I like my Battle 8000 on a short Tiger Lite jigging rod with 60# powerpro…that rig brought up a 30ish pound cobia belly-foul-hooked from 100’ of water…boy did I think I had something REALLY BIG!
reel style (conventional vs. spinning), 2) size/capacity, 3) features, and 4) cost
Here you go. Lots of ways to catch but this is what has worked for us.
IMO you need both- conventional for BSB, Snapper, Grouper, snapper but remember Cobia, Triple tail come up to the surface and casting spinners is much easier.Jigging for me is easier with spinners as well.We mostly use conventional and the girls say the spinners hurt their arms.
Never been out matched with raptors MXL and 8000 saragossa. Also have used torium 20s, 30s and Battle 5000 , 6000 Just make sure to wash them after each use.
Rods do make a difference… I like the trevallas but also the star paraflex for the conventional and terez and trevalla for the spinners.
Battle/torium are cheaper, the daiwa got a nice review from alan hawk. I tried the Fin Nor and it was VERY heavy so sent it back. Raptors and saragossa pricey but super light and nice to fish with.
Line is important. 80 lb braid min for us. Line gets chewed up off shore so check it often. Get some braid that holds up well. Good snap swivels and quality hooks and leader. I tend to use very heave rated stuff as you never know when you get into something powerful.
speaking of heavy braid…I typically use 60#, but I’ll tell you when I’m offshore I am ALWAYS conscious of where that braid is going…ie, I ain’t grabbing it with my bare hands like I might heavy mono…one wrap around your arm and a fish take off, chit, I bet some of that stuff could cut to the bone…sorry to get off topic Black Bart…
People say they have better free spool because of mechanical differences. A lot of distance caster think star drag is the best. I know it’s easier for someone to apply to much drag with a lever drag but for me I can guage ho2 much drag I am using easier than a star. Something to remember is once you get low on a conventional the drag ratings increase a lot. A third of a spool is like t2ice the drag as a full spool so on big runs you got to back off a little when the spool gets run down. Drag pops line at about a 1/3 of its rating on a surging run so for 20lb drag you want at least 60lb braid.
Also, I greatly prefer a star drag for live baiting for grouper/snapper etc… I have the new Penn US Senator (narrow spool one) spooled with 80 pound jerry brown braid and it’s been a work horse.
Those senators bill fixes up are bad arse too
I do prefer a spinner for chicken rigs and jigging. It’s just more natural to me (just the way I was taught as a kid). I go all shimano for spinning reels.
Look at the Penn Fathom’s 15 or 25 models, and combo them up with a Trevela or Star Paraflex. I prefer conventional for soaking live bait at the bottom or vertical jigging. If I’m looking to pitch live bait or slow jig, then I prefer spinning outfits. BG 5000 or 6000 series on a M or M/H rod.
Edit Update: You should check out the classified’s on The Hull Truth, or Florida Sportsman. You can typically find some pretty nice setups and deals on these websites.
Old Penn reels rule! It will be interesting to see how many of today’s hot brand/model reels are still functioning 40 to 50 years from now. I bet not many.
Long Enuff:
I am new here in SC and do not understand all of the abbreviations, what do the following mean. I am from NJ different fish. lol
BSB, B-liners, pinkies, BFT.
Love your penn 113H Thanks for your help.
quote:Posted - 03/13/2018 : 12:24:06 PM
Long Enuff:
I am new here in SC and do not understand all of the abbreviations, what do the following mean. I am from NJ different fish. lol
BSB, B-liners, pinkies, BFT.
Love your penn 113H Thanks for your help.
BSB = black sea bass, B-Liners = vermillion snapper, pinkies = red porgies also known as silver snapper, BFT = black fin tuna. Hope this helps.
Avet MXJ with 50# braid or MXJ Raptors with 65-80# braid on St. Croix Mojo jigging Rods. I use to use the Star Paraflex but after having 5 of the conventional break, I’ve switched. Never had one of the spinning rods break and have Shimano Stradic 8000’s on them, though the Penn Slammers are good budget reels too loaded with 50#. For heavier I just got two Pinnacle Acid wrapped with Accurate BV2-500s and two Pinnacle Spinning with Saragossa 8000’s.
Mark
Southport 28TE
2X Yamaha F250
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
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