INNOVATE SPJ - Designed for Head Boats
- Thread starter RadRR
- Start date
Just got off the Royal Star on our annual 11 day trip. Epic YT fishing at Alijos Bank. This one went 44#. Innovate MH with an Ocea jigger 2000 NR, F series, PE 2.0 line, and a 250g jig from jigging master that was part of a fred hall grab bag. Outstanding rod action and a hell of a lot of fun! This was my biggest YT of the trip...
The extra rod length made it much easier to keep the fish away from rubbing the hull. Just point the rod and grind...
The extra rod length made it much easier to keep the fish away from rubbing the hull. Just point the rod and grind...
Big Yeller !
What was the drag set at to keep that thing out of the rocks?
Hooked near the bottom or middle depth ?
Dunno the exact drag setting - just used the pull test. Would guess around 8# or so with the fairly light braid. We were anchored up in roughly 250’ of water. Both yoyo and dropper loop mackeral were working. Decided to try the new slow pitch setup as I thought it would have the strength to handle these bruisers. (all YT were between 25-45#)
This fish hit maybe 20’ off of the bottom. No noticeable bottom structure at this spot. Nobody got cut off by the bottom, that I was aware of. Fight took maybe 15 minutes, tops.
Reel drag was exceptionally smooth - and the power handle really helps with cranking when you are essentially pinned to the rail. Rod action seemed to match very well with the jig weight/depth. I would have no qualms using this setup on tunas up to 100#. (I hope to put that to the test my next trip!)
Very, very nice YT.
Congrats, that is a skill catch for sure.
A 44# pig on an Innovate SPJ rig I love it, putting
the sport back into sport fishing. Most guys would be fishing with 60 lb.
on a rail rod. You must have opened a lot of eyes when that hit the deck.
A little more detail would be appreciated. Such as when did hit on the fall or retrieve,
speed of motion etc. We need to crack this SPJ code ,,,west coast style. Information at this
stage of the learning curve is critical.
Thanks for the post I got happy just reading it.
Walt
Congrats, that is a skill catch for sure.
A 44# pig on an Innovate SPJ rig I love it, puttingthe sport back into sport fishing. Most guys would be fishing with 60 lb.
on a rail rod. You must have opened a lot of eyes when that hit the deck.
A little more detail would be appreciated. Such as when did hit on the fall or retrieve,
speed of motion etc. We need to crack this SPJ code ,,,west coast style. Information at this
stage of the learning curve is critical.
Thanks for the post I got happy just reading it.
Walt
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Thanks for all great info in this thread. I was finally able to order the Innovate 80MH
Interesting color choice for 2021. Have to wait till I get it to see how I feel about a bright white rod. Good problems...
Interesting color choice for 2021. Have to wait till I get it to see how I feel about a bright white rod. Good problems...
Stoked to finally get this unicorn rod. Definitely have to get used to the bright white finish, but it feels very different than my Phenix Titan. It's definitely stiffer and shuts off like a west coast rod. It feels more familiar for our style of fishing. Looking forward to field testing as soon as season opens in March.
Question for others who have this 2 piece rod. Do you force it all the way together until the grey of the unfished joint is gone or as close as you can?
Almud
I've posted enough I should edit this section
- Jan 3, 2015
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I join them firmly but no substantial force. Forced one of my BH rods and had to freeze it to detach the two pieces.
Will be interested to understand difference other than color between current model and last years version of the Innovate.
Will be interested to understand difference other than color between current model and last years version of the Innovate.
Absolutely do not force it in all the way. Push until firm and then twist to align. The joint will wear down slightly over a long period of time but still perform as designed.
Then twist and pull to remove .
The only other 2 piece rods I have are for trout, so appreciate all the feedback.
There is about 3/8" of ferrule exposed. Any further and it feels like I'm going to break something. I'll leave it alone and try and suppress my OCD.
There is about 3/8" of ferrule exposed. Any further and it feels like I'm going to break something. I'll leave it alone and try and suppress my OCD.
