 200lb boat rope mono providing the bite was hot enough (not as much FUN or challenge for the angler though).

It wasn't all that long ago that many captains would also frown upon the use of 30's for cow fishing, and the use of their well varnished wooden rail to rest your heavy reel/rod on, and the use of braided line, and believe it or not you were consider really crazy if you used a circle hook for tuna fishing even though commercial fisherman had used them successfully for many years for all species even for Broadbill the strongest fish in the ocean!

I can remember getting strange looks for fishing a 8 foot rod while casting chovies to bluefin tuna, and even a 7 foot rod was considered too long for most tuna applications... so just look how much things have changed in the LR game in just the past 10 years.

I always say the "old school" LR methods worked (history shows us that), and guess what... they still will cuz the tuna have not changed (ok maybe there are fewer of them), but that does not mean that "old school" methods are the only way to catch them. Hell look at today's technology, we have all electric prototype cars cars now that are way faster from 0 to 60 than gas burning cars so new materials and new ways of thinking can produce results that are very surprizing (even "scary") to some but rather enlightening and invigorating to others. Technolgy breeds better and more technology so the end results can be mind boggling trying to forecast where it all ends, but the "internet junkies" are on the cutting edge and we must all be "internet junkies" to some degree cuz we are here having a nice discussion about LR gear used for cow fishing. We are here on an internet site instead of just reading about new ideas and new gear via some inked up rag like the Western Outdoor News. And of course there are variables involved for sure cuz those cows we are fishing for and the reels designed today to land em come in a multitude of sizes so this is truly not a "one size fits all" application.

Tight lines!

PS: Should I smoke, deep fry or oven bake my bird this year? Will have to buy a big ass pot for the deep fry if that turns out to be the unanimous vote

[Bill W]

The International 70 came out with the V series.

So what kite reel do you use?

[Bill W]

Right now I use the boat's kite gear, but I want to change that.

What kind of gear do you use for big baits, like a skippie?

[Sactotuna]

PS: Should I smoke, deep fry or oven bake my bird this year? Will have to buy a big ass pot for the deep fry if that turns out to be the unanimous vote

Definitely fry!
Requires buying specialized equipment you'll only use a couple times a year.
Requires learning how to do something new, while risking injury and/or a call to 911.
Allows all the internet junkies a chance to tell you how you're doing it all wrong!

Oh yeah, it really does taste great though.

[Tim Turis]

[QUOTE=Garabaldi;2062624]
And when did Penn totally re-do their 30's and 50's and offer them in narrow, topless versions for better casting along with improved drag system and drag curve for tuna fishing rather than the old sytem that was designed primarily for trolling applications which the "T" reels were originally designed for? Not too long after Spectra had proven itself as a viable option in the saltwater fishing world I think...

Correct me if I am reading this wrong.

My understanding is that the "T" in the Penn International reel model number stands for tubular (i.e. one piece) frame, vice trolling.

The T was added to the model designation when Penn switched to frames machined from a single piece of aluminum vice multi piece frames.

TT

[hawgboy]

PS: Should I smoke, deep fry or oven bake my bird this year? Will have to buy a big ass pot for the deep fry if that turns out to be the unanimous vote
You should fry your 50's, quick and easy with great results,bake your 30's , longer to do but still tastey, smoke all the rest of the shit you have, and hold it in a long time we don't want it at the table anyway

[Garabaldi]

PS: Should I smoke, deep fry or oven bake my bird this year? Will have to buy a big ass pot for the deep fry if that turns out to be the unanimous vote
You should fry your 50's, quick and easy with great results,bake your 30's , longer to do but still tastey, smoke all the rest of the shit you have, and hold it in a long time we don't want it at the table anyway

Ya, but my mom always told me that fried foods are really not too good for your health or your waistline, but I understand a lot folks do go that way cuz it's much easier to be fatter and wide these days than to be trim, strong and healthy.

Perhaps I will have a little of all three types of bird just so I'll be fully aware of all options available rather than just do the high calorie stuff (you know that "variety is the spice of life" thing, and they do say "fortune favors the bold"), and then I will probably hit the gym after all is said and done for a good free-weight workout and some cardio to stay in good shape (cuz that cow fishing can be hard on ones hands and heart when you actually have to fight the fish rather than just winch em in on a huge ass Marlin trolling reel resting on a rail).

You have a wonderful holiday!

[Garabaldi]

[QUOTE=Tim Turis;2063199]

And when did Penn totally re-do their 30's and 50's and offer them in narrow, topless versions for better casting along with improved drag system and drag curve for tuna fishing rather than the old sytem that was designed primarily for trolling applications which the "T" reels were originally designed for? Not too long after Spectra had proven itself as a viable option in the saltwater fishing world I think...

Correct me if I am reading this wrong.

My understanding is that the "T" in the Penn International reel model number stands for tubular (i.e. one piece) frame, vice trolling.

The T was added to the model designation when Penn switched to frames machined from a single piece of aluminum vice multi piece frames.

TT

I always thought that the "T" stood for trolling and VS for variable speed and the VSX variable speed extreme edition. Honestly do not know for sure but I do know International reels were designed for trolling and many more of them are sold each year to the billfish fisherman of the world than to LR fisherman of the world. I think we sometimes forget how small the LR industry really is, large companies like Penn and others don't design and produce too many products that are exclusive to LR applications.

Tight lines!