Thanks to Fred67, Nature Boy, OTC, RBF, and EF, for the help on my journey into offshore trolling! Looks like Rebelstate will be heading down to IOP, to fish with me Sunday. I think we will be heading E/SE past Comanchee, to the ledge, or thereabout?
I have a wet slip, at IOP marina for the week, so if any of you want a ride, let me know?
Also, any tips on setting the lever drags, from strike to set, would be appreciated.
Once again, Thanks Guys!!
Scott
You set the drag on the lever drags according to the pound test of line that you are running on that particular reel. Set it too tight and your lines go pop. Set it too loose and your hopes go pop.
A stand up boat rod isn’t like a inshore rod in that there is very little flex in the rod. Think about your inshore rods and how they bend when a big fish pulls drag. That bend and extra flex isn’t there in a boat rod, so almost all of your “give” comes from the reel until the rod is in your hands. That’s one of the big reasons why setting the proper drag on your reels is important.
For the purpose of this explanation lets say you put the braid on your reel like we discussed and then attached the 75 or 100 feet of 50# mono leader as your topshot.
As a general rule you want to set your drag up so that when you move the lever to the STRIKE
position there is a full two thirds pounds of drag on the breaking point of your weakest line,in our example that would be two thirds of 50, which is 32 to 35 pounds.
You don’t always have to shove the lever all the way to STRIKE unless you have to, but you need to know that at STRIKE you are 2/3’s of the way to maximum. You can always push it past the STRIKE position if you are getting schooled,errrr spooled I mean , but that’s up to you and that particular situation.
So to set your reels to 35 pounds of drag at strike here’s what you do, and all you need is a hanging fish scale of some sort to accomplish this. There is probably one in your tackle box, if not you need one. A good digital one from Bass Pro isn’t very much at all.
Take your rod and reel outside and tie the bitter end off to your trailer hitch, a fence post, or something that won’t give an inch. Then set the drag lever on about a third or so towards STRIKE at the most. Now start walking backwards and let the drag washers work against each other for 10 or 15 steps. Rewind and repeat the process two or three times. You do that to get all the curd, oil, salt, and whatnot off the drag washers and heat them up a bit so you get an actual measurement for the next step.
Ok, so take the bitter end off the bumper hitch and attach it to your hanging scale. You can do this by yourself, but if have a friend to help with this part it makes it easier. In a nutshell while your buddy is walking away slowly with your scale and calling out the pounds of pull or drag, you work the reel to adjust the drag so that there is 35#'s max at the full Strike position. If you wanted to you could put the rod in the gunnel and pull it yourself and walk back and forth adjusting until you get to the 35#'s, just easier with a buddy.
That’s pretty much it. Don’t forget there is a bit of physics involved too as the more line you have pulling thru the water the more friction is created and thus more drag applied to the line than what the reel is set at. That’s a good thing, but yet another reason to set the drag at full Strike to 35#'s.
Do you have any good bottom numbers in the 110-125 depth? Not maps unique stuff, but hard bottom spots, relief, or ledges? If not let me know, I will pm you a couple of areas to get you started. If you or Rebelwhatshisname share them with anyone else and I find out about it they will be the last ones I ever share. And you really should only go to these spots once or twice per year at the most. Good spots often get fished out quick on a new numbers and new crews, so be a good steward and report back on what you caught there.
Again, I sukk at explaining stuff on paper, so if I confused you just sing out and I’ll try again.
Best of Luck
EF
Got it. Thanks! The only bottom #s I have are the ledge, in 85 ft. behind Charleston 60, and to the right of Doug Mellinchamp. You know the one. We did pretty well there, last year, on Grouper, and the biggest Vermillion I’ve ever caught.
LMAO!!! You posted those #s. I can’t be held liable for your secret getting out… 
Trust me, even if any of those could be poached from that pic the offsets I put in should stop any itchy fingers.
Check your PM’s in a minute. I sent you a few spots that are all within 125 yards of each other. If you go to one of the spot and don’t see anything don’t fret, just drive in small circles until you find it. They are rarely the same going from unit to unit, but close. You should be able to locate them within 50 feet or less of where the actual number says they are.
Again, keep these to yourself and let me know what you caught there and when.
EF
Will do. Thanks!!
Uncle Nutz,
One thing you may find helpful if you aren’t familiar with it… When it comes to drag settings; they are dynamic, not static… Meaning the more line that is removed from the reel the smaller the line spool diameter becomes which effectively increases drag pressure/pounds as the line is removed…
The A B C’s of Drag Dynamics. How to Set a Drag. | Accurate Fishing Reels
Another thing that really works 100% for bottomfishing especially in these times of Ipilot is to scrape several buckets of barnacles/oysters from some pilings and smash them up and when you get settled out on a good bottom spot dump them over . It puts the bottom fish into a frenzy . I have done this trick in 300’ and almost exclusively caught big queen triggerfish as fast as we could go. .
Oldie but Goodie. It appears lots of the old stuff is archived here if you go looking.
Thanks for that too snickers. Really
My best guess is today was 3 to 4 feet at 5 to 6 second intervals. I’m guessing the south by southwest 15-20knot wind is pushing them towards the hill now.
I’m guessing the trolling was good and the bottom fishing a little better.
My guess is 8 mahi, one short wahoo, 15 sea bass, 12 triggers, 6 or 8 throwback ARS, and some charleston snappers
Can’t wait to hear the final score
Standing by on 16
EF Out
Whatever happened here?
Slow, rough, ride out. Started questioning my fuel gauge around Comanche, and decided to stop, and troll there. Caught several Barracuda’s, Amberjack, and broke off a couple more. It was cloudy, from the start, so a light rain wasn’t too concerning, yet. As the skies darkened, Rebelstate suggested we put some distance back between us and the shore.
Didn’t make it a mile or so, before TSHTF! I couldn’t see, between the waves breaking over the bow, and the rain blowing over the windshield, along with the sea water. I literally had to turn my head backwards to catch my breath, every few seconds.
Around 25 miles out I somehow managed to receive a call from my wife to inform me that a Marine Emergency had been broadcast for offshore Charleston. I quickly told her we were well aware, at that point. Rode in around 8 mph for well over two hours.
I lost most of my teeth, both knees, and three, or four, vertebrae in my lower back! Took it easy Monday, and hung out inshore yesterday. Might head out again tomorrow, weather permitting? Headed to Haddrell’s in a few, to pick up some gear for the next trip offshore. Can’t wait!!
The above post was for 5/22/22…last Sunday.
Sorry to hear about the bad weather Uncle Nutz… Hopefully things will clear up before the weekend… Bet you wished you had the loaded flask I recommended… 
Yeah! That thunderstorm was something else!
Helluva great thread, folks. A lot of solid info with a minimum of drama…
