The week before last I took off from work in hopes of getting on the water in search of some fish. The first part of the week I awoke each morning to strong winds and some unseasonably cool temperatures curbing my fishing plans. As the week moved on the weather started improving and I was able to fish inshore on Wednesday and Thursday in some tolerable conditions. The forecast for Friday was light and variable winds and 1 to 2 foot seas so I put together a trip with some buddies to one of the local artificial reefs in search of some Spadefish.
This year I added a new spinning reel to my arsenal thanks to the folks at Quantum reels.My new lightweight Saltwater Quantum PTS 40 Catalyst spinning reel is loaded with 12-pound mono backing and topped with 200 yards of 10-pound Berkley Power Pro Braid. This reel retails for around $150 and is equipped with features most often found on reels that retail for twice that cost. The Catalyst features infinite anti-reverse for strong hook sets, 9 ball bearings and a 5.2:1 gear ratio for a flawless retrieval, multi-stack ceramic drag washers providing smooth, reliable and durable fish stopping capability, and a strong titanium bail equipped with a very smooth magnetic trip. The lightweight aluminum body looks sleek and is topped with Saltguard 6-layer coating capable of withstanding many years of abuse in the saltwater environment. Knowing the Spades reputation for drag dogging runs and hard fights I knew it would be a great test for the lightweight PTS 40.
The four of us rolled Charleston harbor around 8 am on Friday. We cleared the tip of the jetties by 8:30 and were greeted by a slick ocean and a very distinct tide line. We filled a 5-gallon bucket with jelly balls within a matter of minutes and we were on our way to the reef. Upon arrival, I started checking each set of numbers for Spades as my crew surveyed the surface for any tailing activity. As we passed across the top of one of the tugs the dep