So I have tried several things to protect my fingers while casting, the first being nothing resulting in some not so cool burns along my index finger, then using a glove which now has a nice slice in the index finger to the Breakaway Cannon, a nifty trigger like rod attachment that attaches to the rod even with the bail and has a post that the braid is wrapped once or twice around and when the trigger is pulled a “U” shaped ring puts tension on the line preventing it from falling when the bail is open. it works great and as advertised but it can cost you a rig (or two ) if you don’t release it just right.
So I looked online and there are finger guards for sale but all are neoprene or some super lightweight material and don’t impress me. Being a leatherworker I decided to stitch up my own out of some medium weight leather. it resembles an old school archery finger glove which is where I got the idea. I have learned a few things about my design already even without using it but I was hoping for some other opinions.
Walkman you are a resourceful man, thats the second invention I’ve seen come from you. The first was the sting ray guard. Pretty cool:sunglasses:. One solution to your problem is a mono top shot. It’s just a section of mono tied to the end of your braid, before you attach to a swivel. It helps with thrashing fish because it stretches and is not as rigid. It’s also nice to have the added strength to protect against tail slaps or rubs offs from fish. I use heavier mono top shots for sharks than reds. it just depends what you are targeting. Speaking of fishing. I saw you landed a few big reds last year. The spring is just around the corner and is a good time to target the reds, you don’t have to wait for fall. Go back to your honey hole, they will be waiting for you. It’s great to hear from you,welcome back. If weather agrees with us we are looking at a matter of weeks, not months, I cant friggin wait:smiley:
Mono top shot will save your fingers for sure. I don’t have a problem with “soft” fingers, working with steel for 30+ years makes them pretty tuff. How far you trying to cast?
I use a mono top shot for casting long distance. shock leader should be 10lbs per ounce that you are casting (6 oz sinker=60lb shock leader) also, i do 8 wraps of leader on the spool. tie a fg knot or uni to uni knot and that should help out.
I’m looking to cast out past the breakers without having to wade into the surf. With the mono topshot my concern is the swivel/knot going through the guides. My typical rig is 4’of 125lb mono with 12" 170lb solid steel leader to a 10/0 circle. The Breakaway cannon is great but I have cast 2 rigs into oblivion because I didn’t release in time.
What reel and rod are you using? Sounds like you should use a fish finder rig. On my conventional setup, I use 25lb main line connected to 60lb mono shock leader.at the swivel, I use 4 inch leader of 400lb mono or 115lb wire… On my spinnining setup, I use 65lb braid connected the same way. Its not going to be easy casting your configuration that you mentioned.
I’m looking to cast out past the breakers without having to wade into the surf. With the mono topshot my concern is the swivel/knot going through the guides. My typical rig is 4’of 125lb mono with 12" 170lb solid steel leader to a 10/0 circle. The Breakaway cannon is great but I have cast 2 rigs into oblivion because I didn’t release in time.
Sounds like a “SHARK” rig. What main line?..60-80lb. Braid? Size and type of weight? With 5’ plus of “leader”, you probably would want a 10’-12’ rod and let the leader hang outside the eyes. Then the only knot to go through would be from shock leader to main line. Uni to Uni and others should clear fine.
Here is some 80#braid with 50# mono, uni to uni. 3 wraps with the mono, 5 with the braid.
Here is another one…Red Phillips knot I think? Pretty compact. I have never used this one, but I can not pull it apart with no slippage.
I’m looking to cast out past the breakers without having to wade into the surf. With the mono topshot my concern is the swivel/knot going through the guides. My typical rig is 4’of 125lb mono with 12" 170lb solid steel leader to a 10/0 circle. The Breakaway cannon is great but I have cast 2 rigs into oblivion because I didn’t release in time.
Sounds like a “SHARK” rig. What main line?..60-80lb. Braid? Size and type of weight? With 5’ plus of “leader”, you probably would want a 10’-12’ rod and let the leader hang outside the eyes. Then the only knot to go through would be from shock leader to main line. Uni to Uni and others should clear fine.
Here is some 80#braid with 50# mono, uni to uni. 3 wraps with the mono, 5 with the braid.
Here is another one…Red Phillips knot I think? Pretty compact. I have never used this one, but I can not pull it apart with no slippage.
And here is the Alberto Knot
i would choose the Alberto knot. it’s not as strong as the FG knot, but it is one of the best knots that i have used.
the shortest rod I use is a 10’ pursuit II with an 8000 Penn reel. The Pursuit II is spooled with 65# braid, A Conflict 8000 with 50# braid and I just picked up a Fierce 7000 and a Battle 8000 that I think I’m going to put 30# on. The other Rod I fish the Conflict on is a Diawa Emcast 11’ and I have just added an Okuma Tundra 15’ and a Diawa Sealine Surf 15’.
Mr. Parker you are correct, it is basically a shark rig that I use for reds. I figure why take the chance of loosing a shark when fishing for reds so the braid ties right to the swivel on the end of the mono. I don’t normally throw anything heavier than a 5oz due to the bait and mostly use 2-3oz pyramids or sputnik’s…I usually go to the 5 oz when the current is really fast.
The shark rig is similar to a Carolina rig with a sinker slider on the mono. I used to use the removable yellow ones but after loosing 3 of them in battle I switched to the blue fixed ones.
Thanks for the photos and explanation Mr. Parker I will make notes and give a try. Thanks all for your responses…Runbabyrun, it’s good to be back. I hate not being at the beach.
for big chunks of bait, I use the fish finder rig. If i’m going to throw the bait far, I prefer to use a conventional reel. just remember, the less line you have with a long rod gives you additional disadvantage while fighting a big fish. The casting setup i use does not get tangled or “airplaned” when i cast. i normally use a 60lb shock leader connected to my main line. I try to get at least 7-8 wraps of leader if possible. the shock leader is connected to a barrel swivel. I twist wire or crimp heavy mono from the barrel swivel to the hook. I am able to adjust the line at anytime. the pic is just a rough setup that i put together in 3 minutes. i normally use a shorter wire leader, but you can see how this rig can be used.
Those are pretty cool looking weights Web and thanks for your input I’m picking up a few tips. Walkman if you are targeting sharks casting from the beach and want to have the capability to catch some good size ones, beef up! You should have 500yds of 65ld braid tied to 10 ft of 80lb mono top shot tied together with an albright not. Then your swivel outside of the eye on the pole. Then 2 feet of cable 300lb crimped with a size 10 owner hook. You need that much line their ain’t no running down a fish in a boat surf fishing. The mono top shot will stop your finger problem and is a must to prevent tail whips from sharks. The rule of thumb is your leader is supposed to be as long as the shark, but I think it should be longer they can roll turn what not, give yourself some extra no reason not too. I like using the cable vs the wire it has no memory and is flexible. It also is thicker and less likely to cut into the shark and hurt it, such as the fins. I think the cable needs to be at least 24 inches if the shark turns and the line isnt at least as wide as his mouth and the line drapes across the wrong way lengthwise across his mouth pop off is very likely. I am no shark expert but I do think this will work fine casting from the beach. A sinker slide goes just above the swivel.My red rigs are a whole other set up. Good luck to you Sir and I hope to see you slam some more of those reds soon. They were some big ones.
Those are pretty cool looking weights Web and thanks for your input I’m picking up a few tips. Walkman if you are targeting sharks casting from the beach and want to have the capability to catch some good size ones, beef up! You should have 500yds of 65ld braid tied to 10 ft of 80lb mono top shot tied together with an albright not. Then your swivel outside of the eye on the pole. Then 2 feet of cable 300lb crimped with a size 10 owner hook. You need that much line their ain’t no running down a fish in a boat surf fishing. The mono top shot will stop your finger problem and is a must to prevent tail whips from sharks. The rule of thumb is your leader is supposed to be as long as the shark, but I think it should be longer they can roll turn what not, give yourself some extra no reason not too. I like using the cable vs the wire it has no memory and is flexible. It also is thicker and less likely to cut into the shark and hurt it, such as the fins. I think the cable needs to be at least 24 inches if the shark turns and the line isnt at least as wide as his mouth and the line drapes across the wrong way lengthwise across his mouth pop off is very likely. I am no shark expert but I do think this will work fine casting from the beach. A sinker slide goes just above the swivel.My red rigs are a whole other set up. Good luck to you Sir and I hope to see you slam some more of those reds soon. They were some big ones.
thank you, sir. I use these types of weight to cast far. they are effective if the surf is not rough. if the surf is rough, i choose frog tongue or fatboy sinkers. I’m getting ready for work right now, but since we are talking about surf setups, I will post a few of the sinkers that i use that seem to hold well. for me, 60lb leader tied to the main line is cas
Web you can chunk with the best of them, and like I said before thank you for sharing your knowledge, great stuff:smiley: Will you please share your weight recommendations for strong currents, I am not a big fan of the sputnik weights, for me they get tangled up too much. As for my red rig, it’s a simple one. I use a Carolina rig it’s easy and very reliable. My line is minimal 300 yds 30ld braid, with 50 ft of 30 lb mono top shot, then 24 inches of 50lb mono liter. I put that much braid on for a couple of reasons one being if I want to switch out pole and cast for sharks, the second is sometimes when I fish I have to walk over several sandbars and troughs ,cast,then walk back to my surf cart which can be some distance away. More often than not I’m not casting that far, but I like to have the capability when needed and have found that sometimes it is needed. Here are some additional sites that are a good read. Alan Hawke official site, great reviews for reels, Tackle direct.com click salt water,click all combos,click Black tip h, then hit spinning or conventional reels, they have allot on rod and reel combo recommendations for fishing sharks and tips and good info, also check out his many videos online, they are good. Last check out Texas shark fishing.com which is a very nice sight, not just sharks. Great refresher before the season.
Back to the original idea of this post - You have a good prototype. It seems useful and well thought out. I make my living manufacturing and selling my intellectual property,( www.no-miss.com ) so the question in my mind is - WILL IT SELL?? can it be improved? is it cost effective? Would a leather glove with the fingers cut out work?
Natureboy, a leather glove with the fingers cut out would work, but not last. You can get dear skin gloves and they won’t last as long either. The leather I used for the glove is 5 to 6 oz (1 Oz =1/64th of an inch) and is hand sewn with a waxed linen thread. I’m planning on widening the wrist band and making it out of 8/9 Oz and also am going to try a triangle shaped back to help minimize movement but I think I will keep the thickness of the actual finger glove. It would be nice to sell some and I think for the amount of work involved I could be competitive with major brands with also the possibility of customizing, colors, initials, carving etc. For a bit more. The glove I have been using cost me about 22$ for the pair and might have lasted 15 casts? If I could get an entire season or 2 out of what I made I’d be happy to pay 10 bucks as a consumer, he’ll I could probably just replace the finger portion.
Have you seen or considered a glove made for shooting a traditional bow? Has three fingers and strap. I have one I used for years. If it will holdup with a 50#+ draw recurve string on a bow it should be no problem with the fishing line. IMO
I always wondered about the Breakaway Cannons. SO you say if release is timed right they are good - if not timed right - you blue yonder your weight and bait?
) if you don’t release it just right.
