Wow! This is a long post. But if you’re bored or interested, here it is.
Both my smaller two speeds that I use for 30# and 40# topshots took quite a beating on the last trip. On a school of mixed size Yellowfin at Alijos Rocks, I had grabbed the 30# outfit as it had slowed down and Captain suggested it. I got bit and whatever it was didn’t like it so it took off at a pretty serious pace and before I could remember that part about drag increasing as spool diameter decreases, time to back off a little on the drag lever, the line broke. I wound in nothing but braid, the FTHXN15LD2 had been filled with 40# J-Braid and I had about 25-30 feet of fluorocarbon tied onto the end. Well it didn’t break at the RP knot I had used, so I decided to spool on some 30# monofilament and tie on a short piece of fluorocarbon.
Then, can’t remember when or where, I was fishing the 40# outfit and I got buzzed off by somebody’s line crossing mine. I reeled in what I had left of the braid it had been filled with and set it aside, grabbed the backup 40# outfit and got back to fishing. That night I was up until just past 11:00 fixing problems. I spliced some 60# Hollow Blue Cortland C-16 onto the solid and filled it up with that. Added a loop to loop topshot onto that FTH25NLD2 and then realized I had come on the trip with only one 40# topshot, Sato crimped into some Seaguar Premier. So, using some of that C-16 Hollow I proceeded to make a couple of wind-ons with loops. Off to bed.
After traveling east to the Ridge, we fished a couple of spots before heading up to Hippolito where we got into the Yellowtail action. After we had our fill of that, Ray took us offshore, looking for the right kelp that would be holding a good quantity of quality Dorado. Eventually, after checking numerous paddies, he found the right one. Not one of a string of several in a row, this one was all by itself. When the smoke cleared, both of those 30 and 40 pound outfits had been cut off again. Combat zone couldn’t hold a candle to the chaos we saw. But shit happens, right?
The mono topshot was gone from the 30# reel so, I topped it off with quite a lengthy topshot and just tied on a hook, thinking I would get bit just fine. The 40# reel still had the hollow connected to the solid with enough left for me to splice the 60# hollow onto it and fill it back up, again. Put a loop in the end and connected up another fluorocarbon topshot.
Thankfully, that was the extent of the damage and I finished the trip in good shape. Got home and bought a 1/2 pound spool of 50# mono as the next trips will no doubt include a fair dose of fishing Wahoo, maybe some YoYo iron. Also grabbed a spool of 30# Blue Label, some crimps and had to order the rest online. Amazon had what I needed, 300 meter spool of that 40# J-Braid. All set to get things fixed up for the 7 day on the Independence, holy shit, I’d better get to it, three weeks from now I’ll be headed south for that trip. Quality problem, have to go fishing…
Both my smaller two speeds that I use for 30# and 40# topshots took quite a beating on the last trip. On a school of mixed size Yellowfin at Alijos Rocks, I had grabbed the 30# outfit as it had slowed down and Captain suggested it. I got bit and whatever it was didn’t like it so it took off at a pretty serious pace and before I could remember that part about drag increasing as spool diameter decreases, time to back off a little on the drag lever, the line broke. I wound in nothing but braid, the FTHXN15LD2 had been filled with 40# J-Braid and I had about 25-30 feet of fluorocarbon tied onto the end. Well it didn’t break at the RP knot I had used, so I decided to spool on some 30# monofilament and tie on a short piece of fluorocarbon.
Then, can’t remember when or where, I was fishing the 40# outfit and I got buzzed off by somebody’s line crossing mine. I reeled in what I had left of the braid it had been filled with and set it aside, grabbed the backup 40# outfit and got back to fishing. That night I was up until just past 11:00 fixing problems. I spliced some 60# Hollow Blue Cortland C-16 onto the solid and filled it up with that. Added a loop to loop topshot onto that FTH25NLD2 and then realized I had come on the trip with only one 40# topshot, Sato crimped into some Seaguar Premier. So, using some of that C-16 Hollow I proceeded to make a couple of wind-ons with loops. Off to bed.
After traveling east to the Ridge, we fished a couple of spots before heading up to Hippolito where we got into the Yellowtail action. After we had our fill of that, Ray took us offshore, looking for the right kelp that would be holding a good quantity of quality Dorado. Eventually, after checking numerous paddies, he found the right one. Not one of a string of several in a row, this one was all by itself. When the smoke cleared, both of those 30 and 40 pound outfits had been cut off again. Combat zone couldn’t hold a candle to the chaos we saw. But shit happens, right?
The mono topshot was gone from the 30# reel so, I topped it off with quite a lengthy topshot and just tied on a hook, thinking I would get bit just fine. The 40# reel still had the hollow connected to the solid with enough left for me to splice the 60# hollow onto it and fill it back up, again. Put a loop in the end and connected up another fluorocarbon topshot.
Thankfully, that was the extent of the damage and I finished the trip in good shape. Got home and bought a 1/2 pound spool of 50# mono as the next trips will no doubt include a fair dose of fishing Wahoo, maybe some YoYo iron. Also grabbed a spool of 30# Blue Label, some crimps and had to order the rest online. Amazon had what I needed, 300 meter spool of that 40# J-Braid. All set to get things fixed up for the 7 day on the Independence, holy shit, I’d better get to it, three weeks from now I’ll be headed south for that trip. Quality problem, have to go fishing…
